Area Vets recall service, give thanks Written by JEFFREY WARD and Photographed by LARRY REGIER
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he holidays often become a time for reflection, especially for veterans who reminisce about their military service, typically a time of trials but also a season when lifelong friendships are formed. Three military veterans with local ties reside at Christian City, a 500-acre, multigenerational residential care facility, in Union City, where approximately 70 veterans live, according to Rhonda Silvis, director of Marketing and Communications for Christian City. Newnan native Edgar Maddox, 90, enlisted in the U.S. Army at the beginning of World War II and served in one of the most unlikely but strategically vital locations: Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, where he helped assemble and load wartime supplies bound for the European theater of operations. The location of this base made for much quicker transit of vital war materials between North America and Europe. During time off from his duties, Maddox played mandolin with a bluegrass/ country music band that entertained troops on Friday nights at service clubs.
Edgar Maddox
After the war, Maddox took a job as an ironworker and helped construct the multi-story glass bridge connected to downtown Atlanta’s Rich’s department store. Most of his career was spent working in the paint and body shop of a Chevrolet assembly plant. november/december 2019 | 35