Readers remember those killed in service
Staff Sgt. Alex French IV
French was killed in Afghanistan in September 2009. He was the son of Alex and Gwendolyn Rawls French of Milledgeville. Alex enjoyed life, he never met a stranger. He loved his children, his family, his community and, most of all, his country. French graduated from Baldwin County High School in 1996. He served in the Navy for four years. He joined the 1st Battalion, 121st Light Infantry of the Georgia Army National Guard. French deployed with the 48th Infantry Brigade in 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also did training tours in Hohenfels, Germany, and Tbilisi, Georgia. In May 2009, French was deployed to Afghanistan with the 48th in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition to his parents, Alex is survived by his wife, Shoneca, children Alex V, Alexis and Madison, sisters Latoya French and Laquitta Basley of Milledgeville, three devoted nieces, Briajha, Ashton and Bridget, and grandparents Earl and Bernice Rawls of Grovania, Georgia, and Harriett O. French of Milledgeville.
Gwendolyn French, mother, Milledgeville
Pfc. Tyrus Willard Hudson
Hudson, of Macon and Columbus, entered the Army on December 23, 1942. Two years later, as a soldier in Patton’s Army, he was killed in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium on Dec. 23, 1944. He was 30 years old. His sister, Flossie Hudson Harrison of Macon, maintained a steady correspondence with him throughout his two years of service. In reading his letters to her, one gets a small sense of the severe circumstances he and his comrades had to endure. In one letter he mentions to her how “a package from home is about the best thing that can happen to a guy over here,” and then after having to combine the contents of two packages he’d received because he was having to move on, “I figured you sent the one with the fried chicken in it and boy did I enjoy that.” Hudson is buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg. His nephew, Jack C. Harrison of Byron, has donated all of his correspondence to The Institute on World War II and the Human Experience, Department of History at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
Jack Harrison, nephew, Byron
Sgt. Kelley Lance Courtney
Courtney was born and raised in Macon. He attended Heard Elementary School, where he met his childhood sweetheart and future wife, Cindy Jacobs. During their marriage, they became proud parents of Kellie Marie Courtney and Robert Logan Courtney. Kelley was a gifted artist and poet. He loved being out in nature appreciating his Native American heritage. Kelley was a Christian who shared his faith and once considered becoming a pastor. He enlisted with the Marines in 1998 with his younger brother Donovan and mutual friend, Mark Foley. Kelley was accepted into the Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence (CI/HUMINT) Battalion and trained as a counterintelligence specialist. Returning to Camp Victory after a seven-day mission, Kelley and seven other Marines were killed when their convoy was hit by a suicide bomber on the outskirts of Fallujah, Iraq. Ten Marines survived the blast. Kelley received the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, National Defense Medal, Hawaii Medal of Honor and Global War on Terrorism Medal, among other honors. The counterintelligence training building at Camp Hansen in Okinawa, Japan, was named Courtney Hall in his memory. The Interstate 75 interchange at Hartley Bridge Road is also named in his honor.
Gena and Bob Courtney, parents, Macon
Maj. Bobby Marvin Jones
Jones was a graduate of Lanier High School class of 1963, the University of Georgia class of 1967 and the Medical College of Georgia class of 1971. After completing his internship at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Texas, he entered the Air Force as a flight surgeon and was assigned to Udorn, Thailand, in September 1972. On Nov. 28, 1972, flying backseater in an F-4 fighter jet headed to DaNang, South Vietnam, he became missing in action. As a close family, we have been very involved with the National League of POW/MIA Families to try to bring closure to the more than 83,000 Americans still missing and unaccounted for from WWII to the present day. Please pray that one day we can bring Bobby home with honor and have closure for our family.
Jo Anne Shirley, sister
Pvt. Marlin Harrell Patisaul
Patisaul was born in March 1922 to Charlie and Clara Patisaul in Dexter in Laurens County. He enlisted in the Army on Dec. 18, 1942, at Fort McPherson as a private in the 43rd Infantry Division. On July 18, 1943, he was on a ship in the South Pacific when it was bombed and he was lost at sea. Patisaul is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery at Fort Bonifacio in the Philippines. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart for his service.
