Lieutenant Colonel “Beau” Register, ’05: Soldier, Healer, Hero
By Scott C. Woodard, ’92, U.S. Army, Office of Medical History, Historian
This article originally appeared in The AMEDD Historian, Number 9 Spring 2015, Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and is posted with permission.
Dr. Edward Chauncey Register was a heroic figure putting others before himself and answering the call of duty to the nation and his fellow man, ultimately sacrificing his life on January 3, 1920. After graduating from The Citadel in 1905, he completed his degree in medicine from the Medical College of Virginia in 1908. Upon graduation from the Army Medical School he was commissioned a First Lieutenant in the Medical Corps of the Regular Army. In his early career Register served in the Philippines, Mexico with the Punitive Expedition, and China. During WWI he performed medical reviews of soldiers prior to their deployment to Europe. In 1919 he was called to France to medically screen repatriated German prisoners.
Cadet Register, 1905 Sphinx
“Always interested in others’ welfare, even though it may be to his own hurt, and thus he was enthroned himself in the hearts of all his companions, who wish and predict for him the brightest of futures in his chosen profession of medicine.” – Excerpt from Register’s senior biography in the Sphinx, the annual of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets
Roland Louis Luerich, Jr., ’42
Born on December 16, 1916, in Milford, PA, and raised in Elizabeth, NJ, Roland Luerich, Jr., was the son of a Methodist minister who served as a chaplain in the first World War.
At The Citadel, he majored in Civil Engineering and was a member of the varsity boxing squad for three years. He was a Cadet Private throughout his four year study and was a member of Cadet Company “I” his first two years and “H” the last two.
Cadet Private Roland Louis Luerich, Jr., Class of 1942
Called to active duty on graduation, as a second lieutenant coastal artillery, he transferred to the Corps of Engineers prior to shipping overseas. He was a veteran of the North Africa, Sicily and Italy landings. First Lieutenant Roland Luerich, Jr. served as a combat engineer in the 175th Engineering Battalion before transferring to Company “A”, 16th Armored Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Division. (more…)
Fielding Jessup Nelson, Class of 1946
Born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 28, 1924, to Blanche J. Nelson and Carl Theodore Nelson, young Fielding attended school in Chicago and graduated from Schurz High School June 1942. His Junior year at Schurz High, he was a member of the R.O.T.C. Picked Platoon which placed fifth out of 26 drill teams in the citywide competition. He was a Cadet Technical Sergeant and the drill platoon’s guide.
He entered The Citadel at Charleston September 1942. During his brief time at the military college, he was a member of Cadet Company A until his call to active duty as an enlisted reservist March 3, 1943.
Overseas in Italy, Private First Class Nelson served with Company E, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.
Twenty-six days short of his twentieth birthday, PFC Nelson was killed in action on June 2, 1944, in the vicinty of Palestrina, Italy, 63 km north of Anzio, 40 km east of Rome. He was buried at the U.S. military cemetery at Nettuno. This cemetery was later made into the permanent Sicily-Rome American Cemetery maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Four of Fielding’s Citadel classmates rest in eternal peace at the cemetery.
Following the war, per his family’s wishes, his body was repatriated and interred at Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie, Illinois. He was survived by his parents and older brother, Carel T. (Ted) Nelson.
/RL
Bruce Curtis Robbins, ’43
Born on April 9, 1923, in Sulphur Springs township, Rutherford County, N.C., to Nevada “Vada” Jane McMahan and Lee Roy Robbins, Bruce Robbins grew up on a farm near the small town of Bostic just outside of Rutherfordton.
Cadet Robbins entered The Citadel at Charleston, South Carolina, with the Class of 1943 at the start of the 1939-40 academic year. He was a member of Band Company all four years. Throughout his four years at The Citadel, he was involved with The Shako, the cadet magazine, and was its Associate Editor his senior year. He also played in the Symphony Orchestra. He received Gold Stars for academic achievement his junior year and was President of the Beta Chapter of Gamma Alpha Mu his senior year.
Cadet Private Bruce Curtis Robbins, Class of 1943
Source: 1943 Sphinx
The Citadel chapter of Gamma Alpha Mu was formed in 1941. The organization was founded in 1928 at Clemson College for the purpose of recognizing literary ability and achievements. Gamma Alpha Mu was the highest honor a cadet could achieve in appreciation of his work in the literary field. Fellow classmate and English major, William C. Whitley, Jr., was also a member.
