Memorial Day has particularly been on this reporter’s mind this year, maybe because of the pandemic. Still, I began thinking this week about what I think is probably my favorite newspaper interview of all time. In fact, it has everything to do with Memorial Day.

Step back with me, if you will, to the early 1990s. I was working at the Times-Gazette as a reporter. For those who don’t know, I served here 12 years before going into other career fields. Good or bad, I’m back, like a bad penny.

My favorite interview goes back to those earlier days. It was a pleasant afternoon when I sat down in Bell Buckle with the late James Elkins and his long-time friend, the late Sam Black Bingham. The interview was about their military experiences during World War II.

I had no idea what I was about to learn. I didn’t certainly learn this information in my U.S. history class.

***Years of service

Here’s a little background to start on my two interviewees. James Elkins grew up in Bell Buckle and served 43 years as fire chief. The fire department eventually named it the “James W. Elkins Fire Hall.”

Mr. Bingham worked many years as a rural mail carrier. He chaired the board of trustees at Hazel Cemetery, where he would meet his final rest in 1995. He also served as a past chaplain of American Legion Post 23.

Mr. Elkins would be laid to rest in the Hazel Cemetery as well, passing in 2009, at age 84. The fire department brought out his old engine for the processional.

Go way back now to the 1940s. While they both left their hometown of Bell Buckle as young men for the U.S. Army about the same time, they really weren’t together during WWII, though one’s duties complemented the other.

Mr. Elkins had lived in the same house he moved into as a baby. I remember him telling me that when he and Mr. Bingham first boarded that train during the war; they had no idea where they were headed. If I remember right, they were both very young.

Mr. Elkins would go on in his service to become a decorated WWII veteran, serving in the 276th Engineers Battalion. The unit’s main objectives were to build bridges, roads and airfields.

***Tense moments

With all the might he could muster to tell the story, I remember Mr. Elkins saying, “Mrs. Dawn, here’s what happened. I don’t remember a lot after the bridge fell, but I’ll tell you what I do remember. I’m blessed to be alive.” Mr. Bingham sat listening as well; he would later tell about his radio communications experiences.

On March 17, 1945, while working on the Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany (“Bridge at Remagen”) Mr. Elkins and 200 engineers in the unit were thrown from the bridge when it suddenly collapsed into the Rhine River. After being pulled from the bridge wreckage, where he was pinned (my eyes were really big during this part) he was flown to a hospital in Paris. Mr. Elkins recalled that he awoke 28 hours later; he survived, while eight men died and 90 plus were injured.

I remember his face like it was yesterday when he told me what it was like to wake up in that hospital, where he would spend six weeks. He had no memory from the point when the bridge collapsed. For his honorable service, the military awarded him the Purple Heart, an ETO ribbon with three battle stars, a German Occupation Medal, an American Campaign Medal, A World War II medal and the Presidential Citation for his work on the “Bridge at Remagen.”

Much to the delight of their friends and family, Mr. Bingham and Mr. Elkins would return home eventually to their beloved Bell Buckle following the war and would go on to marry and have families.

I think of these two veterans often.

***Special visit

The other day I was out at Cascade High School for an event. With the Hazel Cemetery being just down the road, I decided to pay my old friends a visit. I never really sat down and got to talk to them again after the interview. This visit would be much different, you know.

The quiet morning gave me time to reflect on what great service these men and many others in the cemetery had given. I could hear the train whistle off in the distance. I felt a gentle breeze on my face. I could see in my mind Mr. Elkins’ constant smile. I could envision Mr. Bingham delivering the mail on rural backroads; he had stories to tell.

But thinking of Memorial Day, I looked at the American Flag waving so beautifully. I looked at the two war heroes’ simple markers; they were humble men. There’s not much of a fuss around their gravesite these days. I suddenly realized how fortunate I was to have been witness to one of probably the best oral history lessons ever about WWII. For that opportunity, I’m grateful.

I didn’t deserve it, but I got a call from Mr. Elkins following the story; he was appreciative, of course. I thanked him for his time.

Mr. Elkins and Mr. Bingham are buried only a few yards apart in Hazel Cemetery. If you ever get a chance to visit this beautiful spot (I know that sounds odd) but it really is a heartfelt moment when you look over the green pastures of Bell Buckle and realize that these men were strong; they made it home. I hope that I can be brave like them when I grow up. They’ve inspired me to always love country, because of the men who are responsible for our freedoms.

Rest in peace, my two dear WWII heroes, thanks for spending time with me so many years ago. I’ll always remember you on Memorial Day. I can’t wait to tell my grandchildren your story.