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Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy
Chapter Fourteen: 1940 - 1949
World War II
During World War II, a large 15-panel sign was displayed in
Olustee Park listing the name of every Columbia Countian who was
serving in the war. The heading for the sign read “Columbia County
men serving in the armed forces of our country. You may well be
proud of these young men whose names appear below.”
Among the many local resi-
dents who served in the war
was Owen Douglas, the son of
W.B. Douglas. He served as a
first lieutenant in the war and
later became an assistant
state forester and chief of fire
control.
There is this anecdote about the late Rev. Dr. E.F. Mont-
gomery Sr., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church for more than 40
years: during World War II, “Dr. Mont.” received hundreds of letters
from young men and women away at war. He personally answered
every letter, always including news from home and a small calendar
because people at war could lose track of time. After the war and Dr.
Montgomery’s death, his son Ed returned those “war letters” at his
own expense to the families of the letter writers.
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