Charles Edward Richardson, 89, of Mason City, a member of the famed 34th “Red Bull” Infantry Division, survived 517 frontline combat days fighting in North Africa and Italy.  He has carried the sorrowful memory of lost friends throughout his life.   (Christopher Gannon/The Register)

Rex Burnett Crawford, 89, flew 36 missions over Europe as a crewman aboard the B-17 bomber, the last of which was on D-Day, as part of the Allied invasion of Normandy.  He still lives on his farm near Rodman, in Palo Alto county.   (Christopher Gannon/The Register)

Bernard Reilly, 92, of Ledyard was among the first U.S. Marines engaged in battle against the Japanese in World War II in the Battle of Tulagi, August 1942.  Reilly and his unit, fought the Japanese for almost three years across the Pacific from Tulagi to Iwo Jima.  Because his unit was not customarily called home after 24 months, it became known as the “Forgotten Battalion.”    (Christopher Gannon/The Register) (more…)