Ruth Patisaul Walker, sister, Bonaire
Pfc. Calvin Leroy Taylor
Taylor, of Macon, was killed during active duty in Vietnam on May 18, 1967. He was 18. He was in the Army’s 101st Airborne Division. The son of George Sr. and Elnora Taylor, he was the third of six boys (George Jr., Harry, Theodore, Alphouse and Michael). Calvin was raised in the Stinsonville community in Macon. He liked to fish and hunt. He was an all-around good athlete and loved playing football. He loved serving his country and was proud to be an Airborne Ranger. Calvin’s family was presented with his distinguished Purple Heart medal. The city of Macon dedicated a park and monument in the Stinsonville community named in Taylor’s honor on the property where he once lived.
Alphouse Taylor, brother, Bonaire
Pvt. Paul Alton Smith
Smith was the son of Charles C.W. and Mary Epps Jones Smith of Fitzgerald. He entered the Army at Fort McPherson on Sept. 2, 1943, and served in Europe during World War II with the 60th Engineer Combat Battalion, 35th Infantry Division. He was killed on Oct. 10, 1944, while his platoon was laying an anti-tank minefield near Ajoncourt, France. While the soldiers were attaching fuses to the mines, something caused the mines to detonate. The subsequent explosions, which encompassed an estimated 1,500 mines as well as multiple trucks, resulted in death or injuries to the entire platoon. Alton was among those never found. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France.
Cathy Jones Rountree, cousin, Eatonton
Petty Officer 1st Class Robert Allen Wright
Wright, a career Navy sailor from Macon and Bibb County, proudly served his country for 20 years, from the time he was 18 years old, and was reactivated from the Navy Reserves in 1939 to become part of international efforts providing security escort to ships taking supplies to our allies in Europe. His ship, the Truxtun, along with the flagship of the convoy, the Wilkes, and the supply ship, the Pollux, all ran aground on the coast of Newfoundland in a howling subzero winter storm on Feb. 18, 1942. Two hundred and three American sailors died in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. There were 186 survivors. Wreckage of these three ships at sea was considered to be one of the worst disasters in U.S. Naval history. My mother, Mrs. E.D. Schell, and her siblings never had closure about their brother’s death due to imposed silence surrounding the event and the raging world war. The full story of the events leading up to this catastrophe was not made public until it was memorialized in Cassie Brown’s book, “Standing Into Danger,” in 1979, 37 years after the accident.
Martha S. O’Neal, niece, Macon
Maj. Judson B. Crow
Crow, who gave his life in WWII, was my father. He died in the Philippine Islands on the infamous Bataan Death March in April 1942. I was 6 years old, so I grew up without my father, but with the knowledge that he died a hero. He commanded the Army’s 1st Battalion, 92nd Infantry Regiment, in the Philippines during the brutal battles with the unrelenting Japanese military, before Gen. Douglas MacArthur surrendered our troops to them. My father led his troops, most of whom were sick with jungle diseases, malnutrition and little sleep for days, with “gallantry in action,” as the citation for his Silver Star states. I treasure all of his awards that attest to his valor. Among the medals awarded posthumously to him are the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. There is a memorial headstone in his memory in Arlington National Cemetery. Although I never saw him again after he said goodbye to his family in Macon, he lives on in my heart and in the lives of his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren and his great-great-granddaughter. His great-grandson, Judson, bears his name.
Elizabeth C. Watson, daughter, Americus
SP4 James R. Bowden
Bowden, of Macon, was born on Dec. 7, 1948, and died May 4, 1968, in Binh Dinh Province in Vietnam. Ronnie, as his family called him, attended Dudley Hughes Vocational School before enlisting in the army.
