Central Ohio Military Museum

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

🇺🇲 WWII uncovered: Memorial Day 2026: Honoring the Heroes We Lost: The Akimoto Brothers of California

Today we honor Victor and John “Johnny” Akimoto who both gave their lives fighting for a country they believed in. Originally from Idaho Falls Idaho, the Akimoto Family relocated to Los Angeles California in 1928. The Akimoto children -four boys and four girls- all excelled in academics and sports. Life was good for the Akimoto Family until the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

According to the Silent Heroes Project: "Victor Akimoto enlisted in the US Army on January 27, 1942. He was initially assigned to Fort Warren, Wyoming for basic training where he learned how to drive military trucks. In January 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the formation of an all Japanese-American unit. Akimoto jumped at the opportunity. Before transferring to Camp Shelby, Mississippi to join the 100th Battalion from Hawaii and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Akimoto was promoted and earned his Sergeant’s stripes."

"In February 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. The government relocated the Akimoto family to the Santa Anita Race Track Civilian Assembly Center. The family used their Idaho connections to become farm laborers in the sugar beet fields near Lincoln, Idaho. Later, Johnny Akimoto and then his parents moved to the Amache Internment Camp in Colorado. On April 7, 1943, Johnny Akimoto was one of the first two volunteers for the 100th Infantry Battalion from the Amache Internment Camp. Brothers Victor, Johnny and Ted met up at Camp Shelby. John was the only brother initially set to be shipped overseas for combat. Immediately Sergeant Victor Akimoto asked for a demotion in rank so he could join his brother. The request was granted. Private Victor Akimoto was on his way to Italy."

"Near Biffontaine, the Germans had surrounded members of the 141st Infantry Regiment, a unit mostly from Texas, for nearly a week. Victor's regiment made several attempts to help rescue this “Lost Battalion” before the regiment finally succeeded. This was one of the most costly battles undertaken by the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. The Germans captured Victor Akimoto on October 24, 1944, and he eventually died of his injuries at the Bad Orb Prisoner of War Camp Hospital in Germany on December 14, 1944. Victor was 26 years old at the time of his passing. Victor was the recipient of the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Bronze Star, Distinguished Unit Badge, three Presidential Unit Citations/Distinguished Unit Badge, Expert Marksman Badge, European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and a Victory Medal."

"Private First Class John Akimoto was a veteran of the Battle of Anzio and the Rome to Arno Campaign in Italy. On August 2, 1944 John passed away from illness at the age of 19 years old. John was the recipient of the Bronze Star, European-African-Middle Eastern Theatre Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Victory Medal, and Combat Infantryman’s Badge."

The Akimoto Brothers' contributions helped the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team receive over 18,000 individual decorations making them the most decorated unit in US military history.

Victor and Johnny remain in rest next to each other at the Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France. Lest We Forget.







WWII uncovered ©️ original description and photo sourced by the The Silent Heroes Project a Division of National History Day, Honor States Database, Ancestry Database and Find a Grave Database

05/26/2026

Memorial Day is a time to honor and remember those who sacrificed their lives for our country. It is a day to reflect on the bravery of fallen heroes like Captain Nicholas Rozanski, whose legacy exemplifies the spirit of Memorial Day. By remembering heroes like him, we make sure their sacrifices are not forgotten. Memorial Day reminds us to honor these individuals, reflect on their sacrifices, and express gratitude for the freedoms they secured. Let us pay tribute to all fallen heroes and support their families, keeping their legacy's alive.

05/26/2026

PVT Sam Galletti was Killed in Action on May 23, 1944 in Italy, he was 27 years old…

Born in Swoyersville, Pennsylvania to Biagio & Theresa Galletti on March 7, 1917, Sam Galletti enlisted in the Army serving with the 13th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division.
They landed in North Africa during Operation Torch in November 1942, then landed in Naples, Italy in October 1943.

During the Allied breakout from the Anzio beachhead on May 23, 1944, PVT Sam Galletti was Killed in Action.
He is buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, Italy - Plot G Row 3 Grave 15.

05/26/2026

May 25, 1972.

Fire Support Base Spudis, Biên Hòa Province.

By 1972, some patrols saw little enemy contact.

But the danger never left.

Sergeant Francis C. Brockman III served as an infantryman with Recon Platoon, E Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry. From FSB Spudis, his platoon moved out on intelligence-gathering patrols, searching trails, watching movement, and reading the ground for signs of enemy activity.

That kind of war demanded patience.

Silence.
Discipline.
And constant awareness.

On May 25, 1972, during one of those patrols, Brockman was critically wounded by a b***y trap, likely a gr***de rigged to a trip wire.

The blast came without warning.

The battalion commander, flying overhead in an OH-6A observation helicopter, picked him up and rushed him back toward Spudis. Aidmen ran to the aircraft when it landed outside the main gate.

But Sergeant Brockman had died in flight.

