Everything There Was Dangerous: WW II Veteran Reflects on Service
At 105 years old, Roscoe Lee Joyner has witnessed some of history’s most pivotal moments. America’s boom years of the Roaring 20s, its bust during the Great Depression, and the intense combat of Operation Overlord during World War II.
“I guess you can say I’ve been around the horn,” Joyner said. “It’s been good times and bad times, but I’m still here.”
Early Years
Born in Nash County, North Carolina, on March 11, 1919, Joyner was one of eight children. After graduating from Spring Hope High School in 1937, he helped out on the family farm and his father’s sawmill before heading off to study at State College.
“This was during the Depression years,” Joyner said. “We didn’t have a lot of money, but we always had food on the table.”
By the summer of 1941, the war in Europe was in its second year, and the United States’ eventual involvement was looking more likely. Joyner’s education was cut short when he received his draft notice.
“A lot of people don’t know this, but they started the draft about a year before the War started,” Joyner said. “When I got drafted, I left school and never went back.”
Life During Wartime
Joyner did his basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, under Col. George S. Patton, who was his regimental commander. After basic training, he trained as a Piper J-3 Cub pilot.
“I was flyboy and number 69M was my plane,” Joyner said. “My job was to fly observation for artillery. I’d search for targets like ammo dumps, bridges, railroad yards, and things like that, I’d then call in the target coordinates so that our guns could take them out.”
After spending time stateside recovering from a severe training accident, Joyner found himself on a boat bound for England. His time in Britain was spent training for what would become known as Operation Overlord, which began with the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, better known as D-Day.
“I landed on Omaha Beach in the last week of June 1944,” Joyner said. “Was it dangerous? Everything was dangerous [in France]. The plane had to be lightweight, so I had to fly without parachutes with only a pistol for protection. I was shot at several times, but I always made it back in one piece.”
At times, Joyner found himself grounded, but that didn’t mean that he had much time to relax and take the quaint, European scenery.
“I saw it all at the Battle of the Bulge, where we got surrounded and crawled out across the fox holes and through the hedgerows,” Joyner said. “We eventually crossed the Rhine into Germany. One thing that I remember is seeing was Buchenwald [concentration camp] after it was liberated by the Third Army.”
Joyner eventually finished out the War in Europe in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. After Allied Forces took Berlin and the fighting ended, Joyner made his way to Marseilles, France, and boarded a ship back to the United States. A few weeks later, on December 1, 1945, Joyner was discharged from the U.S. Army as a Master Sergeant.
“I was as wild as a Nash rabbit when I got out,” Joyner said with a smile. “I remember when I got back home, I gave my father a revolver I had found in Germany. He took it outside, fired it in the air, and hit the power line to the house.
The Post-War Years
After working a few different jobs, Joyner found his place with Allis-Chalmers, a farm equipment manufacturer. He went on to acquire his own Allis-Chalmers dealership in 1955. In 1949, he married his wife, Sylvia, who he met while he was in basic training at Fort Knox. They had two children, Sylvia and David, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
“I sold the dealership and retired in 1968,” Joyner said. “Me and Sylvia then moved to Boone, North Carolina, because she loved the mountains. Sadly, Sylvia died of cancer in 1986 and I never remarried.”
Eventually returning to Spring Hope, Joyner lived on his own and remained fiercely independent until he began to struggle with his hearing and eyesight.
“I was still driving at 100 years old,” Joyner said. “But when being on my own became too much for me, I moved to Raleigh to live with my daughter and her husband.”
At 105 years young, Joyner is a testament to the resilience and determination of America’s greatest generation. He is a living chronicle of American history that we are still lucky enough to have.
As he reflects on his 105 years of life, Joyner said with a laugh, “If I had any advice to give, it would be this: just behave yourself.”