Our Military Veteran Relatives

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This page is in honor of all our military veteran relatives who served to defend our country throughout the ages. We owe them and all our living veterans a debt of gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy today. Let us not forget them.

On Veteran's Day 2005, we honored our Vietnam veterans who fought so bravely in the Ia Drang Valley. The Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers from a couple years ago depicts part of the Ia Drang Valley battle. For more complete information, see General Harold Moore and Joe Galloway's book "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young". It is hard to believe that this battle was fought 40 years ago already. See also the LZ X-Ray web site.

Iroquois Indian Wars (1665-1667)

Among our first ancestors we find the following military veterans who came to Canada as part of the Carrignan-Salieres Regiment sent by the King of France to fight the Iroquois:

• André Mignier (1640 – 1727) came to Québec as a soldier in the Allier Regiment, in the company commanded by Captain Berthier, in the Carignan-Saliere Regiment. He left La Rochelle on 26 Feb 1664 abord Le Brézé which arrived in La Guadeloupe on 25 Apr 1664 and subsequently arrived in Québec from Les Antilles on 30 June 1665. In the army he was called by his nickname, La Gachette, which means someone who can shoot with abilities, or sharpshooter. La Gachette eventually became Lagacé.

  Following his discharge from the army, André received a land grant in Charlesbourg from Guillemette, daughter of Louis Hébert.

• François La Croix (1641 – 1710) was in the Company commanded by Captain Grandfointaine that left La Rochelle on 13 May abord L'Aigle d'Or and which arrived in Quebec on 18 August 1665.

• Antoine Roy dit Desjardins (1635 – 1684) came to New France to help defend the fledging colony against the Iroquois in the summer of 1665 with the Carignan-Saliere Regiment.

  Antoine left La Rochelle abord the Le Vieux Siméon and was in the Company commanded by Captain Froment that landed in Quebec in June 1665.

• Jean Soucy dit Lavigne (1635 – 1684) came to Quebec in the summer of 1665 with the Carignan-Saliere Regiment.

  Jean was in the Company commanded by Captain Grandfointaine that left La Rochelle on 13 May abord L'Aigle d'Or and which arrived in Quebec on 18 August 1665.

See also Les Racines Rochelais web site page on the Departure of the Carignan Regiment.

Ancestors who were in the Militia

Several ancestors were in the local militia of the different Quebec villages whose mission was to protect the local inhabitants. Amongst them were following:

• Joseph Dufour ( - 1783) was a military courier between Québec and Halifax during the American Revolutionary War. He was killed at the mouth of the Siégas River on the St. John River in New Brunswick.

• François Martin (1701 – 1790) In the 1783 census of Fredericton François indicated that he had been living there for 15 years, and listed his occupation was "express carrier" -- essentially he carried the mail and protected all lines of communication between Quebec and Halifax during the American Revolutionary War. See Scott Michaud's Martin History page.

• Augustin Roy dit Lauzier (1701 – 1790) who was Captain of the Militia in the seigneurie of La Pocatiere. Interestingly, Augustin was relieved of his command at the age of 75 for helping the rebels during the American Revolutionary War.

• Augustin Roy dit Lauzier (1731 - 1785) who was Lieutenant of the Militia in the seigneurie of La Pocatiere under his father. He became Captain when his father Augustin was relieved of his command.

• Pierre Roy (1691 – 1771) who was Lieutenant of the Militia in Kamouraska in 1755 under Captain Pierre Michaud and Captain of the militia in the 1760 census.

• Benjamin Souci who was Captain of the Militia in Kamouraska.

Ancestors who served in the Civil War    

Amongst our relatives are the following Civil War veterans from Waterville according to the Franco Americans Civil War Veterans on The French Connection web site:

• Charles Boucher (1848 - 1925) was a corporal in Co I of the 8th Maine Infantry.

• Joseph Boucher (1842 - 1863) enlisted as a Private on 30 July 1862 at the age of 21 in Company C, 9th Infantry Regiment Maine. He died of wounds 11 Jul 1863 at the battle of Fort Wagner, South Carolina. His name is shown as Joseph Bushea in the pension application dated 31 Jul 1866.

