Now, it’s a slow morning, lunch with a friend, or dinner with people I love—talking about our gardens, our kids, and everything we are going through, from kids growing up to spouses and parents dying, relationships ending, and new ones beginning.

When I look for the common thread, it’s always the same: my people. My people bring me joy in both the hardest moments and the best ones, and I’ve learned you can’t just show up for one or the other.

That is my story of joy, friends.

They sat down with me in Sgt. Washington’s living room for their interviews in 2015.

Lt. Averitte Corley

Before Corley became a Marine, he felt such a strong desire to serve his country that he dropped out of Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis, lied about his age, and joined the US Army Air Corps. Shortly thereafter, on the grounds of Fort Benjamin Harrison, Corley saw a peculiar sight: a unit of Japanese Americans in training. Corley would later find out that this unit—the 100th Battalion of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team—fought alongside the 92nd Buffalo Soldiers in Italy and Europe, becoming one of the most decorated units of the war.

Speaking with the awe of a curious youth, Corley speaks of meeting a Tuskegee Airman while he was loading C47s. Corley was deeply impressed that the Airman had access to the officers’ quarters and was truly inspired by him. It did not take long for Corley’s true age to be discovered, and he was given an Honorable discharge. Corley then began working on the family farm in Hamilton County until he was of age to reenlist, this time with the Marines.

Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, had a separate camp for blacks; this was Montford Point. Corley shares that their black drill sergeants were tougher on them than their white drill sergeants.

“They wanted us more prepared, tougher, stronger and more focused than any other Marines, and we had to be. And given what was ahead, we needed the strength and moral character to lead,” shared Corley.

Corley was part of the group that relieved the soldiers of the 52nd on Saipan. There he guarded Japanese POWs. “I was in charge of feeding seven of the largest and meanest Japanese soldiers I’d ever seen. They only wore loincloths and had murdered and cannibalized a family of locals and were to be hanged.”

On one occasion, Corley describes an interesting situation en route to the chow line: walking toward him, seemingly leaving the mess hall, were three men. Corley knew that two of them were US soldiers, but the third was a Japanese officer who had come out of hiding, casually walking alongside the soldiers. Corley pulled his gun on the fugitive and told him, “Hands up!” to the surprise of the oblivious soldiers.

For his actions, Corley was given a promotion and transferred to Guam, where he oversaw four other Marines and was issued a vehicle for transport. At the time, this was against the segregated protocol of the Marines. Corley received little, if any, friction for his new promotion and was treated respectfully.

Corley was honorably discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in August of 1947. In 1949, Averitte Corley formally graduated from high school and, using the GI Bill, attended Purdue University, where he majored in Agriculture. He then earned a master’s degree in Counseling from Indiana University. Corley spent a long career with the Indianapolis Police Department, retiring as a Sargent and then working for the US Postal Service.

Regimental Sgt. Major Johnny Washington

Sgt. Major Washington made a career for himself in the Marines; he served for 30 years before retiring, having served in not just WWII, but also Korea and Vietnam. Not many soldiers can claim all of those on their record and live to tell.

“The Marine Corps is the story of my life”, says Sgt. Major Washington, “starting with boot camp where the civilian life is erased, establishing a military foundation.”

Being a Marine established such a strong foundation for Mr. Washington that he claims he couldn’t get enough of it. “I’ve seen more than my share of combat, and I still miss it,” states Washington.

When Washington and his platoon were preparing for Korea, the experience was different from the 1940s, for this was the end of segregation in the military. Washington states, “Color was never a problem with the Marines. All blood is red.” After 12-15 months of combat in Korea, Washington returned to Lejeune, which was the home sweet home that he and his family would return to every few years. Few soldiers lived in as many different locations around the world and in the United States as Washington has.

Sgt Major Washington is one of the most-decorated Montford Point Marines, having served in three major wars and been rewarded for his acts of bravery. He was also a no-nonsense platoon commander who was the toughest on his men.

“I would be given the rowdiest, laziest group of boys and turn them into one of the best platoons of soldiers. Boys to men is what they would become under my command. The troops didn’t like it, but I did my job.” Regimental Sgt. Major Washington would spend his final months in active duty working alongside the Inspector General.

Not long after this interview, I spent some time with a few current Camp Lejeune Marines while in North Carolina. They looked at me with a sense of awe as I shared my conversation with Washington and Corley. One soldier asked, “What was it like being in their presence?” I smiled with tears in my eyes, for these heroes/soldiers/men of valor invoke awe with Marines today.

This is the stuff of legend. Corley and Washington are members of a small, exclusive club of Proud Montford Point Marines.

“Once a Marine, always a Marine.” Said Sgt. Major Washington. “Oorah!”

Their stories originally appeared in Geist Magazine.

In 2015, after serving in WWII as a medic in Patton’s 3rd Army, Andy Anderson took a historic trip back to Germany for the 70th anniversary of an event he played a role in: the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp. April 11th, 1945.

Anderson is from Indianapolis, and missed his high school graduation in the spring of 1942 because he’d been drafted within days of the attack on Pearl Harbor. He did, however, receive his diploma in 1943, while dressed in uniform.

