Posted: November 4, 2025 10:27 am
By Nicholas Gehlmann. Nick is a volunteer who has been researching military history for us. We’re sharing his research on our World War II heroes for Veterans Day, as part of our Heritage Johnstown at Home series. (Photo above: Main Street on VE Day, by Cover Studios).
The Second World War bore witness to perhaps Johnstown’s finest hour in terms of material contribution and heroism by its men and women. Upon the war’s grand stage, at least two men grew to fame for their actions in combat, capturing the attention of a nation, while numerous others did their duty gallantly in a less conspicuous manner. Upon the war’s ignition in December 1941, the United States’ military air forces had grown into a respectable fighting arm. However, very few American pilots saw combat to that point, save for a few volunteers that flew with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain. In the immediate aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack, one local son took on the job of instilling within his nation a fighting spirit.
Following Pearl Harbor, 1st Lieutenant Boyd Wagner, a native of Emeigh, PA, held command of the 17th Pursuit Arm stationed on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. News of the attack in Hawai’i had reached their post, and the pilots of the 17th knew it was not long before they needed to take their turn in the hot seat. From December 8 to 18, Wagner managed to secure five aerial combat kills, officially designating him an “ace,” the very first ace of the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. The beginning weeks of the war saw “Buzz” record numerous additional destroyed aircraft between dive bombing attacks and strafing runs against Japanese airfields in the Philippines.
He was wounded during a strafing mission when the glass from his P-40 fighter’s canopy shattered from enemy fire. He landed safely and ended up in Manila. While there, Wagner and a fellow pilot learned of the imminent Japanese entry into the city and subsequently escaped. After commandeering a machine gun, Wagner and his comrade caught a ride aboard a barge carrying TNT to Bataan where he eventually made it to the safety of a U.S. army unit. After his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and several posts in Australia, Wagner was back in the cockpit and fighting the Japanese. He recorded three additional aerial combat kills against enemy fighter planes over New Guinea in April 1942, making a total of eight confirmed aerial kills. Though Wagner strongly preferred to stay in a combat role, his superiors felt his experience was more valuable in training new pilots and consulting on new fighter plane technology and by mid-1942, Wagner was back in the U.S.
Wagner’s story came to a halt in November 1942. On the 29th of the month, Wagner took off from Elgin Field in Florida on a transit to Maxwell Field in Alabama. Shortly after takeoff, his plane disappeared northwest of Elgin. In January 1943, a plane crash was located roughly 25-miles from Elgin Field. While the local climate was not kind to the remains of the deceased pilot, the contents of his wallet identified the airman as LTC. Wagner. His body was recovered and brought back to Johnstown where he was buried in Grandview Cemetery with full military honors before a crowd of over 20,000 mourners. His decorations included the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and, at the recommendation of General Douglas MacArthur, the Distinguished Service Cross, the highest military honor available besides the Congressional Medal of Honor. Though his life was short, “Buzz” Wagner’s aerial feats helped galvanize the nation, proving the American fighting-man capable of defeating an experienced enemy in combat.
Another notable native achieved fame toward the end of the war. As one of the last battles of the Pacific campaign, Iwo Jima was naturally a significant struggle for victory. A barren island with a sizable volcano on one end, Iwo Jima contained miles of underground tunnels in which the enemy took cover. On February 19, 1945, Sergeant Michael Strank, native of Conemaugh borough, landed on the island with the 5th Marine Division. Strank joined the Marines in October 1939 and spent time in several units over the next six years, participating in landings and occupations in the Solomon Islands and New Guinea. His unit, the 2nd Battalion of the 28th Marine Regiment, landed at beach Green 1, the closest landing site to the imposing Mt. Suribachi volcano.
The mountain was embedded with dug-in positions, tunnels, and machine-gun emplacements. The Marines fought hard in close-quarters combat to reach the summit, sometimes using flamethrowers to eliminate enemy emplacements. On February 23, 1945, five days after Strank’s battalion landed, the 28th Marine Regiment reached the summit of Mt. Suribachi. The morning that the Marines reached the summit, an American flag was raised as a sign of victory over the mountain. However, the flag was deemed too small by command, so a second, larger flag was brought to the summit. Five men, including Strank, raised the second flag. Unbeknownst to them, photographer Joe Rosenthal managed to snap a photo as they raised the beacon of victory. It was the photo of Strank and others that circulated the world as a symbol that the U.S. was on the verge of victory in the Pacific, and of the war as a whole.
While Sgt. Strank participated in perhaps the most iconic photo of the war, his unit received no special rest or accommodation as the struggle for the island continued to rage to the north. Shortly thereafter, his unit was back in the fray. Sadly, on March 1, 1945, Sgt. Strank was fatally wounded by mortar fire while engaged against Japanese positions north of Mt. Suribachi. His burial in the 5th Marine Division cemetery on Iwo Jima lasted past the end of the war. It was not until 1949 that Strank’s remains were repatriated to the United States to a final resting place in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
While Lt. Col. Boyd “Buzz” Wagner and Sgt. Michael Strank achieved national headlines for their respective participation in the war effort, countless more Johnstowners did their part as well, and deserve recognition. Among them are Congressional Medal of Honor winners 1st Lt. John Tominac and 1st Lt. Edward Silk. Tominac received his medal for actions in eastern France on September 12, 1944 with the 3rd Infantry Division, charging headlong into enemy fire over open ground to seize a German machine gun position at a critical crossroads. Later, and again under withering enemy fire, he mounted a burning American tank while wounded and used its heavy machine gun to force an enemy retreat from prepared positions, which included the withdrawal of the self-propelled anti-tank gun. He jumped from the burning tank before its ammunition and fuel exploded, refusing evacuation for his wounds. He continued his advance into the town of Saulx de Vesoul, leading his squad in grenade attacks against 32 German soldiers, forcing their surrender.
Lt. Silk’s actions are just as noteworthy. During an attack with the 100th Infantry Division on Moyenmoutier in the east of France, Lt. Silk advanced 150 yards over open field, vaulting a low stone wall toward a farmhouse containing enemy machine-gun crews. After eliminating the first crew, Silk drew more machine-gun fire from a nearby shed. He subsequently rushed this nest and eliminated it as well. Upon his return to the farmhouse, Silk threw rocks and debris at the windows and doors. According to the write-up for his decoration, 12 German soldiers surrendered to Silk, overcome by his brave attack. His unit then proceeded into town and captured their main objective.
Locals that served outside of combat roles in WWII deserve honor as well, particularly those women serving as nurses in this case. Ruth Hindman served as a surgical nurse. She volunteered for overseas duty, which saw her serve in forward field hospitals in North Africa and the Mediterranean. During her service, she bore witness to the Allied battles at Monte Cassino, Anzio, Naples, and Salerno. During this time, Balch survived the sinking of two separate British hospital ships by German bombers. By the time she returned home in 1944, she attained the rank of Captain and received the Purple Heart for her wounds aboard the hospital ships, as well as the Bronze Star for her efforts in training surgical crews in the field in North Africa. She survived the war and lived peacefully. As the actions of Tominac, Silk, and Hindman illustrate, local citizens did their duty courageously and admirably, not because of a desire for fame or notoriety, but because it was their job to do.
On the home front, the interwar years saw further growth for the Johnstown area, both in population and wealth. In 1923, the steel plants, owned to that point by Midvale Steel & Ordnance, were purchased by the Bethlehem Steel Company and began integration into their operations. By mid-1941, production had already begun to shift back to a wartime footing. Lead-lease agreements between the U.S., Great Britain, and the U.S.S.R. caused sizable increases in demand for steel from American manufacturers, including the Bethlehem Steel Cambria plants. The raw material produced in the valley contributed to the construction of merchant freighters, artillery shells, bullets, armored vehicles, naval combat vessels, and aircraft. While unconfirmed, some sources indicate that the Bethlehem Steel Cambria plant produced the casings for the atomic bombs dropped on Japan to end the war. The local manufacturing plants were so valuable to the American war effort that military and civilian leadership locally and at the national level determined that Johnstown was a critical target for enemy bombing and sabotage. Disruptions to the material supply chain during the war years could have crippled Bethlehem Steel’s ability to provide supplies to the military. As a result, local industry received upgrades to defenses including watchtowers and other observation posts to warn against potential enemy aircraft bombardment.
Laid out in fields with enemy, barring our getting back,
Only two prayers to offer up – as faith I did not lack,
Lord, keep me safe, I’m just 18 and still a life to live,
Or, if ’tis end, please make it quick, I’ve nothing left to give
(from “As I Look Back” by Ken Hay)