• Olivier Boucher (1846 – 1900) known as Levi Bushey was a member of Co I, in the 8th Maine Infantry served from 1 January 1864 to 18 January 1866. He was discharged as a Corporal.

• Seraphin Boucher (1836 - ) was a private with Company I, 8th Maine Infantry. He is shown as Saraphar Busky on his pension application.

• William Boucher (1844 - 1902) enlisted as a Private on 22 September 1861 at the age of 18 in Company C, 9th Infantry Regiment Maine. He was promoted to Full Musician in 1862. He reenlisted on 1 January 1864 and mustered out on 13 July 1865. He was discharged as a Corporal. He is shown as William Bushey on his pension application.

See also the The Maine Infantry Regiments for information on when the regiment was organized, where it fought, and when it was mustered out.

Relatives who served in World War I    

Amongst our relatives who are World War I veterans are the following:

• Henry P. Bouchard (1895 – 1981) who served in the U.S. Army. He was inducted at Old Town, Maine on 26 July 1918. He served with Co D 73rd from 3 Aug 1918 and received an honorable discharge on demobilization on 29 Jan 1919.

• John Gagnon (1893 - 1941) served in the U.S. Army. He was inducted at Fort Fairfield, Maine on 2 Oct 1917. He served with 496 Aero Sq Sig C until 8 Feb 1919 and AS Cas Co 5 until 11 May 1919. He served overseas from 31 Oct 1917 to 6 May 1919 and received an honorable discharge on demobilization on 17 May 1919.

• Louis Philip Gagnon (1896 - 1973) who served in the U.S. Army. He enlisted in the Regular Army at Ft. Slocum, New York on 1 Mar 1917. He served with 30 Co 8 Bn 159 Depot Brigade until 27 Dec 1917, Co C 327 MG Bn until 23 Feb 1918, Co C 301 Bn Tank C until 8 Sep 1919, and Co A 303 Bn Tank C until 22 Apr 1920. He served overseas from 28 Mar 1918 to 18 Mar 1919 and participated in the Somme Offensive, or the 2nd Battle of the Somme, and the Defensive Sector Offensive. He was a POW from 29 Sep 1918 to 26 Nov 1918 and was furloughed to Reserves on 22 Apr 1920.

• Vincent Shaw (1893 – 1983) who served in the U.S. Army. He was inducted at Ft. Fairfield, Aroostook, Maine on 20 Sep 1917. He was promoted to Private 1st class on 1 Feb 1918. He served with Battery A 303 Field Artillery from 6 Oct 1917, 1st Cas Co 20 Engineers to 24 Oct 1917 and then with Co C 20 Engineers to 19 Nov 1917 and the 12 Co 20 Engineers to discharge. He was overseas from 3 Jan 1918 to 29 May 1919 and received an honorable discharge on demobilization on 5 June 1919.

• Eloi Tardie (1895 – 1960) who served in the U.S. Army. He was inducted at Ft. Fairfield, Aroostook, Maine on 27 May 1917. He was a Private with Co M 320th Infantry, 80th Division from 18 Oct 1918 and to discharge. He was overseas from 5 May 1918 to 30 May 1919. He was an Engineer in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He received an honorable discharge on demobilization on 9 June 1919. See also the 80th Division as part of the American Expeditionary Forces.

• Eric White, Sr. (1891 – 1932) who served in the U.S. Navy. He was inducted at Ft. Fairfield, Aroostook, Maine on 27 August 1918. He served as a Private. Org: MD to disch. Overseas service: None. Honorable discharge on demobilization 31 July 1919.

Relatives who served in World War II    

Several ancestors served in World War II. Living ancestors who are World War II Veterans are not listed to protect their privacy, but their service to our country is remembered and appreciated. Some of our relatives made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives for our country. Amongst our relatives who are World War II veterans are the following:

• Dick Brown (1919 – 1957) served 26 months in the South Pacific theatre with the medical corps. He was a medic at Guadalcanal and Fiji Islands. See also the Battle of Guadalcanal.