Jeff Bowden, brother, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Lance Cpl. Jerryl D. Shropshire
Shropshire (also known as Gerald Mack) was killed on Oct. 23, 1983, when terrorists attacked Marine headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon. Shropshire grew up on Macon’s Mosely Avenue in Unionville, raised by Geraldine Morgan and the late Lula Mae Watkins. He was a 1982 graduate of Southwest High School, where he wrestled and played football. Soon after graduation he went off to basic training. He was one of 241 U.S. Marines killed in the attack in Beirut.
Courtney Henderson, cousin, Macon
Cpl. Charles Stoy
Stoy was born in Cincinnati in 1925. He enlisted in what was then called the Army Air Forces when he was 18 and was a bombardier in World War II. He died with the rest of his crew in a plane crash near Yokohama, Japan, on Sept. 17, 1945. He was buried in Zachary Taylor Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. His three brothers remained in service for our country through the Korean War.
William J. Stoy, brother, Cochran
Pfc. Jack Anderson Ethridge
Ethridge was born and raised in Macon, on Pierce Avenue across from the Methodist Home for Children and Youth. He was the son of Green Berry and Mildred Knox Ethridge. He graduated from Lanier High School in 1943 and entered the Army the day after graduation. He was in Company C, 398th Infantry. The telegram his parents received Jan. 28, 1945, reported him missing in action as of Jan. 9. The second telegram was received March 11 confirming that Jack had been killed in action in eastern France. Jack was buried at a military cemetery in Epinal, France. His body was shipped back to the United States in March 1948, and he was buried next to his grandparents in Riverside Cemetery.
Cecil Ethridge, Jr., cousin, Macon
Pvt. Edward Luther Fuller Jr.
Fuller, 22nd infantry, 4th division, was born in Macon on Dec. 22, 1921. He was killed in action Aug. 5, 1944, at Saint-Lo, Normandy. His parents were Edward and Louella Fuller. Edward had always planned to make a career of the Army. In his letters home, he always asked about his brother James, who was also serving in the Army and was less than 75 miles away at the time of Edward’s death. James did not, however, learn about Edward’s death until he received the news in a letter from his parents. The last letter from Edward was posted to his mom and dad on July 14, 1944. In it, he mentioned that he had not received any mail in almost a month. He requested that they “send candy. Any kind of candy — just send candy!”
Ms. James Fuller, sister-in-law, Macon
Tech. Sgt. Tyler Green
Green was born in Macon on June 18, 1920. He proudly served his country during World War II. He was responsible for repairing airplanes damaged in the European Theater. On June 6, 1945, his captain was showing him a German Luger pistol when it accidentally discharged, striking Tyler in the chest. He was originally laid to rest in Germany, but his mother, Ruth Green, had his body returned to Macon three years later and he was interred at Macon Memorial Park. Sadly, his mother received a letter from Tyler dated June 5, 1945, telling her that he would be returning home in a few weeks.
Anese Ruth Brown, sister, Macon
Tech Sgt. Eric Birch
Birch, Georgia Air National Guard, died April 28, 2015, after battling stage 4 throat cancer. All through his 15-month fight he never lost his faith. He expressed his strong belief in the following quote written to me a month before his death:
“When you consider all intricacies of the human body and all the detailed stories that are documented in the Bible, there is no way that God is not real. If I live for one more or 100 more years, I will still praise God in life or with Him in eternity”— EB
Eric loved serving with his J-STARS brothers in the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base. He was touched and thankful for all the support they showed our family while he was ill. He was determined to recover and fly with them again someday. God, family, country. Eric was a man of integrity, strong character and quick wit. He will be greatly missed.
