One War—Two Generations, Twice in the Same Family

By H. David Pendleton

Lenexa, KS



My Pendleton ancestry line has a history of military service to this country. My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was Brian Pendleton. He settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony before 1628. Brian Pendleton served as a major in the Massachusetts militia. America’s National Guard traces its history back to this militia.

My father and paternal grandfather continued this military tradition. Both father and son served in World War II. This was not the first time this happened in the Pendleton line from Brian Pendleton to me. Colonel (COL) William Pendleton (23 March 1704-23 August 1786) served during the French & Indian War as well as in the Rhode Island militia during the Revolutionary War. His son, Captain (CPT) Joshua Pendleton (6 May 1744-9 April 1824) was a Master Mariner and served fifty years at sea. In also served in the Westerly, Rhode Island militia reaching the rank of captain while serving in the Revolutionary War.

My grandfather, Jay Howard Pendleton, was born on 7 January 1898 in Havana, Montgomery County, Kansas. On 18 May 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the Selective Service Act to draft men for World War I. It required all men from the age of 21 through 30 in the United States to register for the draft beginning on 5 June 1917. There was a 99% compliance rate.

Since Jay was a farmer and under the age of twenty-one, he did not have to register. The next year, the U.S. Congress expanded the draft for all men in America between the ages of 18 and 45 to register. Jay Howard registered as required by law and in September 1918, he passed his physical exam for induction into the military. The armistice occurred on 11 November 1918 and Jay never served in the Great War.

In 1940, the U.S. Congress passed a law that all men between the ages of 18 and 64 must register for the draft. Over thirty-six million men registered initially but number eventually reached 49 million men. The Selective Service selected nineteen million of them and inducted 10.1 million of them ranging from the age of 18 to 45 years of age.

The Selective Service drafted Jay when he was 44 years of age. He could not obtain any deferments. Jay had no dependents as he was divorced and his only son was over 21 years of age. As an insurance salesman, he also did not have war related work.

Jay went through basic training and the Army transferred him to serve in the Army Air Force (AAF). He trained as an aerial reconnaissance photographer at Lowery Field near Denver, Colorado. Jay Howard then deployed to the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater. Technical Sergeant (TSGT) Jay Howard Pendleton spent almost three years in the CBI flying photo recon missions over the hump.

After the war in the Pacific was over, the AAF released Jay to return to civilian life. He rarely talked about his time in the service. One story Jay did tell was that when he was on a bus with other airmen and he was seated, he would say, “I’ll give up my seat to anyone older than me.” Jay never had to give up his seat.

My father, Howard Dwain Pendleton, was born on 10 August 1920 in Tyro, Montgomery County, Kansas. In 1937, age the age of seventeen, he joined the Missouri National Guard. Dwain, as he was known, served in the national guard while attending Central Methodist University in Fayette, Howard County, Missouri. Due to his poor eyesight, he could not receive an ROTC commission.

On 7 December 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The Missouri National Guard including my father was immediately activated for active duty. He had graduated from college the previous spring. Dwain failed the physical exam due to his eyesight and the Army discharged him from active duty.

By March 1942, Dwain’s eyesight had improved or the Army was desperate for men. He was able to reenlist for active duty, but the Army would not deploy him overseas due to his poor eyesight. The Army sent him for training in the Kansas City area and in Arkansas before sending him to Florida. Corporal (CPL) Dwain Pendleton served on a radar installation in the Miami Beach area for the remainder of the war.

After World War II ended, Dwain enlisted in the Nebraska Air National Guard while working for Western Airlines. He served in the Air National Guard, Army National Guard, or the Army Reserve for the next 27 years. In 1968, Dwain was the First Sergeant of the 1011th Quartermaster Company in Independence, Montgomery County, Kansas. The Army activated his unit in May 1968 after the Tet Offensive. First Sergeant Dwain Pendleton served 19 months on active duty during the Vietnam War.

It is rare that a father and son both fight in the same war. I have two sets of ancestors that did so. COL William Pendleton and his son, CPT Joshua Pendleton, both fought in the Revolutionary War. TSGT Jay Howard Pendleton and his son, CPL Howard Dwain Pendleton, both fought in World War II. It is no wonder that I served in the Army for over 23 years and that three of my siblings also joined the Army. While I am proud of my service, I am even more proud of the service in my Pendleton line back to at least 1628.