Norbert "Doc" Stigge was born on his grandfathers, John Stegge,  homestead in Washington County, south of Barnes, KS. He was twelfth of sixteen children. He attend St Peters Lutheran Church and a one room school that set next to the church. In first grade he acquired the nickname "Doc" because of a large black lunch box he carried to school. Doc attended Barnes High School, graduating in 1941. He played basketball, baseball and ran hurdles in track. He worked on the family farm until his farming deferment ran out and was drafted into the Army in 1944. Doc arrived in the Northern Alsace region of France on February 1, 1945 as a replacement soldier in the 42nd division. The 42nd was tasked in regaining a region lost in the Battle of the Bulge. Doc had two months of combat on the frontlines then went on to continue in Europe as part of the occupation force until June of 1946. He was awarded the Bronze medal for meritorious achievement in ground combat. Upon returning home he married Lorna Blanken and took prerequisite courses at Friends university and went on to graduated from Southern College of Optometry in 1952. The couple moved to Manhattan, KS were Doc practiced general optometry for 54 years. Courtesy of tributearchive.com

Charles received his notice for induction into the armed forces on Feb. 14, 1941. He entered active duty into the U. S. Army at Boston, Massachusetts on Feb, 20, 1941. Processing was completed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, and he was assigned to Battery 'B' 17th Field Artillery Regiment transportation section at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The 17th trained at Fort Bragg, Camp Blanding, FL., and while participating in the Carolina maneuvers were ordered back to Fort Bragg on the 23rd of July to move overseas. The unit moved to Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, for equipment and staging and sailed from New York Harbor on Aug. 5, 1942, landing in Liverpool, England on Aug. 17, 1942.

After months of training in England the 17th Field Artillery Regiment shipped out of Liverpool on November 22, 1942 and landed at Oran, Algeria North Africa on December 6, 1942. With more training in the Oran area the first unit of the 17th moved on to the Tunisian Campaign and fired their first rounds at Kasserine Pass on February 3, 1943. Charles and brother Sheldon met during the Battle of El Guettar, March 28, 1943. Sheldon was a First Sergeant with the 34th Field Artillery Battery 'B', 9th Infantry Division. With the end of the Tunisian Campaign the Regiment was moved to the rest area for training and recreation. Their next move was to a staging area at the Port of Tunis for the assault on Sicily. The regiment boarded Landing Ship Tank (LST) and Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) for the assault landing at Gila, Sicily on July 14, 1943. The unit moved north across Sicily and took up position on the northern coast. Charles met brother Elmer near Palermo, Sicily in Aug. 1943. Elmer was at a rest area with 68th AAA Gun Battalion preparing to depart for Italy.

The First Battalion of the 17th Field Artillery Regiment sailed from Termini Immerse, Sicily and landed in Italy on Sept. 23, 1943. At this point in Charles's service record there are some dates that are not too clear. Charles was relieved of duty while he was in the hospital for two months. When he returned to duty in March 1944 the 17th Field Artillery Regiment had been reorganized and he was transferred to a replacement center.

It is believed that sometime in April 1944, Charles was assigned to the 157th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division who were at this date engaged in the battle at Anzio. The Regiment was in the forefront for the breakout at Anzio for the attack on Rome. After the fall of Rome the unit moved south to Naples, Italy for rest and training in preparation for the invasion of Southern France. On August 15, 1944 the Regiment made an assault landing at St. Maxine, France. After the landing the 157th spearheaded a drive for the Belfort Gap and crossed the Mortagne River on October 23, 1944. While at a rest area on November 8, 1944 Charles was granted a day furlough to the States. He departed Europe on November 17, 1944 and returned to duty on March 1, 1945. When Charles returned to duty the unit was at rest and training for an attack on the Siegfried Line.

A short time after Charles returned to duty from the furlough to the States he was promoted from Staff Sergeant in the transportation section in the 157th Infantry Regiment to First Sergeant and was reassigned to the 158th Field Artillery Battalion, Battery 'A'.