Carla Birch, wife, Warner Robins
Sgt. 1st Class Charlie Frank Jones
A native of Monticello and an 11-year Army veteran, Jones trained soldiers for combat at Fort Benning’s Infantry School throughout World War II. He was pictured in an Army training book in 1949 demonstrating his marksmanship skills. In February 1950, he left for Okinawa with the 29th Infantry Regiment, and at the outbreak of the Korean War this unit would be one of the first to arrive in Korea. On July 31, 1950, he was killed in action in South Korea, but his body never came home. Through emails to Korean War veterans, a son found his dad’s platoon officer in 1999. It was an emotional moment for both as the former platoon lieutenant shared details of a battlefield death. “He was hit immediately. ... I tried to give him assistance. ... He died shortly after we got him down the hill. ... He was buried near the place where he died. ... and it grieves me not to remember the exact place.” Today, the family tries to find answers at annual government briefings held in Washington. Recent recovery of remains along with advancements in forensic techniques and DNA offer hope of returning him to American soil. For now, his great-grandson, Charlie Jones, who was born in March, will carry forth a missing soldier’s name.
Mike Jones, son, Eatonton
Lt. James ‘Jim’ Kingery
Kingery entered service in April 1918, joining the Army’s Company B, 30th Infantry, 3rd Division. He was dispatched to France, fighting in the Battle of Chateau-Thierry, his unit trying to prevent boats from crossing the Marne River. Emerging from his foxhole on or about July 15, 1918, Kingery took two shots to the abdomen. Because German soldiers were able to overrun the staging area for the wounded, Kingery was taken across the Marne to a German prison camp known as Camp Trelon, where he died three days later. My grandmother, upon receiving a letter from the Army informing her of her loss, instantly became a Gold Star Mother. German Sgt. Hugo Lamp befriended my uncle as he lay severely wounded, took his papers from his breast pocket, wrote down his address and, subsequently, thoughtfully wrote to my grandmother in 1921, offering her an opportunity to know in some detail the climate and circumstances of his demise. My uncle is interred in Somme American Cemetery in Bony, France, near the battle site. Our family is grateful to God for Jim Kingery, his honor, courage, duty and sacrifice. We remember him and his comrades in arms this day and always — “lest we forget.”
Dale Kingery Taylor, Macon
Lance Cpl. Jeffery Brad Sanders
Sanders, of Cochran, son of Jeffery Tyler Sanders and Brenda Sanders, died in the line of duty on June 16, 1998, at the age of 21. He was assigned to the Beach and Terminal Operations Company at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. He was driving his Humvee back to the base after completing a port operation in Morehead City, North Carolina, when a transfer truck crossed into his path. He had only reported a week earlier to Camp LeJeune from Okinawa, Japan, for a year. His commanding officer described his “can-do” attitude, and his keen ability to make friends with anybody and everybody. He could be counted on to get the job done and done well. He was very respectful, tactful and dependable. His executive officer asked him while checking in if he wanted to deploy again, because usually after a deployment they really would like to be in the states a while. Sanders smiled and responded with “Whatever you need, sir.” He died doing what he enjoyed, serving his country that he so loved.
Brenda F. Sanders, mother, Cochran
First Lt. Joseph N. Neel Jr.
Neel, a platoon infantry commander, was killed in September 1918, three weeks before the World War I armistice. As I write in my book, “Man of the Cloth, an American Dream,” the war in France was winding down in favor of the Allies, yet the Americans decided to try some new maneuvers, including one called a daylight smokescreen. The experiment called for creating a thick smokescreen that would camouflage infantry troops as they came out of the trenches and went over the top toward the enemy. A Swiss newspaper reporter found out about the tactic and published a story about it. Neel’s platoon went with an over-the-top charge against the Germans using the new smokescreen. The Germans, gathering information from the newspaper article, zeroed in on the smoke with artillery bombardments. Neel was struck by shrapnel that went into his brain. A physician said surgery was not an option. Neel lingered for three days before he died. My father, his brother, was also fighting in the war. When he was given the news, his commanding officer gave him permission to fly down and identify his brother’s body. Initially buried in France, Neel’s body was returned for burial in Macon’s Riverside Cemetery. The American Legion Post 3 in Macon is named in honor of Neel.
Joseph N. Neel III, nephew, Macon
This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 4:35 PM with the headline "Readers remember those killed in service."