Names found so far include Capt. Darrell C. Lewis (class of 1999), RADM Benjamin Thurman Hacker (class of 1957), Mary G. Harris, Margaret J. Brennan (class of 1946) and spouse Thomas Brennan (class of 1949), Rodney Leopold Heinze, Brig.-Gen. William Rader, Clifford Chubb, David Leroy Lady (class of 1974), Richard E. Pearson (class of 1949), Eugene Harter (class of 1949), John Vollbreckt (class of 1969), and Brian Lawter (class of 1993).
Captain Lewis, of Washington, D.C., died June 23, 2007, at the age of 31 in Vashir City, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by insurgents using rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, and small arms fire, according to Arlington National Cemetery’s website (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/dclewis-afghanistan.htm). He was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, in Fort Riley, Kansas. After graduating from Wittenberg University, he joined the Army as an officer, rising to captain.
Rear Admiral Hacker (1935–2003) was a U.S. Navy officer, who became the first Naval Flight Officer (NFO) to achieve Flag rank. Hacker graduated from Wittenberg in 1957 with a B.A. in science. He held 10 commands over the course of his 30-year military career and was decorated with the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with three Gold Stars, and the Meritorious Service Medal, according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Thurman_Hacker.
Brig.-Gen. Rader actually completed his pilot training at Wittenberg on his way to becoming an Air Force Brigadier General who flew missions over Europe and the Pacific during World War II, before dying of cardiac arrest at the age of 89 on Nov. 5, 2003, according to http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wsrader.htm. General Rader flew 17 reconnaissance flights over the Pacific during the Battle of Midway. Apparently, he and his crew had to ditch their damaged plane 100 miles from Hawaii and cling to a half-inflated life raft in 30-foot seas for 18 hours before rescue. He later was in the bomber group that raided locomotive works at Lille, France, in 1942. He flew 72 missions, usually as the lead plane, targeting ball-bearing plants, submarine pens, shipbuilding works, a foundry and aircraft factories, without losing a plane or a crewman. Among his awards were the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, he enrolled in a pilot training program at Wittenberg and later enlisted in the Army Air Corps.
Chubb, from Springfield, passed away at the age of 86 on April 16, 2016 at Dayton Veteran's Administration Medical Center. He was born June 10, 1929 and served his country in the United States Army in the 23rd Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division and was in the battles at Hwa-Chon Reservoir and Heartbreak Ridge during the Korean War. He was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Presidential Citation. He received his bachelor’s degree from Wittenberg before enlisting.
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