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  • PHOTO BY DANNY SNYDER

    Jim Martin and Frank Urso
November 9, 2009

Drafted together

Martin, Urso recall years spent in service

By John Veasey

FAIRMONT — Usually when people enter military service, others don’t think of them being with two or three of their friends for much of the time overseas.

But that’s what happened to several Marion County young men back in the early 1940s. Jim Martin, Frank Urso and Felix (Mutt) Monell were each in the same class of draftees. They left Fairmont together ... and even more important, Martin and Urso returned to Fairmont together when their duty was over.

By the time they arrived overseas, the war in Europe was over and the war in Japan was dying down.

Martin and Urso talked about what their tour of duty was like with the Times West Virginian. Monell, older than his two friends at 91, was under the weather and was unable to appear.



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