Photo By Gregory White | 21033--N-RB391-323 (March 30, 2021) RALEIGH, NC - Electronics Technician, Nuclear...... read more read more
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RALEIGH – March 31 was a huge day for Leon Howell. The local WWII veteran was turning 99-years-old. Like many people this past year, Howell was not expecting much. The pandemic has made it so that celebrations are rare and sterile occasions. However, Howell’s family wanted to do something special, and Navy recruiting wanted to be part of the celebration.
Howell’s family hosted a “drive-thru” birthday celebration March 30 to celebrate the occasion, and Electronics Technician, Nuclear Power (ETN) Petty Officer 1st Class Anthony M. Augustine, a Navy Sailor assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Carolina, used the opportunity to meet the Pearl Harbor survivor.
Tamara Cole, Howell’s step daughter, said Howell served at Pearl Harbor aboard the USS Vega (AK-17) during the infamous attack on December 7, 1941. His ship earned four battle stars during WWII.
Augustine, a history buff with deep respect for the men and women who lived through the events at Pearl Harbor, could not resist the opportunity to meet Howell in person.
“I’m just so grateful for you and others like you who paved the way for me and others like me,” said Augustine during a conversation with Howell. “I’m preparing to go to Japan soon and it is going to be a completely different experience for me thanks to you all.”
“Let me tell ya,” said Howell with a huge smile on his face. “You look good in that uniform. Almost as good as I did. Ah yeah…it’s all coming back to me now.”
Augustine presented Howell with a command ball cap and coin from Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Raleigh, which was NTAG Carolina’s command name before rebranding in October last year.
The veteran appeared grateful and overjoyed.
“He will remember this forever,” said Cole. “We won’t be able to pry that hat out of his hands.”
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, three Navy Recruiting Regions, 26 NTAGS and 64 Talent Acquisition Onboarding Centers (TAOCS) that serve more than 1,000 recruiting stations around the world. Their mission is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http:’’www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.31.2021 15:41 |
| Story ID: | 392757 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, US |
| Web Views: | 167 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, RALEIGH SAILOR VISITS WWII VET, by Gregory White, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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