The last living member of a group who left Kalamazoo together to fight in World War II honored his 93 deceased comrades in a recent ceremony.
The Kalamazoo Gazette reports that 93-year-old Fred Spencer paid tribute Sunday to the men who he served alongside in Company C of the 126th Infantry Regiment. Spencer poured a shot of Crown Royal Whiskey for each man into a bucket of sand, which will remain outside the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in Kalamazoo.
The men made a pact when they were deployed to give a bottle of whiskey to the last survivor.
The group fought in some of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Theater. The Michigan and Wisconsin Army National Guard led the first offensive against Japanese forces under General Douglas MacArthur.
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Information from: Kalamazoo Gazette, http://www.mlive.com/kalamazoo
