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Northern Chesapeake Heritage Foundation

Preserving the Past ~ Securing the Future

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Welcome to Northern Chesapeake Heritage!

What We Do

The Northern Chesapeake Heritage Foundation (NCHF) is a 501c3 non-profit, with a two-fold mission dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the Northern Chesapeake Bay region and to support and honor our military men and women in uniform.  Our mission is also to identify and honor all veterans who have gone before us but lie forgotten in unmarked graves or rest among the missing and lost around the globe.

If you would like to honor your veteran ancestor on our website, or need assistance in obtaining a marker, please contact us

Featured Project

“Memorial Garden of Remembrance”

Veterans Tombstone Project

Honoring Maryland’s veterans who do not have a headstone at their gravesite or cenotaph in remembrance, where their final resting place is known but to God.

Heritage Projects

Honoring Marylanders who made an indelible mark on the history of our state.

Featured Posts
Did You Know?
They Shaped the Northern Chesapeake Region

Featured Authors

Frank Gorman
Emily Compagno
Mark Zangara

  • Lt. Junius Butler French
  • The Headless Tramp of Gunpowder Bridge
  • 1st. Lt. John Royden Forsythe
  • SSgt. Lester Tenney: A Survivor’s Story
  • The Very First Days of Joppatowne High
  • The Great Seal of the United States
  • The American Flag, Freedom’s Resilient Beacon
A Brief Walk Through History
Save A Life! End Veteran Suicide
History All Around US
With Honor, They Served Maryland & Their Country
Obtain a Headstone for Your Veteran
Legends & Lore
Popular Veterans Podcasts
©2026 Northern Chesapeake Heritage Foundation

We Honor the Memory of

Pfc. Thomas James Wells

Pfc. Thomas James Wells was born on 18 Nov 1932 to Laban G. and Laura (Rayner) Wells in Baltimore County, MD. Enlisting in the U.S. Army just past his 17th birthday on 29 Nov 1949, Thomas was deployed to Japan shortly before the outbreak of the Korean War. Assigned to Co. H, 5th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, In September 1950, Thomas would deploy with his unit in support of Operation Chromite, an amphibious landing at Inchon launched by General Douglas MacArthur designed to reverse the tide of war and push the North Koreans out of the Pusan Perimeter. The operation was an immediate success, with the 1st Cavalry Division breaking out and pushing the fighting north.

25 Oct 1950 saw the Communist Chinese forces enter the war in support of the North Koreans; they were heavily outfitted with Soviet made tanks, rockets and other munitions. On 24 Nov, General MacArthur launched a costly but successful counteroffensive involving roughly 100,000 UN troops. It was during this action that Pfc. Thomas James Wells was killed.

Pfc. Thomas James Wells was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. His remains were repatriated back to his native Baltimore County and interred on 28 Jul 1951, at the Camp Chapel Cemetery on Joppa Rd. in Baltimore County.