By Gaylen Duskey
Not physically far from the old house but decades removed two other people showed their military metal.
Back in the 1860s, during the American Civil War, Amos Morgan Peninger got the call like just about everybody else when the country went to war against itself. He remained loyal to the United States and joined the 15th West Virginia Infantry and had the rank of lieutenant.
After the war he married Harriet Virginia Canfield in 1865 and they had 10 children, After she passed away he married again. His second wife was Delphia A. Gainer, whom he married in 1886, and they had six more children.
About a century later James Howard Beall graduated from Calhoun County High School in 1963 and was appointed to the Air Force Academy and from there he went on to earn three doctorates, become a published author of several books and is a member of faculty Saint John’s College, a senior consultant East. O. Hulburt Center Space Research Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., and a member of the science and engineering advisory board High Frontier, Arlington, Virginia.
He made first prediction of inverse Compton x-ray emission from supernovae, first prediction of detectable infrared and optical emission from accretion disks around black holes, first detection of a ring of x-ray light around the earth’s equator.
His military service, although extensive was about the opposite of Peninger as was his family life where although married twice he had but two children.
Narrative: Military Records and Accomplishments of Amos Morgan Peninger and James Howard Beall
This narrative highlights the military service and accomplishments of Amos Morgan Peninger and James Howard Beall, focusing exclusively on their records as documented.
Amos Morgan Peninger
Amos Morgan Peninger was born in March 1838 in Virginia, USA, and lived a long life until his passing on April 9, 1925, in Akron, Ohio. He is interred at Bethlehem Cemetery in Grantsville, Calhoun County, West Virginia.
Peninger served as a Second Lieutenant in Company D, West Virginia, Union Army during the American Civil War. His commission as an officer in the Union Army reflects a position of leadership and responsibility during a pivotal period in American history. While specific details of his campaigns or battles are not provided, his rank and unit affiliation indicate active participation in the Union’s efforts during the conflict. After the war, Peninger returned to civilian life, marrying twice and raising a large family.
James Howard Beall
James Howard Beall, born May 12, 1945, in Grantsville, West Virginia, also served his country in the military. Beall was a member of the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1967. While the document does not specify his rank or particular assignments, his service during this period would have coincided with the early years of the Vietnam War and the height of the Cold War, a time when the Air Force played a critical role in national defense and technological advancement.
Following his military service, Beall pursued a distinguished career as a physicist, educator, and public policy analyst, contributing to national defense and scientific research. His later work included positions at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the Naval Research Laboratory, and as a Congressional Science Fellow, further reflecting his ongoing commitment to public service and national security.
Summary:
• Amos Morgan Peninger: Second Lieutenant, Company D, West Virginia, Union Army (Civil War)
• James Howard Beall: United States Air Force, 1963–1967
Both men exemplified service to their country—Peninger as a Civil War officer and Beall as an Air Force serviceman and later as a scientist contributing to national defense.
These two men from very different eras are also Our History and also a very important cog in how we got to where we are.
