Horner Family Military Service 

Five of my brothers, served in the military. Emory and Ness, spent time in service during World War II. Gus and Joe were also drafted in the military service. John Mark served in the Army. My son Dennis served in the Navy.

Emory was in Illinois, during 1925 when he volunteered for the army.  When the war started, he was sent to serve in the fight against the Germans. He was wounded on his hand early on and they sent him home to rest for a month to recover. When the month was over, he had to return to service. He got out sometime in 1948.

Ness was drafted in the navy and served on at least two ships. One was in the Atlantic Ocean when the enemy hit them with a torpedo. It split the ship in half Ness and several of  the troops were picked up and made it back to shore. Then near the end of the war the Japanese were using their air force as suicide planes. One of them hit the ship Ness was on and it sank. Here again Ness was fortunate and his life was sparred. He was always a bit nervous after that and the navy discharged him with a small pension.

Joe and Gus each spent some time in the military, but were not in much longer than basic training before being discharged with medical issues. Gus was taking basic training in Georgia and was diagnosed with the lung disease Asthma. It was the first time that he had spent any time away from home and was homesick. Brother Joe on the other hand, wasn't sure which military service he wanted to be a part of after trying out two. He took a discharge and come home.

John Mark dropped out of high school and went with some boys to Peoria Illinois to work for Caterpillar Tractor Co for a few months. (I also tried to get a job there between my junior and senior year but they thought I would probably go back to school and didn’t hire me.)

After a shot time with Caterpillar, John Mark joined the army for a two-year hitch. Most of his service time was in Germany. I think he made them a good truck driver.

Kyle Horner served in the military. He was born in Georgia while his dad Emory was still in the military

Lyle Horner served in the military. He was born in Ft Jackson South Carolina while his dad Emory was still in the military

As I mentioned earlier, my son Dennis also served in the military.