Sitting down with Mr. Ed Gill on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day was nothing short of special. 82 years had passed but Ed, now 98 years old recalled the vivid details of his service years like it was yesterday. He was 16 when Pearl Harbor was bombed but wasn’t allowed to join the fight until two years later. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop him from planning ahead. Ed knew he wanted to be a Navy man.

Listen in as Ed recalls his service with the U.S. Navy during WWII as an Aviation Radioman while training at NAS Jacksonville. He climbed aboard planes such as the PBY Catalina, SBD Douglas Dauntless and the TBF Avenger. Ed was enroute to California for radar training when news broke that the Japanese had surrendered. He would go on to work 30 years in the control tower of the Birmingham International Airport while raising a family and is now an avid billiards player. Thank you for your service, Mr. Ed Gill!

Sitting down with Mr. James Craig and hearing his story of serving in the U.S. 3rd Army under General Patton was an absolute honor. Mr. Craig turns 102 on October 17th and speaks of growing up in western Pennsylvania, graduating from Allegheny College then being sent off to the European Theater with the 652nd Topographic Battalion. His journey overseas took him from England, France and into Germany as he made strategic maps for Patton along the way. After the war he returned home, raised a family and made a name for himself in banking and as a lawyer. For those of you interested in how surveying and maps were made during WWII you'll be sure to enjoy this episode. As always we thank Mr. Craig for his service and his family for allowing time with him. Happy early birthday to Mr. James Craig!

To understand the whole perspective of WWII its vitally important to not only learn about life overseas but also the difficulty of home life during wartime. I recently sat down with Mrs. Frankie McLean, 96 years old of Cordova, Alabama and Mrs. Mary Dell Barker, 102 years old of Sulligent, Alabama to pick up on what it was like in the United States while those in their community were sent overseas. From hearing the news of Pearl Harbor being bombed on the radio, to rationing home items for the war effort, and sadly even having family members not return home. WWII had a profound affect on their teenage lives and left memories that are current to this day. I hope you all appreciate this interview of what home life was like in Walker and Lamar County during WWII.