After seeing what the Japanese did to Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Bill Martin, of Sedalia, and eight of his friends decided they wanted to join the fight. They all attended high school together and played baseball. Martin was the only one of the nine who came back walking.
He was born and raised on a farm outside of Sedalia. His family sold the farm when he was 14 and moved to Sedalia. Martin always loved airplanes. Before the war broke out, he bought a bicycle. He used to ride it to an airstrip that Sammy Golden owned on the west side of town, across from the drive-in theater.
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