John Benjamin Folsom, Jr.
"Gold Stars Went Up All Over Town…:"
The Cost of War |
John B. Folsom, Jr. | John Benjamin "Bennie" Folsom, Jr. was born in Sumter on December 25, 1921. A gifted artist and engraver in his father's jewelry store, Folsom attended Clemson University where he studied to be an engineer. He volunteered for the Army Air Corps in July of 1942, and trained to be a pilot in California and Arizona. Upon graduation in November of 1943, the Army Air Corps sent Folsom to England to fly bombers in the European Theatre. On August 6, 1944, on his 20th mission, enemy fire hit Folsom's plane over Germany. Although Folsom was able to get the plane back to friendly territory so that the crew could parachute to safety, he was unable to do the same. The United States Army returned 2nd Lt. Folsom's effects to his family. Bennie Folsom was just 22 years old. |
In December of 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Germany declared war on the United States, and the American people found themselves fighting a global war. As thousands of men and women enlisted in our nation's Armed Forces, service flags went up in windows all across the county. Every home with a family member in the military hung a flag with a blue star representing the service man or woman.
As the war progressed, and hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women lost their lives, telegrams would go out to families with the sad news of a loved one's death. Then, the blue star would come out of the window and the family would hang one of gold to tell everyone of the family's loss. Between 1941 and 1945, more than 16,353,650 Americans served in the armed forces; 292,131 never came home. |
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The military returned Folsom's belongings to his family in his trunk.
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Blue Star
Loan courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey W. Tiller, Jr.
Trunk and items belonging to J. B. Folsom, Jr.
Loan courtesy of Mrs. Hon Keith
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