By Deborah Larsen Harry Edward Nettnay Harry Edward Nettnay was born in Avon Township, Michigan, on March 6, 1906, the son of William and Ida Rhyndress Nettnay. In February 1927, Harry entered the U.S. Navy and trained as a naval aviator. While stationed at Pensacola,...

By Deborah Larsen Gerrit Henry Fletcher Gerrit Henry Fletcher was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on March 1, 1908, the son of Claude and Anna Ebelink Fletcher. Gerrit grew up in Portage, Michigan, and earned his teaching degree from Western Michigan College (now...

By Deborah Larsen Edwin Nelson Cooper Edwin Nelson Cooper was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, on March 6, 1922, the son of Ernest and Norma Rosebrook Cooper.  The Cooper family moved to Rochester when Edwin was a teenager. Before the war, he was employed at...