I am proud of my military ancestors from the American Revolution up to the present. I’ve never served in the military myself, and I wasn’t ever the right age to have to sign up for the draft. My brother, Fred Gohr, had to sign up for the draft, but he never was called in. He died at age 20.

When I lived in Wichita Falls, Texas, during the late 1970s, I became good friends with a lot of the airmen who attended my church, Northwest Christian Center (Assemblies of God). I used to attend and participate in worship services in one of the chapels on base. I even considered becoming an air force chaplain because it is a good place of ministry to those who are called. But this was not the plan that God had for my life.

Personally, I think I would have to label myself as a conscientious objector. Yet I see great merit in defending the freedoms of America and of other nations. I just know that God loves every person and I do too (even my enemies). And I can’t see hurting someone because of a war situation or killing someone. Everyone needs as many opportunities as possible to accept Christ, even if they are deranged and evil. God does save those types of people also. That is basically why I am a conscientious objector. If it came down to defending my own immediate family, that might be a different thing. But even then, I’d have a struggle to know what to do, because of my love for others.

I only have one ancestor who served in World War II. Of course that is my father, Lawrence Robert Gohr, who was born in 1918.

Since he checked with the draft office each week, he knew that soon he would be drafted. He chose to enlist rather than be drafted, and served as an aircraft mechanic in the Army Air Force during World War II. He later worked 30 years as a civilian for the Air Force, spending much of that time teaching the Titan II missile course at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, where I grew up.

I wish I knew more about the actual dates that he served and places he was stationed, etc. During the summer of 1999 I interviewed my dad on cassette tape, and he told about some of his war experiences. Also recently (Spring of 2000) he sent me a handwritten autobiography of his life in which he tells more incidents related to his service during World War II. I am currently typing this up into a more readable version and doing some editing at the same time. Some photographs will likely be added to help this be a better resource to future generations.

My dad has a photograph album with many pictures from when he was in the service. I believe he spent most of his 3 years of service stationed in England. He became acquainted with two sisters, Marie and Charlotte Lawton. In fact, I believe he asked one of them (Charlotte) to marry him, but she declined because England was her homeland, and my dad was committed to living in the United States. It was always a treat to receive a Christmas card from England each year from the two Lawton sisters. Charlotte never married. She passed away in about 1995 as I remember. Of my aunts and uncles, there are a few more who served in World War II. My dad’s brother, Alvin, who was just younger than him, served in World War II. He was a star athlete and track runner at Monte Vista High School Reportedly one of his records (speed in track) was faster than anyone else in the state. We never heard if that record was ever beaten. Uncle Alvin was killed in the Battle of the Bulge at Liege, Belgium. My dad went there just after his death & took a picture of the white wooden cross which was placed at his grave along with hundreds of others. Later the body was reinterred at Monte Vista, Colorado. My Uncle Robert Gohr, who was 10 years younger than my dad, also served in the military, but he might have served in the Korean conflict instead. He passed away in November 1998.

On my mother’s side, my Uncle William Earl “Bill” Harris, Jr. was in World War II. He served a good portion of his time in New Guinea and the Philippines, helping to neutralize enemy communications at an island near Leyte, just 3 days before General MacArthur’s main landing. At the end of the war he was stationed at San Francisco. While in the Philippines he met Aunt Norma and her family and became good friends with them. When Aunt Norma’s family had to flee through the mountains, they ended up becoming refugees on an island in the San Francisco Bay. By chance one day Uncle Bill ran into Norma and her family in the San Francisco Bay area and their friendship soon developed into a love story. They were married just after the War. My Uncle J. D. Harris also was in the military and must have served in World War II and met his wife, Frances, while he was in service.

As to the in-laws, my Uncle Ed Faulkner was in World War II and was one of the guards who watched the German soldiers who were in a POW camp at Monte Vista, Colorado. That is how he met my Aunt Lucile Gohr. They were married a couple years after the War & lived for many years in Monte Vista, Colorado. Uncle Ernest Hansen also served in World War II and among other things, landed at Normandy during the D-Day invasion. He married my Aunt Dora Gohr. Uncle Art Wacker who married my Aunt Florence Gohr was in the military and also could have served in World War II.

On my mother’s side, I’m sure my Uncle Travis Barber served in the military. He married my Aunt Ruby Jean Harris and belonged to the VFW. I feel confident that he also served in World War II. Uncle Tunney Waterman who married my Aunt Betty Lou Harris probably also served in World War II.

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Last updated March 8, 2008.