By Bill Herr

During my time as chaplain at Mennonite Memorial Home for 24 years, I met a number of residents who were veterans, mostly from World War II. I don't remember all their names, but I remember their stories. 

There was the local farmer who fought with the Marines in the fierce battle on the Island of Iwo Jima where 7,000 Marines died. When the Americans reached the summit of Mount Suribachi, they planted an American flag. It was the highest point on the island. The raising of the flag became the subject of the famous photograph that revealed the unity and spirit of the Americans and their progress in the battle. 

The resident told me he witnessed the raising of the flag. He said he felt pride. I asked him if he ever prayed during the battle. "All the time," he answered

Another veteran had lost one eye due to an enemy bullet. He told me he was squatting beside his lieutenant as their boat approached the beach. He said the lieutenant stood up and was immediately killed by enemy gunfire. The lieutenant fell on the soldier.

The next two war stories are unforgettable as told by two residents who experienced them. Let's call the first resident Charley. Charley was originally from Wapakoneta and said his father was a friend of Neil

Armstrong's father. The two sometimes played golf together in Findlay. Charley told me that he took flying lessons with a much younger Neil Armstrong. I asked him what Neil was like. He said, "He was a bright kid."

Charley entered the Air Force and became the radioman on a B-17 bomber. On one mission, his plane was badly shot up by enemy flak from the ground. As the plane was heading back to the base, two fighter planes came at them from the front and passed by on each side. Charley watched as the two planes turned around and came up behind the B-17. He told me, "I made my peace with God." The two fighter planes turned out to be piloted by friendly Swedish pilots who escorted the B-17 back to the base.

The second unforgettable story was from an army veteran whom I'll call George. George was a member of a platoon that was marching through a seemingly deserted small German town. As the soldiers got to the edge of the town, they saw a German soldier standing where they had just been and he was waving a white flag. The resident who told this story said he was the only member of the platoon who spoke German. The commanding officer of the platoon asked George to go talk to the German and find out what he wanted.

It turned out the man waving the flag was a German lieutenant. He spoke to George and said he would not talk to anyone except an American lieutenant. Platoons were usually commanded by a lieutenant, but George's platoon had a different officer in charge. So a soldier was sent to a nearby platoon to bring back a lieutenant. With George translating, the German lieutenant told the American officer he wanted to surrender his group of soldiers. Approximately 50 German soldiers then came out of hiding and surrendered.

These unforgettable stories make me feel more thankful for those veterans who serve our country to protect us, whether in war or peace. ◾️