Company F NY National Guard, Pearl Street Armory, Pre-World War II: From 1937-39, the young boys of the small rural canal town of Medina, NY had no idea that the winds of war were gathering in Europe, the Pacific Rim and Asia. These American lads and their families were recovering from the Depression years of the early 1930s. One source of income or part time monies was to join the New York State National Guard earning them $1 per each day of military training. Another important reason was that to be “in the Guard” was to be part of a Fraternal Group. Within the walls of this magnificent sandstone fortress, besides military discipline, was basketball on the huge wooden drill floor, indoor baseball, boxing, wrestling and billiard parlors. The enlisted men had their own private recreation room with pool tables and card tables, separate from the NCOs and the commissioned officers quarters.

The members of Company F were of a competitive nature based on their ethnic heritage. You had a good mixture of Polish, Italian and Irish descendents of the immigrants that settled in Orleans County due to the construction of the Erie Canal. Excavating the canal exposed the huge sandstone deposits formed millions of years ago. This opened a new industry of quarrying the great building material, that the hardy stone masons carved and chiseled. The second generation were members of Sacred Heart, Saint Marys and the small rural school houses throughout the community. They met on neighborhood sandlots competing against each other in baseball and football. It was carried from the rural neighborhoods to high school & varsity level competition between Albion, Lyndonville, Middleport and regional communities. The quarries proved to be great swimming holes as was the canal. These same areas also made great fishing, trapping and hunting grounds along Oak Orchard River where young lads enjoyed their boyhood. 

Company F Serving in World War II:  On 14 October 1940, Company F received their federal orders to active military service. They marched with great fanfare from the Pearl Street Armory through the Village of Medina to the railroad station where they embarked on the train to Fort McClellan, Alabama. In Alabama, the ranks were filled with addional draftees from all over the US.

For the next year, these young men trained in infantry warfare. In early December 1941, Company F, along with the 108th Infantry were assigned to the Phillipine Islands. 7 December 1941 found them in California. Co. F and the 108th were directed to the Hawaiian Islands where they took up defensive positions guarding the Islands.

When Company F left Medina, among their ranks were 11 sets of brothers. During the early part of the war, 14 original members of the Company F were reassigned to leadership training, some officer candidate school (OCS) and others as non-commissioned officer (NCO) training. After their training, they were given new assignments around the world. Individuals went to North Africa, Sicily, Italy, South France, Normandy ( D-Day), Alaska, China-Burma, etc. The original Company F fought in the Pacific Islands (Guadal Canal, New Britain, Caledonia, Luzon and Leyte, Phillipine Islands.)

Casualties of Company F during World War II included:

• John E. Butts: KIA 1 week after D-Day; received Medal of Honor posthumously
• Howard F. Clark: KIA, Italy, received Silver Star
• Wesley H. Gray: KIA , Pacific Theater
• Edwin L. O’Brian: KIA, Pacific Theater
• Herbert C. Tanner: KIA , Pacific Theater

Died from medical reasons while in service to their country, WWII:

• Anthony C. Biernacki
• Anthony J. Castricone
• George F. Stalker

Prisoners of War (POW) of Company F captured at the fall of the Phillipine Islands (prior enlistment to WWII) and died in captivity:

• Corporal Leo Robert Shannon
• Corporal Francis W. Hickey
• Corporal Charles A. Peters
• Private First Class Edward T. Majeski

Decommissioning the Medina Armory, 1977: Company C of the 174th Armored Infantry trained during the 30 years (1947-1977) during the “Cold War”, decommissioning in 1977, thereby vacating the Pearl Street Armory due to consolidation efforts. (See the Journal entry “The Day the Flag Came Down” written by Lt. Col Richard Glass.)

Armory Action Committee: A group of concerned citizens, realizing the value of the vacant facility, rose to the occasion to brainstorm ideas for the future of this historical and massive structure. This group of approximately 30-40 dynamic volunteers was recognized as the Armory Action Committee. (This writer was an original member.) In 1979, they created an opportunity for a very successful program to occupy the facility…the Lake Plains YMCA.

The Medina Sandstone Society, 2004: Fast forward 30 years later and the call went out again. Some of the ‘Old Timers” were reactivated under the same leadership of Bob Waters & Charles Slack. Our new title as the Medina Sandstone Society (MSS) took on the mission to save the building from the ravages of 110 years of Western NY weather which had taken it’s toll. An engineering report revealed that this magnificant sandstone structure is in dire need of mortar repointing, roof repairs, window reconstruction, plastering the interior and painting. Furthermore, the gutter system and roof drainage system requires attention.

Furthermore, the Medina Sandstone Society’s mission is to set up a trust fund for the legacy of the Village of Medina.

Company F Memorial Committee, 2007: During many meetings, the history of the 4 military units of Company F was discussed and questions raised as to why there is no monument honoring our local “Pearl Street Armory” servicemen’s service to the US. Therefore, the Company F Monument Committee was formed between the MSS and Orleans County Joint Veterans Council, whose purpose is to bring a memorial to fruition and to honor our soldiers, from the battle fields of the Spanish American War (1898), Mexican American Border Incursion (1916), World War I (1917) and World War II (Company F time of service, Oct. 1940 to 1946).