• Ivan Cyr (1919 – 1991) served in the U.S. Army. He enlisted on 18 September 1942. See his service plaque in the Ste Luce Cemetery.

• Bern Daniels (1905 – 1944) was in Company D, 331st Infantry Regiment of the 83rd Infantry Division. Bern died at St. Lo during the Hedge Warfare in France on July 12, 1944. See his photo on the memorial page on the 83rd Infantry Division Battle Deaths page. It is interesting to note that the 331st Infantry had 5 different battalion commanders between July 4th and July 13th 1944, which indicates the severity of the fighting. This information was obtained from the following 83rd Infantry Division web site.

• Louis Philip Gagnon (1896 - 1973) previously served from 1 Mar 1917 to 22 Apr 1920 in World War I with Co C 301 Bn Tank C in the 2nd Battle of the Somme and in the Defensive Sector, where he was wounded in action on 29 Sep 1918, and was a prisoner of war (POW) from 29 Sep 1918 to 26 Nov 1918. He re-enlisted in World War II and served as a Tec 5 in the US Army from 1 Aug 1942 to 18 Sep 1945. He is buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in Section 2C Site 958.

• Lucien Gagnon (1907 – 1955) enlisted on 10 July 1942 and served in Company H, 350th Infantry Regiment. See his service plaque in the Ste Luce Cemetery.

• Robert D Holt (1926 – 1991) served in the U.S. Army after D-Day.

• Gilman Labrie (1924 – 1994) served in the U.S. Army. He enlisted on 3 March 1943.

• Raymond F. Mahar (1920 - 2004) enlisted on 11 January 1945. He served with the 1st Cavalry as a private first class in the Pacific theater, including the liberation of the Philippines.

• William McCarthy (1911 – 1993) was the battalion commander of the 12th Armored Division Supply trains. See the virtual museum on the 12th Armored Division. See also the following 12th Armored Division web site.

• Adrien Morneault (1924 - 1994) served in the U.S. Air Force in World War II where he was a bombadier and navigator on the B-24 aircraft, in Korea, and in Vietnam. Adrien served from 13 July 1943 to 30 June 1967 and retired as Senior Master Sergent. He is buried in Section 46 Site 240 at the Riverside National Cemetery in California, which is located 70 miles East of Los Angeles, adjacent to March Air Force Base.

• Wilbrod Morneault (1908 - 2005) enlisted on 4 June 1941 in Portland, Maine even though he was residing in Essex County, New Jersey at the time. Brod had been discharged on 8 October 1941 and was working in New York City when Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was recalled on 22 January 1942, served another three and half years, and was discharged on 20 October 1945 as a corporal from the U.S. Army Air Corps. See his service plaque in the Ste Luce Cemetery.

• Lydia Nadeau (1920 – 1989) served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. She was stationed at Lovell General Hospital, Fort Devens, MA when she married Dick Brown on 1 December 1945.

• Philip Wayne Nadeau (1920 – 1944) joined the Army on 23 May 1944 at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was sent to the European Theater of Operations (France) on 13 November 1944 and was killed on 26 November 1944 at the Battle of Hurtgen Forest. See also the The Battle of Hürtgen ForestHe is buried in Plot D Row 11 Grave 22 at the World War II Military Cemetery at Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. Philip was a private in the 22nd Infantry, 4th Division. He was trained at Camp Croft in South Carolina.

• Merle Noyes (1918 – 2000) served in the 8th U.S. Army Air Corps in the 834th Bomb Squadron of the 486th Group in The Flying Fortress B-17 Bomber. His World War II service was from 30 Jul 1943 to 29 Nov 1945. He is buried at Section 432 Site 576 in the Florida National Cemetery on 6502 SW. 102ne Ave. in Bushnell, FL 33513.

• Gerard Ouellette (1923 – 1997) served in World War II and the Korean War.

• Armand Richard Roy (1927 – 2005).

