Pvt. Joseph J. Belcher, 19, is Henderson’s first boy to have lost his life while in the armed service in connection with World War two. His body, along with that of a companion, was found in a parked automobile four and one half miles north of Alexandria on Ind. 9. The investigating board said that the youths apparently had pulled up alongside the road to sleep after returning early from Marion, and left the car motor running to keep warm. Although one window was open, the officers said the exhaust of the car was found to be faulty.
Joseph J. Belcher was born 27 Jan 1924, a son of Frederick T. “Fred” Belcher (1878 – 1954) and Callie L. Belcher (1888 – 1978). It appears he enlisted with a birthdate of 1922, explaining the age differences. He is buried in Fernwood Cemetery, Section 5, Lot 802.
