15 JUL 1918
For
his actions on this date, World War I Veteran and VT Alpha Brother (then) Major
Guy Ichabod Rowe, U.S. Army was
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross – second only to the Medal of Honor –
with War Department General Orders No. 99 of 1918: |
| Distinguished Service Cross |
“The
President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July
9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major
(Infantry) Guy I. Rowe, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action
while serving with 38th Infantry Regiment, 3d Division, A.E.F., east of
Chateau-Thierry, France, 15 July 1918. For fourteen and a half hours on 15 July
1918, Major Rowe held his battalion in an advanced and exposed position on the
Marne, although violently and persistently attacked on his front and on both
flanks by greatly superior enemy forces.”
Brother Rowe went on to serve in WWII and attain the rank of Brigadier General.
16 JUL 1918
On
this date, World War I Veteran and NY Alpha Brother Lieutenant Henry Q. Griffin, U.S. Army / American
Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) made the ultimate sacrifice during while engaging
the enemy near St. Agnan, France. Brother Griffin was posthumously awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross for his action on this date.
“The President of the United States of
America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting
the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant (Infantry)
Harry Q. Griffin, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while
serving with 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, A.E.F., on Hill 200, near
St. Agnan, France, 16 JUL 1918. When the first attack on Hill 200 was made by
American troops on 16 JUL 1918, Second Lieutenant Griffin led his platoon to
the most advanced point reached by any detachment and was killed when within 20
yards of an enemy machine-gun emplacement.”
19 JUL 1918
 |
| IL Alpha Brother First Lieutenant Louis Irving Phillis U.S. Army |
Brother Phillis was reportedly the first secretary of IL Alpha and the first chapter brother to cross the Atlantic to “fight the Kaiser.” Unfortunately, he was also the first IL Alpha man to be killed in World War I. At the time of his death, Brother Phillis was serving in the same unit – the 95th Aero Squadron – as Quentin Roosevelt, the son of Former President Theodore Roosevelt.
Respect
can be paid to Brother Phillis at Union Cemetery, Morrisonville, New York.
21 JUL1918
MT
Alpha Brother Albert Schak was
awarded the French Croise de Guerre for his action on this date during the
final stages of the Battle of the Marne, and was subsequently with the first
unit to cross the Rhine River.
17 JUL1943
On
this date, Mexican Campaign & World War I Veteran, VA Theta Brother (then)
Major General Leonard Townsend Gerow,
U.S. Army became commander of V Corps – at the time the largest unit of troops in
the European Theater of Operations.
Brother Gerow played a major role in the
planning of the invasion of continental Europe. He would be the first corps
commander ashore on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and the first American officer of the
rank of major general to enter Paris after its liberation.
19 JUL 1943
Following
graduation, AL Beta Brother James
Calabra, Jr. entered the U.S. Army on this date.
19 JUL 1954
This
is the date of rank of General in the U.S. Army for Mexican Campaign, World War
I & World War II Veteran, VA Theta Brother Leonard Townsend Gerow.
20 JUL 1959
World
War I Veteran and NH Alpha Renaissance Brother Major Wayne Edson Stevens, U.S. Army died on this date.
16 JUL 1961
World
War I Veteran, U.S. Congressman (Iowa), Iowa State Representative and PA Xi
Brother First Lieutenant Paul Harvey
Cunningham, U.S. Army / American Expeditionary Force died on this date in
Brainerd, Minnesota. During the First World War, Brother Cunningham served as
an infantry officer, 1917-1919. After the war he moved to Des Moines, IA, and
the next year joined the Iowa National Guard where he served until 1923.
Born
on a farm in Indiana County, Pennsylvania in 1890, Paul attended public
schools, and graduated from State Teachers College in Indiana, PA (now Indiana
University of Pennsylvania).
Brother
Cunningham continued his education at the University of Michigan, and after
receiving his law degree was admitted to the bar in 1915.
Paul
was elected to the Iowa State House of Representatives in 1933 and served there
for four years. In 1941, he was elected to the Seventy-seventh Congress, and
was re-elected to the eight succeeding Congresses. In 1959, Paul resumed his
practice of law.
He
was a member of the American
Legion, Freemasons,
Moose, and Odd Fellows.
Respect
can be paid to Brother Cunningham at Masonic
Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa.
16 JUL 1966
On
this date, Vietnam Veteran and PA Eta Brother Second Lieutenant Gene “Smedley” McMullen, U.S. Marine
Corps Reserve made the ultimate sacrifice when he was killed in action in Quang
Tri Province, South Vietnam by Viet Cong counter battery fire. |
| PA Eta Brother Second Lieutenant Gene “Smedley” McMullen U.S. Marine Corps Reserve |
During
the summer of 1965, Brother McMullen entered Basic School at Quantico. While
there he was a member of the 1965 Quantico football team. After graduation he
chose Artillery and was sent to Fort Sill, OK and then on to Camp Pendleton. In
May 1966, he was sent to Vietnam where he was assigned to the 12th Marine
Regiment as a Forward Observer.
He
is remembered on Panel 09E, Line 29 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
Brother
McMullen was buried with full military honors in Section 3, Site 2560-B in
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.
18 JUL 1968
VA
Alpha Brother Specialist 4 Hunter Floyd
Spencer, Jr., U.S. Army Reserve died on this date. He served in the
Adjutant General Corps.
Respect
can be paid to Brother Spencer at Section Q, Lot 2 at Greenlawn Memorial Park,
Newport News, VA.
16 JUL 1973
U.S Navy World War II Veteran, Governor (Colorado)
and CO Beta Brother John Arthur Love resigned the Colorado governorship on this date
after 10 years of service to become the nation's first director of the Office
of Energy Policy for president Richard M. Nixon.
