Veterans Day has a special meaning to many Americans. The sacrifices of countless men and women in service to our country will never be forgotten.

My family is one of those families that sacrificed in a big way.

They were five brothers from Grove City, Pa. who all served in World War II.

My uncles, the Bailey brothers — Fred, Fonnie, James, John and Richard —all returned home alive, and the family proudly displayed a five-star service banner in the front window of their home that they made themselves.

My father, Fred Bailey, served in Europe as an Army private in the 11th Tank Battalion’s Company C. He received a Purple Heart for being shot in the stomach, and he also survived captivity as a prisoner of war.

Fonnie Bailey, the oldest of the five, was in Europe, too, serving as a T-3 in the Army’s 86th Ordnance HAM (heavy automotive maintenance) Company.

James Bailey was a Navy seaman 2nd class and served in the European theater. He then was an Army paratrooper in the Korean War and a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, and he served three tours of duty in Vietnam.

James was shot down and killed in Vietnam on Oct. 9, 1969; he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

John and Richard Bailey were both sergeants in the Army air forces — John in the 64th Fighter Squadron in North Africa and Europe, and Richard in the 344th Service Squadron of the 13th Air Force’s 321st Service Group, in the South Pacific.

Richard is the only brother of the five still living.

After the war, Richard joined NASCAR in 1950 as a driver. He drove in the last race that was run on the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1958; he then drove on opening day in 1959 in the first race at Daytona International Speedway.

I’m proud of my uncles. They are my and America’s heroes from the greatest generation.

Written By: Don Bailey
WSB-TV Channel 2 Operations Manager