At the time Pearl Harbor was attacked, Brown County had 61 men serving in the military and nine who had been recently discharged.

On Dec. 11, 1941, the first paper published after the bombing, the Brown County Democrat was reporting that the nine would soon be recalled, and three more young men were on their way to Indianapolis to enlist.

The Brown County War Memorial at the courthouse records the names of 664 men who served in World War II. Twenty-two died in service: James Ault, James W. Bond, Jesse Campbell, John Crump, Howard Lee Ellis, Joseph Floyd Jr., Robert Fox, Earl Harden, Harry Kent, Herman Knose, James F. Long, James Mullis, Glenn Noblitt, Leroy C. Pearson, Homer Powell, Phillip Smith, Frank Snyder Jr., Clifford Swift, Marvin Earl Tutterow, Robert Van Sickle and Raymond Wells.

Of those 22 dead, Ellis was the only one who was already serving at the time of Pearl Harbor, though most had joined the military by the end of 1942. Ellis’ body is buried where he gave his life, on the island of Okinawa.

The courthouse memorial may not show all veterans of that war, however, said Veterans Service Officer Ron Higgins. He has been approached by community members who believe as many as 200 who served never made it onto the board.

A glance through newspaper archives shows that no matter how accurate the memorial, it will never show the full scope of the impact that Pearl Harbor and the United States’ entry into the war had on Brown County.

Jacob Kesler and James Stringer both grew up in Brown County, and each died in 1943 on opposite sides of the planet. Kesler’s family had moved to Indianapolis and Stringer’s parents had moved to Columbus before they enlisted.

Though they were included in front-page stories of The Democrat at the time, they are not officially counted among Brown County’s dead, because they were not living here when they joined the military. Yet, friends and family members here still mourned.

Story after story began much the same: “Another Brown County young man has given his life for his country.”

News came from mothers, fathers and wives of the letters from the War Department.

Their high schools were listed as Nashville, Helmsburg and Van Buren.

Some were considered missing in action at first. Three years after the war ended, remains continued to return home. Many were buried in the countries where they fell.

The youngest was 19. The oldest was 30. Alongside the mentions of their youth came the names of widows equally young, and children.

During the course of the war, The Democrat continued to run an ever-growing “Armed Service Honor Roll” of those in military service. The regular section “Our Boys in Uniform” gave news of the men returning on leave or redeploying.

In the Aug. 16, 1945 issue, the attack on Pearl Harbor was recalled in a front-page story celebrating the end of the war. A clamor of car horns, sirens, bells and cheers rose.

Yet there was soberness shortly after. In addition to the 19 known dead, two Brown Countians who had been taken prisoner in the Pacific were as yet unaccounted for: Walter Spicer and Amos Beach, both of whom were serving in the Pacific on Dec. 7, 1941.

Both men later returned home.

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Army

Amos Beach, John Zimmer, James Sperry, Paul Taggart, Marion Young, Dewey Deckard, Donald Frazer, Charles E. Griner, Robert Hendershot, Homer Eaton, Raymond Kinle, Oscar Kain, Paul Logston, Earl King, Alfred Pittman, Vernal Robertson, Delmet Rund, Allen Frazer, Janes Taggart, James Petro, Charles Petro, Alva Kemp, Jack Bond, Ralph Miller, Robert Anderson, Daniel Fleener, Harold Snyder, Orvil Hatchet, Jesse Watson, Verl Kirts, Ralph D. Miller, Paul M. Pierce, Costa C. Condon, Herman O. Powell, Howard Ellis, Arthur Dine, Robert O. Houchins, Simmie L. Sherrill, Harry S. Spiker, John D. Brown, Clifford Wilkerson, Charles Smith, Virgil O. Stillabower, Jack Bingham, Rex King and Forrest O. Whitlock.

Navy

John Horton, Ralph Clark, Roger Young, Everett Young, Delbert Allen, Harry Clephane, Roy Harden, Horace Smith, Harry Snider, Raymond Taggart and Wesley Martin.

Marines

Walter Spicer, Ross Steele, Walter Williams and Jean Williamson.

Recently discharged

David M. Fishel, T.M. Butler, Herschel Shilingford, Herschel E. Helms, Herschel Taylor, Olan Wilson, Elijah Smith, Curtis White, Virgil G. King.

Preparing to enlist

Quentin Crabtree, Navy; James Aynes, Army; James Bright, Navy

Source: Dec. 11, 1941 Brown County Democrat

Due to lack of access to records, additional information on the military service of those listed was not immediately available.

A full list of those who served in WWII from Brown County can be found in the first-floor hallway of the courthouse.

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1. Jacob Kesler, Army Air Forces, died Aug. 31, 1943.
2. James Stringer, Navy, died Sept. 26, 1943, sunk off of Salerno, Italy, at age 29.
3. Charles Barnes, Army, died May 23, 1945 on Okinawa, at age 19.
4. James Albert Ault, Army, died in Germany on Feb. 25, 1945, at age 26.
5. James Wilson Bond, U.S. Army Air Force, died over Germany on July 21, 1944, at age 24.
6. John William Crump, Army Air Forces, died Feb. 15, 1943 over the English Channel, at age 28.
7. Joseph Floyd Jr., Army, died July 27, 1945, in Germany, at age 26.
8. Robert Fox, Army, died May 22, 1944, at age 23.
9. Earl Harden, Army, died Oct. 21, 1944, at age 23. Harden entered the Army in 1942, inducted alongside fellow Brown Countians Chester Roberts and Warren Fleetwood. They were serving in the same unit in France when all three were wounded in September 1944. Fleetwood and Roberts survived.
10. Harry Kent, Army, died Jan. 15, 1945, at age 20.
11. Herman Knose, Army, died Sept. 11, 1943, in Italy, at age 29.
12. Glenn Noblitt, Army Air Forces, died May 23, 1944, over England, at age 24.
13. Leroy C. Pearson, died Oct. 26, 1944, in France, at age 30.
14. Homer Powell, Navy, died Jan. 5, 1944, in the Atlantic.
15. Frank Snyder Jr., Army, died July 1, 1944, in New Guinea, at age 23.
16. Clifford Swift, Army, died April 2, 1945, in Germany, at age 19.
17. Robert Van Sickle, Marine, died July 1944, in Guam, at age 25.
18. James Allen Mullis, Army, died April 3, 1945, in the Philippines, at age 21.
19. James Fremont Long, Army, died April 6, 1945, in Germany, at age 20.
20. Jesse Thural Campbell, died June 6, 1944, in the D-Day invasion, at age 24.
21. Marvin Earl Tutterow, Army, died Dec. 23, 1944, in Belgium, at age 19.
22. Raymond Wells, Army, died Oct. 21, 1945, in a plane crash in Anchorage, at age 25. He was to return home that day.
23. Howard Lee Ellis, Army, died Aug. 19, 1945, on Okinawa, at age 26.
24. Phillip Smith, no further information found.

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