World War II saw more women serving than any conflict in history. Many Americans know about their own women’s organizations, such as the Women’s Army Corps. Across the pond in England, many women served in the WRNS, or the Women’s Royal Navy Service.

After a difficult adjustment to the discipline of Army life, James I. Spurrier Jr. deployed to the South Pacific as an infantry soldier. Returning to combat duty after being wounded in New Guinea, he joined the 35th Infantry Division, landing in Normandy on D+1. Excellent in combat, his lack of discipline led to his assignment as a company runner rather than a squad leader. This enabled him to fight on his own, which was his preference.

Born in the Appalachian Mountains on May 1, 1918, in Cherry Grove, West Virginia, T/Sgt. Clinton Hedrick enlisted in the US Army in September 1940 in Columbus, Ohio, before America’s entry into the war.

Jack Mathis was born the second of three children in San Angelo, Texas, on September 25, 1921.

Morris E. Crain was born on October 7, 1924, in Bandana, Kentucky, on the very western edge of the state.

Robert Brown was an educator, civil rights activist, community leader, elected official, and a WWII combat veteran.

Heroism on the battlefield often goes unrecognized for generations, as it did for Staff Sergeant Ruben Rivers.

An Ace in the Jungle.

Joseph J. Foss was born on April 17, 1915, outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and became fascinated with flying at the age of 11 when he saw Charles Lindbergh on tour with his aircraft, the “Spirit of St. Louis”, at an airfield in Renner, South Dakota in 1927.

World War II ripped millions of men and women from their homes and hurled them around the globe. Americans like Charles Willis Davis discovered, though, under the most extreme circumstances, that they possessed incredible courage and ability.

Technician Fifth Grade Lewis Hall from Obetz, Ohio, was born March 2, 1895, and was 47 years old at the time of his action.

Born in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1913, William Fournier was raised in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.

Kenneth Newton Walker, Brigadier General, US Army Air Corps received the Medal of Honor for his actions during a fatal bombing mission over Rabaul, New Britain, on January 5, 1943.