March 30, 1995
I have just celebrated my 71st birthday. Mary and John Hallett [neighbors] invited us down to their beach house at Debordiu [De Bordieu] near Georgetown [SC] for the Georgetown tour of plantations and homes. We went down on Thursday, March 30th. Al and Carolyn Martin [neighbors] joined us. We enjoyed attending the tour on Friday.
After we arrived Thursday, we heard some planes going over and realizing they were old type, rushed out on porch and located them. There were 2 planes, one a B-17 [and] one a B-24. Harry had flown a B-24 during World War II so he was delighted to see one still flying. Someone in Stowe, VT had restored one to World War II standards and was taking it on its last public tour. Harry and Harry, Jr will go to Charlotte over the weekend to see it.
Mike and Robert had seen them fly over Columbia on Monday and they went out to the airport to see them. Also Harry, Jr. was in Columbia at a meeting in a high rise office, heard the planes and rushed to the window to get a glimpse.
Harry received his wings in 1943 so these planes are well over 50 years old.
March 23, 1944 was the date my Brother Authur Leroy McKeown was killed at Anzio Beach in Italy. Very few people know about that time except for those who had family members there. They [U.S. Army soldiers] were marooned on a small cresent [crescent] of beach with the Germans holding the high ground. They [U. S. soldiers] lived in Sand Caves. Arthur was a First Lt. and was sent in as a replacement and lived about 6 weeks before being killed by sharpnel while on a night reconasance [reconnaissance]. He had been married for a short time. He was 24 and lives in my mind as my handsome, happy brother. Had he come home, I feel sure he would have accomplished a lot and given much to this country. As it was he gave himself for this country. We, his family, still grieve at our loss.