A few days after President Franklin Roosevelt requested Congress declare war on Japan, December 1941, my grandfather, Leroy Barmes, enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps, later to become the United States Air Force.

For basic training, he was stationed in Miami Beach, Florida, along with Clark Gable, Jimmy, Stewart, and my future theater, directing mentor, Joshua Logan. The celebrity enlistees would eat their meals with everyone else.

Upon completion of basic training, my grandfather was sent to Wisconsin where he was to study radio control operations. However, he came down with rheumatic fever, and received an honorable discharge.

My grandfather was always meticulous for documentation and fortunately, he wrote all the names of the individuals in these photographs, along with where they were from.

About 10 years ago, I researched and located three-fourths of the individuals in these photos and sent emails and letters. Several had already passed away, but I received responses from four of the men, and two of their children responding that their fathers had passed away.