Roy E. Bringle

Roy E. Bringle was inducted in to the U.S. Army on December 5, 1950. His basic training was at Fort Riley, Kansas. He served in the 1st Infantry Division, Fort Ripley, Kansas at a rank of E-4, light truck driver. His awards included: badges for expert (rifle), expert (carbine), safe

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Pvt Robert “Lee” Lewis

Pvt. Robert “Lee” Lewis (28 Mar 1895 – 12 Mar 1918) Private Lee Lewis was born in Atoka, Tenn., the son of R. E. Lewis and Elizabeth “Bettie” Gladden. He entered service on April 21, 1917 at the age of 22 in Memphis, Tenn., and trained as a field artilleryman.

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1st LT Paul Claxton Calhoun

1st Lieutenant Paul Claxton Calhoun (May 15, 1894 – Feb 27, 1918) Paul Claxton Calhoun was born on March 15, 1894, the son of Isaac Richard Calhoun and Sula Claxton in Covington. He entered the United States Army as an Infantry 2nd Lieutenant on May 15, 1917 at the age

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Pvt. James Robert Hindman

Pvt. James Robert Hindman (23 Mar 1897 – 7 Oct 1918) James Robert Hindman, a private with the Pioneer Infantry, Co. H. 57th Regiment, was born in Atoka, the only child of James Calvin and Mary Elizabeth Bell Hindman. He was just 21 years old when he enlisted on September

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Memorial certificate for James O. Burgess.

James Osgood Burgess (1921-1944)

Born Jan. 7, 1921, in Gainesville, Hall County, Georgia, James Osgood Burgess was the second son and youngest child of Osgood Miller Burgess (1895-1967) and Bessie May Stovall (1891-1983). Older siblings included John Stovall Burgess (1918-1992) and sister, Janie Elizabeth Burgess (1916-2011). James, his mother and brother, moved to Munford

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Gravestone of Holmes and Maggie Thompson.

Holmes N. Thompson (1894-1991)

Holmes Napoleon Thompson was born Feb. 2, 1894 in Mason, Tipton County, Tenn., the son of William Thompson and Martha Adams and the oldest boy of six siblings. Federal census report that he completed four years of high school and could read and write, which at that time was quite

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Remembering Tipton County’s fallen servicemembers on Memorial Day

By Echo Day, The Leader, May 29, 2023 Tipton County Veterans Memorial/Tipton County Museum Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who died in service to the country. The following men from Tipton County died while serving the country during wartime. A memorial commemorating their sacrifice is at

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Mason’s Ahmid Doggett served and died during World War I

By Sherri Onorati,  The Covington Leader, May 23, 2019 During the First World War, Tipton County lost both Black and white sons to the ravages of war, as grief knows no color, and death does not discriminate. Ahmid D. Doggett of Mason was born on Sept. 15, 1886, one of

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Men of Valor: A Tipton County Museum exhibit honors the Wakefield and Wherry brothers

By Sherri Onorati, The Covington Leader, November 11, 2020 The Wakefield/Wherry brothers. A family’s legacy – a torch of honor and patriotism – which started with a father and uncles serving in the United States Navy and Army during World War II, was passed down to sons and now grandchildren and

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African-Americans enlisted in World War I to prove patriotism

By Sherri Onorati, The Covington Leader  May 24, 2018 Several African-American units saw action alongside French soldiers fighting against the Germans. During World War I, 171 black soldiers were awarded the French Legion of Honor for their efforts. More than 350,000 Black Americans served in segregated units during World War

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