MILWAUKEE — Monday, November 11 is Veterans Day. It honors American veterans for their service and sacrifice to the country.
TMJ4’s Andrea Williams had the opportunity to talk to a special veteran who is 104 years young.
Vernon C. Townsend was born in 1920 in Tchula, Mississippi. He reflected on his service in the U.S. Army in 1942.
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104-year-old Army veteran Vernon C. Townsend
“I was too small to work the trucks, so they put me in the medical department, I got into the medical department and I ended up doing things that doctors wouldn’t do,” he said.
Nicknamed “Toy Soldier,” he underwent basic medical training and served as a hospital nurse, providing first aid to the sick, wounded and wounded.
Watch: Andrea Williams talks to a 104-year-old World War II veteran.
104-year veteran honored
“I took care of all the babies, and I took care of the men and women when they came in waves.”
The Second World War was the largest and deadliest war in history, involving more than thirty countries. The National WWII Museum reports that more than one million African American men and women served in every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces during that time. They did this in the face of racism and segregation.
Gerald Hebert/AP
The May 18, 2017 photo shows World War II veteran Leonard Larkins holding his World War II hat at his home in New Orleans. Larkins and nearly 4,000 other segregated black soldiers helped build a highway through Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution that was largely ignored for decades but has attracted attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
“What was it like to be a black man in the military at that time?” Williams asked.
“Well, they stopped us, but they couldn’t do it without us. Nothing ever bothered me because I kept moving forward,” Townsend said.
Mr. Vernon received a Good Conduct Medal, an American Theater Ribbon and a World War II Victory Ribbon. He completed his service with an honorable discharge in 1946.
uncredited / AP
In this 1942 photo from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History, soldiers work on a makeshift bench while working on the Alaska Highway, in Alaska’s northern sector. Nearly 4,000 segregated black soldiers helped build the Alaska-Canada Highway during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History via AP)
From an early age, Mr. Townsend loved trucks and tractors.
“When I was eight, I made good money repairing them,” he said.
When he completed his military service in 1946, he moved to Milwaukee to focus on his first love: cars.
‘My brother was here when I got out of service. They didn’t have anyone to fix those trucks and tractors, and that’s how I ended up in Milwaukee.”
In the 1980s he helped build an auto repair shop that is still in operation on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive.
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Army veteran Vernon C. Townsend with his daughter Yvonne Kemp.
Since moving to Milwaukee, he has gone on the Honor Flight and was also recognized as the Hero of the Game by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Army veteran Otis Winstead, president and CEO of Great Lakes Dry Hootch on East Brady, wanted to do something special for Mr. Townsend, who has never been formally recognized for his service.
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Army veteran Otis Winstead, president and CEO of Dry Hootch
“Those are the shoulders we stand on. And he said it himself: ‘I’ll keep moving forward.’ That’s profound,” Winstead said.
In 2020, Mr. Winstead was behind the first mural at the War Memorial honoring African American men and women in the armed forces. On Thursday, Mr. Townsend and other veterans will be honored at a special event at the Milwaukee County War Memorial. Bestselling author Doug Melville will be the keynote speaker.
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Doug Melville, author of “Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy” and Otis Winstead, president and CEO of Dry Hootch
“I’m honored. Think about it – I’m honored. Mr. Townsend is 104 years old. By the grace of God, I’m in a position where I can humbly do something like this,” Winstead said.
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