Episode 23: Pallbearers of the Unknown

 

The pallbearers of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, DC November 1921

The flower laying event prior to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier's centennial anniversary was fabulous and everyone who made it happen deserves huge props. I know several hundred people were able to pass by the Tomb while I was there and from the number of flowers, it looks like tens of thousands made it over the course of the two days.

It was also neat to see the Tomb Sentinels still on patrol, though behind the Tomb, as we were walking through their typical patrol zone on the Tomb Plaza.

 On Veterans Day, the actual centennial of the Tomb's dedication, it was a nice touch to see doughboys, foreign military VIPs, and aircraft flyovers - all things present 100 years ago as well.

Army Infantry Sergeant Edward Younger was completely overwhelmed when he was selected to choose America's Unknown Soldier from four candidates. After he left the Army in 1922 he returned to his native Chicago and went to work for the US Postal Service. 

After finding out he had not been able to afford a trip to Arlington to see the Tomb of the Unknown, The Washington Post paid for him to travel there for Memorial Day in 1930 where he placed a bouquet of roses on top of the tomb, just as he had placed them on top of the casket he designated in France nine years earlier.

After this trip to Arlington, many veteran and civic organizations asked Younger to come and speak about his connection to the Unknown Solider. Though never completely comfortable with his new-found fame, he did honor the Unknown and his many friends who fell in France, by telling their stories. He died at the young age of 44 of a heart attack in 1942. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in what was formerly known as the World War I section, Section 34, Grave 1918-B

Former POW and Navy Chief Gunner's Mate James Delaney retired in 1933 but returned to service during World War II. After his second world war, he returned to Beverly, Massachusetts with his wife and died of lung cancer in 1954, just days after Christmas. 

Belleau Wood hero, Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Ernest Janson remained in the Corps and served for several years as a recruiter. He retired in 1926 as a Sergeant Major. The native New Yorker returned to Long Island and died of an embolism just four years later at age 49. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Army Field Artillery Color Sergeant James Dell was firing his field piece until the minute the armistice went into effect but managed to evade serious injury during the war. He retired a master sergeant and went on my manage national cemeteries in Kentucky, Nebraska, and Texas. He died in Florida in 1967, the longest-lived of the Pallbearers, at age 91. He is buried in St. Augustine National Cemetery.

Army Combat Engineer and Cheyenne Indian Corporal Thomas Saunders who survived one of the most dangerous jobs of the war without a scratch seemed to drop off the map after World War I. We know he crossed paths with James Dell in Texas but that is about it. The Native American hero died in 1947 at age 55 and is buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery just outside of San Francisco.

Even less is known about Navy Chief Water Tender Charles Leo O'Connor's post-war life. His headstone in Arlington, Section 17, Grave 22633 simply says he was from Massachusetts, served in the Navy Reserve, and died in 1934 at age 47.

Army Cavalry Trooper and member of the Wild West Brigade First Sergeant Harry Taylor also kept a low profile. He stayed in the Army until at least 1927. I don't know when he passed away or where he is buried.

Army Infantry Master Sergeant, and Medal of Honor recipient, Samuel  Woodfill who lost his officer's commission to stay in the greatly-reduced post-war Army retired in 1923 but joined back in at the outset of World War II. 

In 1942, he showed the troops at Fort Benning, where he was an instructor, that he still had the marksmanship skills that saved his life and earned him the Medal of Honor. 

Major Woodfill retired a second time in 1944 as a major - a rank he was allowed to keep this time. He died in 1951 at age 68. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 34, Grave 642.

Army Master Sergeant and Coastal Artillery Corp gunner Louis Razga retired in 1935 after 30 years in uniform. In 1941, at age 52, he tried to return to service for WWII. Despite his excellent health, he was not given another opportunity to serve. He died in 1959 at age 69 and is buried in Longwood Cemetery in southeastern Pennsylvania.