Irvin Lester “Les” Confer, Jr., of Milesburg, has been reflecting back on and reminiscing about the veterans in his own family. Although none lost their lives during their service times, Les just feels he should be doing something to honor his father and his brothers who served. And when you have a loved one in the military, especially on deployments, the whole family usually unites to support the soldiers and others in the family.

Les’s father, Irvin Lester Confer, was born in 1896 and lived with his parents in the (Little) Marsh Creek area of rural Howard. With only an eighth grade education under his belt, Irvin registered for the draft in 1917 and served in the Army during WWI. He was stationed in New Jersey in the Calvary, eventually being promoted to the rank of Corporal on April 15, 1919. Later that same year, on July 22, he was honorably discharged.

Stories the elder Confer would tell his young sons included how we would ride his Calvary mount in parades and had trained the horse to stand on its hind legs and rear up to salute the captains and military dignitaries.

After his discharge, Irvin (Sr.) returned to Marsh Creek with plans to become a farmer. He worked a few years in the coal mines at Kato and saved $2,000 to buy the farm property next to his parent’s home and within eyesight of the Pleasant Valley United Methodist Church.

PHOTO PROVIDED The Confer family is pictured in a family portrait. They are, backrow from left, Ray, Ralph, Robert, Kelsey and Paul Front row, Helen, Kathryn holding their youngest son Donald, Irvin holding Samuel, and Irvin Lester Confer, Jr. (standing)

Confer married Kathryn Leathers and soon children joined their home.

Les was just 10 years old when his older brothers were called to serve during WWII. Not quite old enough to realize the reasons for the war, Les was old enough to pick up from his parents the seriousness of his brothers having gone.

Now at age 90 with a memory as sharp as a tack, Les Confer has provided most of the details for this article with some assistance provided to the writer by Todd Warner, Director of Veterans Affairs in Clinton County.

Beginning with the oldest of his brothers, Les Confer provided a brief recollection of their military experience.

“They even took Bob and he was on crutches when he went to take his test up at Altoona,” said Confer.

Robert “Bob” Confer was born June 24, 1920. He was working for the railroad “humpin’ trains” when the train cars smashed together too hard and he broke his heel.

“When the draft board set your appointment time, you went. I remember dad telling us that he was sure they wouldn’t take Bob that day, with his heel hurt and being on crutches, but they sent him straight in… without us giving him our goodbyes,” Les recalls.

Bob entered basic training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi on May 16, 1942, and wound up in Italy. Bob would earn the Corporal rank and a Bronze Star before being honorably discharged on June 7, 1945.

“Bob foot soldiered all through Italy and came out in Austria. He told us that the most discouraging and disheartening thing he ever saw was when they were traveling with the mules through the rugged terrain of Italy,” Les said. “Bob and his healthy comrades were going up the trail with supplies and other mules were coming the opposite direction carrying dead bodies.”

Kelsey Confer was born March 12, 1922, and entered basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey.

He arrived at the Battle of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska on July 29, 1943, and was wounded very shortly after by the Japanese. His left shoulder was out of joint making his arm weak and nearly useless during combat exercises.

“A medic came along and helped him to cover during the battle by placing him in a house foundation and promised he’d be back for him. The medic did return, and Kelsey was soon honorably discharged,” said Les.

Kelsey returned home with the rank of Private First Class and a Purple Heart.

“He wanted to go to work at Titan but they wouldn’t take him because of his arm, but it was their loss because Kelsey got a job at Penn State and worked there until his retirement years later. Kelsey suffered a heart attack while hunting and died on Dec. 19, 1983,” said Les.

Paul Confer was born March 26, 1924, and entered active service duty on Oct. 21, 1943.

“Paul was in the Navy and was with a convoy of ships taking supplies into Russia. He later would transfer to the SeaBees.

Paul was a Petty Officer 3rd Class and was honorably discharged March 24, 1946. He returned home and eventually started a trucking company in Howard. He and his wife, Vivian, had three sons,” Les said.

Ralph Confer was born Oct. 31, 1925 and quit Howard High School during his junior year for the Army. He went on a train troop to Fort Dix in New Jersey for basic training.

“Ralph went to the west coast to ship out to the South Pacific and they went under the Golden Gate Bridge. He told me he watched that bridge for as long as he could see it. Ralph said he prayed to see it again on his way coming back home,” recalled Les.

Ralph ended up on Hiroshima Island about two weeks after the atomic bomb was dropped, but he didn’t suffer from any health complications from the atomic bomb’s after effects.

