HomeMy WebLinkAboutRees, Holly
'[ think there's a camaraderie between [servicemen}. .We have a lot
in common even though it changes from one conflict to the next.'
HOLLY REES, WORLD WAR II VETERAN.
Marching in their honor
Eagle photo/Dave McDermand
World War II veteran Holly Rees, wearing his original uniform are as fresh as they were when he was 19. "It's something a
In Bryan, said that even after 60 years, his war experiences . lot of people who have been [In combat] know," he said.
Local WWII veteran to take part in Veterans Parade
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By COURTNEY GRAFFT
Eagle Staff Writer
JEe 21, 1945 is a day Holly Rees
remembers well. It was the day
the Army infantryman was shot
in the foot in Okinawa, and coinci-
dentally, the same day Okinawa was
declared secure.
"It wasn't quite secure," Rees,
now 79, said with a hint of sarcasm.
With Veterans Day on Nov. 11 and
the Veterans Parade, hosted by the
Bryan Rotary Club, set for Sunday,
Rees said it's important to remem-
ber and thank those who have.
served the country in the military.
"Most of the World War II veter-
ans are dying off, and I think we
need to .honor them as well as all the
other veterans," he said.
Rees said that even after 60 years,
his war experiences are as fresh in
his mind as they were when he was
19.
"There aren't a lot of things in life ,
that stick with you like that does,"
he said. "I'd say being married, hav-
ing a family is important, but the
military experience is etched in my
mind as much as any of them."
Just about everything in combat
is terrifying, Rees said.
"The noise, the smell- it's some-
thing a lot of people who have been
hunting know, but it's quite another
experience to have somebody shoot-
ing at you, especially when they con-
nect like they did with me."
Rees said somebody once told
him that when you go mto
combat, within 15 minutes
you'll either be dead or a vet-
eran.
"I lasted 32 days and nights
before I got shot," he said
proudly. .
Sent immediately from 01\1-
nawa to an Army hospital in
Modesto, Calif., Rees spent the
next several months recuperat-
ing from his wound.
After fmishing his military
service, Rees attended the Uni-
versity of Arizona, where he
met his future wife. They have
three childrenl two daughters
and a son, all of whom live out
of state.
Rees and his family moved
to Bryan after his job with the
Social Secutity Administra-
tion was transferred, and he
now is the longest-serving
Rotary Club member in the
Brazos County.
. As of Thursday morning, 33
entries had signed up to partic-
ipate in Sunday's Veterans
Parade.
"They range ttom Bryan
High Band to Rolling Riders
Horse Club," said Mike
Southerland, Bryan Rotary
committee chairman.
Set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, the
Veterans Parade will take
. place in downtown Bryan. A
performance by Brazos Valley
TROUPE will follow.
Rees said he will be among
the onlookers at the parade,
surrounded by fellow soldiers
[rom World War II to the war
1m Iraq.
l "I think there's a cama-
raderie between all of us. We
tmve a lot in common even
fhough it changes from one
conflict to the next," he said.
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