WGCU

Grace Chicken (1914) Lieutenant Colonel, US Army Air Force, Retired Port Charlotte resident Grace Chicken served as an Air-Evac nurse in the US Army Air Force during WWII and the Korean War. After the Korean War ended, Grace continued her service in

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Dale Riggs (Born 1933) Private 1st Class, United States Army, Retired Fort Myers resident Dale Riggs joined the United States Army in 1950 when he was only 17 years old. Immediately deployed to Korea, Dale was assigned to the 52nd Medical

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Joe L. Dinish (Born 1935) Chief Master Sergeant, U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division, Retired Port Charlotte resident Joe L. Dinish had just finished his first year in college when he was drafted to Korea where he served two and a half

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Bernie Lenhart (Born 1928)  Staff Sergeant, United States Marine Corps, Retired North Fort Myers resident Bernie Lenhart served in the 1st Engineer Battalion of the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. One of the survivors of the infamous

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Robert Hilliard Seventy years after the end of World War II, five Southwest Florida veterans share their experiences. Robert Hilliard was an 18-year-old draftee in 1944 deployed to Europe just after D-Day. The 90-year-old Purple Heart recipient and Sanibel resident

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Newton Burdick Jr. Seventy years after the end of World War II, five Southwest Florida veterans share their experiences, including 99-year-old retired Lieutenant Commander Newton Burdick Junior. He entered the US Navy as a young soldier after the Japanese attack

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Harry Beeman Seventy years after the end of World War II, five Southwest Florida veterans share their experiences, including 93-year-old Harry Beeman of Cape Coral. He was 19-years old when he signed up as an Apprentice Seaman in the US

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Grace Chicken Seventy years after the end of World War II, five Southwest Florida veterans share their experiences, including retired US Army – Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Grace Chicken of Punta Gorda. Chicken spent more than 20 years in the

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PETER THOMAS (BORN 1924) Famed voice-over actor and World War II veteran, Peter Thomas received five battle stars including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and the French Croix de Guerre for his military service with the First Infantry Division

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HARRY BEEMAN (BORN 1922) Harry Beeman was 19 years old when he signed up as an Apprentice Seaman in the US Navy the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Prior to that date Harry’s father had refused to

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