15 JUL 2004
PA
Eta Brother Lieutenant Colonel Daniel A.
Augustyniak, U.S. Air Force, 63, died on this date after a long battle with
brain cancer. Commissioned in the U.S. Air Force upon his graduation from Penn
State University (PSU), he served 18 years and six months and retired as a
Lieutenant Colonel. His next career involved five years of civil service work
at the Air Force Logistics Command at Kelly Air Force Base.
Born
in 1941, Brother Augustyniak attended PSU and earned a Bachelor's Degree in
History and also received a Master's Degree in Political Science from St.
Mary's University. His most recent “career” involved ten years of dedicated
work to the Men's Ministry at St. Luke's Catholic Church. This was his most
fulfilling endeavor, with his brothers staying with him through his illness.
Buried
with full military honors, respect can be paid to Brother Augustyniak at Fort
Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX.
15 JUL 2009
World
War II Veteran NY Beta Brother Joseph I.
Whittlesey, 87, died on this date in Cohoes, NY. During WWII, Brother
Whittlesey served in France and Germany, where he earned several medals. After
the war, he graduated from Cornell in 1949 with a degree in electrical
engineering, and worked as an engineer for General Electric for 38 years before
retiring in 1984.
Joseph
was born in 1922 in Pittsfield, MA. He was active in the community, having
worked with the Animal Protection Foundation, Boy Scout Troop 36, the Woodhaven
Homeowners Association, the Annie Schaffer Senior Center and Vale Cemetery. In
addition Joseph was a longtime Republican committeeman and 32nd Degree Mason. Brother
Whittlesey was also a 32nd Degree Mason.
Respect
can be paid to Brother Whittlesey at Glenside Cemetery in New York Mills, NY.
15 JUL 2012
On
this date, two SigEp Patriots were lost to the ages.– Mayor of Dothan, AL Beta Brother Captain Alfred Joseph Saliba, U.S. Air Force Reserve passed away at home in the city of his birth, Dothan, Alabama. Alfred spent two years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Japan and Korea, and rose to the rank of Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
Born
in 1930, except for his military service, he lived most of his life in Dothan,
attending public schools, working as a teen in a local shoe store, and
returning as a young adult to establish a business and nurture a family in the
city he loved. Alfred was a proud graduate of the University of Alabama's
School of Engineering.
After working with his father at Dothan Roofing and Remodeling, he built a successful business bearing his name which included homebuilding, residential and commercial real estate, neighborhood development, and commercial construction. Brother Saliba wisely partnered and invested in other local businesses and real estate ventures, and in 1999 and 2011, he was inducted in the Business Halls of Fame for the University of Alabama and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, respectively.
Beginning with Dothan High School's Class of 1948, Alfred, an Eagle Scout, served as president, chairman, or trustee of almost every group or organization he belonged to. He led the engineering school, AL Beta, Dothan JayCees, Chamber of Commerce, Wiregrass United Way campaign, and many community boards. In every civic endeavor, he brought to those positions a keen mind, a businessman's expertise, and a heart for the community, demonstrated in service with The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Hawk-Houston Boys Club, and Evergreen Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder.
Motivated by a desire to "give back" to the city he loved so much, from 1989 through 1997, Saliba served two terms as the city's mayor. Commitment to improving the city's infrastructure, recruiting new business, and providing opportunities for underserved families became the hallmarks of his tenure. Working with other visionaries, he helped establish a Family Services Center, which centralized education, childcare, and access to resource agencies. It became the prototype for 17 similar organizations throughout the Southeast and now bears his name.
Memorial contributions to the Alfred Saliba Family Services Center or Evergreen Presbyterian Church would celebrate Alfred's lifelong compassion and generosity.
Respect
can be paid to Brother Saliba at Memory Hill Cemetery, Dothan.
–
Operation ENDURING FREEDOM Veteran and CT Alpha Brother Sergeant Kenneth Saavedra, Jr., U.S. Army &
National Guard (Connecticut), 29, died in Waterbury, Connecticut. He was a
Sergeant with the U.S. Army 1 Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment and served two
tours of duty in Afghanistan. He continued to serve with the National Guard for
almost 10 years.
Kenneth
was an electrician and worked for Sikorsky Aircraft. He was a member of the
Teamsters Local 1150, and was Vice Chair of the Teamsters Veterans Caucus
Connecticut Chapter 1. Kenneth also supported the Wounded Heroes Fund.
At
the request of the family, memorial contributions can be made to the Kenneth
Saavedra Jr. Memorial Fund to benefit Veterans through the funeral home.
Laid
to rest with full military honors, respect can be paid to Brother Saavedra at the
Connecticut Veterans’ Cemetery, Rocky Hill, CT.
20 JUL 2012
U.S.
Navy World War II Veteran and KS Gamma Brother Ralph Clark Ufford died on this date. After his military service,
Brother Ufford graduated from the University of Kansas, Class of 1949.
Respect
can be paid to Brother Ufford at Resurrection Cemetery, Lenexa, KS.
CELEBRATIONS!
* Operation ENDURING FREEDOM Veteran and PA Xi Brother Major Kevin Michael, U.S. Air Force has been selected for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. Congratulations Brother!
* Operation ENDURING FREEDOM Veteran and PA Xi Brother Major Kevin Michael, U.S. Air Force has been selected for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. Congratulations Brother!
Please keep sending your good news stories to sigepswhoserve@gmail.com.
Fraternally
and Very Respectfully,
Brother Ed Jones, NY Eta ‘96
Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy Reserve
Founder, SigEp Patriots Project
sigepswhoserve@gmail.com
Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy Reserve
Founder, SigEp Patriots Project