“At the ceremony, the school made a big deal about me being in the Army and what I was doing. I was so embarrassed,” recalled Anderson, who still turned pink in the cheeks when speaking about that day.

Interestingly, Anderson spent a portion of his training as a subset of the Canadian Armed Forces. Anderson thinks it’s because of the secrecy around their training.

The training dealt with mustard gas, heavily used by the Germans during WWI. The Allied forces feared it would be deployed again. During these exercises, Anderson’s team was sent into a Canadian forest and was exposed directly to mustard gas. One unfortunate soldier did not have his mask on securely and died during training.

“I still have the burn marks on my skin from the exposure,” said Anderson.

After training in Canada, the 94th Medical Gas Treatment Battalion was shipped over to Pontypridd, Wales. They were stationed there for nearly four months.

“There were no buildings for housing in Pontypridd, so we stayed with families. I still keep in touch with the family that boarded me,” shares Anderson. One day, while he was standing outside in the middle of the day, he looked up because the sky was dark with Allied aircraft heading to Normandy for D-Day.

Anderson and his unit crossed the English Channel ten days after D-Day, landing at Utah Beach, Normandy. Assigned to Patton’s 3rd Army, they moved at a brisk pace across the European peninsula.

“Patton was always in a hurry,” says Anderson, “We did not stay anywhere very long if he could help it.”

While moving swiftly through Germany, the 3rd Army discovered a mustard gas depot, which put Anderson’s training to the test as they disabled the bombs, apparently left over from a few decades before, but still potentially fatal.

“It looked as if it was a backup plan or something that could be used,” says Anderson.

Another interesting find by his unit was new technology that the German military had engineered: functional jets for combat. “We found a jet under camouflage netting hidden in the forest near a battle site that exceeded the capabilities of our planes at the time,” shared Anderson.

Anderson would stay with the 3rd Army until the end of the war. Working the front lines, Anderson never carried a weapon, only injured soldiers to the safety of the medic tents.

“We were front line medics, and when I say front line, I mean it,” shares Anderson. “We had 2 anti-aircraft and an ambulance unit attached to our M.A.S.H. unit.”

Anderson’s medical unit also mobilized dogs and sleds with wheels underneath to aid in retrieving the wounded from battle.

“I took care of so many injured soldiers,” says Anderson, “Many of these kids were only 18 or 19 years old, and I had to help place those that didn’t make it into body bags.” Anderson was a young man, too, but he was one of the lucky ones to make it back home.

Anderson recalls being surrounded by the German Army while holed up in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. “We went for 10 days without food,” states Anderson, “but I can’t complain; I survived.”

On April 11th, Anderson was part of the 3rd Army that liberated Buchenwald concentration camp, one of the largest.

“It was devastating. I was among some medics that stayed to care for those that survived that horrible camp,” says Anderson, who showed me his photos of the gruesome atrocities he witnessed. “You just can’t imagine.”

Anderson and members of his unit did not speak German, and the survivors of the camp did not speak English, so they were shown what had been done, and some posed for photos so people would know the truth of what happened.

In contrast, while in Germany, Anderson met performer Marlene Dietrich. “That was something,” says Anderson with a smile, adding, “she was with the Red Cross and was entertaining the troops, but her main goal was to find her mom, which I believe she did.”

Dietrich, born in Germany, was outspoken against the Nazi party and feared for her family during the War. She immediately volunteered to entertain troops, starting in North Africa, before working her way to Germany to locate her family.

Once Anderson returned stateside, his unit prepared for the invasion of Japan, but the atomic bombs were dropped. “I was grateful for those bombs, as horrible as they were; they did save lives,” says Anderson.

“Doing what I did and seeing the things I saw was quite remarkable for a young man of my age,” shares Anderson, reflecting on his WWII experiences.

When asked about his (then upcoming) trip to visit Buchewald to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its liberation, Anderson felt like the luckiest man in the world.

“This time, I get to be wined and dined, which is a nice contrast to what I experienced 70 years ago,” said Anderson. “Germany is a beautiful country, and the people are wonderful. They just had a horrible time for a while, and that is long gone.”

Anderson’s trip was sponsored by IndyHonorFlight.org.

Dear Kara,

When you want to write a thank you to someone for making your life more wonderful than just wonderful, there seem not to be enough words in the twenty-six-letter alphabet to master these thankful words. Thank you is nice, but it is not nice enough to express my feelings for the article you wrote in the November issue of the Broad Ripple Magazine. My life’s experiences in World War II, 53 years of marriage, 33+ years on the Indianapolis Fire Department, and being 90 years old/young on my next birthday have been the wonderful experiences I mentioned above. More wonderful is your article about the October 18th Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. The seventy Veterans, the seventy guardians, and the staff that made it all come true felt the love and compassion that only something this special can produce. We all lovingly thank you for telling the present generation about the past that helped form the present. With enough love and compassion, the present might make a terrific future.

