Remembering local brothers who were lost to war

Watching your child leave home to join the military is a mixture of happiness, sorrow, pride and trepidation. You’re happy to see them growing up and finding their way in the world, sad to see them leave home, proud because they have chosen to contribute to something larger than themselves, and fearful for what could become of them.

The next level is the unthinkable. Your child has lost his or her life fighting in some war half way around the world. If you’re lucky, you have the mortal remains returned to you. Now imagine that horrible situation happening twice. It did for four Wayne County families during World War II.

The Conrad brothers from Orrville died at the same time and place, Pearl Harbor, both aboard the infamous battleship, USS Arizona, now preserved as a national monument. The Conrad brothers rest where they died.

Three other sets of brothers with a connection to Wayne County sacrificed their lives in defense of this country, and three other sets of parents sacrificed two of their children. Here are their stories.

Albert E. Ward was born in New York state. His wife, Venetta, was born in Pennsylvania. Somehow they met, fell in love and married. Ward’s job brought him to Wooster, where they raised two sons, Richard and Albert E., Jr. Both attended Wooster schools. Richard graduated Wooster High School and went on to be a golf pro at the Wooster Country Club.

When WWII happened, they were both of legal age for the draft. Both Richard and Albert entered the U.S. Army, and both were paratroopers.

On June 6, 1944, Richard Ward was involved in the D-Day invasion of France and was killed in action. On Jan. 31, 1945, Albert Ward, Jr. was killed in action in Belgium during the cleanup from the Battle of the Bulge. The Ward brothers are buried, side by side, in Wooster Cemetery.

John and Delia Hubacher were a farming family in Milton Township. The Hubachers had six children: three sons and three daughters. All three sons volunteered for the military when World War II broke out. The oldest son, Ernest Thaddius Hubacher, joined the merchant marines. The second son, Raymond Earl Hubacher, joined the U.S. Coast Guard. The third son, John Hobbs Hubacher, joined the U.S. Marine Corps.

Raymond Hubacher was a Quartermaster, Third Class serving about the liberty ship, USS Serpens. On Jan. 29, 1945, Serpens was anchored off Guadalcanal, loading depth charges. An explosion occurred that rapidly caused other munitions to ignite. Only two men survived the great explosion. Raymond Hubacher was not one of them. His remains, along with most of the ship’s crew, were gathered and buried in a common grave at Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington, D.C.

John Hubacher survived his brother, Raymond, but not for long. He was killed in action at Iwo Jima on March 1, 1945. The brothers had a brief and final reunion at Guadalcanal shortly before their deaths. Their parents received both death notices in less than a week. John Hubacher’s remains are interred at Glendale National Cemetery in Virginia. The oldest brother, Ernest, survived the war.

Rollin Carter lived in Creston and worked for the Wayne County Highway Department. He and his wife, Mina, raised a family of three sons and a daughter. Two of those sons, Donald and Forest, joined the U.S. Army at the outbreak of World War II. Donald ended up in Europe and Forest in the Pacific.

Donald Carter was a highly decorated soldier and was involved in a number of daring and well-publicized events. On one occasion he rescued an Italian toddler from a bombed-out building. Both parents were killed in the bombing, and Donald Carter cared for the child until the Red Cross took custody.

On Nov. 9, 1944, Forest Carter was killed in action on Leyte, Philippine Islands. Donald Carter actually survived the war in Europe but was killed in a vehicle accident on July 11, 1945, in Ulm, Germany. Both brothers’ bodies were repatriated and interred at Maple Mound Cemetery in Creston, where they rest side by side.

This Memorial Day take some time to think about and pray for these brave men and for the parents, siblings and loved ones who lost them.

Local historian Mike Franks is the author of “Looking Back,” a monthly feature on Wayne County history.