Wayne Countian Vester Hicks, Jr. was the son of Vester Glenn Hicks and his wife Francis Irene. Born on December 2, 1932 (if you believe Ancestry.com) or December 20, 1932 (if you believe the United States Army), he found himself as a corporal in North Korea on November 27, 1950. It was on that day the Chinese Army surprised the United Nations forces with a horrific attack in what became known as the Battle of Chosin Reservoir—a battle regarded by some historians as the most brutal in American history due to the violence, casualty rate, weather conditions, and endurance. When the fighting ceased 4,385 U.S. Marines and 3,163 U.S. Army personnel had died in battle with another 7,338 dying of non-battle causes related to the weather conditions. Those who managed to survive became known as “The Chosin Few”.

For 17 days, the combined troops of the Army and Marines struggled to stop the advance of the Chinese, only to find their 30,000 men greatly outnumbered by the approximately 120,000 enemy troops that surrounded them. On December 1st, the 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments (of which Hicks was a member) began to withdraw toward friendlier lines in Hagaru-ri, but Chinese roadblocks and constant enemy fire from the higher ground around them made their retreat almost impossible. On December 2nd, just before reaching safety, Hicks inexplicably went missing. For two long years his family waited, hoping against all odds that he had somehow survived and would be found, but on December 31, 1953, Vester Hicks, Jr.’s status was changed from Missing in Action to Presumed Dead. His remains were never recovered.

Andrew K. Allison and his brother J. T. were born in Hardin County, Tennessee—Andrew on August 16, 1915, J. T. five years later on December 26th. Andrew enlisted in the United States Navy in 1936; J. T. followed three years later. After boot camp and additional training, both boys were ranked as F1/c—Fireman First Class—and assigned to the USS Arizona. And both boys were aboard the ship on December 7, 1941.  

At 7:55 that morning, the Arizona’s air raid sirens sounded; within minutes she was attacked by ten Japanese aircraft, each carrying 16.1 inch armor-piercing shells that had been modified into 1,757 pound bombs. They scored four direct hits on the ship, the last one striking at 8:06 AM near Turret II. That shell pierced the deck at the forward section of the ship, near the magazines which detonated in a catastrophic explosion, destroying the interior of the ship and collapsing the forward turrets in such a manner that the Arizona literally split in two. Of the 1,512 crewmen on board at the time, 1,177 died almost instantly. It wasn’t until Christmas Day that Western Union pulled up in front of the Allison family home in the special car used to deliver the telegram every soldier or sailor’s parent or spouse feared. Both of their sons were missing and presumed dead . . . entombed in the hull of the Arizona.

Although they had moved from Hardin County before enlisting, their parents chose their place of birth to also acknowledge their deaths. Today a snow-white monument stands in Neill Cemetery, a memorial to an infant son and two young men, offering no clue as to the fate of the latter other than a shared date of death. December 7, 1941.

Dennis Wayne Taylor was a native son of Chester County, born and raised in the small community of Montezuma. At the age of 19 he married his high school sweetheart, Ellen Leona Ridley, in a lovely ceremony held at the Antioch Baptist Church, presided over by the church’s pastor, Rev. Harold Smotherman. The local paper published the traditional description of the event under the heading “Taylor-Ridley Vows Said”, even noting the bride’s choice to carry a white Bible which complimented the street-length blue dress and white accessories she was wearing.  They were wed on September 25, 1967, and sixteen days later, he reported to Fort Campbell in Kentucky for training with the Armed Forces. His bride stayed behind, living with her parents, and continuing her education.

Six months later, Taylor was shipped to Vietnam, arriving there on April 15, 1968, as a Private First Class specializing in basic field artillery. Operation Toan Thang I had begun just seven days before as a response to the Tet Offensive. Meant to put pressure on the Vietcong and the People’s Army of Vietnam, the operation lasted through May 31st and was immediately followed by Operation Toan Thang II which was launched on June 1st. Taylor and the rest of the 25th Infantry Division were in a night defensive position when they were struck by mortar fire at 2:50 the morning of June 16th. The mortar rounds were quickly followed by a ground attack. With the support of artillery, helicopter gunships, and an AC-47, the unit defended their position. The battle raged for almost seven hours before the enemy withdrew leaving three U. S. servicemen dead. One of those was Dennis Wayne Taylor.

His body was recovered and returned to his family who buried him with honors in Chester County Memorial Gardens. He left behind his parents, his sister, and his bride of less than nine months.