The Greatest Generation (Part One)

 (Abner - Doll)

    Over the next few weeks, in this Memorial Day month, I will be publishing information about the Fairfax residents who served in World War II. Look for posts each Sunday until the end of month.

    When I started this project in Fall 2021 to identify and honor Fairfax’s World War II veterans, I expected to find maybe 30 to 40 men who served. Instead, I identified over 150 men and women. Some Fairfax parents had two or more children who served. Several of our residents who served were immigrants or the children of immigrants, including Germans. Several married right before or during the war and divorced shortly after the war ended. Some were able to use skills from their pre-war occupations in their wartime assignments, while others received training that led them to post-war careers. As of the time I am writing this, to the best of my knowledge only one of our World War II veterans is still living. 

    A few words about how I came up with this list. My criteria for including veterans were that they resided in what is now the Village of Fairfax at the time they enlisted and that they served between September 1, 1940 and July 31, 1947. This means that people who were born and grew up in Fairfax, but moved away prior to the war aren’t included. The list also doesn’t include those who served and later moved to Fairfax, sometimes living here for decades and raising their families here. I used records like draft registration cards, census records, newspaper articles, and city directories to determine Fairfax residency, but it is still entirely possible that I have inadvertently included or omitted someone.

    I have tried to include each veteran’s full name, rank and military branch, dates of birth and death, dates of service, and a little additional information. Admittedly, this information is not complete and, especially with regard to final military rank, may not be correct. To gather this information, I used publicly available information and paid databases to which I subscribe. I found a lot of information on some veterans and very little on others. If you are interested in information about obtaining World War II veterans’ service records, please visit https://www.archives.gov/veterans.

    I included pictures of the veterans when they were available. Some were from digitized newspaper articles and are of very poor quality. I would like to thank the generous people who granted me permission to publish their photos of their military family members. 

    I consider this a work in progress and hope to update it as additional information becomes available. If you have documentation that could help me correct or supplement this information, please email it to FairfaxOhioHistory@gmail.com.

NAME: Orville Abner ⭐

RANK & BRANCH: Sergeant, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: June 26, 1920 - April 1, 1943
DATES OF SERVICE: October 28, 1941 – April 1, 1943
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Orville Abner went through basic training at Camp Wheeler, Georgia. By August 1942, he was stationed in Northern Ireland. He was serving in Tunisia with the 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division when he was killed in action on April 1, 1943. He is buried at the North Africa American Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia.

From the Cincinnati Post, August 24, 1942

NAME: Stephen Burgess Anglin
RANK & BRANCH: Platoon Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: June 11, 1917 – March 1, 1997
DATES OF SERVICE: Approximately 1939 - 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Stephen Anglin was a 1936 graduate of Terrace Park High School and attended Wilmington College until he enlisted in the Marine Corps. In 1939, he served at the Naval Ammunition Depot at Iona Island, New York. By 1942, he was serving in the Pacific Theater. He participated in the Battle of Midway and other major engagements.

From the Cincinnati Post, March 10, 1944

NAME: Clarence Balash
RANK & BRANCH: Aviation Machinist’s Mate 1^st Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: May 15, 1911 – May 25, 2002
DATES OF SERVICE: March 9, 1942 – September 4, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Born in Hungary, Clarence Balash became a naturalized American citizen on November 25, 1935. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in March 1942, trained at Great Lakes, Illinois, and served on the USS Monterey from July 1943 until August 1944.

NAME: Charles David Beckler
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: December 23, 1922 – December 22, 1985
DATES OF SERVICE: January 20, 1943 – October 4, 1943
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Stanley Joseph Blanck
RANK & BRANCH: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: June 24, 1924 – March 13, 1982
DATES OF SERVICE: February 24, 1943 – July 22, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Stanley Blanck served at a Ninth Air Force Marauder station in England.
 
NAME: Anna Marie Blankemeyer Hoffman
RANK & BRANCH: Corporal, U.S. Women’s Army Corps
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: February 1, 1920 – May 7, 2016
DATES OF SERVICE: December 12, 1942 – October 12, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Anna Blankemeyer, her brothers Anthony and Bernard, and sister Margaret all served during World War II. She served stateside during the war as a cook and baker. After her service, she volunteered in a number of veterans’ organizations, including 29 years with the Veterans’ Administration. In 2002, Anna was interviewed for an oral history about her service which can be found at https://njmilitiamuseum.org/anna-hoffman.
 
NAME: Anthony Arthur Blankemeyer 
RANK & BRANCH: Private First Class, U.S. Army Air Forces
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: October 3, 1918 – March 12, 2001
DATES OF SERVICE: September 7, 1942 – February 21, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Anthony Blankemeyer was a 1936 graduate of Purcell High School. He served stateside during the war, including in Missouri and Clovis, New Mexico.

NAME: Bernard Joseph Blankemeyer
RANK & BRANCH: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: July 13, 1925 – March 14, 1995
DATES OF SERVICE: August 1943 – approximately 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Bernard Blankemeyer was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California where he served as a truck driver and welder.
 
