A Fellowship of Defenders

Was World War II necessary? I think it was. I believed then, and I believe now, that God was on our side. We did the right thing . . . . J..

The Germans fired those V-1 bombs from a launching pad in France . . . It wasnt as scary hearing the bombs as it was when you stopped hearing them because when the sound stopped you knew they were coming down . . . . LB.

. . . I was floating down, parachute open. I dont recall opening the chute. The Lord was there and saw that that happened . . . As I was floating down, I saw pieces of the plane floating down around me like leaves . . . . H.B.

They marched us through Manila to make a big show for the benefit of the Filipinos. They took us to Bilibid Prison . . . During the three weeks I was there we were fed no food except rice, which was cooked in big iron pots . . . Twice a day we each received one-half of a canteen of rice. R.C.

The Colonel told me, If you go with me, I guarantee you will be First Sergeant by the time we get to Washington. I said, Colonel, I wouldnt go with you if you told me I would be a Colonel when we got there. Im going back to home to Georgia. .H.O.

These are the stories of the men and women of World War II. Each person brought unique perspective to our collection. Some enlisted in the military service before finishing high school. Others came after college. A few rose through the ranks to take their place among the commanding officers. Mostly, though, they came to do a job, they did it, and went back home as the had come quietly and humbly. Their experiences were as varied as their backgrounds.

We hope that the stories will inspire our readers to say thanks to a generation that gave so much in the cause of freedom.