During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt provided small New Testaments to members of the U.S. armed forces. Known as Shield Bibles, these books featured heavy brass covers and were intended to provide both spiritual comfort and physical protection.
One remarkable Shield Bible has traveled through three separate global conflicts and three distinct theaters of action. The historic keepsake has been passed down through generations of a local military family, beginning with its original recipient, Sgt. Elmer J. Probst Jr. He later passed it to his granddaughter, Spc. 4 Aime Jo Beeks, who eventually entrusted it to her cousin, Command Sgt. Maj. Douglas T. Adair.
Future articles in this newspaper will explore the unique wartime experiences and military service of each of these three veterans.
Maggie Adair is a native of Handy near the Oregon-Ripley county line, about 8 miles east of Wilderness. Eighth in the family of Elmer and Catherine Probst, she left at age 17 for college in Kansas City, where she married, raised a family and pursued a varied career. Always maintaining her roots in Handy, she is now retired and resides in both places. She can be reached at maggie.adair@icloud.com.
