Everyday Patriot

Corporal Desmond Thomas Doss was born on February 7, 1919, in Lynchburg, Virginia. He attended Park Avenue Seventh Day Adventist School, leaving at the end of grammar school to begin working at a lumber company to help his family due to the Great Depression.   Corporal Desmond Doss then moved to Newport News to work at the Naval Shipyard as a joiner. He enlisted in the US Army on April 1, 1942, in response to World War II, trained as a combat medic, and was assigned to the 77th Infantry Division. However, Corporal Desmond Doss refused to carry a weapon because he was a devoutly practicing Seventh-Day Adventist and, therefore, religiously a pacifist. As a result, his early months in the US Army were challenging. His teammates felt he compromised the safety of his unit, and Corporal Desmond Doss faced court-martial.   In 1944 the attitudes of his unit and superiors changed when Corporal Desmond Doss earned two bronze stars during the Battles of Guam and the Philippines...

  Private Adrienne Lynette Mitchell was born in Taipei City, Taiwan, on June 25, 1970. While young, she moved to Moreno Valley, California, and attended Moreno Valley High School, where she played outfield for the school softball team. Private Mitchell graduated in 1988.  She had started studying for a law enforcement degree at the University of California but enlisted in the US Army in September 1990 to earn money for her education. Almost immediately after training, she deployed to Saudi Arabia in response to Desert Shield/Desert Storm and the Gulf War. Private Adrienne Lynette Mitchell died during her service on February 25, 1991, when a scud missile struck her barracks. She rests at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  w...

Private First Class Adrian Leonard Stokes was born on September 24, 1970, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He and his family relocated to Riverside, California, when Private First Class Stokes was still in grade school. He attended Ramona High School, where Private First Class Adrian Leonard Stokes played football and sang in the school's madrigal choir.  He enlisted in the US Army in 1989 to earn money for his college education and was assigned to the 32nd Armor Division as a Cavalry Scout and spent the early years of his enlistment in Germany. Private First Class Adrian Leonard Stokes deployed to the Persian Gulf with his unit in November 1990 in response to Desert Storm/Desert Shield and the Gulf War. He died during his service on February 26, 1991, when his armored vehicle was struck by a mortar. Private First Class Adrian Leonard Stokes rests at the Crestlawn Memorial Park in Riverside, California. An additional memorial is also placed at the Port Hudson Nation Cemetery in Zachary L...

  Construction Mechanic Glenn Corbett was born Glenn Edwin Rothenburg in El Monte, California, on August 17, 1933.   He enlisted in the US Navy in May 1951, serving as a Seabee through the Korean War, and fulfilled his contract on June 1954. Construction Mechanic Glenn Corbett enrolled in Occidental College after his Naval service. He began acting at the Occidental College campus theater and modeled for physique magazines before being picked up by a talent scout and earning a contract with Columbia Pictures.   Construction Mechanic Glenn Corbett's film debut was in The Crimson Kimono in 1959. After that, he moved on to supporting roles in The Mountain Road, Man on a String, and All the Young Man before he won the part of Jacob Anderson in the Civil War drama Shenandoah.  In the 1960s, Construction Mechanic Glenn Corbett transitioned to television roles, including appearances on Gunsmoke, the Mod Squad, Route 66, and as Zefram Cochrane in the original Star T...