This is my grandfather Floyd Noble Henderson Sr. ( JULY 23,1896-DECEMBER 27, 1950) (standing left) with his father Thomas Culberson Henderson, sometime before the Great War. My grandfather served in the United States Army in WW 1. He was a private in Company D of 317th Infantry, 80 Division. On October 5, 1918 he was wounded through both legs and as well as being gassed, he was left for dead. Somehow he survived, but the rest of his life he spent in constant pain as a result of those wounds. In 1940 he was issued the Purple Heart for wounds received in 1918. War is hell, and so was life for my grandfather. I'm sure he wasn't alone in his suffering, many lives were ruined by the war. Maybe all those young men who died were somehow better off than those that survived since their suffering was ended by death. Those that lived had to live with both the physicaI as well as the mental scares of war. I can only imagine how horrible it must have been for him and all the others who sacrificed so much in that war. I pray that God has mercy on all their souls. I hope their generation is finally at peace.
NOTE: The Doughboy illustration (above center) is based on Allen Newman's "Doughboy" statue (1921) at the corner of Penn Avenue and Butler Street in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, PA. Since I never knew my grandfather, this statue was always symbolic to me of him. It's a classic work of art and if you're ever in Pittsburgh, it is not too far from the Downtown area. If I had been a WW1 Doughboy that statue is how I would want to be remembered. My illustration can't do the statue justice. If you go see the "Doughboy", take a moment and say a prayer for all the young men whose names grace the base of the statue. Center Photo: L to R (1) BENNY J. BIGLEY 2ND LT (2) JAMES W. FORD CPL. APMG (3) FLOYD N. HENDERSON CPL. AG (4) LEO LAWLER CPL. CG (5) THOMAS E. BRINES 2ND LT (6) CHARLES P. KIETH F/O (7) RUDOLFH G. WARNER III F/O (seated) (8) ROBERT E. HALL CPL. CG (9) DELBERT S. SCHAWB CPL. ROMG and B-17G "THE WILD HARE" 457th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, Glatton, England. Photo of The Wild Hare is from the collection of Del Schwab. Thomas Culberson Henderson, US NAVY WW II served on board DE-700 The USS Currier that was in a Hunter Killer group that hunted U-boats in the Atlantic and was involved in the invasion of southern France. He also served on LST-598 ( Large Slow Target) in the Pacific. Uncle Tom enlisted in the Navy at age 17. He also joined the Army after his time was up in the Navy. He worked as a boiler maker until his retirement. His life has been one big adventure. He has written several books (yet to be published) about his life experiences. He has been all over the world and back and done some things most people couldn't even dream of. Boy what a life! Srgt. Patrick James Ging, US ARMY (my Uncle on my Mom's side and my Godfather) also served in the 8th ARMY in the 92 Armored Field Artillery, in Support of the 2nd U.S. Division First R.O.K in the Chorwon Valley and Kumwah Valley, Korea. Uncle Buzz was wounded and recieved the Purple Heart. Although Uncle Buzz isn't a Henderson, I couldn't help adding him to this page. I'm proud to be his nephew. He's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.   Don Henderson - Illustration
 Don Henderson Copyright 2005 |
