Central
West Virginia Veterans Project
West Virginians have answered their
country’s call from the 18th through the 21st
century. HCPD is planning to honor Central
West Virginia Veterans with one or more volumes highlighting the service of the
area’s men and women. Following are some
of the young men and women we will be honoring.
Click here to learn how you can participate in this
project.
John Thomas “Tommy” Byrd II, joined the US
Marines Jan 2002. The son of John Thomas
Byrd and Nancy Kay (Cantrell) Byrd, b 2 Feb
1981, Fairmont,
Marion Co, WV. He was killed in action
by a car bomb explosion in Al Anbar Providence, near Fallujah, Iraq on 30 Oct 2004. He
is buried in Pisgah Cemetery on Old Route 73 north of Fairmont. He
married Jessica Marie Casey, 24 Feb 2004, in Honolulu, HI. He was with the 1st
Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary
Force, based at Kane’ohe, HI.
Decorations: Purple Heart, National Defense Medal, Sea Service
Deployment Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Submitted
by Matha Dorcas (Jones) Byrd
Floris Edwin "Ed" DePriest, b. 28 Jul
1879 at Finks
Creek, Jane Lew, Lewis Co, WV, and d. 15
Ma 1948 in Los
Angeles, CA. Ed m. 21 June 1922 Bertha Estella Wood. Ed was s/o
Robert Edmond DePriest (Civil War - 10th WV Vol Inf) and Margaret
Hardman. Ed is buried in Los Angeles National Cemetery, Los Angeles, California.
Spanish American War: Served in Philippines; enlisted 27 Apr 1898, disch. 22 Aug 1899; pvt, Co E, 10th Pa Vol Inf. Battle of Malate 31 Jul 1898; Battle at DeLaLoma Church; surrender of Manila 13 Aug 1898.
WWI: 28 Nov 1917 to 22 Apr 1919; pvt, Batt. E, 134th Field Artillery, 37th
Div, US Army; in France from 28 Jun 1918 to 30 Mar 1919; on defense Marache
Sector 18 Oct 1918 to 20 Oct 1918; on defense Pannes Sector 28 Oct 1918 to 11
Nov 1918; Boisde Bonsiel offensive. Ed
volunteered for WWII as a 63 year old man, they told him they needed him at
home. Submitted by Richard DePriest
Loyd Eugene Robinson, b. 17 Feb
1950, s/o Richard
C. & Adeline Williams Robinson.
Rank: SP4 Tour Date: 13 Sep 1970.
Served in Co C, 75th RANGERS, 17th Avn Gp, 1st Avn Bde, LBN. Killed in Binh Dihn, South Viet Nam, 11 June 1971.
Buried Forest Lawn Cemetery, Weston, WV. Graduate of Lewis County High School, member of wrestling team. Submitted by Nettie (Robinson) Gregory
Willard E. Talbert CSC, US Navy, b.
22 Jan1 922 in Curtin, Nicholas County, WV, s/o Arch and Mary Everson
Talbert. He was raised in Webster Springs, WV.
He joined the Navy on 22 May 1940 and received his training in Norfolk, VA. He served aboard the
USS Maryland and Cinchona YN7 in the Pacific, the USS General A.E. Anderson and
USS Neches in the Mediterranean, was at
Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guadalcanal, Guam, Eniwetok, Johnston Island,
(several other islands in the Pacific), Treasure Island, Tiburon, Panama and
San Diego. He fought in the Battle of
Pearl Harbor, Battle of Midway, Battle of Guadalcanal, was at Guam, Johnston
Island, and Eniwetok. He was also involved in the testing of the A-Bomb. He was awarded the Asiatic-Pacific, American
Defense, American Campaign, World War II Victory, Korean Service National
Defense, Navy Occupation Service, United Nations, Good Conduct (4 awards) medals; several
citations and ribbons. He was a WWII
Pearl Harbor Survivor. He is buried at
sea off Barbers
Point, HI.
There is a plaque in the Miller-Gregory Cemetery, Webster Springs, WV.
Submitted by Linda Archie
Click here to learn how you can
participate in this project.
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Created
30 Jan 2005