Plato Legion honors World War II veterans

There are fewer and fewer living World War II veterans left each year.
The American Legion Post 641, Plato, honored its two living WWII veterans at its annual recognition dinner Saturday, April 11.
Honored were Walter Miller, 94, of Plato and Willard — also known as “Joe” or “Bud” — Meyer, 96, now of Glencoe. Meyer was unable to attend the dinner.
Miller and Meyer have  been members of Post 641 for 68 years, since its inception in 1948.
At the dinner, Miller talked about his time in the service. He was drafted into the Army in September 1942. His dad was not happy since he was his only truck driver, he said.
He started at Fort Snelling, then moved on to Madison, Wis., then Louisiana, where he worked in dental clinics. He said he worked as a clerk or receptionist in clinics because he could type.
By June 1943, the Army was running short of pilots and was looking for volunteers. One requirement to enter pilot training was a college degree, but when the Army “ran out of pilots” it started to overlook the requirement.
Miller had to have three letters of recommendation, take a written exam and interview in front of a board.
After being accepted into pilot training, Miller went to Ada, Okla., for a crash college course where some of the subjects studied included  Morse Code, geometry, and cloud and star formations.
During his pilot training, Miller learned to fly a number of different planes, including an AT17 Cesna Bobcat and a BT13. After Miller received his pilot’s wings, he was sent to Yuma, Ariz., for co-pilot training. While there, he said pilots had to learn to operate all the instruments blindfolded.
After completing all the training in April 1945, he was stationed near Lincoln, Neb., where they were going to “get a crew together” and wait for the next orders.
During his time in Nebraska, the pilots worked on local farms for some extra money while they waited. In June 1945, Miller met Ardell Ceresco and the two began dating.
The war ended in September 1945, before Miller was ordered overseas.
After receiving the news of the war’s end, Miller hitch-hiked back to Plato and was right back to work with his dad.
He returned to Nebraska to see Ardell and the two married in December 1945. They were married for 69 years before Ardell passed away in November 2014.
When asked if he flew after returning to Plato, Miller said he couldn’t afford it. “I got married,” adding “The Lord didn’t send me overseas, but he gave me a wife.”