He was brought back to base, not from a firefight, but from one of the hidden killers that haunted every patrol in Vietnam.

A Recon soldier.
A cavalry infantryman.
A man lost to the silent danger beneath the brush.

We remember Sergeant Francis C. Brockman III.

05/25/2026

05/25/2026

March 12, 1968. Thừa Thiên Province.

Sergeant First Class Francisco Louis Valle, from Columbus, Georgia, served as a light weapons infantryman with C Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.

By early 1968, the Screaming Eagles were fighting in some of the most violent battles of the war following the Tet Offensive. The mountains and valleys of Thừa Thiên Province had become deadly ground where American infantrymen faced determined enemy resistance day after day.

Francisco Valle was not a young private fresh into combat.

He was a Sergeant First Class.
A senior noncommissioned officer.
A combat leader responsible for guiding younger soldiers through the confusion and terror of war.

Men like Valle were the backbone of infantry units.

They carried experience.
Discipline.
And the responsibility of keeping their soldiers alive under fire.

On March 12, 1968, hostile small arms fire took his life.

He was 29 years old.

A Georgia soldier.
A paratrooper of the 327th Infantry.
A leader serving in one of the war’s hardest-fought regions.

Think about what men looked for in combat.

Not speeches.
Not rank alone.

They looked for the steady voice of a seasoned NCO who could lead when everything around them began to collapse into noise and fear.

Francisco Louis Valle was one of those men.

We remember Sergeant First Class Valle.

05/25/2026

Former Cleveland Browns player Dante Lavelli outside of his Lavelli's Furniture and Appliance store in Rocky River in 1995

Photo credit: David Liam Kyle / Sports Illustrated

05/25/2026

🇺🇲 WWII uncovered: Memorial Day 2026: Operation Husky: John J. Parle: Hero of USS LST 375 and the Invasion of Sicily

"Ensign John J. Parle, of Omaha Nebraska, Served with the US Naval Reserve. Parle posthumously received the Medal of Honor for actions during Operation Husky (Invasion of Sicily) when he risked his life to save USS LST 375, July 9-10, 1943. John was born in Omaha, Nebraska and was a 1942 ROTC graduate of Creighton University. He was 23 years old at the time of his passing. During the nearly the four years of WWII, the Navy only awarded 57 Medals of Honor, 15 of those for actions on a single date: Dec. 7, 1941." - US Naval History and Heritage Command

"On July 29, 1944, USS Parle (DE 708) was commissioned, sponsored by Parle’s mother, Mary Parle. The ceremony was a family affair. Serving as an altar boy for the ceremony was Parle’s younger brother, Richard, while his uncle, Father Tom Parle, gave the ship’s blessing. The USS Parle participated in operations in the Pacific Campaign through the end of the war." John was 23 years old at the time of his passing. He lies in rest at the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Omaha Nebraska. Lest We Forget. - Naval History and Heritage Command

⭐Ensign Parle's Medal of Honor Citation reads as follows:

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Ensign John Joseph Parle, United States Naval Reserve, for valor and courage above and beyond the call of duty as Officer-in-Charge of Small Boats in the U.S.S. LST 375 during the amphibious assault on the Island of Sicily, 9 - 10 July 1943. Realizing that a detonation of explosives would prematurely disclose to the enemy the assault about to be carried out, and with full knowledge of the peril involved, Ensign Parle unhesitatingly risked his life to extinguish a smoke pot accidentally ignited in a boat carrying charges of high explosives, detonating fuses and ammunition. Undaunted by fire and blinding smoke, he entered the craft, quickly snuffed out a burning fuse, and after failing in his desperate efforts to extinguish the fire pot, finally seized it with both hands and threw it over the side. Although he succumbed a week later from smoke and fumes inhaled, Ensign Parle's heroic self-sacrifice prevented grave damage to the ship and personnel and insured the security of a vital mission. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

🌺 Lest We Forget 🌺




WWII uncovered ©️ description and photo sourced by: US Naval History and Heritage Command and the US Navy Archive

05/25/2026

CPL Henry Popp was Killed in Action on May 19, 1944 in Italy, he was 27 years old…

Born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany to Otto & Lenchen “Lena” Popp on July 28, 1916, Henry G Popp had one younger brother. The family emigrated to the USA in September 1923 settling in Sutherland, Iowa.

Henry enlisted in the Army serving in the 776th Tank Destroyer Battalion. Initially equipped with towed anti-tank guns, they arrived in North Africa in January 1943.

By the time they landed in Italy, they were equipped with M10 Tank Destroyers. On May 19, 1944 while supporting the 85th Infantry Division against heavy opposition in the Liri Valley region, CPL Henry Popp was Killed in Action.

He was buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, Italy - Plot A Row 13 Grave 14.

Younger brother Otto Rudolph Popp also served in the Army during WW2, he passed away at the age of 49 in 1969.

Thanks Tyler Godfrey for the picture restoration