Company F Committee Members include: 

• Chairman Bill Menz: member of Company C prior to 2 years active duty, Sergeant 1st Class; retired journeyman/plasterer & member of the Armory Action Committee and Medina Sandstone Society.
• Jim Freas: Marine Corp Vietnam Veteran and current Commander of Orleans County Joint Veterans Council, Commander of Butts-Clark American Legion and Lincoln Post VFW.
• Donald Bensley: WWII Navy Veteran, returning to Company C 174^th Infantry as Maintenance Supervisor and 1^st Sergeant of Company C, then rose to Command Sergeant Major and Supervisor of Armories in Buffalo, NY.
• Lt Col Richard Glass: Final Company C Commander of the detachment that closed out the Medina Armory; retired History Teacher
• Joe Franklin: Vietnam Veteran as Chief Warrant Officer 2; forced landed his helicopter behind enemy lines in Laos. Son of Joe Franklin, Sergeant-WWII and grandson of Willas Brietsman, 1st Sergeant-WWI & WWII
• Carl Petronio: member of Company C during Cold War; General Contractor and Developer
• Ronald Winans: Master Sergeant Company C 174^th Infantry
• Kathy Fox: daughter of Company F Private Robert J. Raymondjack
• Cathy Iorio: daughter of Company F Private Alfred “Butch” Whittleton
• Anne McElwee: daughter of Company F Corporal Donald J. McElwee
• Charles Slack: member of Medina Sandstone Society, Armory Action Committee and consultant
• Lynne Menz: Graphic Designer and Communications Specialist

Company F Rosters for Spanish-American War, Mexican-American Incursion & WWI: A roster of Company F World War I has been on display on the “honor wall” of the Butts-Clark American Legion Post for several years. Through the cooperation of Craig Lacy, Medina Historical Society, rosters from the Spanish American War and Mexican American Incursion were located in the historical archives. It was decided by the Company F Memorial Committee to reproduce these three jewels of local history and place them in places of importance and honor. With the initial financial support from Lincoln Post, Butts-Clark & the Sons of the American Legion Post 204, we were able to reproduce the existing framed rosters and present them to the Lee-Whedon Library, Medina High School History Dept., Pearl Street Armory (YMCA), the Butts-Cark American Legion Post 204, Lincoln Post VFW, Tanner-Houseman American Legion Post in Lyndonville, Sheret Post in Albion and Orleans County Joint Veterans Council where they are on permanent display. The Company F Memorial Committee’s goal is to place each roster in all Orleans County school districts.

Company F World War II Roster: Investigations revealed that a Company F roster for WWII was never created. The committee searched local archives and newspaper clippings for historical data. We learned, however, that as a young girl during WWII, Rita Fox kept a scrapbook with newspaper clippings from the Medina Journal Register. From that treasure and discussions from surviving veterans, the Committee created the WWII roster. Each roster can be downloaded and viewed on this website’s Company F page.

Roster Data: The data showed that over 500 members of Company F from Orleans, Niagara and Genesee Counties trained in the Pearl Street Armory (Medina) prior to serving in the four conflicts:

• 108 men listed on the 1898 Spanish American War,
• 109 in 1916 Mexican-American Incursion,
• 156 served in World War I,
• 141 men enlisted when Company F was federalized to active duty in October 1940 (1 year 2 months before 7 Dec 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor), WWII.

We are also realizing that several more men joined their ranks on the battlefields during WWII. Their names will be placed on the Medina Armory website, www.medinaarmory.com as they become available. The data is subject to change based on ongoing research.

The Company F Monument–to honor our native sons, 2008:  Efforts are underway to create and install the Company F monument in 2008 on the grounds of the Pearl Street Armory, Medina, NY (YMCA). The monument is approximately 6’ tall finished, and features a 5-sided Medina Sandstone column, base and cap. The base is a 2-tiered step, with each face engraved with one of the following: Duty – Honor – Courage – Valor – Virtue. The 4 rosters will be engraved in metal placques and mounted on four of the column faces. The fifth face’s placque will honor Company C Cold War and post-Cold War era servicemen who also trained at the Pearl Street Armory (Medina).

The cost of this monument and memorial efforts is on the magnitude of $25,000-$35,000. A grant through Senator George Maziarz was received for $15,000 which will cover the cost of the sandstone structure. Contributions are being sought to finance the cost of the placques and landscaping. The monument is being designed to be able to accommodate a statue (bronze or granite) of a soldier mounted on the capstone. The cost of this will also require substantial funding and will be pursued when funds become available. Contributions are being accepted at Medina Savings & Loan. Pledge cards can be obtained at Medina S&L (among other locations) or downloaded from our website, www.medinaarmory.com.  Please make checks payable to:

Company F Memorial Fund
c/o Medina Savings & Loan
11182 Maple Ridge Rd.
Medina, NY 14103

We thank you for your support in this very important historical memorial and landmark. Please visit the Company F Memorial page for more information and to view a list of service providers who are making this possible.

Bill Menz, Company F Memorial Chairman
info@medinaarmory.com