It was Bowen Bridges who suggested last year at Veterans Day that The Panolian, in 2012, honor those who had fought in World War II. The young man is the grandson of two WWII vets, Bill Sissell and Gilbert Bridges.

We took his suggestion to heart, because the ranks of those guys are diminishing.

On November 9, the Friday before Veterans Day, this newspaper will publish a tribute to our living World War II vets.

Earlier this month we sent out the call for information and photos and had set yesterday as the deadline, but we’ve had such good response that we’ve extended that deadline until Friday, October 26, to allow more submissions.

If you missed the form we’ve been publishing in the paper, just come by our office and we’ll give you one. We’re asking for photos taken in uniform, during the war years.

We’ve heard from 22 men.

Joyce McKinney brought in a photo and information on her dad, PFC Shedrich Frazier, who served with a quartermaster unit in New Guinea. He’s now 93. He had enlisted in the Army in 1941, prior to the war. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor that year, he was shipped out to New Guinea which was under attack by the Japanese for much of his deployment. He came home to work at Poloron and for the county, and was active in the civil rights movement.

James Webb served for six years in the Navy and was deployed to Guam, working in a motor pool. In recent years has served as Panola County’s veterans service officer.

Miles Mitchell prepared payrolls for Army troops stationed in Central Europe.

Master Bean was a Navy cook and served stateside in San Diego.

Price Harrison was a radio technician for the Army and also served stateside.
His daughter, Kay Nickle, brought in a photo showing a movie-star-handsome young man with a thin mustache.

“This is the picture my mother fell in love with,” Kay said. “It was hanging in the drug store in Marks. They put up pictures of all the local boys who were serving in the war. My mama looked at his picture and said, ‘I’m gonna marry him.’”

She did.

D.R. Roberts was an Army private who served in the European theater with the 6th Armored Division. He came home and taught many of us in high school.

James W. Fitts served as a gunner on a Sherman tank with Patton’s 2nd Armored Division.

Harvey Seale, a Marine sergeant, was wounded in the Central Pacific and came home with a Purple Heart.

The Veterans Administration estimates there are 58 living vets age 85 plus (World War II-era) in Panola County.

A paper-back book published during the war, “Panola County Honor Roll,” contained photos and information on 551 men–and a few women–who served in the armed forces from our county during that war. (It wasn’t an exhaustive volume. It contained no African Americans.)

John Howell looked through the book and recognized only four men who are still living. Harvey Seale and his brother Billy were two.

There is no time to waste in letting these men know their long-ago sacrifice is still appreciated.

We have found businesses who are anxious to help us sponsor these tribute pages on November 9 and join us in saying “thank you for your service.”

If you know a World War II veteran who has not submitted information to us, please take it on yourself to do so in his behalf. Call me at 563-4591 if you need more information.