Local woman researches her father's military service; says it made her appreciate him more

• Maryjane Mitchell has been doing genealogy work on her family for about 15 years. This includes uncovering the military history of her father, William "Jake" Dobson.
• Dobson was a technician fifth grade in the U.S. Army during World War II and served with the 479th Amphibious Truck Company during the invasion of Normandy.
• Mitchell recently purchased a military banner to honor her dad, which is hanging this Memorial Day weekend in Warsaw along with others across Coshocton County.

COSHOCTON − Maryjane Mitchell said her father never spoke about his service during World War II. However, curiosity and an interest in genealogy has led her to piece together some of it, although questions remain.

Mitchell recently purchased a veterans banner to honor her dad, William Carl Dobson, who most people knew as Jake. It will be displayed on a post in Warsaw this Memorial Day weekend along with about 40 others, with more across Coshocton County. The family is from the unincorporated village of West Bedford, outside of Warsaw. Mitchell cried when she saw the banner.

"Military people don't get the appreciation nowadays they should. I always think back to Dad and he fought at Normandy. He fought for my freedom, for everybody's freedom and didn't think twice about doing it,'" she said.

Mitchell, 73, said they lost her father's uniform and medals in a house fire when she was 5. However, she still has some photos, including Dobson with his regiment and with his brother, who also served. Dobson died in 2002.

The family has a long military history as Mitchell's great-great-great-grandfather, Peter Dillon Sr., served in the Revolutionary War and great-grandfather Thomas Dobson was in the Civil War. Her brother was also in Vietnam and and a nephew was in the U.S. Navy.

"When I was a kid, I didn't think about it. Then I started having kids of my own and I was busy with them and didn't think anything about the military and what they went through," Mitchell said on her current family history interest.

Mitchell is a member of the Coshocton Genealogy Society and used resources at the Coshocton County District Library for genealogy research to uncover the family history. This includes an article from the July 8, 1985, edition of the Coshocton Tribune detailing a reunion of the 479th Amphibious Truck Company her parents hosted at their home on County Road 3.

Dobson had the rank of technician fifth grade in the U.S. Army and was a driver for the DUKW, commonly known as a duck, an amphibious truck used to transport equipment and men from boats to shore. The 479th was part of the invasion of Normandy. They carried weapons, ammunitions and supplies and would take wounded back to the boats.

Mitchell said she's unsure if her father transported people or supplies during Normandy or if he engaged in any fighting.

"World War II was not a pretty sight. Dad never talked about it. He would never talk to (his children) about it. After I've done some research and seen some research, now I now why," she said. "My grandson was the first great-grandchild for my mom and dad. Dad loved Eric and Eric loved Dad, because I was raising him. Eric, when he got older, said 'Grandpa tell me about World War II,' because he was interested in that. My dad said, 'Honey, you don't want to know.' That's all I ever heard my dad say."

Mitchell wants to leave the information and photos she's collected to her grandson and hopes he'll keep the legacy alive. Through her work with the genealogy society, Mitchell has helped others uncover their ancestry as well. She's been doing family research for about 15 years.

"I have to find out things. I really wanted to know and I want to tell my grandson, who was so interested in Dad, I want him to know," Mitchell said of what's driving her work. "It made me appreciate my dad more to do this research."

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @llhayhurst.