Local Heroes Remembered at Poplar Bluff Museum
The stories of bravery from Poplar Bluff veterans during World War II are highlighted at the Kanell Hall Veterans Museum and the Hall of Heroes. Ted Schalk, a torpedoman on the USS Little, survived a harrowing attack by 30 kamikaze aircraft, during which four planes struck his ship in a devastating 10 minutes. Miraculously, after being thrown overboard and severely injured, he managed to survive as the Little sank, taking 30 comrades with it.
Bill Hicks, serving on the USS Wasp, faced a tragic fate when a Japanese bomb struck the aircraft carrier’s flight deck, claiming the lives of 200 men, including Hicks. Fred Carr, with the Army’s 77th Infantry Division, found himself in dire circumstances on Hacksaw Ridge. Wounded and left behind during a fierce counterattack, Carr was saved by his courageous friend Desmond Doss, who managed to rescue him and 75 other wounded soldiers. Doss’s heroic actions earned him the Medal of Honor and inspired the 2016 film "Hacksaw Ridge."
As the war drew to a close, Vernon Barwick sailed to Japan from the Philippines, witnessing the surrender of Japanese forces in Tokyo Bay. The invasion plans, which once loomed large, became obsolete following the atomic bomb drop on August 6, 1945.
These stories and many others are preserved at local museums, honoring the legacy of Poplar Bluff’s contributions to the war effort. The Kanell Hall Veterans Museum is free to visit and accessible to all, operating Sundays from 1 PM to 4 PM at 1010 N. Main St. The museum urges families to come forward with additional stories to ensure all local heroes are recognized and celebrated.
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