Family Military History

Borlin Family Military History

Marion Borlin

Great-Grandfather of current generation 

• • World War I, Army-12th Company, Sargent Rank

  • 2nd Motor Mechanics, Stationed in Nanterre, France  (5 miles North-west of Paris)

>>> Read Marion's Letters from World War One <<<

>>> Learn about the 12th Company Second Regiment, Air Service Mechanics <<<

>>> See Marion's World War One medals <<<

Eising Family Military History

Norbert (John) Eising - John Eising Sr. - John Eising Jr.

>>> Great-Grandfather of current generation <<<

• • World War II, Army, Staff Sergeant

  • Stationed in Canada and Cheyenne, Wyoming

  • Provided administrative support for the construction of the ALCAN (Alaskan) Highway, built by the US Army as an overland military supply route from the contiguous United States through Canada to the Alaska territory

  • Fort D. A. Russell (now Fort Francis E. Warren AFB) in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Wesley "Wes" Hochgraber

Great Uncle of current generation, 

• • World War II, Air Force, Corporal 

  • Bomb sight specialist (set the targets)

  • 3 years 3 months 3 days served

  • Got Malaria and Yellow Jaundice - 90 lbs. is what he weighed.  A nurse saved his life by insisting he drink water when he had Yellow Jaundice

  • While stationed in the Philippines, their responsibilities was to take decommissioned / damaged aircraft and bury them.  Later in life, Wes had wanted to go back and sell them for scrap.

  • He was stationed in Manila, Philippines, New Guinea and Texas

Story: Wes and a buddy befriended a family in New Guinea who lived in a house on stilts. Their last night there they were invited for a chicken dinner. Chicken would be unusual. While inside, they heard someone climbing the ladder. By the light of the candle on the table they saw the glint of a  knife. The guy yelled "I'll get you Joe" (Americans were Joe).  Wes and his friend threw him down the ladder

Baker Pegram

Fifth Great-Grandson of current generation

• • Born Jan 27, 1758 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, died October 14, 1830

  • Historical Revolutionary War hero

  • He joined the 6th Virginia regiment of Continental Line and was mustered in at Williamsburg on January 1, 1776. 

  • He served as a sergeant in Captain Nathaniel Fox's company. 

  • He crossed the Delaware River with Washington on Christmas Day 1776 and served in the campaigns of 1776-1777. 

  • He was with his regiment at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778 and was mustered out at Valley Forge in February 1778. 

  • He spent the rest of the war as a captain in the Dinwiddie County militia and commanded his company when the militia was called out in 1780 to repel Benedict Arnold's raid along the James River. 

  • He was marching his company to Yorktown in October 1781 when he received news of Cornwallis's surrender to Washington. 

  • He later served as a Major of one of the battalions of the Dinwiddie County regiment in the 1790s.

  • On a personal note, Baker Pegram married a Scottish girl, Mary Manson. This may be our only connection to Scotland.

Roehl Family Military History

William Roehl

• • Great-Great-Grandfather of current generation -- World War I, Army, Sergeant

  • Illinois Quartermaster Corps

  • Stationed in Ft. Dodge, Iowa

Richard Roehl

• • Great Great Uncle of current generation

  • World War II - Navy

  • Stationed on USS Chevalier (DD/DDR-805) - Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy

  • As a 8 year old child, Rich met and took photo with Shirley Temple 

Jeff Admiral Shields

• • 2nd cousin, first cousin to Vicki Borlin and nephew to Grandmother Judi Van Meter

  •  Lieutenant Commander (O-4) of the U.S. Navy

  • Service from 1978 to 2008

  • Retired

  • Significant Assignments

    • Assigned to seven ships home ported in San Diego, Ca., Yokosuka, Japan and Subic Bay, Philippines

    • Anti-Terrorism Officer assigned to Security Staff at Naval Station Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain

    • Officer in Charge Land/Sea Security Detachment, Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates

    • Security Officer attached to the 15th Royal Air Force (UK) Security Regiment, NATO, Kandahar Air Field, Kandahar Provence, Afghanistan.