The Siegfried Line was crossed on March 17, and the city of Nuremberg was taken on April 20, 1945. The 3rd Battalion of the 157th Infantry Regiment liberated the Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945 and at days end was on the outskirts of Munich. The end of combat for the 45th Infantry Division came on April 30, 1945 with the surrender of Munich. The 45th Infantry Division occupied the city of Munich and setup a collection point and camp for surrendering troops of the German Army. In June 1945 the 45th Infantry Division returned to the States and was deactivated on Dec. 7, 1945 at Camp Bowie, Texas.

It appears that after the 158th Field Artiller

With the three brothers inducted into the Armed Forces father Charles R and I decided it was our time to do something for the war effort. We enlisted in the 77th Company of the Massachusetts State Guard at Cohasset, Massachusetts in the summer of 1942. We reported once a week for training at the Ripley Road School auditorium. We received basic military training such as close order marching and manual arms using wooden rifles and shot guns. This basic training became very helpful to me once I enlisted in the Army Air Corps. On September 28th 1942 I received my discharge from the Massachusetts State Guard.
In August 1942 I decided to leave High School and join my three brothers in the Armed Forces. On September 30, 1942 I enlisted in the Army Air Corps at Boston, Massachusetts and was processed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. After being processed I was transferred to Army Air Corps Classification and Training Center at Atlantic City, New Jersey. This Center was composed of many hotels along the Atlantic City boardwalk. I was assigned to room number 108 in the world famous Traymore Hotel. At this Center the Army Air Corps recruits received basic military training, medical exams, and a battery of technical skills tests. I was qualified to receive technical training as an aircraft and engine technician. My military training at this center was very limited because of my previous training with the Massachusetts State Guard.

In November 1942 I was selected to attend the Army Air Corps Technical School at Lincoln, Nebraska. This was a comprehensive sixteen week course on the inspection, repair and maintenance of all aircraft systems and engines. After completion of this school I requested special training on pursuit aircraft. In March 1943 I received orders to attend the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Factory School in Buffalo, New York. This school was an accelerated four week course on the inspection, repair and maintenance of the P-40 aircraft. With the completion of this course I requested transfer to a P-40 unit in the combat theater.
At the end of April 1943 I received my first permanent base assignment to the 63rd Ferrying Squadron, 552nd Army Air Force Base Unit [2nd Ferrying Group] Ferrying Division, Air Transport Command, New Castle Army Air Base in Wilmington, Delaware. The Second Ferrying Group was one of seven groups in the Ferrying Division during World War Two. They delivered all types of aircraft throughout the world to support combat units. The Second Ferry Group was also the home of the first Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron [WAFS], under the command of Lt. Col. Nancy Love.

It was at New Castle Army Air Base where I was issued my first tool box and was told to report to the Line Chief on the Pursuit aircraft flight line. The aircraft included two P-38s, a P-39, an old beat up P-40, and two P-47s. I was asked to crew the P-40 as I had just attended a course on this aircraft. Crew members were required to cross train on all aircraft on the flight line. These aircraft were used for pilot first flight check out and for proficiency flying.

In November 1943 I attended the Northrop Aircraft Factory Training School in Hawthorne, California. This was a one month advanced mechanics training course on the new P-61 aircraft. After completion of this school I requested a transfer to a P-61 squadron but I ended up back at New Castle Air Base Wilmington, Delaware. I was reassigned to the Medium Bomber Flight line crew which included B-26 and A-30 aircraft. These aircraft came directly from the factory. Ferry crews used these aircraft for training flights before delivering them to combat units around the world. My first aircraft flight was in a B-26 [ Better known as a Flying Coffin] while working on this flight line. The flight was to Fort Dix, New Jersey to check out a B-26 that had made an emergency landing because of an oil leak. I concluded that the problem was a leaking oil cooler and was replaced later by anoth

