Denney Family Has History Of Military Service
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
On Nov. 4, two of the brothers, George and Richard, talked about their service to their country. Alvin currently lives in Fort Wayne, and Norman is deceased.
Norman, Richard and Alvin served in the Army. George went Navy.
Norman served in World War II for 2-1/2 years, while George served for four years beginning in 1948. Alvin went in October 1953 for two years, while Richard served from 1953 to 1956.
At the time the brothers went in the military, they all came from Warsaw.
"There's a lot of veterans from Kosciusko County," said George. "A lot of them are dying now, too."
The brothers weren't the first or only members of their family to serve. Their grandfather was in the Spanish-American War. He rode with Theodore Roosevelt in San Juan, George said.
Their uncle, Nate Konkle, had a silver plate in his head from serving in the second world war.
"I wanted to serve my country. I wanted to see the world," George said of why he enlisted.
He said he joined the Navy to avoid wearing a tie. The Navy has a tie, he said, but it's loose all around.
George got on a mine sweeper for two years in Great Licks, Mich. He then served in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for two more years.
"Norman was drafted," Richard said. "Alive was drafted in the Korean War, and I volunteered."
Richard said he volunteered because he wasn't old enough. He had to lie about his age to go in.
He was in basic training at Fort Lennwood for eight weeks and then eight weeks at Camp Chapel. They were ordered to go to Korea, but the war ended just as Richard got out of basic training.
With the war over, Richard ended up with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a paratrooper.
Alvin and Richard were in basic training at the same time, but different units. In the evenings, Richard said he could talk to other units, but he didn't get to see his brother that much. After training, Richard said Alvin went to Fort Sill, Okla., but he had no idea what he did there.
"My ship got cut in half, but this was in maneuvers," said George. "We just got a new captain for that ship."
The ship was cut in half two weeks after George had gotten off.
He said the carrier USS Wasp was escorting the ship. The ships went into a zigzag pattern. At a certain time, all ships changed course at the same time. When the course was changed, the aircraft carrier cut George's ship in half. It went down quickly, George said, and one person got off.
George said the best experience had had in the Navy was when his ship escorted a Wright Brothers plane from Norfolk, Va., to New York City. He also got to see the Statue of Liberty.
"Man, what a city. That was a real experience, too, because we got to go to that big church up there that takes care of all those homeless people," George said. "They had piles of canned soup from the floor to the ceiling to feed the homeless."
Richard said Norman died about two years ago. He would be 83 or 84 years old now. The oldest son, he got over to Japan just as the war ended and was on the clean-up deal.
After Norman, George is the second oldest at 80, Alvin is 78 and Richard is 75 years old. They also have three sisters, with two being deceased.
"Mom had seven kids. She lived to be 93 though," Richard said.
"She raised us mostly by herself," George said.
As each boy went off to serve, George said their mom "had a rough time of it."
"She had the little red flags in the window during World War II," Richard said. "She visited all of us at one time or another."
"She was a proud woman," said George.[[In-content Ad]]
On Nov. 4, two of the brothers, George and Richard, talked about their service to their country. Alvin currently lives in Fort Wayne, and Norman is deceased.
Norman, Richard and Alvin served in the Army. George went Navy.
Norman served in World War II for 2-1/2 years, while George served for four years beginning in 1948. Alvin went in October 1953 for two years, while Richard served from 1953 to 1956.
At the time the brothers went in the military, they all came from Warsaw.
"There's a lot of veterans from Kosciusko County," said George. "A lot of them are dying now, too."
The brothers weren't the first or only members of their family to serve. Their grandfather was in the Spanish-American War. He rode with Theodore Roosevelt in San Juan, George said.
Their uncle, Nate Konkle, had a silver plate in his head from serving in the second world war.
"I wanted to serve my country. I wanted to see the world," George said of why he enlisted.
He said he joined the Navy to avoid wearing a tie. The Navy has a tie, he said, but it's loose all around.
George got on a mine sweeper for two years in Great Licks, Mich. He then served in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for two more years.
"Norman was drafted," Richard said. "Alive was drafted in the Korean War, and I volunteered."
Richard said he volunteered because he wasn't old enough. He had to lie about his age to go in.
He was in basic training at Fort Lennwood for eight weeks and then eight weeks at Camp Chapel. They were ordered to go to Korea, but the war ended just as Richard got out of basic training.
With the war over, Richard ended up with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a paratrooper.
Alvin and Richard were in basic training at the same time, but different units. In the evenings, Richard said he could talk to other units, but he didn't get to see his brother that much. After training, Richard said Alvin went to Fort Sill, Okla., but he had no idea what he did there.
"My ship got cut in half, but this was in maneuvers," said George. "We just got a new captain for that ship."
The ship was cut in half two weeks after George had gotten off.
He said the carrier USS Wasp was escorting the ship. The ships went into a zigzag pattern. At a certain time, all ships changed course at the same time. When the course was changed, the aircraft carrier cut George's ship in half. It went down quickly, George said, and one person got off.
George said the best experience had had in the Navy was when his ship escorted a Wright Brothers plane from Norfolk, Va., to New York City. He also got to see the Statue of Liberty.
"Man, what a city. That was a real experience, too, because we got to go to that big church up there that takes care of all those homeless people," George said. "They had piles of canned soup from the floor to the ceiling to feed the homeless."
Richard said Norman died about two years ago. He would be 83 or 84 years old now. The oldest son, he got over to Japan just as the war ended and was on the clean-up deal.
After Norman, George is the second oldest at 80, Alvin is 78 and Richard is 75 years old. They also have three sisters, with two being deceased.
"Mom had seven kids. She lived to be 93 though," Richard said.
"She raised us mostly by herself," George said.
As each boy went off to serve, George said their mom "had a rough time of it."
"She had the little red flags in the window during World War II," Richard said. "She visited all of us at one time or another."
"She was a proud woman," said George.[[In-content Ad]]
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