THE PENDULUM
STYLE
WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 2. 2009 ,' PAGE 19
100 YEARS AND COUNTING
Local WWII vet recounts
tales from years past
" I was the guy who could always get around and
was always by himself. I didn’t need anybody to
go with me. I have always thought of myself as a
loner.
- PAUL DAVIS
100-YEAR-OLD WAR VETERAN
□
MELISSA KANSKY | Pt\otographer
Paul Davis, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday, never believed he would live through his
experiences in World War II. Now, he is sharing these unique stories.
Melissa Kansky
Multimedia Intern
Celebrating a 100th birthday is rare
and surviving war is an achievement.
But Paul Davis, a resident of Elon's
retirement home Blakey Hall, has
done both.
Davis, sitting in front of his
handmade grandfather clock, recalled
his days as chief motor machinist
mate during World War II. Although
he witnessed the Battle of Normandy,
a general discouraged him from
fighting in the war.
“He said, 'You done had all that
training,”’ Davis said. “I was in the
National Guard and he was the head
of that at that time, so he said, ‘I’m
going to take you here to Coast Guard
Admiral,’ and he gave me a chief rate
right off the bat.”
Davis’ duties as chief machinist
motorist entailed operating the engine
room on the Navy boats.
“After (the war started) I was
always on a boat," Davis said. “1 was
always in the engine room. Always by
myself down there.”
Despite the lack of companionship
in the engine room, the loneliness did
not trouble Davis.
“1 was the guy who could always get
around and was always by himself,”
he said. “1 didn’t need anybody to go
with me. I have always thought of
myself as a loner.”
His sense of independence
benefitted him when faced with
a sinking ship at the Battle of
Normandy. Even though the boat had
been prepared to attack since 6 a.m.
that day, the troops never launched
the planned raid.
“The guns on the shore were too
much for a little ship like that,” Davis
said. “(The enemy) blew holes in the
ship and set it on fire.”
Although Davis now speaks
knowledgably about the event, he
said that day was full of uncertainty.
Alone in the engine room, Davis
was unsure of the events occurring
above him until the skipper called to
abandon ship.
“I took my time about getting out
of there,” Davis said. “1 wasn’t in no
hurry jumping in the water. No way.”
When Davis reached the deck, he
could not see his shipmates.
“I don't know where they went," he
said. “1 haven’t seen them since."
Still, on the sinking ship, Davis
had little choice but to jump off the
boat. He remembered retrieving a life
vest before entering the water and
debating whether to swim away from
the shore or toward land — the origin
of the shooting.
Ultimately he decided to swim
ashore.
“(In the water) I tried to help those
soldiers who couldn’t help themselves
get to shore,” Davis said. “But every
man’s for themselves when a thing
like that happens. You better believe
that."
Once Davis reached land, he
estimated he stayed there until 1 a.m.
the next morning.
“1 didn’t have no time on me, no
way," Davis said. “My watch was in my
locker with everything else 1 had. All 1
had on were a pair of coveralls."
The loss of his personal possessions
paled to the loss of soldiers.
“1 don't know how many of the
enemy was killed, but I know it was a
lot of Americans," he said.
On that day, he did not imagine he
would celebrate his 100th birthday.
Although Davis doubted he would
even survive, he is not the only
remnant of that battle in Elon. Fifty-
nine years later, his lost watch was
found burnt in his locker on the boat
and now hangs on a wall in his room
at Blakey Hall.
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Laura Wainman
Special Projects Editor
It is that time of year when lists
are being made and checked twice
as most seniors
are frantically
ensuring their
degree audits
are in order for
graduation.
Yet in the
midst of all the
mayhem, senior
Patrick Lane has
been busy adding
a second major to
his degree
In addition
to completing
a strategic
communications
major, Lane will graduate in May with a
BA in communication science. Though
the major has been available at Elon
since 2008, Lane will be the first Elon
graduate to receive this degree.
“I am really excited to be the first
communication science major from
Elon because it feels great to be a
minor piece of history at Elon,” Lane
said.
Within the communications field
there are four specialties; strategic
communications, broadcast new
media, journalism and communication
science.
Lane said he felt the communication
science major differed from the others
because it was not solely focused on
one type of job, but rather aimed at
making the student a communications
scholar.
Students in the major learn
the theory and philosophy of
communications, as well as
methods to enhance small group
communications.
“It is really easy to not understand
the difference between the four
specialties in communications if you
aren't in the major, but I am hoping
that people will take interest in this
new specialty major as it progresses
and get involved,” Lane said.
Lane said he just happened to
check the requirements of the new
communication science major and
realized he only needed to take two
more classes for the degree.
“It just seemed like a practical
decision to double major when I was
so close,” Lane said. “Even if there
isn’t a specific avenue to take the
major, I know that it will benefit me to
understand communication and how
it works in whatever job I pursue. It is
how we survive as humans.”
The only disadvantage Lane
stumbled upon was that one of the
classes he needed for the major was
not available yet because the school
was not expecting anyone to be ready
to take the class with the major still
being so new.
“It actually turned into a bit of an
advantage though,” Lane said. “Instead
I got to do an independent research
study, which I think will be great to
have on my resume.”
Lane said the support he received
from the university was a huge benefit
in completing the major because he
might not have been able to get the
same one-on-one attention if he had
not been the first student to pursue
the degree.
Currently Lane is open-minded
about job possibilities after
graduation, but said his ideal career
would be in the music industry.
“I would enjoy being involved with
marketing or advertising because they
are very competitive industries, and
if I could combine my love of music
in there it would be perfect,” Lane
said. “I think I could truly learn to like
anything though."