Listening to the stories: Veterans tell students about WWII on 70th anniversary of war’s end

Richland Northeast High School Social Studies Teacher Perry McLeod and his students hosted a group of World War II veterans at the school on Wednesday, the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Among the South Carolina veterans sharing their experiences were Lou Fowler, a B-24 waist gunner held prisoner of war for 13 months during World War II; Vernon Brantley, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge; and Al Hamilton, an infantry veteran captured in northern Italy and held prisoner for nine months.

The exchange was designed to help ensure the veterans’ stories live long beyond this anniversary of the war’s end.