After graduating with a Bachelors degree in English on Saturday May 29, 1943, Bruce attended the infantry school at Fort (more…)
Florentine To Unveil Citadel War Memorial
Florence Morning News, Florence, S.C., Thursday, December 1, 1949, p. 16
Mrs. Royall Selected For The Dedication
CHARLESTON – The most important event of the Citadel’s annual Homecoming Day celebration will be the ceremony of unveiling a memorial tablet in honor of the Citadel’s war dead.
The ceremony will take place at 11:15 Saturday morning in the Cadet Chapel. Thomas H. Pope of the class of 1935, speaker of the House of Representatives of South Carolina and candidate for governor, will make the address at the unveiling of the memorial tablet.
The memorial tablets as they appeared in 2013. Click on image to enlarge.
The tablet will be unveiled by Mrs. Sam J. Royall of Florence, whose son, William Milling Royall, class of 1942, was killed in action November 19, 1944, while serving with the infantry in (more…)
The story of ‘The Class that Never Was’ now in four languages across Europe
This article was originally published by The Citadel Newsroom on November 6, 2014.
CHARLESTON, SC – In honor of the 70th Anniversary of The Citadel’s Class of 1944, known as “The Class that Never Was”, and in memory of the members of the classmates who served in or were killed in action in World War II, the college released a special video presentation in 2014 just before D-Day.
Cadets consider enlisting with the Navy, 1942
Now, that video, which includes rare film footage from campus in the 1940s, is being shown in four languages throughout Europe, thanks to the work of Roger Long who is a member of The Citadel Class of 1989, and members of The Citadel Memorial Europe Foundation. Long is president of the BENELUX Citadel Club, and founder and chairman of The Citadel Memorial Europe Foundation. He lives in Heythuysen, in the Dutch province of Limburg. He is originally from Raleigh, N.C.
“Members of The Citadel Memorial Europe Foundation volunteer in middle schools around the continent. The video about The Class that Never Was is the perfect teaching tool we needed to help honors and memorialize the Citadel men and their allies who died while in the service of their country here in Europe and in North Africa,” Long said.
Long worked with translators to establish subtitled copies of the video in Dutch, French and Italian, to complement the original version in English, enabling Europeans speaking those languages to view the video. (more…)
Spring Break: Over There
by Steven V. Smith, ’84 – Chair, CAA History Committee
This article originally appeared in the Alumni News of The Citadel – Summer 2017. It is published here in its entirety with the permission of the Citadel Alumni Association. Photos have been added to this web post which did not appear in the original print version.
Cadets enrolled in Professor Kyle Sinisi’s class, History 391: The U.S. in World War I, spent their days of Spring break walking the American Expeditionary Force battlefields in France. Accompanying the class were Board of Visitors member, Col. Myron Harrington, USMC, Ret., ’61, and the director of Daniel Library, Lt. Col. David Goble, SCM, ’69. The group was also fortunate to have Matthew Davenport, critically acclaimed author of First Over There: The Attack on Cantigny, America’s First Battle of World War I, accompany them.
Citadel Cadets at the famous Bulldog Fountain near the village of Belleau.
In the village of Cantigny, they walked the terrain of America’s first combined arms attack as Davenport described the action where in the early morning of May 28, 1918, the 3,500 soldiers of the 1st Division climbed out of their trenches to (more…)
Melvin Charles Helfers, ’37
By Col. Jared Kline, ’80, USA (Ret.)
It is 23 September, and I have to remember an old friend. Today would have been the 105th birthday of my old mentor, LTC Melvin Charles Helfers, Citadel Class of 1937.
Cadet Captain Melvin Charles Helfers
Infantry — English
Addison, Illinois“Melvin came to us our Sophomore year after making an outstanding record at prep school. It did not take him long to acclimate himself and demonstrate his ability. Gold Stars came his first year and a staff captaincy followed in his last year. Always quietly efficient this Chicago lad capably handled the position of Prose Editor of The Shako and has been one of the most valuable members of the Round Table. One of the most brilliant men in the senior class. Melvin plans to teach and we predict his success with no trepidation.
