On Saturday, Dec. 7, eleven WWII veterans will gather for fellowship and lunch at the Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas. A new book containing their wartime stories will be for sale for $15.00 (proceeds go to the museum). The public is invited to meet and talk with the veterans from 12:30 to 1:00 pm (after their private lunch). Visitors may also ask the veterans to sign books on the pages where their stories and photos appear (see book info below).

WWII veterans attending will be:

  • Paul Spencer, U.S. Navy Fighter Pilot, VF-153, Test Pilot
  • Sandy Groendyke, U.S. Army Air Corps, B-17 pilot, Europe
  • Mitch Kostro, U.S. Army, Gunner Tank, Pacific
  • Verl Luzena, U.S. Air Force, Combat Camera Unit, D-Day & beyond
  • Dorothy Managan, U.S. Army Nurse, Ft. Lewis, Washington
  • Tom McCrary, U.S. Army Infantry, Europe and Pacific
  • Pooch Pace, U.S. Army Air Corps, USAF, Japan and Korean War era
  • George Sarros, U.S. Navy, LST Motor Machinist, D-Day & beyond
  • Bill Siniard, U.S. Navy, Seaman 2nd Class, Europe & Pacific
  • Elizabeth Tilston, British Army, Ambulance Driver, England
  • Harold Wellington, Merchant Marine, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy: Africa,
  • Europe, Middle East, and Korean War era

 

Please join us from 12:30 to 1:00 pm on Pearl Harbor day to thank these heroes for their service.

Pictured below are the covers of the new 5th Edition of WWII Veterans of the Carolinas: Their Stories in Their Own Words. This is an honor project of the museum and contains 27 veterans’ stories, including all ten of those attending on December 7.

Below, some of the WWII veterans at a gathering in early 2019:
Seated, from left: Paul Spencer, U.S. Navy; Elizabeth Tilston, British Army Auxiliary Transport; Bill Siniard, U.S. Navy.
Standing, from left, book’s author Janis Allen; Pooch Pace, U.S. Army Air Corps; Tom McCrary, U.S. Army; Harold Wellington, Merchant Marine, U.S. Army, and U.S. Navy