The Freedom Rock of Benton County

The Freedom Rock of Benton County. Honoring Benton County Veterans. , Lt. Col. Calvin P. Titus , United States Army , Calvin Pearl Titus, son of Calvin and Cora Elsadine (Smith) Titus of Vinton, Iowa, moved to Oklahoma with his dad after his mother had died; later living with his Aunt Florence and Uncle William (Bill) H. Lee, evangelist with the Salvation Army and The Pilgrims Holiness Movement. Calvin credited his time in his uncle’s evangelical band with giving him the bugle skills to join the Armed Forces. Titus' upbringing led him to choose to become an Army Chaplain but had to take the title of “Assistant” Chaplain as the U.S. Army had not yet recognized his denomination (which later became known as “The Weslyan Church”). , Titus first joined the Army, May 1898, serving with the 1st Vermont Volunteer Infantry in the Spanish American War but his unit never deployed the United States. , He joined the 14th Infantry Regiment, Company “E” in April 1899, based near Manilla, serving the Philippines as well as in “China's Boxer Rebellion”. On August 14, 1900, after a number of hard fought battles just to get to this area, Titus' regiment arrived at the Tung-Pien Gate along Peking's (now Beijing's) eastern wall of TarTar City, immediately encountered heavy fire from atop the wall and adjacent fox tower. Needing his troops to scale the 30-40ft. wall surrounding the “Forbidden City”, and lay down suppressive fire, Colonel Aaron S. Douglas called for volunteers to attempt the first perilous ascent of the wall; Bugler Calvin P. Titus IMMEDIATELY stepped forward stating, “I will try Sir!” The bugler reached the top, barehanded and unarmed, “sounded the charge” and was followed by his unit. This was described as the “turning point” of the revolution. , Titus' fearlessness earned him an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy as a first year Cadet and was presented The Medal of Honor by President Theodore Roosevelt during West Point's Centennial Celebration in 1902. The citation read, “Gallant and daring conduct in the presence of his Colonel and other Officers and enlisted men of his regiment; first to scale the wall of the city.” A second year cadet named Douglas MacArthur approached Titus and commented, “Mister, that's something!” , Titus also served his country in: , The Mexican Punitive Expedition, chasing Poncho Villa across the Mexican Border States with “then” Lieutenant George S. Patten. , The U.S. Occupation Forces, rebuilding France after world war one. , The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) as a teacher at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, just miles from his hometown of Vinton. , “I Will Try Sir!” , Titus' famous reply, “I will try Sir!” became the rally cry for the 14th Infantry Regiment and the Official Motto of the 5th Infantry Regiment. Also, the Military Sealift Command named in Titus' honor, a Container Ship, “The Calvin P. Titus” which is used to carry sustainment equipment to U.S. Military Units around the world. , In October 1930, serving his God and country as a United States soldier, Titus , with a distinguished career, retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, serving 32 years. , Lieutenant Col. Calvin P. Titus Sr. age 86, died in San Fernando Valley, California on May 27th, 1966 and is buried at “Forest Lawn Memorial Park, ‘Arlington’ Lot 1815-Space 1, Hollywood Hills Section” in Hollywood, California. Located near the famous Hollywood sign. , The bugle played by Lt. Titus is proudly displayed in the museum of West Point. , Medals , Medal of Honor , Purple Heart , Everett Longley Warner , United States Navy , Everett L. Warner was born in Vinton, Iowa, where his father Horache Everett Warner served as an attorney from 1873-1885. His mother, Anna Jane (Riggs) Warner, a daughter in the Riggs Family who were prominent missionaries that worked extensively with the Sioux Indians, translating and preserving their traditional language. Warner spent part of his childhood in Iowa and then moved to Washington, D.C. where his father was appointed Examiner for the Bureau of Pensions. , While completing high school, Everett L. Warner also took classes at Corcoran Museum, The Washington Art Students League and at age 26 studied at the famous “Julian Academy” in Paris. , In the summer of 1917, partly through a close friend; an MIT scientist and also a Paris trained artist, (Charles Bittinger) that Warner was approached by the U.S. Shipping Board, to carry out a camouflage paint scheme invented by Thomas A. Edison… (yes, that Edison). Using Edison's specifications, although intended to make the ships appear invisible, it did not. Warner was quoted as saying, “thereafter, I was for distortion patterns which make a ship, ‘hard to hit’, not hard to see.” , When the United States entered world war one in 1917, Warner searched for ways to contribute to the war effort. He considered several options and then applied for The Camouflage Corps. , February 1918, Warner accepted a commission as Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserves and managed a “design” based subdivision in Washington, D.C. Warner