Biographies from Troy military banners
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a weekly series that will appear in print every Sunday until Veterans Day. Each week, five military members featured on a Troy Military Banner will be highlighted.
1. Thomas E. Powers Sr., U.S. Air Force
Thomas E. Powers Sr. was born August 31, 1938 to the late John and Nina Powers of 2nd street in Troy’s South end.
Educated in Troy, he attended the former St. Francis School on Congress Street and finished his education at
Troy High
School.
Tom enrolled into the United
States Air
Force in 1955 at the age of
17. He was stationed at Gray Air
Force Base during the Vietnam War. He received his Honorable discharge on October 21st, 1958.
Tom went on to utilize the life lesson of hard work instilled to him while in the military by enrolling in the Local 2 Bricklayers Apprenticeship Program in Albany NY. Upon completion of the program he worked for various companies throughout the capital region until his retirement in 1986. During that time he married his wife, Maryjane and had three sons, Thomas Jr., Michael and Stephen.
Today, Tom enjoys fishing and woodworking. He can usually be found in his garage building custom Adirondack furniture.
Tom’s banner is located at 442 2nd Ave.
2. William R. Schneider, U.S. Army
Sgt. William R. Schneider was born and raised in Troy, New
York. He graduated from CCHS in 1 942.
He proudly served in the
U. S. Army from April
1943 until he was Honorably discharged by the United
States Army in December 1945.
During this time, he served our country as a Radio Repairman aboard the B-24 Liberator Bombers in the European and African Campaigns. He received the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 1 Bronze Star, American Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, WWII Victory Medal, 2 Overseas Bars, and a Lapel Button Issue.
After his Honorable Discharge from the Army he worked for 42 years until his retirement in 1982, for the Behr Manning, Norton Company in Watervliet,N.Y. While working there he met his future wife, Julia Fitch Schneider, who was also employed there, they married in 1947. They had 2 children Carol, born in 1950 and Bill, born in 1953 and had a wonderful family life and were devoted parents.
Sadly, Schneider passed away in June 1991, and our mom passed away in 2004, until the time of his death our dad would always love to talk about his time during the war, read and watch television shows about the