    • Awards (Note: Stars or “E” attachments denote additional awards X number of attachments)Meritorious Service Medal

    • Navy/Marine Corp Commendation Medal - One Silver Star (five awards)

    • Navy/Marine Corp Achievement Medal

    • Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon

    • Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon - One Star

    • Navy Battle Efficiency “E” Ribbon Wreathed “E” denoting six awards

    • Navy Good Conduct Medal - Three Stars

    • National Defense Service Medal

    • Armed Forces Expeditionary MedalSouth West Asia Service Medal - One Star

    • Afghanistan Campaign Medal

    • Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Service Medal

    • Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

    • Korean Defense Service Medal

    • Humanitarian Service Medal

    • Sea Service Deployment Ribbon  (17 years of service at aboard US Navy ships deployed)

    • Navy/Marine Corp Overseas Service Ribbon (15 years total assigned overseas out of the United States)

    • Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon

    • NATO Medal

    • US Navy Rifle Marksmanship Ribbon

    • US Navy Pistol Expert Marksmanship Medal

Alexander Scott Coulter

Husband of Robin Shields 2nd cousin -- Died November 17, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

• • Chief Warrant Officer Two - US Army

  • Service dates from 1980 to 2003

  • 35 years old - Home in Tennessee

  • Significant Assignments

    • Headquarters Company, 124th Signal Battalion, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), Fort Hood, Texas

    • Desert Storm 

    • Panama 

    • Assigned Mogudishu, Somolia during the Blackhawk down incident.

    • Iraqi Freedom 4th Infantry Division assigned to Tikrit, Iraq 

  • Killed Nov. 17 when his vehicle, traveling in a convoy to Tikrit, ran over an improvised explosive device in Baqubah, Iraq

  • Awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and numerous other awards for his service

  • Memorials - Fallen Heroes - Grave - ABC News - Ultimate Sacrifice 

Steve Shields

great uncle, US Air Force - Retired out of NASA as an O-4, Major, Senior Pilot, with 22 years’ service

• • Enlisted for 7 years and held ranks from E1, Airman Basic, through E-5, Staff Sergeant then after commissioning O-1 through O-4

  • Significant Achievements:

    • Rescue mission - Icelandic coast rescue of capsized German trawler performed in November 1983

    • Inspector General report of Icelandic Mission in 1983

    • Lead Landing Support Officer at NASA - Listen to audio recording

      • Controlled all the ground and rescue forces propositioned at potential landing sites across the Atlantic in case of a single engine failure or other anomaly that would abort the mission and require a Trans-oceanic Abort Landing (TAL) in one of several potential sites in Western Africa and Europe. 

Awards / Commendations

• • • Defense Meritorious Service Medal

    • Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster

    • Air Force Commendation Medal, with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters

    • German Life Saving Medal

      • Read USAF News Article - "Andrews Captain gets German Medal for Flight Heroics"

    • Air Force Achievement Medal

    • Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster

    • Air Force Organizational Excellence Award

    • Combat Readiness Medal

    • Air Force Good Conduct Medal, with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster

    • National Defense Service Medal, with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster

    • Air Force Overseas Short Ribbon, with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster

    • Air Force Longevity Service Award, with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters

    • US Air Force NCO Professional Military Education Graduate Ribbon

    • Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, 38 Pistol

    • Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, M16 Rifle

    • Air Force Training Ribbon, with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster

Wallace Shields

US Marines, Korean War

• Called up in 1945 and went to training at Camp Pendleton, CA.  

• Scheduled to board some ship and head out across the Pacific, but the atomic bombs were dropped and the war ended so he did not ship out

• Stationed in Nebraska for a short time before separating from armed services

• Prior to being called up to service, both Wally and his wife got jobs at the Douglas Aircraft and moved to a small house in Santa Monica sometime in late 1944.  Aunt Judi remembers living there so she must have been around 3 or 4 years old.  So Granny was a "rivet girl!"

William Shields

Great grandfather x 6, was born in 1774 in Western Virginia

• • William Shields was the son of the John Shields who died on the ocean voyage to America

  • He was born in County Armagh on July 14, 1728.  Died in 1797 at age 69

  • Revolutionary War Service

  • By the outbreak of the American Revolution, William's older sons had reached adulthood, and several (John and James to our certain knowledge, and possible one or more others) served with him in the Frederick County Military Company which he organized and commanded as a Captain. 

  • His later Revolutionary career included service with the Continental Army as a Major in a regiment organized by a member of the prominent Maryland Goldsborough family. 

  • Major Shields is believed to have participated in several important early engagements of the Revolutionary War, most notably the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, Long Island on August 27, 1776 and the Battle of White Plains, New York on October 28, 1776. 

  • During these confrontations, his company served in the Continental Line under direct command of General George Washington during the period of his majority in the later stages of the war.