1934-35 Pvt.. Co. C: Gold Stars. 1935-36 Plat. Sgt.. Supply Sgt.. Co. C; Gold Stars; The Round Table; Varsity Baseball. 1936-37 Capt.. Reg. Staff; Gold Stars: The Round Table; Prose Editor, The Shako: Yankee Club; Fourth Corps Area Rifle Team.” – Source: 1937 Sphinx
He was an Army captain stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked in 1941, and went on to become General Patton’s ULTRA intelligence officer for the war in Europe. Although he was an infantryman, he was put into signals intelligence work because he came from a German (Prussian) family in Illinois and spoke German perfectly. Here is a picture I have of him, taken on 26 August 1944, (more…)
Dutch Veterans Honor Citadel Men at Normandy
Remembering those who gave all on the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, Dutch veterans pay their respects. On, the 6th of June, 2014, these Dutch veterans made a special trip to the Normandy American Cemetery to place a white rose, on the behalf of The Citadel Memorial Europe, at the six graves and one name on the Wall of the Missing of the Citadel men there. The day after, one of the group stated, “We did it with great honor and respect. Yesterday, we had a great day.”
My favorite story resulting from the work of The Citadel Memorial Europe over the past five years took place back in June 2014. Probably it is my favorite because it is a tale of action, simple in execution but not without risk, and it is a perfect example of the remarkable character of the Dutch veterans I have come to know and respect.
Three years ago, the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy was commemorated with great anticipation and celebration. The preparations by the French people took years. The leaders of the WWII allies were present, the news coverage was complete, and the invasion of veterans, politicians, and celebrants overwhelming.
For me, the story began a year before when chatting with a Dutch friend of mine, Job Kosterman, I learned that he and a group of his mates, all Dutch military veterans, were planning a trip to Normandy for the 70th anniversary. (more…)
Charles Alister Witsell, Jr., Class of 1946
Born on April 21, 1924, in Colleton County, South Carolina, to Pauline and Charles Witsell, Charles, Jr., grew up on Hampton Street in Walterboro. His father was a 1921 graduate of The Citadel. He attended the public schools of Walterboro. After graduating from Walterboro High School in 1941, he attended the Porter Military Academy for one year before entering The Citadel at the beginning of the 1942-43 academic year with the Class of 1946. He was a Cadet Private Fourth Class in Company M of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.
Charles enlisted in the service on July 30, 1943 at Fort Jackson. Originally volunteering for (more…)
Joseph Altomari, Class of 1945
Born in 1923 to Maria and Pasquala Altomari, Joseph grew up at 60-12 68th Avenue in Ridgewood, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. He attended The Citadel for two years before entering service in the U.S. Army. During his freshman year, he was a member of Cadet Company “H”. The following academic year, he was a member of Cadet Company “K” and joined the English Club. On December 6, 1942 in Charleston, he enlisted in the army and was placed in the Enlisted Reserve Corps which allowed him to continue his study at The Citadel.
Cadet Private Joseph Altomari, Class of 1945
1943 Sphinx, Annual of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets
After being activated, he served for a time at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky. He was with the Army Specialized Training Program (A.S.T.P.) until its dissolution in March 1944.
In Europe, he served in Company “C”, 50th Armored Infantry Battalion, 6th Armored Division. Sgt. Altomari died of (more…)
LIFE AT THE CITADEL
Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Illinois, Sunday, May 31, 1942, p.43
This is another in a series of articles on Life on the Campus at our leading schools and colleges. By ELEANOR NANGLE
FOR THE last week more than 200 first classmen at the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina at Charleston, have been approaching, with a reluctance they wouldn’t have believed possible four years ago, the most eagerly anticipated event of their lives. As seniors they have led the corps for the last time. They have formed in the reviewing stand to receive the last parade. Yesterday they were graduated.
Today they are scattering to their homes in all parts of the country, most of them pausing only briefly before they enter the armed services. But something of them remains at the Citadel, adding in large or small measure to the vast stores of cadet tales and traditions there. And the spirit of the Citadel goes with them. In the life of all Citadel men the thread of Citadel memories is one of the most colorful, durable, and treasured in its whole tapestry.
Full-dress parade in the Spring of 1943 (Courtesy of The Citadel Archives)
The Citadel man has absorbed more than rigorous training of mind, body, and spirit, and when he reviews them, as all graduating cadets do on commencement day, he places new value on other gifts of the school to the student – the Spartan discipline, the good counsel, the friendships, the democracy, the pageantry of patriotism and the essence of it. (more…)
Thomas Edwin Campbell, Jr., Class of 1946
Born on May 12, 1924, in Florence, Alabama, to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas “Ed” Campbell, Thomas “Tom”, Junior, attended grade school in the Florence city schools. After completing two years at St. Bernard College at Cullman, Alabama, he transferred to Columbia Military Academy at Columbia, Tennessee, where he graduated in 1942. He entered The Citadel at Charleston, South Carolina, to study engineering in the fall of 1942, but volunteered for the services in the Air Corps in December. His father, Ed Campbell, attended Staunton Military Academy in Virginia and was a fighter pilot during the First World War.
