December 2020 Veteran of the Month
DECEMBER 2020 TVVFW VETERAN OF THE MONTH
Tellico Village VFW member Bill Mincks is highlighted as our December 2020 Veteran of the Month. Bill grew up on an Iowa farm and is the oldest of 9 children. He is a 95-year-old WWII veteran who has lived in Tellico Village for the past 5 years with Joyce, his wife of 70 years. They moved here from Branson, Missouri to be near their 5 daughters, 2 of which live in Tellico Village.
Bill was drafted into the Army in 1944 and did his basic combat training at Ft. Bliss, Texas. He was later transferred to Fort Polk, Louisiana where he was assigned to a combat engineer battalion. His stay at Ft. Polk didn’t last long. Bill and his unit sailed from the west coast to the Marshall Islands where he became part of the 1346 Combat Engineers. He was soon transported by LST to Okinawa and In September 1944, Bill and his unit became part of the occupation force on the island of Japan.
Bill and his unit were given a large administration complex to settle in. One of their discoveries was a brand-new Japanese jet bomber still on the production line. They dismantled the aircraft and sent it back to the U.S.. Bill returned home in March 1945 and was discharged in April 1946.
He returned to the Iowa farm for a short while, then moved to Branson where he was a truck driver for 38 years. He finally retired in 1987. Thank you for your service to our country Bill!. AWE hospitality has generously donated a $25 gift certificate.
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