Monday, May 31, 2010

Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, I'm going to list the soldiers from the La Farge area who lost their lives during World War II.
We are losing the WW II veterans at a startling rate now and La Farge is honoring their surviving WW II vets by having them as parade marshals at this year's 4th of July parade.
This listing of the men from the La Farge area lost in WW II is taken from the "Service Record - World War I and II - La Farge & Community" published in 1949 by the La Farge VFW Post. Harry Lounsbury was the commander of the post at that time. The book lists 291 men and women who were from La Farge, the surrounding community, or had connections to the village and served during World War II. Twelve are listed as "Gold Star Boys", those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. They are:
Lee Lawrence - April 6, 1943 - plane went down off coast of north Africa
Harold McElhose - May 23, 1943 - died during North Africa & Italian campaigns
Floyd Smith - March 22, 1944 - plane crashed in Northern Ireland
Asa Lawrence - September 10, 1944 - died in Italy
Russ Alderman - September 15, 1944 - died near Moselle River in France
Joe Strait - January 19, 1945 - died in Luzon, Philippines
Fay Alderman - April 10, 1945 - died at Okinawa in Pacific
Orville Hisel - May 9, 1945 - died in Luzon, Philippines
Graydon DeVern Gilman - September 3, 1945 - drowned in Arkansas
Van Brokaw - August 29, 1946 - plane crashed at Grenoble in Alps
Lysle Ewing - no date listed - no information
Vic Willie - no date listed - died in Pacific

Each Memorial Day, an honor roll of the deceased veterans is read at ceremonies held in La Farge. The names of these twelve men , La Farge's "Gold Star Boys" are included in that calling.

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