Tom Campbell was called to active duty in February, 1943, and upon completion of his training received his wings and his commission at Dothan, Alabama. Sent overseas in February, 1945, he served in the 8th Air Force, 446th Bomb Group, 705th Bomb Squadron, as a co‐pilot of a B‐24H bomber and completed about 40 missions.
March 24, 1945 – Operation Varsity and Drop Zone Wesel
The mission on 24 March 1945 was in support of Allied troops engaged in (more…)
Perry Moses Phelps, ’29
Perry M. Phelps was born in North Carolina to Rosalie Virginia Moses and Aaron Cohen Phelps on April 22, 1909. He was a member of the Class of 1929, graduating from The Citadel in Charleston, SC, with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. He was a member of Cadet Company “E” when this photograph was made for the 1928 Sphinx, the yearbook of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.
Cadet Private Perry Moses Phelps, Class of 1929
Following graduation from The Citadel, Perry Phelps became a well-known citizen of Sumter, South Carolina where he was associated with (more…)
Edwin Browning Moore, Class of 1944
E.B. Moore was born on September 19, 1923 in Manila, Philippine Islands. His father, William C. Moore, Class of 1915, was a career Army officer, and the family moved many times in Edwin’s early years. Records show a few of their many residences included Gainesville, FL (1930), where his father was a military instructor at the University of Florida; Fort Davis, Panama Canal (1935); and Charleston, SC, (1938-1940 where his father was a military instructor at The Citadel. Edwin’s parents were married in 1918 in Columbus, Georgia. His mother, Dorothy Rodgers Moore, was from Charleston.
Cadet Sergeant Edwin Browning Moore, Class of 1944
Edwin’s father, Maj. William Cheney Moore, USA, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel while at The Citadel. He was an Associate Professor of Military Science and Tactics and headed the Infantry Unit during the 1939-40 academic year. Working with him were two of his Citadel classmates, Maj. Robert Kirk, USA, and Maj. Roy Hilton. The 1940 Sphinx recorded, “Because they are alumni of The Citadel, they are able to assist cadets in coping with the various problems (more…)
Thomas Franklin Woodhead, Class of 1946
Thomas Franklin Woodhead was born on November 20, 1924 to Gertrude Easterly Woodhead and William Winters Woodhead of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The senior Woodhead had served in the Army during WWI, and, prior to the Great War, had been a bank clerk at the USA ROT Camp, Ft. Oglethorpe, GA.
Thomas grew up in Hamilton County, Tennessee. He graduated in 1942 from the Baylor School, a military college preparatory school for boys overlooking the Tennessee River at Chattanooga and attended summer school at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga prior to reporting to The Citadel with the Class of 1946. During his year as a member of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, he was a Private in M Company.
Cadet Thomas Franklin Woodhead, Class of 1946
November 20, 1924 – December 10, 1944
Source: The 1943 Sphinx, p. 162.
He enlisted on June 13, 1943 and received his training at Camps Barkley and Walters in Texas. He sailed overseas on June 5, 1944 on a troopship loaded with replacement personnel. Once he reached the European Theater of Operations, he was assigned to Company “F”, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Division, First U.S. Army. (more…)
Mysterieuze verbintenis maakt een Nederlandse Citadel-Cadet trots tijdens de Amerikaanse Veteransday en ver daarna
The Citadel Newsroom, November 11, 2016. Read the English version:
Uncanny connection brings pride for cadet from Holland on Veterans Day and beyond
De Nederlandse middelbare scholier en fervent basketbalspeler Tom Koopman kreeg een telefoontje van een Amerikaanse sportscout, behorende tot de Amerikaanse militaire academie “The Citadel”, gelegen in Charleston, South Carolina. De scout bood hem een volledige studiebeurs aan in de V.S. als Tom zou besluiten daar te komen basketballen. Koopman had nog nooit gehoord van deze school maar desondanks accepteerde hij het aanbod en startte als eerstejaars aan The Citadel in augustus 2013. Met deze start begon ook het spelen voor het basketbalteam van de school, The Bulldogs. De 203 cm lange Tom zit nu in zijn afstudeerjaar, is een succesvolle cadet en leider van het team.
