Memorial Day 2017

“Flags, Fourth of July” is licensed by Melinda VanLeone under CC BY-NC 2.0.

A number of men from Fentress, Texas, served in World War II. Two did not return.

Marshall Langley was the son of Will and Essie Langley, my family’s very good neighbors. Marshall graduated from Texas A & M,  which commissioned more officers during World War II than West Point did. His name appears in Texas Aggies Go to War: In Service of Their Country. He died in France in 1944, leaving a wife and an infant son.

Dunallen McCaskill was lost when the plane he was piloting went down over water. August 1942 USAAF Overseas Accident Reports lists the site as “Unknown, PAN” (Panama). Dunallen was my father’s friend. His family left Fentress before I was born but I heard many stories about them. Neighbors described them as kindhearted, spontaneous, fun-loving, and much loved. Dunallen’s mother never lost hope that he would one day come home.

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First posted here on Memorial Day 2012