Three homegrown heroes were the focus of this year’s Unadilla Lions Club’s Veterans Day Program. The Dooly County natives distinguished themselves in World War II, and much later joined the centenarian club. For a county of 12,000 people, that’s beyond ordinary.

I felt honored to share some comments at the observance. Here’s a condensed version of my inadequate, though heartfelt, tribute.

During childhood it escaped me that real-life heroes were living quiet lives in Dooly County. I knew some locals had served in the military, but it didn’t occur to me they were heroes. It didn’t occur to me to thank them or perhaps listen to their stories. 

Bo Dolph deserves credit for helping preserve Mrs. Lucille Welch’s wartime experience. He visited the 101-year-old Pinehurst resident not long before her death on July 16, 2024. Her husband, Frank Welch, was stationed at Pearl Harbor as a civil servant. She was a telephone operator.

December 6, 1941. The young couple went to the dock that evening where the Navy vessels were anchored. She commented how pretty and white the neatly aligned ships looked.  

The following morning, December 7th, her next-door neighbor told her Pearl Harbor was being bombed and the Navy was asking for medical assistance. Dr. Zane, a Chinese physician, didn’t have a pass to go on base, so she went with him.

She had no medical training and he had no equipment. They didn’t even have water for the wounded or blankets to cover the dead, but spent 36 hours at a makeshift station near the USS Arizona doing what they could. They watched the Arizona as it sank. She wasn’t a veteran, but aided those in need with uncommon valor.

Mr. George W. Jordan of Vienna, age 105, drove trucks in Okinawa. Transportation was a common assignment for black soldiers in a segregated military.

On September 23, 1942, he was inducted into the Army. Basic training was at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where he was assigned to a Service Battalion. From there he went to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and trained for Truck Transportation.

Ft. Lewis, Washington, was his last stop before Hawaii. In Hawaii he learned to swim, then boarded one of 65 ships bound for Japan. During the Battle of Okinawa he served with the Quartermaster Truck Company which moved supplies, fuel, and munitions to the front line. Standing orders were to abandon a vehicle quickly if it broke down. Japanese soldiers were adept at hiding and seizing opportunities. Hesitation could have grave consequences.

For nine months he drove twelve-hour shifts daily. Except for refueling and maintenance, the trucks ran day and night. That tidbit of history gave me a greater appreciation for those in supporting roles which often garner little recognition.

Honorably discharged on February 29, 1946, George Jordan achieved the rank of Technical Five (Corporal) and earned four medals; the Good Conduct Medal, Asiastic Pacific Medal, American Service Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Mr. Charles Speight, 102, spent two years at the University of Georgia, then took a year off before joining the Naval Air Corps. He reported for duty in January of 1943. World War II was in progress and would later claim the life of his brother, Amory Speight, Jr., who died in France. 

Flight training lasted eight months in Corpus Christi, Texas. He left there for Melbourn, Florida, but stopped by Unailla and married his sweetheart, Patsy Holliman, on July 2, 1944.

The pilot training he received only included one practice launch of his F6F Hellcat Fighter. His second launch was from the USS Lexington aircraft carrier. It was the first of 72 missions he flew over Japan and the first time fighter planes were sent to Tokyo. He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, five Air Medals, and two Presidential Unit Citations.

As a child I had no idea there were heroes living quiet lives in Dooly County. These belated attempts to thank them are inadequate, but infused with heartfelt appreciation. Thank you for going when our country called, and thank you for coming back home.

May God bless our veterans and others who serve our country. May God bless America.