WELLSBURG – In recognition of his brave service in the Vietnam War, Wellsburg native George Franklin Richards was buried at Arlington National Cemetery last week, and for his sister, Rose Marie, it was a chance not only to honor him but four other brothers who served a combined 100 years in the military that included three wars.

Rose Marie said while military honors were presented for George, an Air Force mechanic who fought the Viet Cong in the Tet Offensive, she remembered also her three deceased brothers – William, who served in World War II and Korea; James, who also served in World War II; and Robert, who served in Korea and Vietnam.

She noted another brother, Thomas, now living in Myrtle Beach, S.C., also served in Vietnam.

Like Rose Marie, a sixth brother, Paul, also of Wellsburg, is very proud of his siblings.

“My brothers were all heroes. They didn’t all go to Arlington, but they were all heroes to me,” he said.

Rose Marie said burial at Arlington was among George’s final wishes after being diagnosed with cancer, a condition she believes was caused by exposure to Agent Orange.

Located on 624 acres in Virginia across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., the cemetery is the nation’s second largest military cemetery, containing the remains of more than 400,000 active duty service members, veterans and their family members. But limited space has led to some restrictions on those who are buried there.

Rose Marie said George’s family is pleased that following his death on Nov. 2 at the age of 76, his final wishes could be accommodated.

She and Paul were among about 20 family members who attended services for George at Arlington on March 4.

George served in the Air Force from 1955 to 1978. A jet mechanic, he rose to chief master sergeant, the highest rank possible for an enlisted member, early in his career.

Rose Marie said George served multiple tours of duty in Vietnam and in a battle at a Saigon airfield fired upon North Vietnamese forces launched as part of the enemy’s Tet Offensive.

“He was out there trying to protect planes as they were loading and unloading,” she said, adding for his actions, George received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service.

Following retirement from the Air Force, George worked as a salesman for two auto dealers in Athens County, Ohio, where he lived with his wife and four children. An avid golfer, he also enjoyed kayaking.

Rose Marie recalled that George once kayaked along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Parkersburg, a trip he made alone.

“I said, ‘George, what did you do at night?’ He said, ‘I’d just pull over (to the banks) and camp out,'” she said.

Following his retirement from the private sector, he bought his grandparents’ 82-acre farm in Torch, Ohio, and built a home there for him and his wife, Rose Marie said.

She said after being diagnosed with cancer and given months to live, George asked his family to have his uniform cleaned so he could be buried in it, but he didn’t let his condition dim his spirit.

Rose Marie said the last time she saw him, he was sitting on a riding mower and cutting grass on his farm, though he was very ill.

She said she would like to see all of her brothers honored locally for their military service.

The broad range of ages between them is explained by her family’s history.

William and James were born to Jesse Richards, a coal miner from Russellville, Ark., and his first wife, Nellie.

After Nellie died, possibly from the Spanish flu, Jesse married Kathleen Watson, a woman 25 years younger than he, in Clarksburg, W.Va., and moved to Wellsburg, where the two had six children: Robert, George, Thomas, Paul, Rose Marie and a late sister, Mary.

William went on to serve 30 years in the Navy, attaining the rank of chief petty officer, and was on a supply ship at sea when Pearl Harbor was attacked, said Paul, who added his brother also served in the Battle of Coral Sea.

Like William, James enlisted in the Navy before the attack on Pearl Harbor. He attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., but his naval career was shortened after 10 years by medical problems, Rose Marie said.

Robert served in the Army for more than 20 years, with tours of duty in Korea and Vietnam. A helicopter pilot who attained the rank of major, he was highly decorated for his service and presented the Vietnamese Medal of Honor, among other honors, said Paul.

Thomas also served in Vietnam as part of a 20-year career in the Marines and worked with computers and at the Pentagon before his retirement, said Rose Marie.

Rose Marie said her father didn’t enter the military himself, as he was too young to serve in the Spanish-American War and too old to serve in World War I.

Paul said he believes his oldest brothers’ service during World War II inspired the others to join the military. He said he would have enlisted, too, but the government wouldn’t permit it because Robert, George and Thomas were in Vietnam at the time.

Rose Marie said the military provided to her brothers opportunities they might not have had otherwise.

“We were a poor coal miner’s family. There was no money for them to go to college, but they got their educations in the service,” she said.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)