SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Each month SylacaugaNews.com and Yea!106.5 feature a veteran online and on-air, honoring them for their service to our country. The SylacaugaNews.com Veteran of the Month for October is the late Harris Donald Saunders.
Janice Saunders Grohs, our veterans daughter, told SylacaugaNews.com about her father’s service.
*note SN is abbreviated SylacaugaNews.com, JSG is abbreviated for Janice Saunders Grohs.
SN: What is your father’s full name?
JSG: Harris Donald Saunders
SN: What was his date of birth?
JSG: Aug. 15, 1934
SN: What was your father’s branch of service?
JSG: Navy
SN: What was his job?
JSG: My father was a squad leader and then was assigned to Gen. Mark Clark’s Honor Guard.
SN: When did he serve?
JSG: He served from 1952 right out of high school to 1955.
SN: Where did he serve? Stateside or overseas?
JSG: He completed his boot camp in San Diego, and then served in Japan and Korea.
SN: What is most memorable about your father’s service?
JSG: When he was son Gen. Clark’s Honor Guard, Gen. Clark stoppped and talked to my father, which was something generals did not do, and let him know that he was on his way to sign a document that would be very historical. He was actually on his way to sign the truce to end the Korean War.
SN: Would he do it again if he could and why?
JSG: Yes. He was so proud of his country and knew he would be very good in the armed forces.
