Wilkes County Veterans History Project: Osborne Family Soldiers

Fred Osborne was born on February 26, 1936, to Arlie Graydon Osborne and Lillie Eulalah Eller.  He had seven brothers and five sisters.  His father and four of his brothers: Ed, John, Arlie Jerome, and James Dayton were all in the military.  Fred married and had several kids.

When Fred was 17 years old, he enlisted in the Army. He became a Specialist 3 and fought in the Korean War.  He was discharged on September 28, 1957.

After returning home he lived to be 73 years old.  He passed away on July 28, 2009, and was buried at the Osborne Family Cemetery at Union United Methodist Church in Wilkesboro, NC.

Fred (on left) with Army buddy

Best Platoon Award

Charlie Roosevelt Osborne was born on October 22, 1900, to Thomas Mattney Osborne and Charity ‘Betty” Gambill. He had five brothers and four sisters. Charlie and three of his brothers, Arlie, Bartie, and Garfield were all in the military.  Charlie married Dovie Minton in 1930, and they had some children.

Charlie R.  Osborne enlisted in the Army on September 11, 1942.  He was a private and served in World War II.  He was discharged on February 25, 1943.

After he returned home, he lived to be 70 years old.  He passed away on December 13, 1970, and was buried in the Osborne Family Cemetery at Union United Methodist Church in Wilkesboro, NC.

John G. Osborne was born on June 22, 1910, to Thomas Mattney Osborne and Charity Elizabeth "Betty" Gambill. He had five brothers and four sisters, three of whom, Charlie, Arlie, and Bartie, served in the military. John married Nevada Ellen Williams.

John Garfield Osborne enlisted in the Army on March 22, 1941, at Fort Bragg, NC. He served as a Private in World War II and was discharged on December 13, 1945.

Upon returning home, he lived to be 67 years old and passed away on December 7, 1977. He was buried in the Osborne Family Cemetery at Union United Methodist Church in Wilkesboro, NC.

John Woodrow Osborne was born on August 7, 1947, to Bartie Osborne and Ella Mae Bowlin.  He had one brother.  He came from a family of many military servicemen.  His father served in the Army along with some of his uncles.

John W. Osborne enlisted in the Army.  He was a Staff Sergeant in the Bravo Battery, 3^rd Battalion, 18^th Artillery Regiment, 1st Field Force, USARV.   He served in the Vietnam War in South Vietnam.  John died of multiple fragmentation wounds from a mine and later his body was recovered.  He served our country for one year.  He is on the Panel 2W, line 086 of the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC.  John was awarded five medals for his Service.  He was awarded the Bronze Star medal, the Purple Heart medal for his combat-related wounds, the Vietnam service medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.

John lived a short life, but he lived it serving his country and for his freedom.  John was 21 years old when he was killed in the Vietnam War.  He passed away on April 30, 1969and was buried in the Osborn Family Cemetery at Union Methodist Church in Wilkesboro, NC.

"Chubby," whose real name was Arlie, was born on March 25, 1918, to Arlie Graydon Osborne and Lillie Eulalah Eller. He had seven brothers and five sisters. On April 2, 1961, he married Hazel Marie Burcham, and they had two sons.

Arlie Jerome Floyd Osborne enlisted in the Army on March 22, 1941, at the age of 22. He held the rank of Private First Class during World War II and was discharged on October 4, 1945, due to neuritis. Arlie lived to be 76 years old and was buried in Scenic Memorial Gardens in Wilkesboro, NC on July 7, 1994.

Arlie Jerome Floyd "Chubby" Osborne

Bartie Osborne was born on March 4, 1915, to Thomas Mattney Osborne and Charity Elizabeth “Betty” Gambill.  Bartie had five brothers and four sisters. Three of his brothers, Arlie, Charlie, and Garfield, were all in the military. Bartie Osborne married Ella Mae Bowlin on January 6, 1946, and they had two sons.

Bartie Osborne was 26 years old when he enlisted in the Army on March 22, 1941, in Fort Bragg, NC. He was a private while he was serving in WWII. He was discharged on December 13, 1945.  Both Bartie and his brother John Garfield enlisted the same day to go to war in World War II.

Bartie lived to be 80 years old. He passed away on August 3, 1995, and was buried in the Osborne Family Cemetery at Union United Methodist Church in Wilkesboro, NC.

James Dayton Osborne was born on September 24, 1922, to Arlie Graydon Osborne and Lillie Eulalah Eller. He had seven brothers and five sisters. Four of his brothers, Arlie, John, Ed, and Fred, as well as his father, Arlie Graydon, all served in the military.

James Dayton Osborne enlisted in the Army on March 22, 1941, at the age of 18, in Fort Bragg, NC. He served as a Private during World War II and was discharged on October 19, 1945.

After returning home, James Dayton Osborne lived a long life, passing away at the age of 70 on October 4, 1992. He was buried in the Osborne Family Cemetery at Union United Methodist Church.

James mentioned at the bottom of this ship's roll.