Shiawassee County
and WWII

Volumns have been written on World War II. This page will deal with those Shiawassee County residents who served on the front lines, support, or on the home front.

During WWII, the Korean and Vietnam War, one of the hero's on the Home Front was Josephine McDonell of Owosso who over a period of more than 50 years kept in contact with many soldiers around the world by telephone.

Many other people on the Home Front volunteered at the American Red Cross, which was very active over the years, bought war bonds, grew and preserved food, accepted rationing, including food, tires, gas and other items. Also many local factories contributed in the War Effort by producing war material for the Defense Dept.

Below, factories like Redmond Motors of Owosso, hired many women to replace the men who were drafted into service during WWII. Photo taken in 1942.

The Crawford-Arnold Post was founded in Owosso in 1945 and named in honor of Alfred Leston Arnold III and Kenneth Crawford Jr.

In November, local survivors of the Bataan Death March returned to Owosso including Paul Reichert, Joe Limbaugh, Purvis Moore, Robert Bond and Victor Marsuta.

Virgil Hammond, was killed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky during a training mission for WWII. His family was living in Fairfield Township of Shiawassee County when the incident happened. Because Virgil had an Elsie address, as a young man, the VFW post in Elsie named the building in honor of him and two others who were killed in the line of duty. It is named the Huffman, Hammond, Rando Post.

U.S. Army Air Force Pilot Floyd Coffield
Floyd Coffield served in the U.S. Army Air Force 783rd Bomber Squadron, 465 Bomb group, 15th Air Force in Italy. He was the first pilot on a B-24 Bomber and flew 51 missions over German area. He enlisted on Feb. 3, 1941 and was discharged Oct. 18, 1945.

He said his most frightful moments while on duty is the bombing of the Palesti-Romania oil fields and he is still bothered by flashbacks of his service. War is hell, he said. But I am proud of my service.

U.S. Army Private First Class Hudson Downing
Hudson Downing served in the U.S. Army in 1942 as an field artilleryman in General George Pattons 3rd Army. He guarded German army prisoners and helped to clean the 16-inch Howitzer set on the Virginia coast before he was sent overseas. He said the gun was meant to guard the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. He was 21 years old. He was a switchboard operator in the field artillery and he said the most frightful moment was being shelled by the enemy.

I saw a soldier right beside me get killed, said Downing. It made me realize how precious life is and how God took care of me through the battles. He is presently the public relations officer for the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 63 of Shiawassee County.

Thanks to Owosso Argus Press - Kelly Peters, who supplied the following list.

U.S. Merchant Marine Radio Officer Russell Newton Aiken

U.S. Army Air Force First Lieutenant Alfred L. Arnold III

U.S. Army Private First Class Marion Eugene Austin

U.S. Navy Soundman Third Class Edward Steven Baker

U.S. Navy Fireman Second Class Marvin P. Bandkau

U.S. Army Private First Class Graham J. Barlow Jr.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Fred A. Beadle

U.S. Army Private First Class William R. Bennett

U.S. Navy Earl H. Benson

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Leon H. Bliss

U.S. Army Private First Class Clyde W. Bodary

U.S. Army Private Edward L. Bodnar

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Clifford J. Bogue

U.S. Army Private Alex Bordash

U.S. Army Private First Class Gordon A. Borton

U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant George W. Bowerman

U.S. Army Private Walter G. Brady

U.S. Army Technical Sergeant Lloyd A. Brainard

U.S. Army Private First Class Wayne R. Brewer

U.S. Army Private First Class Alwood Brier

U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant Marlin J. Bruckman

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Philip M. Bullock

U.S. Army Corporal Clarence Burton

U.S. Army Private First Class Wendell A. Bush

U.S. Marine Corps Private First Class Joseph F. Candiff

U.S. Army Air Forces Sergeant Gerald F. Carmody

U.S. Navy Motor Machinists Mate Third Class Joseph Frank Chahoy

U.S. Navy Lieutenant John Francis Cheney

U.S. Army Private Wayne M. Conrad

U.S. Marine Corps Private First Class Harold R. Cooley

U.S. Army Sergeant Clarence L. Crandell

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Kenneth F. Crawford Jr.

U.S. Army Sergeant Floyd E. Dague

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Kenneth J. Daniels

U.S. Army Corporal Ulrie Richard Daniels

U.S. Navy Fireman First Class Mark Arthur Delehanty

U.S. Army Private First Class Lionel A. DeWitt

U.S. Army Private Herbert C. Diamond

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant George A. Diller Jr.

U.S. Navy Seaman Second Class Clarence Dillon Jr.

U.S. Army Air Force Corporal Harold H. Ebe

U.S. Army Private Carl J. Egeler

U.S. Army Private First Class Robert L. Eggelston

U.S. Army Private Lawrence Otis Eddy

U.S. Army Private First Class Marvin O. Elkins

U.S. Marine Corps Corporal William G. Ellis

U.S. Navy Seaman Paul C. Euvrard

U.S. Army Technical Fifth Grade Clifford F. Farr

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Clifford L. Fenn

U.S. Marine Corps Private Max Putt Wilbur Furry

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Dale D. Garber

U.S. Army Technician Fourth Class Robert G. Geddis

U.S. Marine Corps Second Lieutenant Chester Arwin Gorham

U.S. Army Private John R. Goward Jr.

