Iwo Jima — All Stories — More Than A Headstone

Between Canteens and Courage

On December 21, 1922, John Gifford Adamson was born in Englewood, Colorado. He was the son of Gifford Fred Adamson and Gertrude Minor. He lived his early childhood in Englewood, surrounded by his younger sister and parents during the Great Depression. By the time John was finishing high school, the United States was deeply entrenched in the Second World War. In 1942, John attended Otero Junior College and had just finished his football season when he received a draft notice.

Youth and WarJulianna BeckertOctober 17, 2025Iwo Jima, Injured, Paratrooper

A Commitment to Family

Robert Leon Moore served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. It is not his service that his family remembers him for most however, but his commitment to his family and his strong work ethic after the war. His love of the outdoors, and his time spent fishing and camping in Colorado with his family were the times most meaningful to his life.

Lifetime of ServiceEsteban GomezFebruary 25, 2020USS Salt Lake City, Iwo Jima, Battle of Okinawa, Titan Missile System, Martin Marietta, Clay County West Virginia