NAME: Margaret Rose Blankemeyer Gwynn
RANK & BRANCH: Sergeant, Women’s Army Corps
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: October 16, 1921 – October 19, 2004
DATES OF SERVICE:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Margaret Blankemeyer served at the Port of Embarkation in Seattle, Washington.
 
NAME: Karl William Brennecke
RANK & BRANCH: Private First Class, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: June 20, 1921 – March 18, 1976
DATES OF SERVICE: September 7, 1942 – November 8, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Karl William Brennecke was a 1939 graduate of Terrace Park High School.

 
NAME: Donald Edward Bronson
RANK & BRANCH: Motor Machinist’s Mate Third Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: February 3, 1914 – December 18, 1978
DATES OF SERVICE: Approximately January 1944 – November 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: 

From the Cincinnati Post, July 4, 1944

NAME: Walter David Clark
RANK & BRANCH: U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: July 21, 1924 – May 14, 2017
DATES OF SERVICE: 1943 - 1969
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A 1942 graduate of Plainville High School, Walter Clark was stationed in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war, Clark transferred to the Air Force and served in Japan, Korea, and around the United States. In 1963, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Meteorology from Texas A & M University. He and his family moved to Massachusetts in 1965, where he monitored solar activity for the Apollo space program. After his retirement from the Air Force, he was a teacher for 23 years and volunteered with veterans.
 
NAME: Edward James Collins, Jr.
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: June 14, 1925 – July 5, 1989
DATES OF SERVICE: June 19, 1942 – December 3, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Edward James Collins served in an armored division in Europe and was wounded in action in France on July 27, 1944.
 
NAME: Howard Henshaw Collins
RANK & BRANCH: Technician Fifth Grade, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: November 17, 1910 – January 30, 1995
DATES OF SERVICE: March 3, 1942 – December 24, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Prior to the war, Howard Collins was a singer, specifically a baritone, who worked with the WPA (Works Progress Administration) Choral Unit. He won an amateur contest at WLW Radio in 1935 and performed on the radio. He sang solos, duets, and in the choir at Fairfax Presbyterian Church, even on occasion during the war. He served at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
 
NAME: Benjamin Franklin Cook, Jr.
RANK & BRANCH: Private First Class, U.S. Army Air Forces
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: March 11, 1924 – April 14, 1993
DATES OF SERVICE: December 23, 1942 – January 19, 1947
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Benjamin Cook served at Ferndale, California. His father was wounded in action in World War I. 

From the Cincinnati Times Star, September 27, 1943

 
NAME: Joseph Michael Cordesman
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: October 19, 1913 – December 11, 1985
DATES OF SERVICE: June 27, 1941 – September 29, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: As of April 1942, Joseph Cordesman was serving with the 80^th Armored Regiment, 8^th Armored Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
 
NAME: Gordon Stanley Cowdrey 
RANK & BRANCH: Corporal, U.S. Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: September 24, 1919 – March 2, 1991
DATES OF SERVICE: April 22, 1942 -
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: As of December 1942, Gordon Cowdrey was stationed at Ellington Field, Texas. He served in both World War II and the Korean War.

From the Cincinnati Post, December 14, 1942

NAME: James Daniel Croswait
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: February 19, 1925 – January 23, 2004
DATES OF SERVICE: March 27, 1943 – November 4, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Calvin Curnayn
RANK & BRANCH: Seaman First Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: February 23, 1911 – December 17, 1981
DATES OF SERVICE: September 1, 1943 – November 3, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Fred A. Czinege
RANK & BRANCH: U.S. Marine Corps
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: March 26, 1919 – November 16, 1994
DATES OF SERVICE: January 7, 1943 – January 19, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Fred Czinege’s brother Harry served in the U.S. Navy during the war. Prior to enlisting in the Marine Corps, Fred served as a corporal in the Ohio State Guard. This photo from the July 29, 1942 Cincinnati Enquirer shows Fred and his comrades enjoying some downtime during maneuvers at Camp Zaleski:

NAME: Harry John Czinege
RANK & BRANCH: Shipfitter Second Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: October 5, 1921 – October 31, 1969
DATES OF SERVICE: August 11, 1942 – August 1, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Raymond William Daniels
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Army
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: December 29, 1918 – January 20, 1998
DATES OF SERVICE: December 26, 1944 – January 23, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
 
NAME: Harold Frederick Doerr
RANK & BRANCH: Private, U.S. Marine Corps
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: September 11, 1914 – October 10, 2002
DATES OF SERVICE: April 27, 1944 – June 29, 1946
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Harold Doerr was a graduate of Cincinnati’s Automotive Trades School. While serving, he graduated from the Marine Aviation Clerical School in San Diego, California.                                                                                         
 
NAME: Leo Francois Doll, Jr.
RANK & BRANCH: Ship’s Serviceman (Laundry Man) Second Class, U.S. Navy
DATES OF BIRTH & DEATH: October 11, 1908 – October 28, 1981
DATES OF SERVICE: February 5, 1944 – December 11, 1945
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Prior to being drafted, Leo Doll was a foreman for Model Laundry. During the war, he served as a laundry worker on the USS Consolation, a hospital ship in the Pacific Fleet.