JANUARY 2013
SUNRAYS | 29
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
S
un City Texas is home to hundreds of veterans, most
notably, Neighborhood 13, which boasts no less than 12
veterans from “The Greatest Generation”—veterans of
World War II. In celebration of Veterans Day, the neighborhood
hosted a potluck and program to recognize these men for their
service. Cadets of the University of Texas at Austin ROTC
began the programwith the presentation of colors, Diane Baker
read her poem “And the Years Drag on” in remembrance of
POWs/MIAs, and Betty Schleder gave a brief background of
each WWII veteran, which is presented here.
The program also raised funds for Honor Flight Austin, a
program that sends WWII veterans to Washington, D.C., to
see the WWII Memorial Wall. For more information about
Honor Flight Austin, contact Betty Schleder at 512-868-3900
or [email protected]—stay tuned for more on Betty
in the February Sun Rays.
Listed here are the 12 veterans of WWII from Neighborhood
13.
If you see them around Sun City, be sure to say hi.
The
Greatest
Generation
The WWII heroes of Neighborhood 13
By Betty Schleder and Maggi Jones
Charles “Shag” Larson
—
Our war
hero! Shag was drafted in ’43 and
sent to France just before D-Day. He
was captured by the Germans and
put in Bad Orb Prison. There, guys
were starving to death every day.
Patton’s army eventually rescued
them, but Shag was too sick to know
what was going on. He spent
many weeks in a hospi-
tal in France before returning to the U.S. to
start college. That didn’t last long, however,
and he received orders to head off to the
Korean War. He’s been married to his
dear Deanie for 68 years. They had one
child and went on to adopt three others!
Lester Moreland
—
Les
served in the 5th Marine Di-
vision and fought in the Pa-
cific from ’42-’46. He was a
member of the Division Band
and played the trombone. His
combat assignments included
Iwo Jima and the occupation
of Japan. He considers surviv-
ing Iwo Jima to
be his greatest accomplishment in
life. He’s lost his dear wife, but
still has his son Jim, who calls
his dad “One incredible man.”