The First Battalion participated in the Invasion of North Africa with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fedala, French Morocco. On Christmas Day, Elmer was bivouacked near Casablanca , and he noticed Sheldon's unit of the 8th Infantry Division moving by the area. With a little looking Elmer found brother Sheldon asleep in his pup tent. This was the first time they had seen each other for over two years. Sheldon was with the 34th Field Artillery 9th Infantry Division which had arrived on the same convoy from the States. The 68th moved across North Africa with rest stops at Algiers, Algeria and Carthage, Tunis. On Aug. 6, 1943, the Battalion moved by ferry from the port of Tunis and landed in Gila, Sicily. They moved up the west coast and took up position in the Palermo area before moving on to Italy. The 68th Regiment was reorganized and the First Battalion became the 68th AAA Gun Battalion; part of the 5th Army Anti- Aircraft force during the Italian Campaign.
On Sept. 9, 1943, the unit moved to Salerno, Italy. In Nov. and Dec. the unit was at the Magnano Gap and Cassino Front. Sometime in the winter months of 943, Elmer reported to sick call and was sent to a hospital in North Africa. He was diagnosed and treated for malaria and returned to his unit in Italy. The 68th took part in the Battle of Anzio Beachhead in Jan. 1944. The Battalion moved north along the coast during the Battle for Rome and took up position at the Port of Civitavecchia, Italy./ After Rome was captured the unit moved back to Naples in preparation for the invasion of Southern France.
The invasion force departed Naples, Italy Aug. 13, 1944, which at this time was the second largest amphibious landing of the war. Elmer's unit landed Aug. 15, 1944 at Green Beach at Saint Raphael, France. From Aug. until Dec. the 68th were based at a fort in the coastal mountain village of La Turbie, France. The next location for the 68th was at Belfort and Besancon, France, next to a French Army unit. The last known position for the 68th AAA Gun Battalion at the termination of the war was at Heidelberg, Germany in July 1945. Elmer received Special Orders on Aug. 3, 1945 from the headquarters 110th AAA Gun Bn. To report to the 14th Reinforcement Depot Thiensville, France on August 7, 1945. The 110th AAA Gun. Bn. Departed Europe Sept. 4, 1945 with over one thousand troops aboard the Dutch cargo ship M.S. Brastagi and arrived in the States Sept. 13, 1945. After reporting to the Separation Center at Fort Devens, MA. For processing, Elmer was discharged from the Army Sept. 19, 1945. Elmer was later awarded disability compensation form the Veterans Administration for contracting malaria during his service overseas. The award from the Veterans Administration was terminated in March of 1948.

Sheldon was inducted into the U.S. Army on February 17, 1941 at Marshfield, Massachusetts and processed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. He was assigned to the 34th Field Artillery Battalion Battery 'B' 9th Infantry Division Fort Bragg, North Carolina. At Fort Bragg Sheldon completed his basic training and participated in the Carolina maneuvers and conducted amphibious landing training on beaches in Virginia. Sheldon received his promotion to First Sergeant on September 4, 1942. The 9th Division moved to Fort Dix, New Jersey on December 1, 1942 for equipment and staging for deployment overseas. His unit boarded the SS (USAT) URUGUAY at Staten Island, New York on December 11, 1942 and sailed for their overseas destination on December 12, 1942.

He received a Bronze Star for leadership in the success of his unit in combat during the period February 22, 1943 to July 16, 1943. Sheldon's Artillery Battalion was one of the first units to receive a Presidential Unit Citation for action against the enemy. During the Battle of El Guattar Sheldon met brother Charles. This was their first meeting since they were stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In June 1943, with the end of the Tunisian Campaign the 9th Division moved to a bivouac area near Oran, Algeria for rest.

