James L. Jim Brown and his twin brother, William D. Bill Brown, were born in San Saba, Texas in 1946. The Brown family lived in Llano during their early years and they completed elementary school there. In 1957 they moved to south Austin where the two brothers completed grades 7 through 9 at Fulmore Junior High School. During Jims high school years he formed friendships with schoolmates that endure today in Chapter 1919 with Patriots John Eli and John Burkhardt. During the summer breaks he began doing construction work with local companies. Jim and Bill both graduated from Travis High School with the Class of 1964 and both immediately took a full time job in...
Patriot Stories from the United States Army
DANNY BAKER
I was born in Dayton, Ohio and lived there or in Kettering, for most of my pre-military experience. I graduated from Kettering Fairmont High School in 1964, started work at General Motors, married my first wife, and started back to school part-time. I was living a pretty normal life until March 17, 1968 when I was lucky enough to receive the letter from the government that read "Greetings". I was married, working, and going to school part-time and definitely not expecting to receive a letter like this on Saint Patrick's Day. So much for Irish luck! I reported to the Cincinnati draft board, took my physical, returned home then returned to be sworn in. From there it was on to...
WILLIAM G. (Bill) ORR
William G. Orr was born in San Antonio in 1923. He grew up on a family farm near Carrizo Springs (Zavala County) and graduated from Carrizo Springs High School with the class of 1941. He enrolled at Texas A&M and while a student there he also joined a unit of the Army Reserve. At the end of the next year, he did not return to school after the Christmas holiday break, and very quickly thereafter he received his call-up notice. Bill entered active duty on March 1, 1943 and was sent to Camp Hood, Texas for Basic Training. After his individual training, Bill was ordered to Camp Luis Obispo, California and assigned to the 6th Infantry Division. He arrived there in early June...
THEODORE T. (TED) ACHESON
Theodore Acheson was born in Flint, Michigan, in 1945. He grew up there, graduated from Bentley High School in the Class of 1964 and, in the fall of that year enrolled at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After completing two and one-half years at Marquette, Ted enlisted in the Army and entered active duty on January 2, 1967. After Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he was sent to the Army Signal Corps School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey for Advanced Individual Training as a Motion Picture Photographer. After graduation, Ted was shipped to Hawaii in July 1967. Private Acheson arrived at Fort Shafter, Oahu, and reported in to the Department of Army...
DANIEL C. (DAN) KANNEGAARD
Daniel Kannegaard was born in Wallace, Idaho in 1934, one of six children in his second generation Danish immigrant family. He grew up in that mining town of about 5,000 population but, his father was not a miner. He had started out working on a ranch but after a horse fell and rolled over on him his resulting disabilities left him unable to be a ranch hand or work in the mines. By the time Daniel was born his father was working as a carpenter and the family was living in town. Dan graduated from Wallace High School in 1953 and, like most of the boys growing up there, he also went to work in the mines. He was employed at the Star Mine, a hard rock operation producing lead,...
CURTISS A. (CURT) MARTELL
Curtiss A. Martell was born in Minot, North Dakota in 1923. During his early childhood his mother moved with him to Royal Oak, Michigan where they lived with her parents. He attended school there until, when he was nine years old, they moved into the city of Detroit. Curtiss graduated from Cass Technical School in Detroit and then went to Michigan State for one year. He studied architecture and took a job with an architectural firm while continuing his education by taking correspondence courses. He was disappointed with the low pay and decided to switch to the automotive industry instead, so he found employment with General Motors truck division in Pontiac. Although he was...
MIKE TARPLEY
Mike Tarpley was born in Merkel, Texas in 1947, one of three children in a family that followed work in the oil fields. His mother once told him they had lived in 47 different places before settling for good in Snyder, Texas when Mike was eight years old. He went through public schools and was scheduled to graduate from Snyder High School with the class of 1966. But, having completed all the courses needed for a diploma except for a half semester of senior English, he got into an argument with his English teacher and left school. Six months later, rather than taking summer school or going back for another year, he enlisted in the Army. Mike volunteered for the Airborne,...
HERMAN C. HAYDON
Herman C. Haydon was born in 1922. His family had a ranch at that time on Hurst Creek in what has now become Lakeway in Austin, Texas. His lineage traces back to the earliest pioneer settlers of the area. His grandmother Hudson was from the family for which Hudson Bend, on the Colorado River above Austin, took its name. When he was three years old, the Haydons moved to Leander, and later to Liberty Hill. Herman left Liberty Hill High School when his family moved from there back to Leander; and a few months later, on March 20, 1941 he enlisted in the Army and entered active duty the same day. He was sent to San Antonio, went through Basic Training at Camp Bullis, and then was...
JOHN EVAN
John Evan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1914, the second of seven children born to Austrian immigrant parents. Mike Evan and Marie Elavsky had first met onboard the ship bringing them to America (about 1910-11), and married shortly after their arrival. Initially, Mike Evan worked in a foundry until he developed health problems, after which he took up farming on the outskirts of Minneapolis (at Brooklyn Center), where he raised vegetables and marketed them in the city. In 1924 the Evan family moved to a 200-acre farm outside the little town of Arnold in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. They started a dairy operation with 20 Holstein milk cows and John and his three brothers...
PAUL C. ANDERSEN
Paul Andersen was born in Redfield, South Dakota in 1917; one of six children born to August and Hedvig (Kollewe) Andersen. Both parents had immigrated separately from Copenhagen, Denmark and married in America. His father was a dry cleaner and his mother worked as a seamstress in Redfield. The children were growing up at home during the worst years of the great depression and Paul and his brothers interrupted their public schooling to take whatever jobs could be had to augment the family income. Paul laid out of school for one year, working at Montgomery Ward for 25 cents per hour. He later graduated from Redfield High School with the Class of 1937. He was working for the...
JERONIMO F. DOMINGUEZ
Jeronimo Dominguez was born in Yancey, Texas (Medina County) in 1913. He attended a Missionary School in Medina County but early in his childhood years his family moved to Elgin. Except for his service in WWII he has lived in Elgin ever since. Jeronimo attended public schools but his education was interrupted by periodic trips with his family for seasonal migrant farm work and, (at least one year), they followed the harvest as far as North Dakota. He had completed 8th grade when, in 1934 he left school for employment, mostly as a farm hand where and whenever work was to be found locally near home in Bastrop County. In 1940 he found year-round employment with Rafael Castillo,...
TIMOTHY J. GAESTEL
Tim is one of the earliest of todays wounded warriors to have joined Americas war on terrorism. In fact he would have been inducted into the Army before the end of the day on 9/11 had the planes not all been grounded that morning when the towers fell. By the time his enlistment was up, he was a Sergeant and a combat veteran of both Afghanistan and Iraq. Still contending with the pain from wounds sustained in Iraq, he is on course to graduate from Texas State University next year, becoming one of the earliest beneficiaries of the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill. Here is his story. Timothy J. Gaestel was born at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii in 1983. His father retired from the...