News

Ronnie Melton

U.S. Navy - Submarine

1968-71

Frank Casey

World War II

Jan. 18, 1943 – Dec. 26, 1945

Army Private First Class

Marksman Rifle

Two Bronze Service Stars

Good Conduct Medal

WWII Victory Ribbon

American Theater Ribbon

AP Theater Ribbon

Douglas L. Brown

MSG (retired), U.S. Army.

August 1986 to August 2008

Attended basic training at Fort Knox, Ky.

Advanced individual training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Trained as a medic.

Assignments include Fort Stewart, Ga., Camp Hovey, Korea, Fort Ord, California.

Army recruiting at Boston, Mass., Fort Hood (Fort Cavazos), Texas, Bad Aibling Station, Germany, U.S. Army Central Command, Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Ga.

Dan Castrop, 96, served in the Merchant Marines from 1945-46.

He was stationed in California. He then served in the U.S. Army, having re-enlisted for an 18-month tour at the conclusion of the war.

He was stationed then in Japan, operating vehicles to transports different units of service from one location the next.

Castrop had to learn the safest and quickest routes to move the troops and to avoid being ambushed.

Frank Welker Coit 

Private, U.S. Army

Born Jan. 16, 1892
Died Sept. 27, 1918

After his family moved to the El Reno area from Missouri, Frank Welker Coit - who like many during that era bore his mother’s maiden name as his middle name - attended grade school in El Reno.

Evelyn Hall Baumwart

Sister of Eugene Hall.

Army

World War II 1944-1946.

Master Sgt. Eugene Hall

Brother of Evelyn Hall Baumwart.

Korea — Vietnam 1949-1975

Freddie Hobson

USAF 10/23/1961 - 10/22/1965

Served in Italy for 15 months and Texas for 33 months.

Top secret security clearance.

Honorably discharged as E-4 Sergeant.

Grover Benjamin Bannister 
Private, U.S. Army Coastal Artillery Corps, Company 1 

Born Oct. 8, 1888
Died Oct. 6, 1918

Grover Benjamin Bannister was the son of Judge Charles A. Bannister and Josephine Wilma (Hanks) Bannister.

He was born Oct. 8, 1888, in Pratt County, Kan., and he and his family moved to Oklahoma in 1889, first settling on a farm east of El Reno. In 1895, the family built a new home at 200 N. Barker Avenue in El Reno, where they lived for decades thereafter.

Garland Parker

Army Air Corp 1945-46, served in Germany.