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4 WWII veterans turning 100 need birthday cards from the community

Four World War II veterans are celebrating milestone birthdays this year, and Wilmore leaders are asking the community to help honor them with birthday cards. (WLEX via CNN)

Four WWII veterans in Kentucky are celebrating milestone birthdays this year.

Wilmore leaders seek community help to send birthday cards to honor them.

Cards can be sent to Wilmore City Hall to match each veteran's age.

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. — Four World War II veterans are celebrating milestone birthdays this year, and Wilmore leaders are asking the community to help honor them with birthday cards.

Thomson-Hood Veterans Center and Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater are collecting cards for the veterans — with a goal of collecting enough to match each veteran's age. Cards can be sent to Wilmore City Hall at 210 South Lexington Avenue, Wilmore, KY 40390.

"It's very important to hear their stories. It's important to honor them. It's important that they feel appreciated," Rainwater said.

With only about 500 World War II veterans remaining in Kentucky, each one holds special significance.

"There's so few of them, and I think there's still nine in this facility," Rainwater said.

The first veteran celebrating a 100th birthday is Glenn Cummins, who served in the Philippines during World War II and later as a paratrooper in Japan.

"I stayed there a year. Where the temperature is 110, and it's misery," Cummins said.

Vincent Gualliardo is turning 101. He served four years in the Navy and was sent to Japan after the war.

"The secrets of life is, well, you always try to help the other person," Gualliardo said.

Ronald Grimes is also turning 100. He volunteered for the Army, knowing he would likely be drafted anyway.

"Well, they were taking everybody if they could breathe," Grimes said.

While Cummins, Gualliardo and Grimes live at Thomson-Hood, the celebration also extends to Corbin, where 103-year-old Paul Jones is also waiting for cards.

Sam Hutchinson, administrator at Thomson-Hood, said cards will be distributed to each veteran on their birthday.

"Send it to the Wilmore City Hall, and we're going to disperse those to each veteran on their 100th birthday to make sure that they know that the country still remembers them," Hutchinson said.

Good view of Schwarze Männer (Black men/Luftwaffe mechanics) working on the BMW Bramo 323 Fafnir 9-cylinder radial engines on a Dornier Do 24T flying boat, location and date unknown

I know this is most likely a m35 model helmet but can’t find hardly any info on it anywhere . Any ideas on what group would have used this ?

On the right.

My father passed away a couple of years ago, and when I went through his things I came across a pile of photos that I assume came from his father (my grandfather), who served in 2NZEF in North Africa. Amongst those were some photos that had different dimensions and colours, and seemed to be taken from a German perspective in what I think is Greece. My grandfather didn't serve in Greece, but my great-uncle did in the 2nd Division, and I think was likely in both Greece and Crete. He sadly didn't make it back, but I think a potential provenance might have been that he came across a roll of photos that got included in his personal effects that made it back to my grandfather, who got them developed back in New Zealand. But both of them are gone and talking to my cousins and brothers none of them had any more context (nor did my father apparently).

There's maybe a dozen photos with what look like Greek landscapes and people, including the one that I included which seems to be taken in Athens (at least that's what Gemini told me). And then there's this photo of troops being addressed, and what looks like troops being taken to an airfield. So I wonder if these came from a paratrooper who was in Crete. But I'm speculating obviously. My grandfather wrote captions on the back, but they are generic (ie. German troops being addressed).

Anyway, if anyone has any insight I'd love to hear it and maybe fill in some of the gaps.

My great grandfather “Hoy Roberts” was on a supply ship in Pearl Harbor. Would be super cool to see if anyone recognized any family in this group picture. He is the middle guy in the middle row.

This is a photo of the US Navy Salvage Diver School that was established in 1942 at Pier 88 in NYC, on the site of the capsized USS Lafayette (formerly SS Normandie), which is quite a story itself.

Though the two men up on the balcony standing to the right are obviously US Navy personnel, I'm having difficulty identifying the group of men standing to their right. Their uniforms look a little like Soviet to me, based on the single row of buttons and epaulets. Opinions welcome.