This Week in SigEp Patriot History, 26 AUG – 01 SEP

Brothers,

29 AUG 1918

Founding Father
First Lieutenant
Franklin Webb Kerfoot
U.S. Army

On this date, Founding Father and Chaplain First Lieutenant Franklin Webb Kerfoot, U.S. Army (Chaplain Corps) was killed in a collision of an automobile and a train on the Southern Railway in Chatham, Virginia. Brother Kerfoot had temporarily returned home from Newport News, VA where he was serving as a Baptist chaplain working among the soldiers departing overseas.

Franklin was born in Buckland, VA in 1986. He was Class of 1902 at Richmond College and later attended Crozer Theological Seminary. At his memorial service he was remembered as “the most original preacher of his time” and it was stated that God took him to welcome the soldiers who had “passed on” from the battlefield.

Respect can be paid to Founding Father Kerfoot at Green Hill Cemetery in Berryville, VA.

01 SEP 1918

NH Alpha Brother Private First Class Charles Enos Tayntor, U.S. Army Ambulance Service, Army Medical Corps sailed for France for his World War I service in Europe on this date.

IL Alpha Brother
Ensign
Joseph M. Hissem
U.S. Navy Reserve

30 AUG 1941

IL Alpha Brother Joseph Metcalf Hissem received his commission as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserve on this date. Brother Hissem would go to be killed at the Battle of Midway, and awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery in combat.

26 AUG 1942

World War II Veteran CO Gamma Brother John H. Price, Jr. entered the U.S. military on this date. He would serve 18 months on Guadalcanal before being discharged at the end of the war.

30 AUG 1953

On this date, with the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement the previous month, John W. “Bill” Rambo, Sr. was released after 19-months in captivity. Following his Korean War service, he joined the TN National Guard and attended the University of Tennessee where he became a SigEp.

01 SEP 1962

On this date, World War II Veteran and VA Zeta Brother General Robert Jefferson Wood, U.S. Army (Retired) was promoted to the rank of general (four-stars). In 1967, Brother Wood would receive the SigEp Citation.

This Week in SigEp Patriot History, 22 – 28 April

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” ~ Steve Jobs

Brothers,

24 APR 1942

World War II Veteran and WI Alpha Brother Everett Roudebush entered the U.S. Army on this date after finishing a concert tour with Salvatore Baccaloni, noted Metropolitan Opera Company star. Everett would go on to achieve the rank of Corporal before being discharged.

27 APR 1964

World War I Veteran, Judge (5th Judicial Circuit) and U.S. Congressman (Virginia) VA Eta Brother Private Joel West Flood, U.S. Army died on this date in Richmond, VA. During WWI, Brother Flood served in Company A, 350th Engineers, 80th Division before being discharged in 1919.

Joel was born in 1894 near Appomattox, Virginia, became a SigEp at University of Virginia, and later attended Oxford University. After studying law he was admitted to the bar in 1917 and commenced practice in Appomattox.

The same year he completed his military duty, Joel was elected Virginia State Commonwealth Attorney of Appomattox County. He served until 08 NOV 1932 when he was elected to the Seventy-Second Congress to fill a vacancy. Brother Flood then resumed the practice of law, and after serving as a delegate to the 1936 Democratic National Convention was appointed assistant United States attorney for the western district of Virginia in 1939.

In JAN 1940, Joel was elected as a judge of the fifth judicial circuit of Virginia, and he served in this capacity until his death.

Respect can be paid to Brother Flood at the Flood Mausoleum, Appomattox Courthouse Square, Appomattox, VA.

29 APR 2005

U.S. Army World War II Veteran and NY Alpha Brother R. Charles Backus died on this date in Mexico, New York at the age of 84. During WWII he was a cryptographer in the Signal Corps.

He was an owner of the Oswego County Weeklies for over 50 years. He was a nationally known Holstein Auctioneer with R. Austin Backus Inc. He served many years as a delegate of the National Holstein Convention. He was a member of the Holstein Association of New York State and on the national level. He was a member of the Oswego Country Club and The Elms Golf Course.

Respect can be paid to Brother Backus at Mexico Village Cemetery in Mexico, NY.

27 APR 2006

A hero died on this date at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas as a result of wounds received during combat operations in Habbaniyah, Iraq. Operation IRAQI FREEDOM Veteran and MI Beta Brother Sergeant Matthew Alan Webber, U.S. Army National Guard (Michigan) was 23 years old.

Matt attended Western Michigan University, joined the Army National Guard in 1999, and was called to active duty in June 2005. Brother Webber was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized), Michigan Army National Guard on 21 NOV 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee.

Respect can be paid to Brother Webber at Pine Plains Cemetery, Big Rapids, Michigan.