proposed to “break up the patterns” to make it difficult for the enemy to obtain range. The United States Navy did not anticipate using camouflage and declined his offer. , In 1919, after world war one ended, the U.S. Navy was slow in arranging Warner's discharge, so he used his remaining time taking daily observation flights in military seaplanes over the Eastern Seaboard and cities like New York. Warner became the FIRST MAN to sketch or paint aerial photos. , In early 1941, after viewing a news reel showing “amateurish” dazzle camouflage on Royal Navy ships, Warner wrote a letter to the United States Navy, offering his services. In the summer of 1942, the United States entered world war two. At the age of 65, the USN asked Warner to serve as a Chief Civilian Aid to Commander Charles Bittinger, to design ship camouflage, who was a close friend from years past. , Unlike other forms of camouflage, the intention was not to conceal the ship but “to make it difficult to estimate the targets range, speed and heading.” This method is officially known as “The Warner System” and was only 1 of 6 camouflage measures approved by the United States government. , At the age of 68 and at the end of world war two, Warner was discharged from the Navy and he also retired from teaching at Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburg, settling with his family in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. , Everett L. Warner, an American Impressionist, painter, print maker and sailor is honored as a leading contributor to the United States Navy camouflage during both world wars. Warner's paint schemes so effective that it still bears his name. , Although no medals were issued to Mr. Warner by the United States government, he has received several bronze, silver and gold medals as well as numerous other prestigious awards. , Everett Longley Warner died of a heart attack on October 20, 1963 in Bellows Falls, Vermont at the age of 86. He is laid to rest at the South Village Cemetery in Westmoreland, NH. Nine years after his passing, Warner's studio was decimated by a massive fire, destroying many of his drawings, paintings and camouflage ship models. , For the love of his country and his artistic gift, the multitude of lives saved through Warner's designs are innumerable! , Biographical information, photos of his masterpieces as well as an audio interview where you can hear Everett Longley Warner, in his own voice, describing the stories and ideas behind many of his beautiful ‘pieces’ at www.everettwarner.net. , Sgt. Mark Ross Reynolds , United States Air Corps , Army Air Corps Sergeant Mark R. Reynolds Jr., from Shellsburg, Iowa was 21 years old and the son of Mark Sr. and Marie Margaret (Steward) Reynolds. Marie was actively involved with the American Legion Auxiliary in their hometown. Although Mark loved and chose to fight for his country, it was imperative he first receive parental permission to join the United States military as Mark was an “only son”. , Mark was employed by Douglas Aircraft in Longbeach, California, (who was very reluctant to let Mark leave as his skills were needed) when he entered the military to serve his country in December 1943 and was sent overseas in January 1945. , Airman Sgt. Reynolds Jr., proudly served as “tail gunner” on a B-17G Flying Fortress, with the 379th Bombardment Group and flew 18 missions with the 524th Bomb Squad. , By 1945, it was impossible for an Air Combat Group to name an aircraft as they were rarely ever in the same plane twice; although this crew was known as ‘The Missing Links’. , The entire 379th Bomb Group was 1 of 12 Heavy Bombardment Groups in the 1st Bombardment Division of the United States 8th Army Air Corps. In 1949 it was renamed the U.S. Air Force. , The 379th Bomb Group flew its first 300 missions in less time than any other Heavy Bombardment Group. During its entire 330 bombing missions, it dropped 26,640 tons of bombs on enemy targets as well as shooting down 315 enemy aircraft. , The 8th Air Force News stated, “The 379th Bombardment Group lost one B-17 to enemy action for every 70 ‘Sortie’ Missions. (Sortie: An attack made by our troops, coming out from a defensive position.) , The 379th was an accomplished group and led the 8th Air Corps in: , Bombing accuracy; , Flew more Sortie Missions than any other Heavy Bombardment Group; , Developed the 12 Plane , 2 Squadron Formation and the 36 Plane Integral Group; , Used ‘Straight-line Approach’ on the entire bomb run. , Their 1st and 18th mission in the B-17G Flying Fortress, Plane #43-38818, were the only times this aircraft was used by the same crew. , Sergeant Reynold's with the rest of his crew, flying their 18th and final mission, perished in a bomb raid over Hopstein, Germany when their plane was hit by antiaircraft fire, burst into flames and exploded on March 24, 1945. No parachute deployment was reported per eye-witness accounts. Sadly, this occurred just 45 days before peace came to Europe. , SGT. Mark Ross Reynolds Jr., now lays at rest in the National Cemetery in Keokuk, Iowa, plot D-289., Medals , Purple Heart , Air Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster