Everyday Patriot

  Commander Raymond Joseph Evans was born on February 22, 1921, in Bellingham, Washington. He enlisted in the US Coast Guard following high school and met up with Singleman First Class Douglas Munro in orientation. The two became a pair of best friends known as the "Gold Dust Twins" and would remain together throughout the early part of World War II. Commander Raymond Evans trained as a coxswain and deployed to Lunga Point during the Guadalcanal campaign. During the Second Battle of The Matanikau in September of 1942, Commander Evans assisted in the Marines' evacuation after their positions had been overrun. Despite being wounded, he remained at this post, ferrying US Marines from the Island, and at one time had to steer the boat with one hand while returning fire with the other. Commander Evans would earn the Naval Cross for his actions, and, unfortunately, the other member of the Gold Dust Twins, Signalman Douglas Munro, would be killed during this operation. Commander...

  Boiler Tech Third Class David Alan Gilliland was born on April 28, 1969, in Warrensburg, Missouri. After attending Warrensburg High School, he enlisted in the US Navy and was assigned to the USS Iwo Jima. He deployed to the Persian Gulf in preparation for Desert Storm/Desert Shield and the Gulf War. Boiler Tech Third Class David Gilliand was on duty as the ship left port in Manamana, Bahrain, and was killed when a high-pressure steam line broke during a boiler accident on October 30, 1990. * Read about a.d. elliott's Everyday Patriot Project here* **************************************** a.d. elliott is a wanderer, writer, and photographer currently living in Salem, Virginia.  In addition to the travel writings at  www.takethebackroads.com , you can also read her book reviews at  www.riteoffancy.com  and US military biographies at  www.everydaypatriot.com Her online photography gallery can be found at  shop.takethebackroads.com #TaketheBackRoads Like...

  Sergeant Henry Adams was born enslaved in 1843 in Jasper County, Georgia. His owners relocated to a plantation in DeSoto Parrish, where he remained throughout the Civil War, achieving his freedom on May 26, 1865, the day the city of Shreveport, Lousiana, surrendered to Union Forces.  Sergeant Adams initially worked as a delivery man but was frustrated with the lack of work for formerly enslaved people and joined the US Army in September 1866. He was assigned to the 38th Colored Infantry Regiment and served throughout the Southern United States during the Reconstruction. He left the Army in 1869, at the end of his contract. He returned to the Shreveport area, working as a woodcutter and plantation manager. Sergeant Henry Adams also began working on civil rights. In 1870, he and others created "The Committee," a group of individuals focused on improving the conditions of the former enslaved.   The Committee evolved into the Colonization Council (also known as the Exo...

Brigadier General Franklin Augustus Denison was born in about 1862 in San Antonio, Texas. He and his family relocated to the Chicago, Illinois, area while he was young. He graduated from Lincoln University in 1888 and, in 1890, graduated from Northwestern University with a law degree.   Brigadier General Franklin Denison worked as the Assistant Attorney General of Illinois in 1891. He assisted in creating the 8th Infantry Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, a unique unit at the time, as it was one of the only African American units to be commanded by other African Americans. Brigadier General Denison deployed to Cuba with the 8th Illinois during the Spanish American War, where he was, because of his fluency in Spanish, President of General of Court Martial. After the war, Brigadier General Franklin Denison was assigned Chief Quartermaster of the 4th Brigade before taking an assignment commanding the 3rd Battalion. He was then sent to Fort Sam Houston to guard the Mexican-...