Sue Rizvi contributed these photos of United States Army Company B, 18th Armored Replacement Battalion, taken 1/1941 at Fort Knox, Kentucky.  My great grand uncle, Charles Richard “Dick” Waits is on the far right, third row from the top.

Rolled-up, with creases and many signs of wear, the original photo was found in the home of Paul and Bette Hang in Circleville, Ohio. Bette was Dick’s sister-in-law until he was KIA on 4/6/45 in Germany. Sue, Bette’s daughter, was kind enough to scan the original photo into four separate files (the photo is too large to fit on a standard flatbed scanner) and email them to me. I decided to have the photos retouched and put back together.  I contacted Miles Abernathy at 399Retouch for the picture retouch.  For an affordable price and fast turnaround time, I thought they did an outstanding job.

Dick Waits 18th Armored Replacement Battalion Retouched Picture

Brian Davis – Christine (Williams) Davis – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth (Waits/sister of Charles Richard Waits) Williams

This obituary is of my great grand uncle, Charles Richard “Dick” Waits, and was most likely featured in The Circleville (OH) Herald:

Charles Waits Listed Killed Fighting Nazis

Mrs. Charles R. Waits, Circleville, received word Thursday from the war department that her husband Cpl. Charles R. Waits had been killed in action.

Cpl. Waits has been in the Army three years, 26 months overseas. He was in the African, Sicilian, Italian campaigns. He was also in the French invasion.

At the time of his death he was assigned to General Patch’s Seventh Army in Germany. Mrs. Waits, who is employed at Isaly’s, last heard from him by letter dated March 30. The War Department announcement stated that he had been killed about April 6.

Cpl. Waits was a resident of Lancaster at the time of his enlistment in the Army. His wife is living with her sister, Mrs. Paul Hang, Scioto street. Pfc. Hang is now home on furlough from the European theatre of war.

Many thanks to Paul Hang for providing the article and picture. On the back of the picture, it reads, “Hi Red!” The picture was sent from Dick to his wife, Margaret Ann “Peggy” Waits (Phillips), who had “strikingly” red hair.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits/sister of Charles Richard Waits)

Houston National Cemetery Hemicycle

Although no direct family relations are buried there, my family and I visited the Houston National Cemetery in Houston, Texas yesterday. The cemetery is beautiful and very well maintained. It was a nice, sunny day, although a bit windy and chilly. We hope to visit again this summer when the grass is greener and the flowers are in bloom. Click here for the entire picture set from our visit.

My wife’s co-worker, Bruce Alan Johnson, recently passed away, and is buried there. His obituary appeared in the Houston Chronicle 12/21/2009:

Bruce Alan Johnson Headstone

BRUCE A. JOHNSON, 62, of Houston, passed away on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. He was born on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 1947, in Galesburg, IL to Floy and Herman Johnson. After years of service to the US Military and Texas Children’s Hospital, he leaves behind four sisters and two brothers, Leslie Fletcher of Houston, TX, Kathy (Donald) Bell of Aledo, IL, Randi (Bruce) Richardson of El Cajon, CA, and Sue (Rob) Carey of Katy, TX, Steve (Kristy) Johnson of Galesburg, IL, and Craig Johnson of Pittsburg, PA, along with several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by both his mother and father.Visitation will be at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home from 6-8 p.m., 6700 Ferris St., Tues., Dec. 22, 2009. The funeral will be held Wed., Dec. 23rd, 2009 11 a.m., at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4930 West Belfort, Houston, Texas 77035. Donations may be made to the Texas Children’s Auxillary and Voluntary Services and Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, both of Houston, Texas. On-line condolences may be made at MEM.com

There are also three Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and a renowned veteran/Congressman buried in the cemetery:

From the Houston National Cemetery website:

First Lieutenant Raymond L. Knight, (World War II), U.S. Army Air Corps. Northern Po Valley, Italy, on April 25, 1945. His remains were relocated to Houston National Cemetery on April 25, 1992.

Staff Sergeant Macario Garcia, (World War II), U.S. Army, Company B, 22nd Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. Grosshau, Germany, Nov. 27, 1944.

Captain James H. Fields, (World War II), U.S. Army, 10th Armored Infantry, 4th Armored Division. Near Rechicourt, France, Sept. 27, 1944.

Albert Thomas Headstone

From the Houston National Cemetery website:

The most renowned veteran buried in the cemetery is the late Honorable Albert Thomas, United States Congressman from Texas. Congressman Thomas served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I, and served almost 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was instrumental in getting this cemetery established by Congress. “Congressman Albert,” as his many friends knew him, died in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 15, 1966, and was buried in the mall area of the Houston National Cemetery, on Feb. 18, 1966.

