This Veterans Day, we honor veterans in North Texas for their sacrifice, including those from a fading generation.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, only 66,000 of the more than 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II are still with us as of 2024.
That includes James Baynham of Brookdale Club Hill, a senior living community in Garland. Baynham served in the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII.
James and his B-24 crew were shot down over Germany 78 years ago. Of the 10 men on board the bomber, four were killed and two of them were crippled for life. Five of the surviving crew members were held captive as prisoners of war for eight months.
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One of James’ fellow crewmen died recently at 103, leaving James as the crew's sole survivor. James remembers his fallen brothers on Memorial Day and Veterans Day every year.
He shared his story with the National WWII Museum in 2020.
“I just want my guys to be remembered,” he said. “They gave their lives for us.”
James celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year with a big birthday party featuring 200 people and the Major General from Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
A ceremony honoring James will take place on Monday at the Brookdale Club Hill.
