Just in time for Memorial Day, a local senior living community celebrated the 100th birthday of resident James Baynham, a WWII Veteran and former POW.
Baynham, a resident of Brookdale Club Hill in Garland, served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII.
Seventy-eight years ago, James and his B-24 crew were shot down over Germany. Of the ten 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 sole survivor of the crew. Every year on Memorial Day, James remembers his fallen brothers.
“I just want my guys to be remembered,” he said. “They gave their lives for us.”
In honor of his birthday, the community hosted a patriotic birthday celebration on Sunday with Baynham’s family, friends and associates.
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Around 200 people turned out to celebrate him, including a surprise guest – Major General Jason R. Armagost, Commander of the Eighth Air Force and Commander of the Joint-Global Strike Operations Center based in Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
