FLEMINGSBURG Years of Farming will start its new season of bluegrass shows at 2 p.m. Oct. 16 with performances by Wildfire and West Liberty Mountain Boys at Double S Entertainment.
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100-year-old Army veteran recalls fighting on Hacksaw Ridge, getting shot twice on Okinawa Lee Ward and Matt Jones February 1 James Chapman, who just turned 100, recalls the horrors of fighting in WW II. (Matt Jones/The Daily Independent). Chapman, who was to mark his centennial on Sunday with a small group of relatives at his home, was born in Chapman, near Louisa in Lawrence County. His parents were Joseph and Nora Chapman. The centenarian said he dropped out of Louisa High School to voluntarily serve in World War II. Chapman served in the infantry in the South Pacific. As a staff sergeant, he was wounded twice and received two Purple Hearts.
Chapman served in the infantry in the South Pacific. As a staff sergeant, he was wounded twice and received two purple hearts.
Chapman describes that he was “halfway” drafted. He explained he received a draft notice from the Army and went to the recruiters’ office.
On Oct. 20, 1942, recruiters were loading other young men on the bus to take them to Huntington for an exam.
“They all got on the bus but me and (the recruiter) said, ‘We can’t take you,’” Chapman said. “I said ‘Nah, I’m here. I’m going.’ And I got on the bus.”
“He didn’t have to go because his brothers were drafted, but he said he wanted to go,” said Lisa Hutchinson, his granddaughter.
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Matt Jones | The Daily Independent James Chapman poses for a photo in his home in Ashland on Thursday. Chapman, who is turning 100 on Sunday, returned to the area following serving as an infantryman in the Pacific Theater during WWII.
Matt Jones | The Daily Independent A hat sits on the couch of US Army infantryman James Chapman in his home in Ashland on Thursday. Chapman, who is turning 100 on Sunday, returned to the area following serving as an infantryman in the Pacific Theater during WWII.
Matt Jones | The Daily Independent James Chapman recollects of his time serving as an infantryman during the Pacific Theater during WWII. Chapman, who is turning 100 on Sunday, returned to the area following his time in the Army.