Dad's WW2 Halftrack crew names and etc...

Picture below is from winter training maneuvers prior to deployment after D-day invasion.

Pine Camp, NY

These are the things/people penned onto my Dad's war trophy Nazi flag. Note that the first column below is used for links into wikitree profiles where a high confidence identity has been located.

Mg Sqd 3d PLAT --- not sure this is very faint

1. Leo Fowler          – Lisbon Ohio                       * Leo Fowler

2. Gerald H. Petersen  – 1013 California Ave. Butte, Montana Gerald H Petersen *

3. Ralph D Olson       – Effie, Minnesota                  * Ralph Olson

4. Edward Swieca       – Groton, Mass.                     * Edward Swieca

1st Rifle Squad

1. Anthony J Ritch     – Penna.                              Anthony J Ritch

2. Scotty Schofield    – Syracuse, N.Y.

3. Pat Flaherty        – 257 E St. So. Boston, Mass.         Pat Flaherty

4. Robert E. Scharon   – 2928 Grantley Rd. Balto, MD.        Robert E. Scharon Sr.

5. Larry Steubing      – N.Y. **

6. Arthur Goquen       – Mass.

7. Charles Harrison    – W. Va.                              Charles Harrison ? ***

8. Glen Byrd           – Moiss Point, Miss. (Perhaps Moss Point?) ****

9. Vincent T. Stolarczyk

10. Grover Peffers     – Geneva, N.Y.                        Grover H. Peffers

11. Anthony J. Dispoto – Lodi, N.J.                          Anthony J. Dispoto Sr.

12. Cecil L. Bryant    – Fort Worth, Texas                   Cecil Lee Bryant

Co A. 41st Armd. Inf                                         ^

Machine Gun 5AD                                              |

                                                             \_ findagrave.com 

                                                                memorial links

* I am adding the ones in findagrave.com to wikitree.com

  with some notes/link to this page in hopes of contacting

  relatives of these heroes for my late dad.

** There are two Larry A. Steubing's that can be found here: Nationwide Gravesite Locator (NGL) part of the VA

Both of these gentlemen were born after WW2 ended, they may or may NOT be sons of this Mr. Steubing. Both seem to have served our country one in Vietnam the other apparently in the Persian Gulf and both are interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

*** In addition to this findagrave.com link above. I searched NGL and found 234 Charles Harrison's who have proudly served our country and are interred in national cemeteries! Many of those 234 served in the WW2 time frame. Apparently that particular name is second only to John Smith?

**** There is a Glen Elbert Byrd who served as a PFC in WW2 buried at the Florida National Cemetery. I don't have a way of confirming if this is him or not. There are three other Glen Byrd's in the NGL but none of them fit the Army WW2 specs.

Late in life, my dad wondered what became of all these men that rode in his halftrack after the war ended. I've now linked all that I could find on findagrave.com to this page and placed links (via virtual flowers on all their memorial pages) to this page in hopes of finding out more about them and their lives since the service in WW2. I also searched NGL (see additional asterisk denoted items above) for possible interments in national cemeteries (3/2/2024). Some of those links above are missing and some may be inaccurate but most seem to be pretty reliable. The others may still be living or just haven't been added to findagrave at this point (6/9/2020). The odds of any being still living is diminishing here now as I write this (3/2/2024).

Leave comments below if you know any information about any of the above individuals or even unit information that I may be unaware of.

 

Updates

23 Oct 2026 

Historical Status Updates (as generated by Gemini AI at date above):

 

 

**Leo Fowler (Lisbon, Ohio):** Verified. (1920–2002).

Served in the 3rd Platoon Machine Gun Squad. Interred at Lisbon Cemetery in Ohio.

 

**Scotty Schofield - No information.

 

**Ralph D. Olson (Effie, Minnesota):** Verified. 

Served as a TEC 5 in the Machine Gun Squad on Halftrack 14 under Cpl. Cagle. Passed away in 1993.

 

**Edward Swieca (Groton, Mass.):** Verified. (1922–1990).

Served in the 3rd Platoon Machine Gun Squad. Interred at Saint Marys Cemetery in Ayer, MA.

 

**Anthony J. Ritch - No information.

 

**Scotty Schofield (Syracuse, NY):** Active search continuous. Listed as a rifleman in the 1st Squad.

**Pat Flaherty (So. Boston, Mass.):** Verified.

Served as a Rifleman in the 1st Squad. Grew up at 257 E Street in South Boston.

 

**Robert E. Scharon (Baltimore, MD):** Verified. (1922–1993).

Served in the 1st Rifle Squad. Interred at Moravian Cemetery in Graceham, MD.

 

**Larry Steubing (N.Y.):** Verified. Full name Lawrence A. Steubing Sr. (1923–1998).

Served in the 1st Rifle Squad. Interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

 

**Arthur Goquen - No information.

 

**Charles Harrison - No information.

 

**Glen Byrd (Moss Point, MS):** Verified. Full name Glen Elbert Byrd (1925–1999).

Escaped an enemy encirclement at Haselhorst alongside Vincent Stolarczyk. Interred at Florida National Cemetery.

 

**Vincent Stolarczyk - No information (except above the above prior entry). 

 

**Grover Peffers (Geneva, NY):** Verified. (1926–2003).

Captured near Lindhof, Germany after enduring an all-night artillery pounding. Held as a POW.

 

**Anthony J. Dispoto (Lodi, NJ):** Verified. (1922–1999).

Served in the 1st Rifle Squad. Interred at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Saddle Brook, NJ.

 

**Cecil L. Bryant (Fort Worth, TX):** Verified. (1924–1989).

Served in the 1st Rifle Squad. Interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, TX.

 

Thanks to all these brave soldiers for saving the world from the tyranny of the axis powers.

If you liked this page you might also like this: Link to my father-in-law's tribute page