My Uncle hit 100 today
 

Pine Belt Veteran turns 100 years old | Mississippi | WJTV 12

His little brother that is my Dad hit 98 the other day.


I asked my Uncle Pope just a few years ago "who was the most important person you ever had aboard one of your aircraft?"

He thought for a minute, rubbed his lip, then commenced to tell me:

I was in Guadalcanal. The plane and crew were ready. All I knew was it was going to be a top secret mission. Didn't know who, what, where, anything. So up pulls a jeep. I see this fellow and all the stars on his uniform. I order my crew to salute.

It's Fleet Admiral "Bull" Halsey.

We board the airplane and I ask him where we are going. He says he'll tell me once we are in the air. A few minutes later he tells me to steer to New Georgia Island. Now New Georgia Island was formerly the Japanese airbase known as Munda that we had just taken. So we fly to New Georgia Island and land. The field is in rough shape, they are using bulldozers to bury the Japanese dead in mass graves right next to it. We taxi up and once out of the plane meet with this rough fellow and his rough looking bunch of Airmen.

Greg "Pappy" Boyington and the Black Sheep Squadron.

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I damn near fell out of my chair! Man! Am I glad I asked that question! Thinking about his story a little while later, I actually found an online article where an aviation magazine interviewed Boyington. Sure enough, Boyington said he had met Halsey at Munda/New Georgia Island and thought he was an alright fellow.

Outstanding!

Thanks for sharing - very inspiring!

Please thank your uncle for his service from us.

And many happy returns to both your uncle and your father!

Wow, that's quite a story...thank you! Them old guys....just something special imo :)

Wow!! Good stuff, the story and your dad and uncle still kicking.

Thanks for the great story. We all appreciate his military service.

I had a great aunt almost make 100........Expired a few months shy. But at age 97, still lived in the old house and walked the steep stairs to the basement to do laundry.........

I was born in '60...so was my great grandmother, as the Civil War started....I have a few memories of her...when I was around 2. She was chopping kindling @ 100 and still going strong ;)

My dad is finally slowing down at 94. It is good to be able to still see him and talk to him.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Pope.

What stikes me is the humbleness of some of these vets. He may never have told anyone that story before, and is keeping how many more stories quiet in his mind, until asked. You sure don't see that quality today, everyone wants to post everything on social media for their 15 minutes of fame.....great story.

Hopefully, at 100, he's still only in third gear.

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