Welcome to the Ebenezer Historical Society
"Moving Ebenezer Forward Into the Past"
Jefferson City circa 1945 photo courtesy of Brenda Dillard Bolin
photo courtesy of Rob Gateley
photo courtesy of Rob Gateley
Jefferson City circa 1945 photo courtesy of Brenda Dillard Bolin
Ebenezer's Heroes
A Tribute to Our Veterans
by Kevin Fraher
To celebrate Veterans Day, November 11, 2019, the Ebenezer Historical Society is making this month's Legacy article about all the brave men and woman who served in the United States Military.
As we started to do research about Robberson Prairie Township and Ebenezer we came across some very interesting documentation detailing the history of our military residents from the Revolutionary War to the present on-going conflicts. I hope you find this as fascinating as we do. So let's get to it!
Three of Ebenezer's founding fathers, David Bedell (1761 - 1840), Elisha Headlee (1760 -1845) and Samuel Steele (1762 -1847) all served in the Revolutionary War.
David Bedell was a New Jersey native who entered service at age 17, just after his father was killed in the Revolution. He served first as a drummer boy and later in the Calvary under Col. Stephen Moylan's 4th Continental Light Dragoons in Virginia, South Carolina and Pennsylvania. After the war he married and moved to North Carolina for many years before he homesteaded in Greene County with his sons in 1835. He is buried in Old Salem Cemetery in northeast Greene County.
Elisha Headlee (father of Judge Elisha Headlee) was also from New Jersey; he and Bedell were boyhood friends. Headlee served as a Private in the Morris County Militia at age 16 or 17. Headlee and Bedell's wives were sisters, making them brother in-laws when they married after the war. Headlee joined family members in Greene County in 1836 and died in 1845. Headlee and Bedell are buried adjacent to each other in Old Salem cemetery.
Samuel Steele was raised in North Carolina and served in the North Carolina Company as a Private and a horseman. He married and remained in North Carolina after the war and the Steele and Headlee families were neighbors and close friends. Five of Steele's daughters married five of Headlee's sons. Steele joined his children in Greene County in 1840. He died seven years later and is buried in Mount Comfort cemetery eight miles north of Springfield. (1)
(1) Springfield News-Leader, (Springfield Missouri) article dated Saturday, October 2007; Graves/Discovery unveiled meticulous plots
David Bedell (1761-1840)
Revolutionary War soldier, native of New Jersey, that settled in Ebenezer by way of North Carolina. Boyhood friend of Elisha Headlee.
Samuel Steele 1762-1847
Revolutionary War soldier, North Carolina native.
Came to Greene County in 1840. Five of Steele's daughters were married to Headlee's sons.
Elisha Headlee 1760-1845
Revolutionary War soldier that later settled in Ebenezer with the families of his boyhood friend, David Bedell and Samuel Steele.
Robberson Prairie Cemetery Veterans Memorial 2018
Eagle Scout Project-Jacob Oursbourne Troop 409 Springfield, MO.
The following list was compiled by a Jacob Oursbourne as a project for his attaining his Eagle Scout rating:
Mr. and Mrs. Ed Irvine have five sons in the service, all in the Army, and this community is very glad to express our appreciation of this fine service their sons are rendering to our country.
PFC. Harold Irvine has been in the service for three years, and is somewhere in Italy, with the fifth Army.
PFC. Dale irvine was inducted into the Army in February, 1943 and is somewhere in France. He is with the 7th Army , in the 9th Field Artillary Battalion.
CPL. Billy Irvine has been in service two years and is still in the States. He was with the Signal Corps, but was recently been given a new assigment.
PVT. Don Irvine inducted into the Army last fall. Was with the Cavalry and is on his way overseas.
Earnest Irvine was just recently inducted and last word from him at Ft. Leavensworth, he was waiting further assigment.
There are threes Adkins brothers in service.
CPL. Harris Adkins has been in service about three years and hasn't been heard from for a long time. He was somewhere in the Pacific serving with an AAA Gun Battalion.
PFC. Erbie Adkins is somwhere in England. Attached to Quartermaster Composite Co. Has been in service two years.