This obituary is of my great grand uncle, Charles Richard “Dick” Waits. At the time, he was the 90th Fairfield County, Ohio serviceman killed in action, and the 109th war death from that county since Pearl Harbor. The article was featured in the 4/20/1945 edition of the Lancaster Eagle Gazette:

Three Lancastrians Lose Lives At War

… T-5 Corporal Charles Richard (Dick) Waits, 25, husband of Mrs. Margaret Ann Waits, 111 North Pearl-av, and only son of Mr. and Mrs. Harmon C. Waits, 702 Eastwood-av. A tank gunner in an armored division of the Seventh Army, Cpl. Waits was reported by the War Department as killed in action April 6 in Germany.

T-5 Corporal Waits, who would have been 26 years old on April 27, has been reported by the War Department as killed in action April 6, somewhere in Germany. His wife is the former Margaret Ann Phillips, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Phillips of the Pearl-av address. For the past year, Mrs. Waits has been helping her sister, Mrs. Paul Hang (Betty Phillips) operate the Isaly Company store in Circleville during the absence of Paul Hang, formerly of Lancaster, who has been serving overseas. Twice wounded, Pvt. Hang has been returned to the States and is now visiting his family in Circleville.

Cpl. Waits entered the Army here December 9, 1941, received training at Fort Knox, Ky. and Camp Polk, La., in the Armored Force, then was at Temple, Texas, Camp Hood, Texas, receiving further instruction in tank and tank destroyer operation and maintenance, and also at Camp Pickett, Va. He sailed overseas in April, 1943, two years ago; arriving in North Africa where he served in the North African campaign.

Waits took part in the invasion of Sicily in July, 1943 and also in the invasion of Italy at Salerno in September, 1943, attached to a unit of the 45th Division, then a part of the U.S. 5th Army.

He also saw service at Cassino, Gela, Palermo and during the drive on Rome with the armored force. Last August Waits participated in the invasion of Southern France. He was in maintenance, then a half-track crew member, then a tank driver, and at the time of his death was a tank gunner attached to the 753rd Tank battalion of an armored division in the 7th Army, possibly in the Nuermberg (sic) sector of Germany.

Battalion Honored

Cpl. Waits and other members of the battalion had received the French Croix de Guerre, and the Vermillion Star recently for their outstanding operations with French units during a phase of the Italian campaign last year.

Prior to his induction T/5 Cpl. Waits was employed at the Sohio filling station, corner Broad and Chestnut-sts. He was a graduate of Lancaster High School, where he played football.

In addition to his wife and parents, Cpl. Waits leaves three sisters, Miss May Waits, chief telephone operator here, Mrs. Ernest Miller, Muskegon, Mich., and Mrs. Ralph Williams, Columbus.

The last letter Mrs. Waits received from her husband was dated March 30, from somewhere inside Germany.

I’d also like to mention the other two servicemen mentioned in the article:

First Lieutenant William S. Massey (5/9/1917 – 3/26/1945), 187th Glider Infantry, 11th Airborne, United States Army, died of battle wounds in the Philippines. He is buried in the Manila American Cemetery.

Corporal Kenneth Kinney Metcalf (8/15/1922 – 4/5/1945), 6th Division, United States Marine Corps, was KIA at Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands, 350 miles from Japan. He is buried in Forest Rose Cemetery in Lancaster, Ohio.

Through my many internet wanderings and various Ohio contacts, I had never been able to locate this newspaper article. Many, many thanks to Jane Mason (Miller) for locating and mailing a copy!

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits/sister of Charles Richard Waits)

Charles Richard Waits and Margaret Anne Phillips Portrait

My research this morning has centered around my great grand uncle, Charles Richard “Dick” Waits.  Dick was born in 1919 in Lancaster, Ohio. He attended Lancaster High School and married Margaret Anne “Peggy” Phillips on 6/16/1941. Dick enlisted with the United States Army on 12/9/1941. He was KIA on 4/6/1945 in Mockmuhl, Germany as a corporal in Company C of the 753rd Tank Battalion. He is buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France. Dick was 25 years-old when he was killed. The picture above is of Dick and Peggy Waits. I believe his sleeve patch signifies United States Army ground forces. If you look closely, you can see the tank pin on his hat.

Peggy remarried a few years after his death. I have recently contacted her nephew, Paul, niece, Sue, and daughter, Lisa. After I compile all of their contributions, I will post them here. 

This morning, I have sent requests to the American Battle Monuments Commission for a floral arrangement to be placed at his grave marker. They also provide a photo of the marker after placement, along with a lithograph of the cemetery. I will post the picture after I receive it (probably in several weeks.) Chris Bradford, who runs a website dedicated to the 735rd Tank Battalion (Dick’s picture is in the KIA Gallery Two), has requested Dick’s Deceased Persons File on my behalf. The file should include how he died, where he was buried, reburial details, communication with his kin, etc. I hope to receive this in the near future as well.

Thank you to everyone who has helped with my research on this fallen hero.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits/ sister of Charles Richard Waits)