Johann Peter Zollinger, Jr. From Germantown to Sabillasville Richard D. L. FultonSabillasville resident, Johann Peter Zollinger Jr., was born on November 23, 1756, in York County, Pennsylvania, to parents Peter Zollinger Sr. and Maria Barbara Zollinger. According to geni.com, Zollinger, who had preferred being identified by his middle name, Peter, had three sisters, Catherine Pfeiffer,…

Joseph C. Reaser A Gettysburg HeroRichard D. L. Fulton Joseph C. Reaser was born to parents Clayton S. and Annie E. Reaser on September 27, 1913, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He had four sisters, Catherine, Helen, Ruth, and Esther, and two brothers, Paul and David. Reaser was a graduate of Gettysburg High School. Reaser registered for…

Richard D. L. Fulton Carl L. Firor Ambulance Soldier KIA Carl L. Firor, of Sabillasville, Maryland was born on January 5, 1895, in Frederick County, Maryland to Reverend Marion L. and Anna P. Firor. Firor had five brothers, Paul, Richard, Frederick, Garrett and Whitmer, and two sisters, Marion and Ruth, the children having been the…

James Willard Higgins Jr. KIA Al Anbar James W. Higgins Jr., 22, of Thurmont, was born on June 2, 1984, in Olney, Montgomery County, to parents James Willard Higgins, Sr. and Deborah Sue Higgins. Higgins graduated from Catoctin High School in 2003. According to the June 1, 2013, edition of The Frederick News-Post, he played…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Pfc. Charles R. Pittinger KIA at Quang Nam Charles Robert Pittinger, of Thurmont, was born on November 8, 1948, to parents Charles E. and Edna Smith Pittinger. At the time of his death, Pittinger had two brothers and two sisters, whose names had been provided in the November 26, 1969,…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Cpl. Kenneth H. McGrew Saved by a Harmonica Kenneth McGrew (pictured right) of Woodsboro was born on October 12, 1924, in Fairpoint, Ohio, to parents Pinkney Ellis and Etta Mae Hepner McGrew. He died at age 85 on October 20, 2009, at the Glade Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in…

S1c John Franklin Knott Buried at Sea John Franklin Knott was born in Thurmont on April 24, 1913, to parents Charles and Sarah C. Knott. He had a brother, Raymond H. Knott, and a sister, Katherine C Knott. John Franklin Knott was the youngest of the siblings. During or before 1940, Knott married Mary Elizabeth…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Sergeant Ernest L. Rowe KIA in the Mekong Delta Ernest L. Rowe, Waynesboro, was born on November 29, 1947, to parents, John W, Rowe, Jr. and Evelyn “Mickie” L. Rowe. He had one brother, Randy. Rowe’s father was employed as a machinist by Mack Trucks, Inc., of Hagerstown, while his…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Staff Sgt. Richard J. Tieman Richard J. Tieman was born on November 21, 1981, at the Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco, and subsequently resided in Waynesboro, the residence of his father, Richard Tieman, Jr., and his stepmother, Diane Tieman.  Tieman also had one brother, Tyler. Tyler Tieman described his…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Erik W. Hayes KIA in IraqErik W. Hayes was born on November 14, 1980, at the Gettysburg Hospital, to parents Douglas and Deborah Hayes (subsequently known as Deborah Reckley). Hayes had a younger brother, Bradley, who was born in 1984. Hayes grew up in Harney and graduated from the Living…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Captain John Ryan Dennison Army Captain (John) Ryan Dennison exemplified the West Point motto of Duty, Honor, and Country throughout his life. ~ John Ryan Dennison Scholarship Fund (The Community Foundation of Fred erick County) Captain Lieutenant John Dennison was born on February 22, 1982, at the Landstuhl Army Medical…

Clarence Deardorff Cullison, Jr. Liberation of Luxembourg Gettysburg resident Clarence Deardorff Cullison, Jr. was born on September 20, 1918, in Franklin Township, Adams County, to parents Clarence Cullison, Sr. and Lena Cullison. He had five brothers: Harvey, Oscar, Russel, Norman, and Chester Cullison; and five sisters: Margaret Cullison, Letha Myers, Mildred Plank, Kathryn Kepner, and…

Edwin C. Creeger, Jr. Namesake of Legion Post 168 by Richard D. L. Fulton Edwin C. Creeger, Jr. was born on August 21, 1920, in Thurmont to parents Edwin C. and Ethel Creeger.  He was his parents’ only child.  The family’s address was given as having been 7 North Church Street, Thurmont. Creeger’s father owned…

Larry Thomas Brent Died in Vietnam by Richard D. L. Fulton Larry Thomas Brent was born on May 10, 1946, in Franklin Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania, to parents Logan Brent and Susan Moore Brent. Brent had seven brothers and five sisters “surviving” him at the time of his death, according to an obituary published in…

Frank W. Albaugh KIA Lorraine Campaign Frank W. Albaugh was born on December 26, 1923, in Thurmont, to Maurice, World War I Veteran, and wife, Margaret Albaugh. He and his parents’ address was given in the 1940 Census as simply being “Main Street,” Thurmont; also seen elsewhere as having been “31 West Main Street.”  Albaugh’s…

Sergeant David J. Smith KIA Afghanistan David J. Smith was born on February 16, 1984, in Washington, D.C., to parents Mary Jane McWilliams and Leonard Alan Smith. The Sergeant David J. Smith Memorial Fund website noted that he had been raised by stepparents, John Jones and Olga Smith, and was the “the middle child to…

Medic John W. Bennett Survived Being KIA by Richard D. L. Fulton John W. Bennett was born (“at home”) on March 13, 1948, in Takoma Park, a Montgomery County suburb of Washington, D.C., to parents J.W. and Elmira Bennett. He graduated from Westminster High School.  Bennett subsequently met his wife Shirley (“on a blind date”).…

Specialist-4 Richard Sanders “Chopper Down” Rescue Service in Vietnam by Richard D. L. Fulton Helicopters played a major role in the Vietnam War, notably in support of ground operations and in airlifting combat casualties, but this placed many of them at the risk of taking enemy fire themselves. Richard Sanders, Sabillasville, was born in 1947…

Ira H. Buhrman “Lost at Sea” by Richard D. L. Fulton Ira Harrison Buhrman was born on November 10, 1887, in Foxville (Frederick County), to parents Harvey Meade Buhrman, a farmer, and Theresa Need Buhrman. Buhrman had eight brothers and sisters (two apparently having died at birth). Buhrman resided in Foxville until his death and…

Sergeant George Frailey Combs Navigating Bombers Over Europe by Richard D. L. Fulton George F. Combs was born January 11, 1922, to parents Cooley and Clara Rowe Combs. He grew up in Emmitsburg and had two brothers, Samuel and Thomas. Combs’ military registration card, filled in when he was 20, described him as being 5’7”…