PVT. George Adkins inducted February, 1944. He is now in Italy with Infantry.
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hinds have two sons in service.
Paul Hinds is a Pharmasist Mate 1/c, serving on the U.S.S. Fremont, a transport, somewhere in the Pacific. He has participated in sereral invations, including Saipan, Palau, and Layte. He was somewhere in the Phillipines and hasn't been able to write for some time. Has been in service three years.
SGT. Clyde Hinds served two years in the Air Corps attached to Headquarters, but has just recently been transfered to Infantry, and is now training in Camp Howze, Texas.
The two Leeson brothers serve as follows:
Ralph Leeson, Ships Cook 1/c, is now stationed at Eagle Harbor, Michigan. Was inducted in Coast Guard three years ago and is expected home on furlough sometime first of April.
PVT. Clay Leeson was inducted into the Army just before Xmas and is stationed at Camp Roberts, California, with the Infantry. Also expects a furlough early part of April.
The two Thomas brothers are both in the Army. We have no address for Johnny Thomas, and Harry was recently inducted, was still at Ft. Leavensworth awaiting further assignment.
M/SGT. Tim Scott has been in the Army three years, has been overseas 6 months and is now somewhere in France. He is with the 7th Army, attached to an ordinance Maintenance Battlion.
CPL. Jim Mullens has been in the Army four years and is attached to Medical Corps at O'Reilly General Hospital.
Cpl. Frank Gabriel was inducted three years ago, has been overseas for several months, and is somewhere in England. He is a Postal Unit Clerk.
PFC. Venton Ray Anderson was inducted into the Army two years ago and has been overseas for ten months. He is now serving in Germany, and has been recently transfered to the Service Company, 331st Infantry.
John Noble has been in the Army for two years and is also overseas, with the Third Army, somewhere in Germany.
CPL. John Stokes has been in the Army Air Corps for over a year. Was recently home on short furlough, reporting back to Mt Home, Idaho, where he has been training for an Armor Gunner on a Liberator Bomber.
Ward Gately was inducted into the Navy in September, 1943, and serves as Storekeeper 2/c on an LCI. Has been overseas nine months somewhere in the Pacific.
Johnny Griffin also attended school here. He is in the Army somewhere in Italy. Have no further record of him.
PVT. Scott Whitlock left for the Army in January, 1943, is in the Infantry and stationed at Camp Walters, Texas.
Benny Ramsey left for the Navy sometime in 1944, is in Navy Air Corps and training for a Gunner. Stationed at Memphis, Tennessee.
PVT. Dale Sare enlisted in Army Air Corps in 1944, was called for service in February, 1945, and is stationed at Keesler Field, Mississippi.
List of Service Men Who Have Relatives or Friends In This Community
This information provided by Thelma Gateley exactly as she wrote it.
A Special Tribute to Our Local Ebenezer Veterans
WW-II Veteran "Gaylord" Pete Dye" and Vietnam Veteran Danny "Boone" Bailey
Article previously written to honor Mr. Dye for Veterans Day. Provided to EHS by Mr. Dye's son, Kenny Dye.
Mr. Pete Dye
Photo credit Don & Betty Wood
Vietnam Veteran Danny "Boone" Bailey
Danny enlisted in the Army, with his parent's permission, when he was only 17 years old. After he attended training he was sent to Vietnam for one year, (1969-1970) and was stationed at LZ Baldy at the ripe old age of 18. Danny, up to this point, had lived in a small town in Ebenezer Missouri so it was quite a change for him. He served well and did his job above and beyond what was required. On August 16, 1969 all that changed.
Danny and one other man were assigned to a perimeter security post that night atop a bunker. Everything was normal until 0000 hours when all hell broke loose. Viet Cong guerrillas attacked LZ Baldy between his post and an adjoining post. Danny engaged the enemy non-stop for over three hours tallying confirmed kills of the enemy. At one point a Viet Cong guerrilla infiltrated the area below his elevated post and tossed a satchel charge at the bunker below, When he threw the charge it hit a 1" by 12" board at the top of the entrance to the bunker and when it went off, the blast was deflected some and blew up the entrance to the bunker. This deflection saved Danny and his buddy from being killed or severely wounded. Even after the blast they continued shooting their M-16's further engaging other Viet Cong guerrillas until the threat was eliminated.
