J L & Doris Talk About His Trip Home From War & Baby Kay

J L shares about his journey home after the end of the war. He took a troop train to San Antonio then caught a shared car ride the rest of the way. They made it all of the way until just before arriving at Colorado City and got a flat tire in the middle of the night. So close to home – but had to wait until morning to fix the flat. Once he got to Colorado City, he began hitchhiking back toward Dunn. He walked the rest of the way until a milk man was working his route picked him up and took him the rest of the way. His 22 month old daughter Kay, who had never seen him before, saw him walking up in his army uniform and started hollering “Daddy – Daddy”. It was somewhat of a surprise for Doris because J L was about a week earlier than expected. That same day the news broke that the war had ended with Japan where two of Doris’s brothers were. That called for a rare celebration trip into town.

J L Byars 09/02/1916 – 03/23/2008
Doris Grant Byars 08/05/1922 – 10/04/2010
Married 10/25/1941

Original video recorded in Ballinger Texas in November 2006.