FEBRUARY 5, 2026
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
FREE
At 107, he really has seen it all
WWII veteran wounded 82 years ago at Anzio soldiers on in Ocean Pines By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (Feb. 5, 2026) Later this month, Ocean Pines resident, World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient John Edward Romm Jr. will do something only a very few people have done: celebrate his 107th birthday. Romm, now closing in on a decade since he passed the century mark, remains one of the few American World War II veterans still around to remember the days of service. And he now resides here in Ocean Pines with his grandson. Romm, who was born on Feb. 16, 1919 in Southwest Baltimore, describes his childhood as “damn rough.” He was 10 years old when the stock market crashed and the country went into the decade-long Great Depression. And then, just as America’s financial strain had loosened up, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States formally joined World War II in 1941. Romm, who was 21 when he was drafted into the US Army and, found himself driving a tank in the 1st Armored Division, the first American armored unit to see combat in WWII. Romm was discharged in 1944 after being wounded during the division’s landings on Anzio Beach, south of Rome, in late 1943. Romm said the Allied forces had little success with a surprise assault against Axis powers, and his team was left with just a small piece of ground surrounded by Germans, who secured the area with landmines. During an operation, Romm’s tank struck one of those mines, blowing off its track. As the crew attempted to tow the damaged vehicle, another See WHAT Page 3
TARA FISCHER/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
John Edward Romm Jr., Ocean Pines resident, World War ll Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, turns 107 years old on Feb. 16.
Accused coach acquitted By Brian Shane Staff Writer (Feb. 5, 2026) Bryon Johnson, a local high school basketball coach accused of sexual offenses against a minor, has been acquitted of all charges. Investigators uncovered “reliable digital forensic evidence” that contradicted earlier accusations leaving prosectors with insufficient proof to pro-
ceed with criminal charges, according to Worcester County State’s Attorney Kristin Heiser. “Consistent with our ethical obligations, the State entered a nolle prosequi on all criminal charges against Mr. Johnson this morning. The State will not be prosecuting this matter,” Heiser said in a statement Friday to OC Today-Dispatch. See COACH Page 12
SAME GREAT OWNER, SAME AMAZING STAFF Serving the Community for over a Decade
GARDNER PT of Ocean Pines 11204 Racetrack Rd, Suite 101 • Ocean Pines, MD, 21811 410-208-1525
GARDNER PT of West Ocean City 12472 Sea Oaks Ln, Unit 1 • Berlin, MD 21811 410-747-3522