Lots of Love,

Don

THIS! This is why I focused for so many years on interviewing as many WWII Veterans as I could. I love them, their stories, their sacrifice, and how they overcame so much and were still lovely humans after experiencing so much trauma.

Don’s letter is framed with his cover shot — yes, I was able to get him on the COVER of a magazine!

Typing was a coveted skill in the Army and earned him a spot with the 231st Medical Corps. During training at Camp Atterbury in Southern Indiana, McDowell shared his first encounter with Colonel Lynwood Gable, a decorated surgeon from World War I. Gable climbed out of a car and, upon seeing the unit he was to command, declared, “What did I get myself into?! Bring me a Coke! In fact, bring me two!”

McDowell wasn’t sure of the significance of the cola request, but the colonel told his unit that they would be turned into “the best damned medical unit in the Army.” And based on the history books, it sounds like it was a mission accomplished.

Col. Gable was a music lover, and he held auditions for a band. McDowell was chosen as the lead singer in what became known as the Gable Gators. Aside from typing, McDowell as a crooner with a voice like Bing Crosby. He was a natural performer and became very popular overseas.

During training, McDowell took a trip to Indianapolis to buy sheet music, where he met the love of his life. Peggy Million worked at the Pearson’s Music Store in downtown Indianapolis. It was love at first sight. The couple developed a relationship over the next several months before McDowell shipped off to England, proposing marriage to her before he departed. Every day he wrote love letters to his “one in a million.” Peggy wrote to him as well. Their love letters, totaling over 1,000 pages, are part of a collection at the Indiana Historical Society.

The 231st Medical Unit was placed in Norwich, England. The hospital served the notorious 8th, who were the flyboys bombing German positions across the English Channel. Each day a squadron of bombers would leave, and all prayed they would return. McDowell said the casualties were high, and they would see the bombers returning with holes in the planes, hoping they would land safely. The injured were admitted to the base hospital, and McDowell was among the intake team, since he was the triage typist admitting these soldiers.

McDowell became best friends with one of his fellow Gators, accordion player Lenny Kratoska. The two of them had the idea to start a radio station on base. Gable thought it was a splendid idea and pledged funding. McDowell and Kratoska went to London to buy the equipment, which included a huge transmitter. The guys wired the hospital ward with speakers on either end replete with volume controls. They took turns on their off-hours to play records for the healing soldiers in their hospital. A true morale booster, the radio station was extremely well received, and the patients made requests and dedications for the disc jockeys. McDowell was convinced that many believed their radio station could reach their loved ones back home. This memory was one of Jimmy’s favorites of the war.

On Friday and Saturday evenings, when the men weren’t working in the hospital, the Gable Gators entertained the 8th U.S. Army Air Corps at their base in England. The band gained popularity, even having some hits of their own over the airwaves. The band performed at numerous bases around England, entertaining not only the Americans but the English troops as well.

A highlight of McDowell’s 2.5 years stationed overseas occurred on August 18, 1944, the evening he met Glenn Miller at a performance of the Gable Gators. McDowell was introduced to Miller and had a photograph taken with him in the men’s latrine.

This encounter wasn’t unique to McDowell. 1st Lt. John Woolnough of the 8th Air Corps also had a photograph taken in the latrine that night with Miller. After the war, Woolnough authored six books about his experiences with the 8th Air Corps. Woolnough mentions McDowell’s encounter with Miller in one of these books, a pleasant surprise for McDowell when he read the book.

Returning from England aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, McDowell says that one of the most amazing moments of his life was standing on deck with the other soldiers in their dress uniforms saluting Lady Liberty as they cruised into port.

On V-E Day, the Gable Gators were in London’s Piccadilly Square at the BBC Radio offices performing on-air. Jimmy shared his photo from the windows, where he watched a mass of humanity pour into the streets to celebrate.

After the war, Jimmy and Lenny went to Columbia College in Chicago. Lenny became a popular celebrity in the Chicago market, and Jimmy moved to Indianapolis to be with Petty. Jimmy was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers’ Hall of Fame. An Indiana Broadcast Pioneer herself, Peggy’s last gift to Jimmy was the Hall of Fame induction application she submitted on his behalf. She died a month before the ceremony.

Jimmy died peacefully in 2021 at the age of 99, and he could croon until his final days, bringing joy to anyone around him.

What began as a routine assignment turned into the story that changed everything.

Bob sent me on a quest to find his long-lost love.

Her name is Joy. Spoiler alert: I found her! As a happy side effect of my mission, I also found joy in my own life — and I want to share more joy!

You are invited to share your joy. Tell us about the person who changed your life with a simple act of kindness, unexpected love, or quiet generosity. We’ll share these stories to inspire more joy.

Bob’s regret turned into the most joyous experience.

While the origin story is inspired by my memoir, This page is a grassroots movement that pulls others into the conversation.

Tell me about a moment of unexpected joy in your life. I want to hear your stories.

Tell me about joy.

💚 Join the email community

🩷 Submit a Joy Story

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🩷 Spread joy

Please share with your friends. Let’s work together to spread joy!