I was sorry to learn that my great-great Uncle Harry Walmer passed away last night. He was 94 years old. He lived a full life and had quite a life story which I was fortunate to hear twice. He was the last of my great-grandmother's siblings. He was born on a snowy day, on a farm in Wooster, OH on October 15, 1925.
He suffered loss early on when his brother Dean (who was my great-grandmother's twin brother) was killed in an automobile related accident.
He was drafted during WWII and did well in boot camp. He was raised on fruits and vegetables and was considered to be in perfect health. He was training to be a pilot, but they decided to send him overseas as a ball turret gunner instead. It was the RMS Aquitania which took him to England. He flew in B-17 Flying Fortress bombers on missions over Nazi occupied territories. He was unable to wear a parachute because there was no room for it in the ball turret. After 5 or 6 missions watching his buddies getting shot and blown up out of the sky and seeing unimaginable horrors, he decided to give his life to Jesus Christ. He continued serving for the duration of the war including providing air support for the Americans during the Battle of the Bulge. There was one moment where a crew member passing by Harry accidentally knocked off his mask. Harry didn't realize it and if he'd continued for a few minutes like that, he would have died. Thankfully, the man upon returning forward noticed it and pointed it out to Harry. In all, he completed 27 missions. The Queen Elizabeth brought him home. He remembered liking the Queen Elizabeth better because the Aquitania had hammocks for the troops to sleep on while the Queen Elizabeth had actual beds. Afterwards, he decided to become a minister.
He served as a pastor in multiple states throughout his time in the ministry. He was married to our Aunt Mickey and had 4 children. In 2014, he was flown to Washington DC as part of an Honor Flight to visit the different sites including the WWII memorial. Even in his 80s and 90s, he kept a sharp and witty mind. As we celebrate freedom, please think of him and others like him who served and sacrificed for the freedoms that we enjoy today.
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