On February 9th, Henry Clellan Weaver Sr., a WWII veteran and one of Marion’s oldest citizens had his 99th birthday. According to the US Department of Veteran Affairs, there is only around 66,000 remaining WWII veterans. Often coined “the Greatest Generation, these veterans represent the last vestiges of the brave American men who fought the Axis powers overseas, saving both our country and the world with their sacrifice. Men like Henry Weaver are the reason that Americans get to call themselves Americans everyday.
Henry Weaver was born on February 9th, 1926 in Clarke County Alabama, the 6th child of JD and Bertha Dee West Weaver. At the age of only 17, he was drafted into the US Army. He trained at both Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Bliss in Texas.Weaver’s training took place at night, where he was trained to look for and shoot down any enemy planes.
After this stint at Fort Bliss, he was sent to San Francisco, California, where he was loaded on a ship headed for the Philippine Islands. It took 31 days to reach the Philippines due to a hurricane that forced them to change course. There he participated in the Luzon Campaign, a land battle where American and Mexican forces retook the island of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. In the Philippines, he received additional training in preparation for the invasion of Japan. It was an invasion that never came. On August 6th, 1945, President Harry Truman gave the go ahead for the use of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The decision was made after war analysts said that the invasion of Japan would cost 500,000 American lives. On August 9th, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, leading to a Japanese surrender soon after.
As a member of the 129th Field Artillery Battalion, Henry Weaver was one of the many American troops sent to clean up the aftermath. At the end of his tour, Henry Weaver returned home, but not without some serious hardware: an Asian-Pacific Campaign Medal, a Philippine Liberation Ribbon with a Bronze Star, a good Conduct medal and most importantly of all, a World War II Victory Medal.
After returning home, Weaver graduated from Grove Hill High School, where he played football and drove a school bus for the school. After graduation, he began work at the Southern Railway. He trained in agency work and was also trained by his father to be a telegrapher. He married Janelle McPheron in 1950, while working as an agent in Marion, Alabama. Henry and Janelle were married for 58 years.
He retired from Southern Railway in 1987, just weeks shy of 40 years of service. He continued to operate his cattle farm in West Perry County, enjoying quiet times in his truck watching his cattle graze and working Sudoku puzzles. He has four children: Lucy W. Kynard and Sue W. Price, as well as Henry C. Weaver Jr. and Steve McPheron, both of whom preceded him in death. Mr. Weaver delights in visits from his 12 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. He also jigsaw puzzles and watching Westerns on TV. He is active in the Marion VFW, Post 5104 and is a member of Hopewell Baptist Church. On his recent 99th birthday, he received a letter from Alabama State Senator Tommy Tuberville, wishing him a Happy Birthday and thanking him for his service.
