WWII heroes

Being involved with the American Legion means that often times you get to participate in unique situations, which means meeting individuals you would have never imagined.

Earlier today, a ride was scheduled to go out to a brand new American Legion post.  The post was actually going to be set up in a retirement community, which is the first time this has been in done in the state of Kansas and possibly in the USA.  Since it was a new post, some of the other posts went out there to present them with their official flags.

There was a very loud entrance made as the sound of over 40 motorcycles echoed off the walls of the buildings. After all the riders dismounted and headed to the flag pole, we were all taken back when we learned more about these veterans. There was a gentleman who had been aboard the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 when it was attacked. He joked a little about how that was the day he learned how to swim.  He was a Marine aboard a Navy ship.

USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941

One other gentleman had been present the day the peace treaty that ended WWII was signed aboard the USS Missouri.  He proudly held a certificate that bears his name that marked that experience in his life.

Another gentleman that was there was a POW in WWII.  He spoke briefly about where he was when he was in Germany, near a town called Worms.  I told him that I had recently moved back from Germany and knew exactly where he was talking about.  We spoke a little about the differences between then and now.  He also recalled two Russian soldiers who had been POWs at the same time he was that he had gotten to know a little.  His time being a POW changed his life in a different way as well, while he was a POW he found the Lord and to this day knows that his faith is what helped him make it through that experience.

Every servicemember is a hero, each with different backgrounds and experiences, different branches and jobs.  It's very rare though that you meet someone who can speak about history that many, including myself have only read about in books.  It was truly an amazing and humbling experience to meet these men, who are a piece of living history.