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Barron Brothers

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1895-1918      William and his brother Edward were some of the first young men in Tonawanda to enlist in WW1 in 1917. They were also some of the first Marines to land in France.  Both of the brothers spent months in the trenches of France. Together they experienced some of the bloodiest battles of the war.       They were wounded around the same time. Edward lost an arm to enemy fire. William was shot in the shoulder and his lung.  Both brothers found themselves recovering in the hospital at the same time. They remained strong and looked forward to being reunited with family at home. The first to go back to the states was Edward with William behind him by a few days.           Their family came together in Tonawanda to greet Edward and wait for William who they had been told was on the mend and would be returning home soon. Before the celebrations started, news came that William had died on a transport ship home....
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William Richell

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  William Richell 1922-1944 KIA                                                                                              William was serving as a Second Lieutenant with the 3036th Base Unit in Arizona , where he worked as an instructor pilot . Rather than flying combat missions overseas, his role was to train other airmen While he served, William left behind his wife, Nora , and family in Tonawanda. Nora  was herself preparing for a life of service having enrolled in nursing school while her husband was away. On the night of June 28, 1944 , William was aboard a B-17 bomber on a late-night training navigation mission . Somewhere over Arizona, something went terribly wrong. The aircraft crashed into the Gila Mou...
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Chester Fitzgerald

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                                                              Chester Fitzgerald Section G115 1896-1918 KIA: October 9, 1918  KIA The death of a child can change the course for a parents life forever. This is the case when it comes to Chester Fitzgerald and his mother.  Like so many other young men of the Tonawandas Chester enter the military during WW1 at the age 22.  He was assigned to  co I of the 125 Infantry. He was sent to France to fight in the first World War. He was young and brave, ready to fight for the freedom of so many.  Like too many other young men of his time Chester was killed Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The war ended a month after his death, but Chester's story didn't.  he young men returning home from war told Chester's parents that he had not died. They...
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