photo by: Eric Ayres

Members of the Nodurft family attend a military banner dedication ceremony Friday in Warwood for their uncles — twin brothers Pvt. Claud H. “Tim” and Pvt. Ralph M. “Jim” Nodurft — who were both killed in action during World War II.

WHEELING — Warwood natives Tim and Jim Nodurft died serving their country in the European Theater during World War II, but their story resonated with those gathered along the streets they once roamed in Wheeling on Friday.

The twin brothers were both killed in action in 1944. Pvt. Claude H. “Tim” Nodurft died on July 24, 1944, in France. Pvt. Ralph M. “Jim” Nodurft died on Aug. 14, 1944, in England. Both were members of the 120th Infantry Regiment in the U.S. Army and both gave their lives at the tender age of 19.

Friday’s ceremony saluting the Nodurft brothers in Warwood was the last formal presentation of the year honoring fallen veterans as part of Wheeling’s Military Banner Program.

“It was launched last year on Veterans Day — just about a year ago, and as of today, there are 297 banners gracing the streets of the city of Wheeling,” said Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder. “It’s truly been a great program.”

The banners positioned throughout the city will be taken down after Veterans Day and stored for the winter. They will be reinstalled next spring before Memorial Day.

“The last several ceremonies we’ve had, it’s been very heartwarming because we’ve had family members sharing the stories about their loved ones,” said Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron.

Several family members of the Nodurft twins, including a number of nephews and nieces, were on hand to take part in the banner dedication ceremony. John Larch, a volunteer who coordinates the banner program in Wheeling, welcomed the family members.

Chris Nodurft, nephew of the twins and himself a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, told those on hand Friday about the lives of his uncles Tim and Jim Nodurft — from their time during the war and from their youth in Warwood, along with the legacy they’ve left on the local community.

The twins were actually born in Lyons, Kansas in 1925, but the family moved to Wheeling in 1936. Soon after relocating, their father worked to establish the Charles M. Sledd Company, now known as the Team Sledd.

“The family lived right here in Warwood,” Chris Nodurft said. “The twins attended Corpus Christi Grade School and later Wheeling Central Catholic High School. By all accounts, they brought as much laughter as they did learning. They were inseparable – the kind of brothers who could finish each other’s sentences, and more often than not, got in trouble together for doing stuff.”

They both had an endearing spark and a light that drew people in, their nephew said.

During WWII, they, like many of the young men of their generation, answered their country’s call. They enlisted in the U.S. Army and were assigned to the 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division – also known as “Old Hickory.”

In 1944, the division took part in one of the most critical operations during WWII – Operation Cobra, the allied breakout from Normandy, their nephew explained.

“On July 24, 1944, at the very beginning of that operation, Tim was killed in action,” Chris Nodurft said. “Jim, gravely wounded at the same time, was evacuated to England. Despite the best efforts of the Army doctors, he succumbed to his wounds on Aug. 14, 1944. They were only 19 years old. Two brothers – two young men who gave everything they had together.

The twins never had a chance to marry, grow old or have families of their own. But their story lives on, Chris Nodurft said, recounting occasions over the years since their death when he unexpectedly came face to face with people whose lives the twins touched.

He said in 1970 at a football game with his then 11-year-old brother, Tim, a man was compelled to make his way across to the other side of the field and ask if the boy was a Nodurft, seeing such a striking resemblance.

In 1983, when Chris Nodurft was a student at Wheeling Central, a teacher who he did not have for class approached him to tell him that she “used to go on double dates with Tim and Jim.”

“They became real to me,” Chris Nodurft said. “They’re not just names on a memorial, but young men full of laughter, charm and promise. It made me feel connected to them and to their story.”

Niece Catherine Massimiani said tales of the escapades of the twins were quite prevalent in the community since the time she and her siblings were children.

“We grew up with this story,” she said. “They were the heroes in everybody’s mind – we grew up with people telling us about how they grew up with them. We would hear all of the stories about them.”

Chris Nodurft noted that, while it is important to remember the sacrifice U.S. veterans have made, he emphasized the importance of remembering those times when they simply were young Americans who were full of life, as well.

“We’re here today to help make sure their story continues, because remembrance is not about the loss,” he said. “It’s about gratitude, connection and carrying forward the spirit of those who came before us. Tim and Jim Nodurft were brothers in blood, brothers in arms, brothers in courage, and as fate would have it, brothers in sacrifice.

“They were two 19-year-old kids from Wheeling whose spark could not be extinguished, even by war.”

Their banners are hung along W.Va. 2 just outside of the former Central Warwood School building.

Nephew E.J. Nodurft said the location is fitting, as the twins had to traverse through this area all of the time between home and school at Corpus Christi. He said he reached out to inquire about the banner program after others began popping up along roadways in town – many of which are positioned in Warwood.

“I started noticing that they were putting them up, and that’s when I kind of inquired about it,” E.J. Nodurft said. “A friend of mine put me in touch with John Larch, and it all came together in about a couple of weeks.”

Students from Corpus Christi School led the group in the pledge of allegiance during Friday’s ceremony. Vice Commander Chuck Ryan of VFW #4442 delivered remarks, and members of the Moundsville Veterans Honor Guard once again presented an American flag to the family and performed a ceremonial three-volley rifle salute.

To learn more about Wheeling’s Military Banner Program, visit https://troopbanners.com/wheeling/.