On July 5, 1943 the 9th Division moved to Bizerte, Tunisia. The unit was loaded on LST'S at the port of Bizerte and departed July 14, 1943 for Sicily and landed in Licata, Sicily. On July 15, 1943 the 9th Division unloaded equipment and prepared for combat. In the following months the 9th Division moved north by motor convoy traveling through Caltanissette, Enna, and Micosia, Sicily. In November the 9th Division was bivouacked northwest of Palermo at a staging area. Sheldon met brother Elmer again in this staging area. Elmer informed Sheldon that his unit was moving on to the Italian Campaign.

On November 10, 1943 the 9th Division moved to the port of embarkation at Palermo and loaded equipment and troops on the MS John Erickson and departed for Liverpool, England. The 9th Division arrived in Liverpool, England on November 25, 1943. They disembarked and moved to Barton Stacey Camp, England. For the next six months the 9th Division trained for the invasion of Europe. The troops were given the luxury of furloughs and week-end passes while they completed the training.

By April 1944 all leaves and furloughs were canceled and the training pace was accelerated. On June 6, 1944 the 9th Division moved to the marshaling area at Winchester, England. The 9th Division embarked from Southampton, England on June 8, 1944 for France.

The 9th Infantry Division hit the Normandy Beach on D plus-4 and was one of the two U.S. infantry divisions with previous combat experience. They bivouacked in the vicinity of Fauville, Normandy, France. Moving across France, the 9th Infantry Division was the first allied force to begin the liberation of Belgium when they took up firing positions near Beaumont, Belgium on September 3, 1944. On September 14, 1944 the 9th Infantry Division crossed into Germany at Rotgen. The 34th Field Artillery Battalion, 9th Infantry Division provided fire support during the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge). Sheldon was relieved of his First Sergeant position and was assigned the duties of an Artillery Forward Observer. He was appointed Second Lieutenant on January 26, 1945 (Battle Field Commission). The 9th Infantry Division was at the Elbe River in April 1945 and with the link-up with the Russian Army. The war ended for the 9th Infantry Division at Kothen and Dessaw, Germany. Sheldon had another visit with Charles at the end of the war in Munich, Germany. Sheldon departed Germany on September 6, 1945. He was discharged from the Army on October 3, 1945 at Fort Devens, Massachusetts

Entered combat in Belgium (in the middle of the Belgium Bulge) and was near Nuernberg, Germany when the war with Germany ended. Received the following medals and ribbons: 2 Overseas Bars, European Theater Ribbon with 3 Bronze Stars, World War II Victory Medal and a Good Conduct Medal

Francis took his training at Great Lakes Naval Center in Illinois. He was a ship's carpenter on the battleship, USS Massachusetts.

Abram Edward Stoner, Jr. the oldest son of Abram E. and Esther Stoner was born August 24, 1922 in Talmage, Kansas. He passed away May 31, 1950 following a heart attack at him home in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. He was 27 years, 9 months and 7 days old. He attended the Harvey school and the Talmage high school and graduated from the Dickinson County Community high school in 1940. In the fall of 1940 he went to California and took a course at the Western Air College at Alhambra and following the completion of the course worked for Lockhead Aircraft at Burbank, California. In the spring of 1943 he enlisted in the navy and joined the Sea Bees. He took basic training at Norfolk, Virginia and then served a year in the Aleutian Islands. He then was transferred to the 133rd battalion which was attached to the Fourth Marine Corps and took training in Hawaii. He took part in the invasion and the capture of Iwo Jima and saw the memorable flag raising on Iwo Jima. He was awarded the Presidential citation for bravery beyond the call of duty for his service there. After the war he served two years in Tsingtao, China and later at Frankfort, Germany with the Berlin Air Lift. He was a construction mechanic, first class, stationed at Westoyer Airbase in Westfield, Massachusetts at the time of his death. He was married to Louella Hess on March 11, 1948. He is buried in the Prairiedale Cemetery in Tamalge, Kansas.