Local veterans interviewed for historical recordings

Volunteers from the Missouri Veterans History Project recorded interviews Friday with two local service members, Homer Schnurbusch and John "Doc" Yallaly.

The state organization is part of a national program through the Library of Congress and American Folklife Center. Once the interviews are completed, a copy is sent to the veterans interviewed, the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Library of Congress, which make them available to the public for research and gemology, said Audrey Mack, executive director of the not-for-profit Missouri Veterans History Project.

"The ultimate goal is to interview every veteran that we can," Mack said.

Interviewed at Capetown Assisted Living, Schnurbusch was joined by two of his four daughters, Mary Aldredge of Oak Ridge and Susan Welker of Cape Girardeau. His other two daughters are Ruth Dambach of Phoenix and Bonnie Davis of St. Louis. He has three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

"I'm really excited because myself and my three sisters have for years wanted to have his story documented, so we feel that we're finally getting that done," Aldredge said. A Perryville, Missouri, native, Schnurbusch enlisted in the Army Air Corps, now the Air Force, in October 1942 in St. Louis as an aircraft mechanic. Before joining, he worked at a St. Louis aircraft manufacturer, Curtiss-Wright. He also married his wife, Helen, who is now deceased.

"I didn't want to go to the Army and walk; I wanted to go to the Air Force and fly," said Schnurbusch, now 94.

And fly he did, embarking on 45 missions over Germany and other Axis powers. He earned many medals for his service, including the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, an Air Medal with five Oak Clusters and others. He also was recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross, just below the Medal of Honor, but, according to a previous Missourian article, he thinks it got lost in the paperwork.

He showed a Purple Heart, Silver Star and Air Medal to his interviewer, Carl Sherman, and videographer Reece Pence.

On Dec. 2, 1944, Schnurbusch and fellow crew member Sandy Austin of Vermont were shot down when the 460th Bombardment Group attacked a synthetic oil plant in western Poland.

Injured in the legs and right hand, Schnurbusch was found by Polish farmers, who turned him over to Russian troops. Russia was a U.S. ally during the war.

After a long process, he was treated and sent back to the United States. But to his family, he had been missing for 55 days. When he returned to Perryville, Schnurbusch said there was no fanfare.

"I don't think we had a party or anything like that. I think we were just glad we got back," he said Friday.

He attended Southeast Teachers College, graduating in 1951 with a teaching degree and a major in business. He started work as an account for a CPA firm, went into housing construction and sold cars as a sideline.

He also bought an interest in Monroe Glass Co. and was associated with the firm for 25 years. Schnurbusch also was active in many veterans organizations.

Yallaly, also interviewed Friday by the Missouri Veterans History Project, was drafted into the Army in September 1953. He was in the Naval Reserve for three years when he got out of high school and was told he would get drafted if he didn't go on active duty. But they wouldn't take him, so a week later, the Army drafted him instead.

He was stationed at Camp Gordon, Georgia, with the Signal Corps. In 1955, he made the base baseball team, playing outfield.

When he got out of the service, he became involved in American Legion baseball in Cape Girardeau. He managed for 40 years and is general manager.

The 83-year-old played with Joe Durham, who was on the Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals teams, and against the late Wilmer Mizell, who played for the Cardinals and New York Mets.

Yallaly said Mizell's team "beat everybody."

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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