#VeteranOfTheDay Army Veteran William L. Horton

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran William L. Horton. William served during World War II.

William received a draft letter on his 18^th birthday in 1943. William wanted to be in the Army Air Forces but was unable to meet the weight requirement. After obtaining a deferment and completing high school, William was sent to Fort Leonard Wood for basic training. While there he learned demolition techniques and bridge-building techniques. After completing basic training, William was given the choice to enroll in an Army program which would allow soldiers to earn a college degree. As part of the program, William attended Indiana University where he completed basic college courses. He was sent to Camp Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee border in 1944 to complete armored training. He was later transferred to Camp Myles Standish in Massachusetts where he was in charge of keeping the fires going in the stoves at night.

William left Camp Myles Standish and sailed to Le Havre, France as part of the 20^th Armored Division. His division was responsible for maintaining roads and building bridges. In the summer of 1945, William was sent home and granted a month-long furlough. William remained in the Army until February 1946 and was assigned to Camp Cook in California. More of his story can be found at http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.01837/. 

Thank you for your service, William!

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranOfTheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at http://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Graphic By Lilian Vo: Lilian Vo is an undergraduate senior at George Mason University studying Global Affairs and Intelligence Analysis.