John Horton, of Pensacola, lived through some challenging parts of history, as many have. But his family wanted some of his personal remembrances recorded because his early life in Chumuckla and his World War II experience with the Navy and Marines in the Pacific War offer a vivid heritage. Horton, who will be 87 in February, was awarded the Navy-Marine Medal for extraordinary heroism with life-saving efforts under fire on the beaches of Saipan. As a pharmacist’s mate and member of a Beach Master Platoon assigned to the fast attack transport, USS Sheridan, he participated in numerous Pacific island invasions. Roy Allen is blind but enjoys helping local families collect their heritage on video. With the help of a driver and camera operator, he is able to enjoy first-hand accounts of the lives of people in our area. Recently, a recording session was held with Ed Bailly of Bagdad, whose World War II experiences included being shot down over a bay in Japan and subsequent rescue. Another interview captured the history of Walt Reese, a retired Navy Captain in Milton, whose career included the development of long-range radio communications for submarines via naval air support squadrons. When the interviews are completed and copied to computer files, they are given to the families and, with their permission, shared with local libraries. Instructions are included so people can send their interviews to the Veteran’s History Project with the Library of Congress.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Man saves historic memories