Memorial Day - MS Hometown Heros…

[woozman]

I always think about my dad’s brother on this day. He was killed on Dong Ha Mountain in Vietnam on May 20, 1970 (2-yrs before I was born). RIP Uncle Warren Lynn.

CAPTAIN WARREN LYNN WOZENCRAFT

Name: Warren "Doc" Lynn Wozencraft Born: September 10, 1943 Died: May 20, 1970 Hometown: Lucedale, Mississippi Entered the Military: February 20, 1965 Branch of Service: U.S. Army Reserve Org...

warrenlynnwozencraft.weebly.com

I knew about Ed “Too Tall” Freeman from the New Augusta area because he and another Uncle were good friends. For those that don’t know, Mr Freeman was the helicopter pilot depicted in the movie We Were Soldiers and he won the Medal of Honor for his actions in Vietnam.

Ed Freeman - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I just found out this morning that my hometown (Lucedale) had a Medal of Honor winner from WW2 and Mr. Lindsey apparently was an absolute bad azz.

The One Man Army: Sergeant Jake Lindsey | The Knoxville Focus

www.knoxfocus.com

Anyway, as we all reflect today on those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country - I thought it would be interesting to learn about other MS heros from your neck of the woods.

 

[NTDawg]

Thanks to those who paid the ultimate price for me.

 

[msstatelp1]

Fox Conner
Born in Slate Springs in Calhoun County. He is the man that mentored most of the Army leaders of WWII. In particular he mentored Eisenhower and Patton.

Van Barfoot
born near Carthage and another true badass.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

My Uncle was a paratrooper in WW2 and was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge on Christmas Day 1944 by shrapnel and received a bullet to the abdomen on Valentines Day 1945 not far from the Rhine. His father(my Grandfather) worked at the POW camp at Camp McCain and would walk 7 miles early Monday Mornings to catch a ride at daylight to Camp McCain and then would catch a ride back and walk 7 miles home at the end of the work week. After my Uncle was wounded in February 1945, my Grandfather had received word that my Uncle who was also his oldest son was severely wounded and most likely dead. He then had to make that 7 mile walk in the dark to tell my Grandmother. Luckily they had learned a few weeks later that my Uncle was alive and recovering in a hospital. My Uncle was discharged and played one year of Basketball at Mississippi Southern and then went to Mississippi State and got his degree.

 

[DawgInThe256]

Did not know Alex Box’s story and that he was from Quitman

Peter Burns tweet thread on Alex Box

 

[HammerOfTheDogs]

Fox Conner
Born in Slate Springs in Calhoun County. He is the man that mentored most of the Army leaders of WWII. In particular he mentored Eisenhower and Patton.

Van Barfoot
born near Carthage and another true badass.

Great story about Barfoot-

"Having grown up in the strictly segregated south, Barfoot was noted for a comment he made in 1945 regarding African-Americans. Mississippi senator and Ku Klux Klan member Theodore G. Bilbo asked Barfoot if he had much trouble with the African-American soldiers he had served with during the war. To Bilbo's embarrassment, Barfoot responded, "I found out after I did some fighting in this war that the colored boys fight just as good as the white boys...I've changed my idea a lot about colored people since I got into this war and so have a lot of other boys from the south".[7]"

 

[scotchie42]

I am also a Vietnam Vet from Lucedale. I was in country in 65 and 66. That was a few years before Doc was killed. I was one of the lucky ones that made it back. I knew Tom and Larry real good, but never Knew Warren that well, I was in the II Corps area around Highway 19. I was a Combat Engineer with the 937th Combat engineer Group, I did a lot of blown bridge surveys between Pleiku, An Khe Qui Nhon and the Cambodia border. We built a lot of LZs and Log Depots in the II Corp area. I heard all about Doc from Larry and Tom, and I am so sorry that he didn't make it back.
I really miss Warrren, Larry and Tom. They were all great guys.
Scotty MSU 1964

 

[woozman]

I am also a Vietnam Vet from Lucedale. I was in country in 65 and 66. That was a few years before Doc was killed. I was one of the lucky ones that made it back. I knew Tom and Larry real good, but never Knew Warren that well, I was in the II Corps area around Highway 19. I was a Combat Engineer with the 937th Combat engineer Group, I did a lot of blown bridge surveys between Pleiku, An Khe Qui Nhon and the Cambodia border. We built a lot of LZs and Log Depots in the II Corp area. I heard all about Doc from Larry and Tom, and I am so sorry that he didn't make it back.
I really miss Warrren, Larry and Tom. They were all great guys.
Scotty MSU 1964

Thank you for that story. Dad was in Vietnam (I think 68-69) and he passed in 2001. Uncle Larry died in 2020.

Welcome home.