George Anderson Pinner
1LT GEORGE ANDERSON PINNER, USAAF (10 Sept 1915 – 16 Apr 1943) A bombardier with the 409 Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomber Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, stationed at Hardwick Airfield, Cambridge, England, 1LT Pinner was shot down April 16, 1943, while serving as the bombardier for “Missouri Sue”, a B-24
Alfred Naifeh
Alfred Naifeh was born on January 5, 1915 in Tipton County, Tenn., to Nicholas Naifeh (1878-1922) and Riatha Naifeh (1884-1970), Syrian immigrants. The middle child of seven, Naifeh was a graduate of Byars-Hall High School and attended the University of Oklahoma in 1937 with a BA and in 1940 with
Rufus S. McKee
Another victim of the taking of Iwo Jima was Marine Corporal Rufus Scot McKee (1920-1945), Ser # 334415, who was killed in action on Feb. 25, 1945, in Iwo Jima, Ogasawara-shichō, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan, as a member of Co. K, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division. Rufus Scot McKee was born
Winford T. Hadley
Pvt. Winford Thelton Hadley, ser #44020062, was born on May 1, 1926, to Warner Menefee Hadley (1901-1983) and Mabel Edith Warnes Hadley (1908-1989) of Garland. A graduate of Byars-Hall High School in Covington, he entered the Army on August 18, 1944, after graduation, and was sent to Camp Forrest, Tennessee
JAMES PAUL ROSE
Private First Class James Paul Rose was born Aug. 28, 1923, in Brighton, Tenn., and died Jul 6, 2003, in Munford, Tenn. When he was 19 years old, he was drafted into the United States Army on Jan. 27, 1943, at Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., and sent to Camp McCoy, Wis.,
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
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
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
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
After WWII, Tipton County’s Black veterans founded their own American Legion post
By Sherri Onorati – published in the Covington Leader, November 11, 2020 The soldiers who came home after World War I were tired, and traumatized and many felt out-of-place given what they had been through – even in their hometowns – places which should have been welcoming and familiar. A