Earl Wettengel was born in Denver, Colorado in 1888. Before attending the University of Denver, evidence suggests that he went to high school at St. Francis De Sales in Denver, as in his later life he made several donations there. In his early life he also was a member of the Colorado National Guard, as indicated on his World War I draft card.
Read MoreWhen the United States entered World War II, thousands of men put their lives on hold and instead risked them to serve their country. Sherwin George Desens was one of these men, and his decision to enlist began a decades-long career of service that took him from the skies above Normandy down to a prison camp in his grandfather’s homeland.
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When Jerome Andrew Jacobs was deployed, he spent months traveling on an odyssey that took him from a Christmas in Casablanca, through the Suez Canal, a train across India, before finally ending with his first flight to China.
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After high school, Alivan Compton Rea would join the Colorado Air National Guard, the aerial militia and reserves for the Air Force. After a few years serving in the Guard, Al enlisted in the Air Force. He worked as an Instructor, a Military Policeman, a Toe Target Operator, and a Firefighter during his time in service.
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Master Gunner James Ralston Orris was a remarkable American. Serving his country in the Great War in the United States Army, he continued his contribution to this country by learning and educating others on the studies of Chemistry.
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In 1942, Dorothy L. Starbuck joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and was stationed at Lowry Army Airfield in Colorado. There she acted as a commanding officer to a company of photo analysts. The creation of WAAC was a defining moment in gender roles in the United States. Women worked in hundreds of fields, like military intelligence and cryptography.
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When war broke out between the U.S and the Axis powers Bob felt like he had to prove he was an American. Bob, just like any other young person heard the patriotic call of the nation, to lend his ability to the war effort.
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Dick joined the military during a tremendous time of desegregation in the United States. The military had already begun moving toward desegregation nine years earlier with the abolition of segregation in the Armed Forces.
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The stories of Vietnam War veterans are typically ignored in history, but this is not the case for Larry Branaugh. As the first service member from Thornton, Colorado to sacrifice his life in Vietnam, Larry has received significant recognition for his service, but beyond that, is remembered for his sense of duty and courage.
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African Americans served with distinction in every theater of World War II. By the end of the war, 1.2 million African Americans were serving in uniform. Norman Arnett Ford was one of these brave and resilient men.
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Charles always had the urge to serve his country. His daughters, Patsy and Karen, said that their father was “a man of his time” and that serving in the military was never a question for him.
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Beginning his military career, Joe underwent some training in both New York and Illinois. During this time, Joe recalled being assigned to various boats and ships and being utterly confused. Apparently everyone there was just as lost as he was, which was accurately representative of their few months of training.
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Due to his knowledge of engineering and geology, Donald was put in the Army Corps of Engineers and worked on pontoon bridges in Europe.
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At age 17, just after finishing school, Rudy enlisted in the United States Naval Reserves as a Torpedoman’s Mate on February 13, 1943. While he did not enlist in the active duty Navy, almost the entirety of the U.S. Naval Reserve was called up for active duty throughout World War II.
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The Great Lakes Naval Station supplied over one million men to the war effort, this number accounted for nearly a third of all naval recruits. Recruits at GLNS steadily decreased after World War I, but after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the GLNS experienced a massive influx of funds from the Navy as well as a steady supply of naval recruits.
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Ralph registered for the Civilian Draft on June 5, 1917. He began his service on August 5, 1917. Ralph served as a farrier and cavalryman in General Pershing’s Headquarters Troop of the 1st army corps.
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Dwight Icenhour was born on July 25, 1944 in Gunnison, Colorado, a tiny town of 6,000 residents in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
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When a German airfield was captured, John and his team were responsible for rushing in and repairing the plane landing strips quickly, so the Allied forces could continue to gain ground.
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