“Ralph earned the rank of Private First Class and after serving 33 months was honorably discharged on April 20, 1946. He wasn’t even 21 years old yet, and couldn’t even legally buy a beer to celebrate his discharge,” recalled Les.

Ray Confer was born Nov. 27, 1926 and entered active duty on Feb. 6, 1945, serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the legendary aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Ray earned the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class and was honorably discharged on July 13, 1946.

The Enterprise was the most storied and highly decorated US aircraft carrier in all of WWII responsible for the Japanese defeat. The carrier sustained significant damage later in the war from Japanese kamikaze attacks and was diverted away from Japan and headed home. The Enterprise was sailing slowly off the Pacific coast of Washington state when the war in the Pacific formally ended, arriving days later in the bay of Puget Sound, Washington.

“Ray once told me that he and a Navy buddy wanted to go swimming but they weren’t to get off the carrier, but they did sneak off for a quick swim without anyone knowing. When it came time for them to crawl back up the ladder, the buddy wasn’t tall enough to grab hold of the lowest rung to pull himself up onto the ladder, so Ray, being nearly six feet tall, got up on the ladder first and his buddy grabbed hold of his leg and Ray maneuvered up the ladder until the buddy could successfully grab on to the ladder,” recalled Les.

“Les and I are the only ones left now,” said Donald Confer, who was visiting last week with his brother and sister-in-law in their Milesburg home near Bald Eagle Area High School.

“We had a sister, Helen, who was born April 20, 1928. Helen was a big help to mother and under mother’s guidance she learned everything she’d need to know for keeping her own house and taking care of a husband (Jay Shawley) and their children,” said Don, as he and Les sat looking at old family photographs and the Bronze State and Purple Heart medals of their older brothers.

“Sam and I weren’t in the service like the rest of our older brothers. Samuel lived and worked in the Niagara Falls area of New York before he passed away,” said Donald, the youngest of the Confer clan.

Don chose teaching as his profession, having been a chemistry teacher at Lock Haven High School before his retirement. Don and his wife Carol live near Lamar.

Irvin Lester Confer, Jr. was born Oct. 16, 1933. He recalled riding Floyd Woomer’s bus to Howard High, but then talk came of the school jointure, and he was bused into Bellefonte High School, graduating in 1950.

Les entered the Army on Nov. 5, 1953, leaving Bellefonte on the last large bus troop headed for basic training at Fort Pickett in Virginia during the Korean conflict.

“I remember Lucinda Hall, an older lady who lived in Unionville, giving all of us little Bibles before we got on the bus to leave,” recalled Confer.

Private First Class Irvin Lester Confer, Jr. was honorably discharged on Nov. 4, 1955 and returned to employment at Standard Lime and Cement Co. Les and Mary (Rogers) Confer were married on June 23, 1956.

Les has been involved with owning trucking and mining operations, Con-Coal, Con-Lime and Con-Stone in the Centre County area.

Les grew up living next to the Pleasant Valley Church and every time the church doors were open for a service or a Brotherhood activity they were there. Les and Don’s mother Kathryn was the organist/pianist at the church for more than 60 years. Les still attends church services there with his family. Les and Mary have three children, Jeff, Judy and Joan.

Les was only 10 years old when the family portrait was taken right before Thanksgiving in 1943.

“Two were home on leave and I remember mother was pressuring our father to have a family portrait taken. I think she was afraid that it would be the last time we’d all be together. Most of our family had fairly new clothes and the boys wore their uniforms, but there I am standing in a suit that I borrowed from my oldest and best friend, Buzz McCartney,” said Les with a chuckle and a grin.

Both Les and Don remember the countless times they heard their mother praying earnestly for all of her children, “but those days and years when five of her sons were off in different directions and in harm’s way, she drew strength from knowing the Lord,” recalled Les.

Not only did she pray regularly, but every Wednesday evening and every Sunday evening Kathryn would retreat to a back room in their house to be alone for one hour or so to write to her sons who had been deployed. Using sheets of carbon paper, Kathryn would write to three boys and then she would write to the remaining two sons, sending news of what was happening at home, in the community, and passing on any news that she’d received from the others letting them know that everyone was still safe. At the bottom of each note she’d do a P.S. and say something special just for that one son.

“We were given strict orders to behave and allow mother to write those letters on those evenings, and we knew it was important to her, so we weren’t too bad,” said Les with a smile.

“I’d like to see and read some of those letters today, but none of our brothers kept the letters to bring back home,” said Don.

Looking back on their family’s military service, Les and Don Confer have much to be proud of this Memorial Day.