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Show EDWI CAN 0 " ED' WI D R B ~ R 22 2 1 time? My last letter from him was written on May 6 and I am w nd ring if h c uld till b alive"--dear folks, you know, that hold on to the- If you will please give me any iw rmati n. It would be so gratefully received at this time. We appreciate your every kindness to our son. And it's signed by Mr. and Mrs. Albert Wright. Well I remember writing and I guess this was one of them. And the date was May the lOth, 19-when? BEC: Forty-five. NED: Forty-five. I should never forget that date. And then, he was, I didn't ever visit his parents but when I was mustered out I got on some, what we called, Air Transit Command. The three services had transportation facilities in there. There was a Naval Transport Command and servicemen, if there was space available, could bum rides on these Air Transport Command, or Naval Transport Command, from one place to another. And with, being chaplain and we'd been shot down, I got to go to a number of places, like in Texas and Florida and in the Midwest, where I looked up the parents of those who were deceased. I didn't see all of them, but I saw a lot of them and they appreciated that. And I don't think I got to Wright's-I see his address is Washington, D.C., which is kind of vague. He must have been a regular Navy guy. But that was a good thing to do. And then one of the men who was killed was from Riverton. When I came home I spoke at his memorial service. From then on I had contact with his mother, who was a widow, for a number of years until she passed away. She was Della Bills. This sailor was Ivan Bills. He was a Second-Class gunner's mate and he and I were good friends and we'd talk about Jordan-that's where he went. And, anyway, I went to Jordan High after I got home and asked if I could give an award there to-he was always talking about athletics-to the outstanding athlete of Jordan High. And Mr. Ballard, the principal thought that'd be a good idea. And it would be honoring this Ivan C. Bills and all the other Jordan High and other people who 24 |