Cadet Tom Koopman en zijn vader tijdens de ringen-ceremonie in oktober 2016
“Dit was het begin van iets unieks. Ik begreep van de aannamecommissie dat The Citadel een militaire school was, maar totdat je het hier echt zelf ervaart, is het moeilijk te begrijpen hoe speciaal deze plek eigenlijk is” aldus koopman. “Het was best zwaar aan het begin, maar wanneer je jezelf als cadet ontwikkelt, begin je het grotere plaatje te zien en begrijp je de waarde van een plekje in het South Carolina Kadettenkorps.”
Koopman ontving zijn felbegeerde Citadelring in oktober tijdens het ouderweekend. Zijn vader Patrick vloog naar Charleston vanuit zijn woonplaats Baarlo om de bijzondere prestatie van zijn zoon mee te kunnen vieren. Maar voordat vader en zoon gezamenlijk door de symbolische grote gouden ring zouden lopen, hadden ze samen al iets bijzonders in handen dat hun familie al decennia eerder aan de school verbond.
“Toen ik dit ontdekte kreeg ik er kippenvel van” aldus Roger Long, voorzitter van The Citadel Memorial Europe Foundation (more…)
Army ROTC at The Citadel celebrates 100 years
Citadel Coastal Artillery Corps ROTC cadets with 8 inch Howitzer M1918 MkVIII, circa 1923
Originally published by The Citadel, October 20, 2016, on thedigitel.com
The Citadel marks its Army ROTC Centennial on Oct. 21, 2016
By Maj. Steve Smith, TAC officer and Citadel historian
The Citadel applied to the U.S. Department of War in 1882, requesting that an Army officer be assigned to the college as Professor of Military Science and Tactics. That application laid the groundwork for what would eventually become an Army ROTC program at the college. (Photo: Citadel CAC ROTC cadets drilling Howitzer M1918 MkVIII, circa 1923)
In the coming years, The Citadel was classified as an Essentially Military College — meaning students were housed in barracks, constantly in uniform, and bound to a disciplinary system. As a result, the war department’s college division inspected The Citadel annually from 1904-27, during which time the college earned the distinguished college title 20 times until the program was suspended. In 1916 and 1917, the designation allowed The Citadel to recommend (more…)
Owen Waverly Skidmore, Class of 1946
Owen Skidmore was born on September 24, 1923, to Mattie Owen and Lloyd J. Skidmore of Albemarle, North Carolina. After graduating from Albemarle High School in June, 1942, he entered The Citadel with the Class of 1946 at the beginning of the academic year 1942-43. In the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, he was a member of Cadet Company K during this Freshman, and only, year at The Citadel. At the end of the first semester, he registered for the draft. His draft card, completed December 24, 1942, listed him as 5’7”, 132 lbs, brown hair and eyes, with a “ruddy” complexion. He would be inducted into the Army at Fort Bragg, N.C., on August 12, 1943.
Private Owen Skidmore wrote his parents, in a letter they received August 2, 1944, that he was wounded on July 26, receiving chest and head wounds, and was (more…)
William Gadsen Daniels, ’42
Born on August 27, 1920, to Susan M. Daniels and George B. Daniels, William grew up in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Throughout his four year study in Charleston, he held rank in the Corps of Cadets and was very active in extracurricular activities – Yacht Club, Episcopal Club, YMCA, and Calliopean Literary Society, to name a few. He was on the Regimental Staff his junior year with the rank of Technical Sergeant and was a member of the Junior Drill Platoon.
Cadet Captain William G. Daniels, Class of 1942
Source: 1942 Sphinx
His Senior year, with the rank of Cadet Captain, he commanded Cadet Company H. He was also the Yacht Club Commodore and a member of the Senior Drill Platoon. In 1942, William graduated from The Citadel with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.
Later as a First Lieutenant in the US Army Air Corps, he served with the 551st (more…)
Marvin Roth, Class of 1944
Born on July 18, 1924 to Estelle and Mack Roth and a native of Daytona Beach, Florida, Marvin Roth entered The Citadel in 1940 after graduating from Seabreeze High School. He was a member of the Class of 1944, known as “The Class That Never Was”. During his junior year, he was inducted into the US Army on November 12, 1942, and, together with his classmates, was immediately sent to Army basic training when the academic year ended, May 30, 1943.
Cadet Private Marvin Roth, Class of 1944
Source: 1943 Sphinx
While at The Citadel, Cadet Roth majored in English and was a member of Cadet Company C. In extracurricular activities, he was a member of the English Club and the boxing team, fighting in the 145-pound class.
“After all, I shall have to live with myself for a lifetime.”
