Father and Son War Repeaters—
Veterans of World War No. 1 Have Sons in Service Now
Reporter Finds Nine Such Combinations—May Be More.
By Don Pinkston.
Like father, like son, even unto war and the defense of democracy.
Uniforms are somewhat different—smarter looking these days, the legionnaires of ’17 and ’18 admit—the army rides more, the air arm is more important and a few others things have changed. But there’s many an American father today can look at his son and know his thoughts.
Dad went through it, back in another day when the United States went to war against an aggressor in the world.
Since world war No. 1 and world war No. 2 came only a generation apart, never before in American history have so many soldiers and sailors had veteran-fathers back home.
Sioux City has its quota of those father and son patriots and undoubtedly will have more.
* * *
There’s Edwin Bramble, 520 Ninth street, a switchman at the Northwestern Bell Telephone company, who earned a distinguished service cross in the first world conflict. He got it, said Mr. Bramble modestly, for “going out to repair telephone lines,” but the citation reads, “for maintaining lines of communication under heavy bombardment.” The occasion was the first day of the terrible battle of the Argonne, the battle which broke the back of German resistance and enabled Americans to celebrate Armistice day. Mr. Bramble was wounded at the time.
Now there’s another Bramble serving Uncle Sam—Wayne, 20 year-old son of the decorated lineman of the war of 1917-18. Wayne is a sergeant in the air corps, serving as a mechanic, and is stationed at an airport on the west coast.
* * * *
The son of Leon Newell, 1618 Pierce street, former V. F. W. commander here, following his father into the navy. Mr. Newell, a city assessor, served on the U.S.S. Huron, a former German liner, in transport service during world war No. 1. His son, Duane Howard Newell, 18, is in the navy aboard a United States destroyer. He’s at home now on furlough.
* * * *
Tom Roan, 1215 River drive, operates a garage in Riverside. During the war, he was in the Seventh engineers corps and spent 18 months overseas, being at the front of five months without relief at one period. His son, Robert, 19, went into the air corps signal branch and last wrote his parents that he was located at a west coast airport.
* * * *
Up at the offices of draft board 2, Guy Nettleton, chief clerk, is sending Sioux City youths into the armed services with good conscience because his son, Jack, is in the navy, a pharmacist mage located at a hospital in the state of Washington. During the first world war, Mr. Nettleton was at an officers’ training school at Camp Pike, Ark. Before the United States declared war on the central powers, he was assigned to Mexican border duty at Brownsville, Tex., while the United States was chasing Villa.
* * * *
Roy Fox, 2221 S. Judd street, running his grocery store at 701 W. Third street, remembers his world war experiences while his son, Melvin, 18, is away in the new war, located with an armored division in Kentucky. His father served in the famed Rainbow division, which went through the Argonne. He was wounded once slightly and gassed considerably.
* * * *
Two employees of the city sewer service have sons in the new war. Arthur F. Moran, 17, is in the navy, and his father, who livest as 2529 E. Second street, was overseas in the ground services of the naval air corps. He spent most of his time in Italy and France.
* * * *
David Rusie, 18, a quartermaster at an army camp in Wyoming, is the stepson of William Rusie, 1609 Riverside boulevard, who also was in the air ground service during the last war, located at Brest, France. David is “like a real son” to Mr. Rusie, who raised him “from a pup,” he said, but the lad had to assume his own surname, Gembler, when his service began.
* * * *
E. M. Pepper, 3114 Davis street, was a corporal at an officers’ training school in world war No. 1. His son, Don R. Pepper, 21, is an army sergeant at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, but has passed air corps examinations and is awaiting call to that branch of the service.
* * * *
J. M. Schroeder, 608 Main street, an employee of the parks department, has a son, Mark J. Schroeder, 21, in a gun division on the west coast. The father was a member of the 34th aerial squadron in the first world war and served overseas. Mark’s home is in East Grand Forks, Minn.
* * * *
Others there probably are and more to come later as the nation’s resources are flung at the axis powers in answer to their challenge of world conquest and world terror.
And the nation’s resources include many sons, even as it included those other youths of 20-odd years ago, sons themselves at that time and fathers now.
These days the comment is frequent—“I’d rather go myself again.”
But it is strong youth the nation’s armed forces need, not the dads, who, therefore, must stay at home with memories and understanding.
One dad didn’t stay at home. –
JOHN W. SPRAY, 3105 Military road, who was 50 years old on December 26, got so made over the Pearl Harbor attack that he joined the navy. He was angry partially because his son, Averill, 18, was at Pearl Harbor.
Mr. Spray passed examinations with flying colors and was sent to the Great Lakes naval training station near Chicago, where he became an engineer first class.
Now his family at home, looking over affairs that the father left behind has learned that dad will join son at Pearl Harbor. How, is a military secret.
* * * *
Thomas Nooney, 1007 Ninth street, was overseas with the 102d engineers, and now his son, Robert C. Nooney, 20, has enlisted in the navy and is awaiting call.
* * * *
Picture No. 4
1. Edwin D. Bramble, distinguished service veteran, and his son, Sergeant Wayne S. Bramble, of the army air corps.
2. Thomas D. Roan, veteran of the front lines in world war No. 1, and his son, Robert Roan, now serving at a west coast army airport.
3. Roy Fox, veteran of the famed Rainbow division, and his son, Melvin Fox, new in an army armored unit.
4. William Rusie, A. E. F. veteran, and his stepson, David Rusie, now in the army quartermaster corps.
5. Leon B. Newell, veteran of the world war transport service, and his son, Duane Newell, who also joined the navy.
6. John W. Spray, 50-year-old war veteran, who joined the navy so he could be with his son, Averill Spray, who was at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Jap attack.
7. Arthur F. Moran, overseas veteran of 1918, and his son, Arthur, jr., who also chose to serve in the navy.
8. Guy Nettleton, chief clerk of draft board 2, and a world war army veteran, points to the map to show his son, Jack, where he served on the Mexican border. Jack, meanwhile, points to the state of Washington, where he is stationed with a navy unit. Jack was home on furlough at the time.
* * *
Source: Sioux City Journal, January 11, 1942 (photos included)
More Research: David Earl Gembler, born 1923 in Seward, Nebraska. David's mother was Mrs. Nina M. Rusie.
Source: ancestry.com