U.S. Army Technician Fifth Class Francis W. Gray

U.S. Navy Electricians Mate First Class Richard L. Gregorik

U.S. Army Air Forces Specialist Elmore S. Gregorik

U.S. Navy Aviation Radioman First Class DeWayne Raymond Gute

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Paul B. Gust

U.S. Army Private Virgal C. Hammond

U.S. Army Private Neal E. Hatherill

U.S. Army Sergeant Russell G. Hemenway

U.S. Army Air Forces Corporal Henry Hepfner

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Cameron G. Hess

U.S. Coast Guard Seaman Second Class Homer Stone Hodges

U.S. Army Air Forces First Lieutenant Carl C. Hoenshell

U.S. Army Technical Fifth Grade Albert L. Jack Holmes

U.S. Army Private Julian V. Holmes

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant William L. Hoose

U.S. Army Private Joseph M. Horak

U.S. Navy Seaman Second Class Maynard Lee Humphrey

U.S. Army Private Stephen J. Jakus Jr.

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Frank A. Jensen

U.S. Army First Lieutenant Herbert J. Kaufman

U.S. Army Sergeant Earl L. Kelly

U.S. Army Private First Class Alvy Kerman

U.S. Army Air Forces Sergeant Doyle H. Knight

U.S. Marine Corps Reserves Private First Class Francis M. Knoblauch

U.S. Army Private Robert G. Kozley

U.S. Marine Corps Private Frederick Thomas LaRue

U.S. Army Private First Class Richard Lover

U.S. Navy Electricians Mate Third Class Stanley Malachowski

U.S. Army Private First Class Larmer A. Martin

U.S. Army Private Francis L. McAvoy

U.S. Navy Ensign William Walker McCabe

U.S. Navy Seaman Second Class John Romayne McCarthy

U.S. Army Sergeant Maurice C. Mercier

U.S. Army Private First Class Cyril M. Mrva

U.S. Army Private Edward B. Mrva

U.S. Army Private First Class Walter Mudar

U.A. Army Staff Sergeant Lester F. Muzzy

U.S. Navy Fireman Second Class Robert James Nesbitt

U.S. Navy Seaman First Class Robert Harold Noonan

U.S. Army Private Robert T. Nordheim

U.S. Army Corporal Harold L. Oliver

U.S. Army Private Hugh W. Orser

U.S. Navy Seaman First Class Theodore Parks Jr.

U.S. Naval Motor Machinists Mate Second Class Otto Miles Peckins

U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Francis G. Pennell

U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Robert E. Pennell

U.S. Army Technical Fourth Grade Donald J. Piotrowicz

U.S. Army Private Jack R. Plumb

U.S. Army Sergeant Charles F. Pomikal

U.S. Navy Aviation Radioman Third Class Mervin LeRoy Porter

U.S. Army Sergeant James Prendergast

U.S. Army Air Forces Technical Sergeant John R. Prout Jr.

U.S. Army Private First Class James M. Redmond

U.S. Army Private First Class Philip Lester Rogers

U.S. Navy Seaman First Class Wayne Reed

U.S. Army Private Joe Rondo

U.S. Marine Corps Reserves Captain Robert W. Rose

U.S. Army Private Lloyd G. Runyan

U.S. Army Sergeant John C. Ruppert

U.S. Army Private John Elwood Russell

U.S. Army Air Forces Technical Sergeant Frank Sarnik Jr.

Edward W. Schiebner

U.S. Army Private First Class Lavern L. Sheldon

U.S. Navy Seaman Second Class Edwin Lee Smith

U.S. Army Private First Class James R. Smith

U.S. Navy Soundman Third Class Karl Homer Snyder

U.S. Army Private Robert E. Spencer

Robert I. Stone

U.S. Navy Machinists Mate Third Class Eugene A. Sulek

U.S. Army Sergeant Frank A. Surik

U.S. Coast Guard Virgil Sutton

U.S. Army Private First Class Earl S. Telling

U.S. Army Private Laurent D. Thinel

U.S. Army Private Andrew Tiesenga

U.S. Army Private First Class John Tkazcyk

U.S. Army Sergeant Robert B. Trudeau

U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Kenneth F. Tyler

U.S. Army Sergeant Robert W. Updyke

U.S. Army Private First Class William W. Utley

U.S. Army Private First Class Spencer N. Walter

U.S. Army Private First Class Wesley F. Walter

U.S. Navy Seaman Second Class Roy Laverne Wardwell

U.S. Army Sergeant William W. Weir

U.S. Army Private First Class Jay A. Wheeler

U.S. Navy Ensign John Harold Wheeler

U.S. Navy Electricians Mate Third Class James Arthur Whitcomb

U.S. Army Private Earl M. Whitehead

U.S. Army Private First Class Wilmot J. Williams

U.S. Army Corporal Gordon Willoughby

U.S. Army Private Cloyse M. Withington

U.S. Army Private First Class John J. Yelinek

U.S. Army Private Orville Butch D. Yerian