In July 1943, Marvin Roth, along with another 61 members of The Citadel’s Class of 1944, underwent training at Fort McClellan in Alabama in lieu of the training normally given during the final Reserve Officer Training Corps year. At the end of this special training, and as soon as vacancies in officer candidate school at Fort Benning, in Georgia, opened, they would be sent for final training as second lieutenants in the officer’s reserve corps.
Having completed the special training, Marvin Roth declined officer candidate school in order to get to the action sooner. Specifically, he decided to forgo the opportunity to be commissioned as second lieutenant so that he could become a private in the paratroopers where, as his father would later explain, he felt the need was greater.
In March 1945, while serving with the armored infantry in combat in Germany, SSGT Roth’s name was entered into the Congressional Record when his congressman read aloud, on the floor of the House of Representatives, his letter explaining how he could not accept the congressman’s appointment to the US Naval Academy because his duty was with his men at the front. (The news article with the full account follows below.)
An account of his refusal of the appointment was also reported by a combat correspondent who wrote the action left his fellow soldiers bewildered and his platoon sergeant completely baffled as to why anyone would pass up the chance to return to the safety of the “Promised Land”. When asked about his decision, SSGT Roth told the reporter, “I’m over here now and have seen what it is all about. I realize that my job is here. After all, I shall have to live with myself for a lifetime.” (more…)
Pat Conroy, the Lowcountry’s Prince of Tides, passes away
Excerpts from the like titled article written by Brian Hicks and published by Post & Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, March 4, 2016. FULL ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE
Pat Conroy, the best-selling novelist and proud adoptive son of the Lowcountry who wrote lyrically about Charleston and unflinchingly about The Citadel, died Friday. He was 70.
Cadet Pat Conroy, Class of 1967
Source: The Citadel Athletics
The author of “The Great Santini,” “The Lords of Discipline” and “The Prince of Tides” and eight other books passed away shortly after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that had gone undetected. He died at 7:43 p.m., surrounded by loved ones and family.
The Citadel mourned his passing Friday night.
“This is a very sad day for The Citadel family. Pat Conroy was a world-renowned author, active in his community and a passionate alumnus of The Citadel. He will be missed,” Lt. Gen. John Rosa, Citadel President said.
He wore The Ring (more…)
Martin Frederick Schnibben, Jr., ’43
Born on February 4, 1922, to Mrs. Leah Martha Stooks Schnibben and Mr. Martin Frederick Schnibben, in Florence, South Carolina, Martin F. “Jack” Schnibben, Jr., attended the Florence city schools and graduated from Riverside Military Academy of Gainesville, Georgia and Hollywood, Florida.
Cadet Second Lieutenant Martin Frederick “Jack” Schnibben, Class of 1943
Source: 1943 Sphinx, the yearbook of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.
He entered The Citadel at Charleston, South Carolina in 1939 where he was a member of Cadet Company “B” his freshman year, “C” his sophomore year, and “A” his junior and senior years. He played on the football team his first two years, and was a member of the International Relations Club his final two years at the college. During his senior year (more…)
Thomas Hutson Martin, Jr., Class of 1940
This biography was written by a West Point classmate (Class of 1943) and published on the website of the West Point Association of Graduates. View the Original. In this post, photos of Cadet Martin from the 1939 Sphinx, the yearbook of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, are included.
Thomas Hutson Martin, Jr. was that unusual combination of talents: soldier, engineer, leader, and musician. His father, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, was a native of South Carolina, as was his mother whose Scotch name of Mclnnes showed their affiliation to the Scotch Presbyterian Church. His preparation for West Point included the Charleston High School in Charleston, South Carolina, and three years at The Citadel where he rose to the rank of cadet lieutenant. With that background, it was a foregone conclusion that Hut would rise, as he did, to Second Class corporal, First Class lieutenant and Company Commander of C Company, 2d Regiment. These soldierly virtues combined with a class rank under one hundred to give Hut the berth as a Lieutenant of Engineers which he so desired.
Citadel Cadet Sergeant Thomas Hutson Martin, Jr., Class of 1940
Civil Engineering; Cadet Company “H”
1939 Sphinx, p. 100
It was not only those of us who played in the cadet orchestra who got to know the musician, for Hut was a pianist whose talents rivaled those of Teddy Wilson and Bob Zurkc. He could play from music, play by ear, and play on sight any strange accompaniment placed in front of him. A first string standout in the orchestra, he also wrote and arranged music for the (more…)
The Citadel Memorial Europe 