I am pleased to introduce World War II Veteran Gilbert Keith. The Mooreville resident is 104 years old! Gilbert is one of ten children raised on the family farm in Eggville. His daily chores began when he was just five years old. "I always liked hard work. I was ten years old when I got my first job helping to cut down trees and hand-sawing them into lumber," Gilbert said. "In those days, money was scarce. You could earn 50 cents a day if you could find someone with 50 cents to pay you. It was the Great Depression. Nobody had nothing. As bad as it was, we were better off than some people. We owned our own farm." The family sold potatoes and molasses to help make ends meet.
In 1940, Gilbert enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Corps as part of the New Deal Program to help lift the U.S. out of the Great Depression. Young men in the CCC worked to improve public lands and parks, enabling them to make money for themselves and their families. "We made $30 a month and sent $22 back home," Gilbert said.
On December 6, 1941, Gilbert married Estelle Clouse. One day later, the radio broadcast the devastating news heard around the world. Pearl Harbor had been bombed. In just a matter of days, our great nation charged into World War II. On January 8, 1942, Gilbert entered the U.S. Army. He remembers every experience in detail. "I remember seeing the ocean for the first time and the Golden Gate Bridge. We boarded the USS Hugh L. Scott with hundreds of other men. Twenty-two days later, we were in Australia," Gilbert added.
"During the war, we went from one island to another in the South Pacific. The New Guinea jungle was terrible. It was so hard on all of us. I weighed 181 pounds going in. Six months later, I was down to 136 pounds. Several members of my division and I were sent to a rest camp for three months to recover, but I never really did."
When the war ended, Gilbert remembers the day they arrived back in the U.S. "When our ship docked in San Francisco, it was the best feeling in the world to see all the large signs welcoming us home!"
After 45 months in the service, Gilbert returned home to Estelle. They would be blessed with two healthy children, Jerry and Jan. After working 31 years for Purnell's Pride, he retired. It wouldn't be long before Gilbert decided to go back to work—this time, for the Lee County Board of Supervisors. He finally retired at the age of 83.
Sadly, after 77 years together. Estelle passed away. His children are devoted to this great man, tending to his every need. As a member of the Greatest Generation, Gilbert's service and great patriotism will always be remembered. Let's all wish him well on his 105th birthday - November 25, 2024!
