A Single Wartime Issue of the The Fayette County Record Reveals Such a Range of Emotions
Wednesday was Veterans Day, an appropriate time, I thought, to look back at how The Fayette County Record covered wartime.
It only took one issue, the very first one I looked at, to realized just how important, but how heartbreaking, the paper’s coverage of WWII was.
At the top of the page of the May 22, 1945 issue, the headline cries, “Muldoon Family Loses Second Son in Action in World War II.”
The story begins, “The sad message confirming the death of T-5 Alvin B. Lueders, 23, on February 12, was received Friday by his wife, Mrs. Maize Lueders of West Point.”
He had been reported missing in action in Manila for months. “The family had high hopes that he was a prisoner of war, until the sad message came.”
“He is the second son of Mr. and Mrs. B.R. Lueders of Muldoon to have given his life for the service of his country. This is the first family in the county, as far as is known, to have lost more than one son. His brother, Pvt. Alton, passed away on June 11, 1944 of wounds received while fighting somewhere in New Guinea.”
Sadly the front page of that May 22 edition is peppered with other mourful headlines in the midst of WWII.
• “Sgt. Weber is killed in Okinawa”
• “Former Haw Creek Soldier Dies of Wounds in Saipan”
• “Nephew of Ehlerts Killed in Action”
• “La Grange Private Wounded on Luzon”
Remember, this is one edition of the newspaper.
But there was hopeful war news in that edition. Other headlines from the front page were (by the way they crammed a lot more stories on one page back then):
• “Local soldier Commended for Bridging of Rhine River”
• “Carmine Soldier Gets Two Awards for Bougainville”
• “Soldier, Hurt on Okinawa,
• “Pfc. Emil Von Minden Arrives Friday Eve”
Never, ever will I think we have a busy news day again, after reading that May 22, 1945 issue.
On Nov 2, 2021 the Fayette County Reconi will begin its 100th year of continuous publication. As we countdown the final months toward that amazing milestone, we’ll be running columns looking back at interesting aspects of our history.