CLELLS STAR

Clell's GOLD STAR.  When the Telegram arrived, it said:  Missing in Action, with little possibility of Recovery. "It's OK Mama, he's just Missin".A young man of 12 should not be seeing crying, so I just hid out for a while.   Then in a few days, some nice looking young Air Corps Officers showed up with some papers in their hand. Then we got a GOLD STAR to put on our window.   He was my big brother, my hero. .  I have a letter he had sent to a young lady friend which she later returned to us following his MIA.  The letter was dated 12/6/43.   What follows makes me feel a little better, but not much...What follows is his exact words in a letter to the young Lady while in the Cadet Program. "A Sergeant who was serving with Gen MacArthur in the Philippines made us a real private lecture which we had to listen thru our headsets.  He told us something that Gen MacArthur said that I thought was very good: That is ("The only people who are worth living are those who are not afraid to die)" The more I think of it, the better it seems to me: Personally, I think if a Guy doesn't have anything to die for, he doesn't have anything to live for". This was excerpted from his letter of March 1, 1942 and then in less than year in Jan 43.... When the MIA is never recovered, all you get is a Government paid slab  to put in the Cemetery.  At least, it is carefully cared for by his Niece, Janet.  She watches over all the family markings at Welty Oklahoma...

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