The Everyday Patriot Project

Lieutenant Jane Louise Kendeigh was born on March 30, 1922, in Oberlin, Ohio. She attended nursing school at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic before enlisting in the US Navy in 1944. She trained as a transport nurse and was assigned to Naval Air Transport. Lieutenant Kendeigh became the first flight nurse to enter Iwo Jima, arriving on March 6, 1945. She worked on medical evacuations in Iwo Jima and the Mariana Islands before becoming the first flight nurse to begin evacuations in Okinawa, on April 7, 1945 —a mere seven days after the battle began. After the war, Lieutenant Kendeigh continued nursing in civilian hospitals in San Diego, California. She died on July 19, 1987. Her ashes were scattered at sea. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her b...

Staff Sergeant Edwin Brian Kutz was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on December 27, 1964. He graduated from Ramona High School in Riverside, California, in 1983 and immediately enlisted in the US Army after graduation. He trained as a cavalry scout and was assigned to the 7th Cavalry. Staff Sergeant Kutz was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. In July 1990, Staff Sergeant Kutz deployed to Germany in response to troop buildup for Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield and the Gulf War. Staff Sergeant Kutz died during his service on February 26, 1991. During the Battle of Phase Line Bullet, several troops, including Staff Sergeant Kutz, were caught in the crossfire between enemy forces and US tanks and struck by friendly fire. He rests at Fairview Cemetery in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her trave...

  Staff Sergeant Malcolm Stevenson Forbes was born on August 19, 1919, in Englewood, New Jersey. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School in 1937 and Princeton University with a Bachelor's in Public and International Affairs.  He enlisted in the US Army on December 8, 1942, trained as a machine gunner, and deployed to the European Theater of WWII with the 84th Infantry. Staff Sergeant Forbes received a gunshot to the thigh during Operation Clipper in November 1944. He spent months in the hospital and was honorably discharged in August 1945. After returning to New Jersey, Staff Sergeant Forbes won a seat in the New Jersey Senate from 1951 to 1957 and attempted to win the governorship of New Jersey.   He left politics in 1957. Staff Sergeant Forbes joined the family business, Forbes Magazine, in 1957. He took sole control of the magazine after his brother Bruce's death in 1964. He took up hot air ballooning in 1972 and set six world records, including being the first...

  Master Chief Machinist Mate Ira Russell "Mack" McCurry was born on August 25, 1939, in McGehee, Arkansas.   He enlisted in the US Navy on February 20, 1955, and served throughout the Vietnam War aboard the USS Josephus Daniels. MMCM McCurry retired from the US Navy on February 25, 1975. After retirement from service, MMCM McCurry joined the Salem, Virginia, police department and, on February 29, 1976, while investigating an automobile burglary, was fatally shot. He rests at Sherwood Burial Park in Salem, Virginia. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to her travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackro...

Lieutenant Commander Barry Thomas Cooke was born on June 27, 1955, in Waxahachie, Texas. He graduated from McCallum High School in Austin, Texas, in 1973. He went on to the Aviation Technological University in Kileen, Texas, earning a Bachelor of Science in Aviation. Lieutenant Commander Cooke then attended the Naval Aviation School in Pensacola, Florida.  He served in naval stations in Texas and Washington state, as well as two carriers, the USS America and the USS Enterprise, before being assigned to Naval Station Oceana with the VA-36. Lieutenant Commander Cooke served as a flight instructor and deployed aboard the USS Kennedy for the first time to the Middle East.   Lieutenant Commander Cooke deployed to the Middle East again, aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in December 1990. On February 2, 1991, the A-6E he was piloting was shot down by a surface-to-air missle.   Lieutenant Commander Cooke is still missing.   His memorial is at Arlington. * Read...

Private First Class Edward James Tipper Jr. was born on August 3, 1921, in Detroit, Michigan. His family returned to Ireland, and he spent his childhood there before returning to the Detroit area, where he worked at the J.K. Hudson department store before World War II. PFC Tipper attempted to enlist in the US Marines following the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, but was rejected due to dental problems. Instead, he enlisted in the US Army on August 24, 1942, and volunteered for the 101st Airborne.   He was assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion. PFC Tipper trained at Toccoa, Georgia, and then Aldbourne, UK, before completing his first combat jump on D-Day, June 6, 1944. After landing, PFC Tipper was part of the Battle of Carentan and the attack on Marmion Farm, where he was severely injured in a mortar explosion, losing his right eye and breaking both legs. He spent his remaining service in the hospital. He was honorably discharged from the US Army in August 1945. After...

  First Lieutenant Donaldson Preston Tillar III was born on May 13, 1965, at Fort Still, Oklahoma and grew up in Highland Falls New York.  He attended Miller School and James O'Neil High School, where he played lacrosse before entering the US Military Academy at West Point.   First Lieutenant Tillar graduated from West Point in 1988, trained as a helicopter pilot, and was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas.  He continued both to play and to coach lacrosse throughout his career. He deployed with the 1st Infantry to Saudi Arabia in the Fall of 1990 to support Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield and the Gulf War. On February 27, 1991, First Lieutenant Tillar would die during his service when his helicopter was shot down. He rests at Emporia Cemetery, Emporia, Virginia. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* ****** ********************************* a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem...