James Buggs grew up with five brothers and sisters working on the family farm. He was drafted into World War II after finishing high school. He wasn’t comfortable going to war and, it turns out, he had good reason to worry.
His job in the Army was to load the warplanes with ammunition, including bombs. Some of those bombs weighed 500 to 1,000 pounds. That wasn’t really a problem for a big farmboy like himself. What got to him was the enemy planes targeting their base.
When they heard the Japanese planes coming, they ran for places to hide. One day, the enemy attacked while everyone was in the chow line. He says that plates went flying as soldiers ran for cover.
Despite his concern, he made it through the war without injury. Now he’s proud that he served in the war, KTBS.com reported.
“When I think about you know what all could have happened and how we were able to be protecting the country and all that, that made me feel good,” he says.
After returning home from the war, Buggs worked in the insurance business and then as an appraiser for Caddo Parish in Shreveport, Louisiana. Recently, his wife passed after nearly 70 years of marriage.