U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., on Friday recognized the service and sacrifice of World War II veteran Benjamin Haymon, of Hot Springs, who died in December 2019, as part of his "Salute to Veterans" series in recognition of Black History Month.
Haymon shared memories from his life's experiences during an interview with a member of Boozman's staff for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project on Nov. 21, 2019, according to a news release from the senator's office.
Haymon celebrated his 110th birthday on Nov. 8, 2019, and died on Dec. 18, 2019.
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Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2000 to collect and retain the oral histories of the nation's veterans. Since then, more than 111,000 veterans have shared their stories of their military experience for the project, Boozman said in a news release in December.
Haymon was born on Nov. 8, 1909. He grew up in McKamie, in Lafayette County, on his family's farm where they grew corn, cotton and various fruits, according to Friday's news release.
"That's where we grew up, working on a farm," he said.
After graduating from McKamie High School, Haymon had a variety of jobs, including farming and working at a paper mill in Louisiana.
On April 25, 1941, Haymon was drafted into the Army. At the age of 31, "he was considerably older than many of his brothers in arms."
He was deployed to the Pacific Theater where he served as a cook in Port Moresby, Australia. He continued his service in New Hebrides, now called Vanuatu.
"During his military service, Haymon was surrounded by the realities of war, but courageously continued to perform his duties," the release said.
After returning home, Haymon worked in Garland County and raised his sons, Lonnie and Jeffery. Following in their father's footsteps, both sons served in the Armed Forces.
During a ceremony to honor Haymon in November 2019, he was presented with the WWII Victory Medal, coins and letters, "but the most moving moment was the formal presentation of the American flag. Haymon repeatedly shared a heartfelt 'thank you' to those who attended and honored him," the release said.
At the time of his death, he was the oldest known World War II veteran in Arkansas. He is buried at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.
"Benjamin Haymon led a well-lived life. His accomplishments and story will continue to be told and will continue to inspire future generations of Americans. I am grateful for his service to our nation and am pleased we were able to collect his stories," Boozman said.
Boozman will submit Haymon's entire interview to the Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congress's American Folklife Center to collect and retain the oral histories of our nation's veterans, the release said.
The earlier release said the Veterans History Project is an initiative that "builds an archive at the Library of Congress of oral histories and personal documents of the men and women who served our country in uniform."
In recognition of its 20th anniversary last year, the history project "celebrated and reignited relationships with Americans in a way that drew new audiences to the Library, brought attention to existing collections, and fostered relations with members of Congress, organizations and nonprofits in an effort to expand its collection," the release said.
"I'm pleased my staff could be part of the celebration and share how the VHP has impacted Arkansas. My office has partnered with the Library of Congress to ensure the experiences of Arkansas veterans become part of this archive. In the past five years, my office has conducted dozens of interviews, trained more than 1,200 Arkansans to participate and help spread the word about the importance of this program and the urgency to record these first-hand accounts," Boozman said.