Time Capsule
On the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, the Eagle published a tribute to John Pinder Jr. a 1931 Butler High School graduate. On June 6, 1944, Pinder's primary mission riding the first waves onto Omaha Beach involved a radio.
When the small craft of 50 men hit the beach, the ramp dropped and was hit with machine gun artillery. Pinder, 32, was struck on the face with a piece of shell. He made his way to shore and found his radio was damaged. Painfully, he scrambled the coast to find parts. Within seconds of fixing his radio — thus enabling the much-need communication between the bombarded beach and the boats off shore — Pinder was killed by a sniper. He died in the line of duty and was posthumously granted a Medal of Honor.Pinder, who was a professional baseball player before he enlisted, is seen with his brother, Harold, a bomber pilot in World War II, who was shot down months before Pinder landed at D-Day. Harold was captured by German troops in April 1944 and spent the rest of the war in a prison camp.
The Medal of Honor was presented to Pinder's father, who gave it to Harold when he returned home. Upon his death, according to the Eagle article, the family donated the medal to Soldiers & Sailors Hall. It was on display there in 2019 exhibit commemorating the actions of area military men and women involved in D-Day.
