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    Stanley is the son of Victor and Ida Lamerson and was born in Muncie, Indiana, on October 22, 1925. Most of his childhood was spent in Indianapolis, where they moved in 1932.
He attended Shortridge High School and joined the U. S. Marine Corp. his senior year in 1943.
    Stanley trained for ten months at Camp Pendleton in California, receiving the rank of private first class. Later, he was to go to Guam with the 5th. Marine Division for “floating reserve duty,” but they weren't needed, so instead, they were sent to the Island of Hawaii, Hawaii, for additional training. The camp was on the side of a volcano, not far from the city, Hilo. This was one of the most miserable experiences; it was either too dusty or snowing, cold and wet. After a year in Hawaii, the 5th. division was sent to combat on the island, Iwo Jima, in the South Pacific. When they landed, the marines had trouble getting on the island, because the Japanese had stacked equipment all over the beach.
    The name, Iwo Jima, means Sulfur Island. Stanley said, “It was as near to Hell as you could get. There was a constant smell of death and sulfur.” The marines were hit constantly with heavy barrages of shells, creating a high casualty toll. Every kind of mortar shell imaginable was dropped on them. Stanley said, “I didn't mind the artillery shells as much; they were quiet until they hit, but the mortar shells sounded like a covey of quails coming at you. They really bothered the men.”
    The marines had to take cover in very unique trench holes. Stanley described it as being freezing cold lying on the surface of the island, but burning hot in the trench holes. Adding, “You had to put your packs underneath you to keep from burning. If you couldn't find a trench hole, you didn't dare dig one, because the minute you did, the sulfur steam would give you away to the enemy.”
    There was no surrendering for the 20,000 Japanese on the island. The Japanese had made the island a honeycomb of caves, in which most of their soldiers became sealed by the marine bombs. The only prisoners the 5th division captured, were ten Korean laborers.
After some of the fiercest fighting of the war and enormous casualties, the island was captured by the 5th. division (the largest), the 4th. and the 3rd. division (which had to be called
in from floating reserve, because so many of our men were wounded and killed).
    Something that might be of interest to many, is that the marines from Stanley’s division raised the American flag on the island, which was then restaged for the Pulitzer Prize winning photo, Flag Raising on Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal, a member of the Associated Press. It was rated the best photograph of World War 11. Also of interest, many years later, Stanley received his February, 1980 copy of Leatherneck Magazine and to his surprise, discovered he was on the front cover, lying on Iwo Jima, aiming his gun.
    After he was discharged as a sergeant, in 1946, Stanley returned to Shortridge High School and graduated the same year. Later, he studied biology and botany at Butler University for two and one half years. Stanley, also, served in the Korean War from 1950-52 as a sergeant with the position of Squad Leader.
    Stanley married Patsy Shelton, the daughter of Helen and John Oscar Shelton, in 1947. Patsy was born in 1930 in Uniontown, Kentucky. She is a beauty operator. Stan was a serviceman for Curry Brothers for 25 years, before he became an insurance agent with his own business, which he still operates today.
    Stan and Patsy have two children, a son, Thomas and daughter, Jerra, plus five grandchildren. They currently reside in, Zionsville.
Stanley is the Commander of the Color Guard for the American Legion, Zionsville Post. Every year they place flowers on the graves of their comrades on Memorial Day, in honor of their sacrifice for our freedom.

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    Floyd is the son of Edward and Bessie M. Caldwell and was born in Boone County on January 4, 1922. He grew up in his Zionsville home at 90 East Hawthorne Street. He has always lived in Zionsville. He was a graduate of Zionsville High School in 1940. Before he joined the U.S. Army, Floyd worked for Pitman ­Moore Pharmaceutical Laboratories (later a division of The Dow Company) as a Lab Technician in the Serum Processing Department.
    Floyd received his basic training at Camp Barkeley, Texas, in October, 1942. With the rank of Staff Sergeant, he was assigned to the 66th Medical Regiment.
Floyd’s regiment was on its way to Germany in a convoy, when a submarine attacked the troop ships at the mouth of the English Channel. Several ships were blown up. Floyd’s ship was damaged so they had to go to Bristol, England for repairs. While in England, they received more training. Then they got underway to South Hampton, across the English Channel to Le Havre, France and finally to Luxembourg, where Floyd joined the 3rd. Army Clearing Company. Being a medical unit, they worked one half to ten miles behind the enemy lines waiting for the wounded. All soldiers are brave, but I believe these men were very brave for they usually didn't carry weapons to defend themselves while they were saving the lives of their wounded comrades. After emergency care, the soldiers, who were seriously wounded, would be sent to hospitals and the less severely injured would be patched up and sent back to the front.
    When the German Army started to surrender, the 3rd. Army had a new task. Floyd and his fellow G.I.’s had to separate the Wehrmacht, the regular German Army soldiers, from the S.S. Troopers. The Wehrmacht were released and the S.S. Troopers were brought back to prison camps. After the war ended, Floyd took part in the taking over of the German hospitals. He cared for the wounded for six months. This was followed by his discharge from the Army in December, 1945.
    In 1951, Floyd, also, served his country with the Army in the Korean War. After being promoted to Sergeant 1st. Class, he trained troops at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, for nine months. He was discharged in 1952.
Floyd A. Caldwell has three children: Ricky, Sharon and Ronnie. Their mother is Doris Caldwell. He is retired from Rock Island Oil Refinery, where he worked as a machinist for 22 years and then a labor foreman. Floyd was a Staff Sergeant during World War II.