AUSTIN, Texas— Today, Texas Land Commissioner and Veterans Land Board (VLB) Chairwoman Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is proud to introduce the next installment of the series highlighting the VLB's Voices of Veterans oral history program. This week, we highlight the service of Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Roy Blanton who served in the U.S. Army during WWII.
A native of Knickerbocker, Texas, in Tom Green County, Blanton laughed when asked about growing up in Knickerbocker, saying, "It wasn't any bigger than just a post office," and doubted it was any bigger now. He said he played football growing up to help stay busy. After graduating from high school, Blanton married his wife before the war started.
Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Blanton decided he should "get his draft card." So, he went to Goodfellow Field in San Angelo. "I went there to take the examination, and I passed it, and then I had to wait about nine months before they called me," Blanton explained, adding he didn't know why it took them so long but that he "knew it was just a matter of time."
The call finally came through, and Blanton quickly reported to Lubbock before being sent to Biloxi, Mississippi. Blanton said he wanted to "go to Gunnery School, but they sent me to mechanical school [...] and I was on B-24s as a mechanic." As a mechanic, one of the tasks Blanton was given was to head to Michigan to Willow Run, the Bomber plant. At the time, every American automaker turned its workforce and facilities to military production during World War II.
"When we picked up our plane and our pilot, there was a sign on the door that said, 'If you want to go to Gunnery school, sign here,' and I signed," Blanton explained. "Well, I got a call that I was accepted to go to Gunnery school."
It was 1944, and Blanton said he arrived in Florida near Fort Myers at the Buckingham Army Airfield, which was home to the Buckingham Flexible Gunnery School. When asked why he wanted to be a gunner, Blanton said he didn't know but admitted, "I wanted to get close to the fighting."
While Blanton never saw combat as a nose gunner on B-24s, his service to our country was worth it. After the Germans surrendered, he served for a period of time as a guard of SS prisoners.
To listen to SSgt. Roy Blanton tell his story, click the button below:
RELATED: Voices of Veterans: PFC Leslie Rasco Shares His Story of Service in the U.S Army During WWII
Veterans can email VoicesofVeterans@glo.texas.gov to tell their stories. Please note that the Veteran must be a resident of Texas at the time of their interview.
Voices of Veterans is a state agency's first Veteran oral history program. It records the stories of Texas Veterans through their time in service and after returning home from combat.
The VLB records interviews with Veterans over the phone or in person. Their interviews are then permanently archived in the Office of Veterans Records at the GLO, where they join the historical documents of other Texas heroes such as Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barret Travis.
Veterans' interviews are also available to researchers, historians, genealogists, and the public. These precious records inspire future generations and remind us of our Veterans' sacrifices.
To listen to the over 500 archived stories of Veterans documented through the GLO's Voices of Veterans oral history program, click the button below:
# # #
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., brings a lifetime of experience to the Texas General Land Office (GLO). In 2016, she became the first Republican elected to the Texas State Senate from Travis County and the first woman to represent Texas Senate District 24. She made history again in 2022, winning a statewide election to become our state’s first female Land Commissioner.