"There were a lot of nights I didn't think I would see daylight."
That's one way 94-year-old Bill Yelton described his experience fighting in six major battles across North Africa, Sicily, France, and Germany in World War II. His service earned him several medals including the Purple Heart as well as a load of memories that have lasted a lifetime.
Born in 1920 in Kings Mtn., Yelton grew up in several other Cleveland and Rutherford county communities including Mooresboro and Cliffside before moving to Mt. Holly where he lived for several decades. He's currently a resident of Brookdale New Hope in Gastonia.
In 1939, Yelton made a life-changing decision.
"I was in school in Mooresboro but decided to join the army," he said. "I was just 18-years-old and had no idea that soon a war would start."
Yelton's military job was in the field artillery. He aimed a 155mm cannon that could shoot a shell that weighed nearly 100 pounds.
In 1943, Yelton got a chance to practice his craft.
"We were shipped to North Africa to fight the Germans," Yelton said. "We landed at Casablanca on Christmas Eve 1943. I was in several battles in Tunisia and Algiers including the Kassarine Pass where we filled the road with burning German tanks from our artillery."
After running the Germans out of North Africa, the Allies chased them to Sicily and Yelton's unit 87th Field Artillery, 9th Division, was in it hot and heavy.
"We beat them there and then we were sent to England for training to get ready for the Normandy Invasion," said Yelton.
June 6, 1944 came and Yelton along with tens of thousands of other guys, hit the D-Day shore.
"The navy and air force had shelled and bombed the German pillboxes and beach," he said. "Those holes came in handy for cover," Yelton said. "Our artillery had to be brought by barge so I went in with just a rifle."
As the weeks and months following D-Day went on, Yelton and his gun crew took part in action in places like St. Mere Eglise, Cherbourg, and St. Lo in France until reaching the Rhine River on the German border.
"Thousands of us crossed on the Remagen Bridge before the German's bombed it," he said.
Once in Germany, Yelton and his comrades also often came under air attack.
"One day we heard their planes coming," he said. "I ran for my hole but it was too late. I was wounded by a bomb."
That hit saw Yelton spend time in a field hospital that flooded, then a "real" hospital in Paris where he was still recovering when the war ended in May 1945.
In 1951, Yelton moved to Mt. Holly and worked for Duke Power for 38 years. But his WWII experience had a big effect on him- a self described "country boy" who had grown up on farms and mill villages in Cleveland County. He decided to make a pilgrimage.
"In 2000 I went to Germany," He said. "It looked like no one had ever fired a shot. The German people were very nice. It seemed odd we tore their towns up and then helped fix them back."
Veteran's Day is just around the corner, so how does Yelton feel about being part of what has been called the "Greatest Generation?"
"I was proud to do my part," he said. "It was rough, but thousands of us had to go."

Pictured: Bill Yelton, 94, grew up in Cleveland and Rutherford counties and lived in Mt. Holly for over 30 years. He took part in six major WWII battles. On his chest are the Purple Heart and Normandy Invasion medals he received for his service.
Photo by Alan Hodge

By Alan Hodge
Special to Shelby Shopper
alan.bannernews@gmail.com