• Camille Roy (1920 – 2006) served in the U.S. Army. He received a Bronze Star while serving with the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment during the invasion of the Aleutian Islands and later served with the 10th Mountain Division in the Italian Campaign.

• Conrad Roy (1922 – 2001).

• Gilbert Roy (1920 – 1944) served in the U.S. Army. He enlisted in July 1942 and was shipped overseas in December 1942. He was killed in action in Rome, Italy on 22 Jun 1944.

• Hercules Roy (1923 – 2005) served 3 years as a Sgt in the U.S. Marine Corps. He initially landed on Guam and then Bougainville. He was wounded twice. He is buried in Section D Row 15 Site 19 at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta, Maine.

• Leonard Roy (1915 – 2000) served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945.

• Leopold Roy (1920 – 1945) drowned while swimming the Moselle River, Epinal, France on 25 Jun 1945 as a member of the 82nd Airborne Div, 325th Glider Infantry.

• Lucien Shaw (1926 – 2002) served as a BM3 in the U.S. Navy as a deep sea diver. He was part of the Phillippine liberation force. The ship he was on was blown out of the water as well as the ship that rescued them. Lucien lived with schrapnel in his leg the rest of his life since he would not let the doctors amputate his leg.

• Herman Soucie (1918 – 1945) served in the U.S. Army as a PFC in 127th Infantry, 32nd Division. He enlisted on 22 August 1942 and was killed in action on 18 March 1945 during the Philippine Liberation.

• Albert Tardie (1926 – 1998) served in the U.S. Army. He enlisted 28 Mar 1945 at Portland, Maine for the Philippine Department.

• Edward Voisine (1921 - 1945) died of wounds on 22 Mar 1945 in England.

• Edwin Voisine (1924 - 1945) died of wounds on 5 Feb 1945 in France.

• Leon Voisine (1924 – 2002).

Relatives who served during the Korean War    

Several relatives served during the Korean War. Living relatives who are Korean War Veterans are not listed, but their service to our country is remembered and appreciated. See the Korean War Casualty database. Amongst our relatives who are Korean War veterans are the following:

• Roger J. Bouchard (1929 – 2006) who served in the U.S. Army medical corps.

• Joel Boucher (1932 – 2006) who served in the U.S. Army military police.

• Gerald Nadeau (1929 – 1992) who served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

• Gerard Ouellette (1923 – 1997) who served in both World War II and the Korean War.

• Robert Roy (1920 - 1951) who died in the service of his country according to the 1994 Roy Family Reunion Genealogy Vol II page 303.

• Eric "Buddy" White (1932 – 2003) who served as an AT3 in the U.S. Navy. See his service plaque in the Fort Kent Cemetery.

Relatives who served during the Vietnam War    

Several relatives served during the Vietnam War. Living relatives who are Vietnam War Veterans are not listed, but their service to our country is remembered and appreciated. See my Vietnam map which includes popups over locations where major military units were in February 1968 and also shows where relatives and friends have served identified by first name only. Amongst our relatives who are Vietnam War veterans are the following:

• Jean Louis Bouchard (1941 – 2006).

• Roger Ouellet (1934 – 2002) Roger was awarded the Bronze Star in 1972.

• Jeff Saucier (1948 – 1990) who served as a SGT with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. See his service plaque in the Fort Kent Cemetery.

Pleiku / Ia Drang Valley Campaign (Oct/Nov 1965)

On Veteran's Day 2005, we honored our Vietnam veterans who fought so bravely in the Ia Drang Valley. The Mel Gibson movie We Were Soldiers from a couple years ago depicts part of the Ia Drang Valley battle. For more complete information, see General Harold Moore and Joe Galloway's book "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young". It is hard to believe that this battle was fought 40 years ago already. See also the LZ X-Ray web site.

We especially honor our fallen comrades. At the sunrise service on Nov 13th, 2005, Joe Galloway and LtGen Moore read the names of 305 veterans of the 1st Cavalry Airmobile who gave their all.

Courtesy of Ultimate Rack where you can create your own medal rack.

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