One day when a tank broke down out in the jungle he was selected to go via helicopter to the location with his tool box in full battle rattle to repair it. The helicopter couldn't set down so as it hovered a couple of feet above the ground he grabbed his toolbox and jumped from the helicopter to the ground. After working for hours he repaired the tank and was helo'ed out back to LZ Baldy.
Every once in awhile he would get a pass to go to Chu Lai to pick up supplies for himself and some of his buddies. This was a long trip and whenever they went through the villages he always wondered if they would be attacked, sniped, or have a hand grenade tossed into the truck. Finally when he received his orders to leave Viet Nam and LZ Baldy he once again had to make this journey and all those fears were there the whole time but amplified, "since was this going to be the time as he was finally going to leave this hell-hole that he would get wounded or killed?"
In the aftermath of all this he believed that he should have died when that satchel charge exploded. When he returned to the United States and whenever he worked doing carpentry work and saw a 1" by 12" board he would immediately think of that night that he could have died.
After his tour in Vietnam he called his mother to come and get him upon arriving at Springfield Airport. While he was awaiting her arrival he went to the furthest point away from everybody as he was wearing his dress uniform and didn't want to have someone yelling at him and calling him a "baby killer", but he wanted his mother to see him proudly wearing his uniform. At the end of his furlough he was assigned to Germany for 6 months to finish his time in the Army. He returned to Ebenezer, his childhood and still lives here today.
Thank you Danny "Boone" Bailey for your service to our country.
Current Active Duty (AD)/Retired (R) and Military Veterans (V)
Please let us know of any incorrect or incomplete information on these service members so we can correct this data base. Also, if you have any more information on these individuals please let us know that too. Send to the EbenezerHistoricalSociety@outlook.com or call Kevin Fraher at (417) 242-9035 and I will get back to you. We will come to you if you would like, to make it easier on you.
We would also like to mention, and thank, the Cafe B-29 in Ozark Missouri for all the support and compassion they give to all of our veterans. If you have never been to the Cafe you need to go and be amazed at the history and photos they have.
If you want to read more about Veterans, especially WW-II veterans, please click on this link: https://www.ky3.com/content/news/World-War-II-Vets-from-Missouri-Veterans-Home-honored-at-Cafe-B-29-564390111.html
Last Muster
The Ebenezer Historical Society would like to recognize our esteemed veterans who have passed away. The EHS will continue, as we are made aware, of the passing of these heroes on our website and Facebook page. Please let us know if any of our local veterans pass so we can continue to update our databases and show our respect for their service.
Leroy Monroe Walters
Leroy M. Walters passed away Sept. 3, 2019. He was born Feb. 21, 1937, to Roy Elmer and Sarah Anna (Cheek) Walters in Springfield, MO, one of seven children. Leroy married Verma June Jones on May 15, 1954. Leroy entered into the U.S Army and served from 1960 to1966. He was buried with military honors at Mount Comfort Cemetery.
Leonard L. Suiter
Chief Master Sergeant Leonard Logan Suiter, retired U.S. Air Force, 91, died Nov. 18, 2015, at his home in Springfield. Born in Benton County on a small farm near Fairfield, he was the son of Noah and Myrtie Simpson Suiter.
He graduated from Cross Timbers High School in 1942. While working in Kansas City, he was drafted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and served as a crew chief on B24 Bombers in Italy with the 15th Air Force. After the war, he returned home and married, Arlee Bybee on Oct. 12, 1946. They lived and farmed around East Leavenworth, Warsaw, Wakenda and Sedalia until he again entered the Air Force.
He served for a total of 28 years active service and six months reserve, which included World War II, Korean War and a tour in the Vietnam War. He retired from the Air Force in December 1976 from Whiteman Air Force Base with the B52 Alert Force. He was buried with military honors at Bethel Campground Cemetery.
Boys In Service Who Attended Ebenezer School
This information provided by Thelma Gateley exactly as she wrote it.(March 23, 1943)
