To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in 1945, USAWS is showcasing a WWII Veteran each month. "It was my honor to serve my country. But it wasn't just me, I would say my whole generation, the spirit in those days, the spirit in the barracks, the spirit. Nobody ever complained. It was just a wonderful, wonderful thing the way the whole country came together." - Justin Kawaler, Making 103 Years Old Look Good
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Happy 101st Birthday to WWII Veteran Robert W. Jones. Robert was born on September 9th, 1922 and served in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft engineer 1942-45. We interviewed Robert and his granddaughter U.S. Coast Guard/Air Force Veteran Lisha Jones at VFW Post 5350 in Westhampton Beach NY. The Jones family has a long history of service going back to the American Revolution where their relative Robert Townsend was part of the Culper spy ring supplying vital information for George Washington.
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During a low altitude night bombing mission Clarence “Press” Pressgrove and his crew were shot down and became P.O.W.’s in Japan’s Omori prison camp. Press was liberated on Aug 29, 1945 just days before the official end of WWII, Sep 2, 1945.
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During a low altitude night bombing mission Clarence “Press” Pressgrove and his crew were shot down and became P.O.W.’s in Japan’s Omori prison camp. Press was liberated on Aug 29, 1945 just days before the official end of WWII, Sep 2, 1945.
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Lt Col O. C. Peterson 1918-2019
O. C. “Pete” Peterson, a navigator in the Army Transport Command during WW II died on October 26th at the age of 100. After the war, he stayed in the reserves and was called back to active service to take part in the Berlin Airlift.
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Lt. Gen. William “Bill” Welser III spent over 34 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring in 2005. Lt. Get. Welser served as Director of Operations and Logistics for U.S. Transportation Command, where he led operations supporting the response to 9/11.
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William "Bill" Pickens III (1936-2021)
In 1958, he joined the Air Force as a Second Lieutenant. Pickens’s position as Personnel Officer in the Air Force sent him across the world to Japan.