Biography
of
Leland Porter
A friend, a great Owsley County Historian
and a person we all miss greatly.
On this earth 85 years' 3 months and six days
Born June 14, 1919
Died September 20, 2004
Leland Porter was the first of ten children born to the parents of Bertie Mayes Porter and Albert "Bud" Porter on June 14, 1919 on an eighty-acre farm near Vincent in Owsley County Kentucky.
The house of his birth burned down when he was about five and they moved into a four room frame house with two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. The house was constructed of pine boards, sawmill ripped and covered on the inside with any type of paper that could be found such as old newspapers and magazines. There was a grate in the living room that was used for heat and an iron-cooking stove in the kitchen. The lighting was by Ko-oil lamps as there was no electricity in the area for many years. In a sense they had "Running water" as the had to" run " down to the spring that flowed out of the side of the hill about one forth a mile from the house. Water was carried in a two-gallon bucket and it was used for drinking, cooking and bathing. The bathroom facility "Outhouse" was down a pat out behind the house.
After Leland was born, his parents had five more sons: Ralph, Elmo, Elden, Joe and Jack and four daughters: Delma, Betty, Helen and Euphima.
Ralph, Jack, Helen and Euphima survive Leland.
Dad started to school in first grade at the age of six. The church building served as the schoolhouse during the week and the church building on Sundays. The school was a one-room school from grade one to grade eight and the school year began in October and ended in April.
He completed all eight grades as an outstanding academic student. He did not have a way to get to the county High School in Booneville and elected to go back to the eight grade to increases his educational preparation. At the start of the next school year he started the eight grade again but dropped out to go to the CCC's. (The Civilian Conservation Corps was a WPA program under President Franklin D Roosevelt 's administration to put young men to work helping the improve the environment.)
Dad's father signed a form that Leland was eighteen so he would be eligible on paper to join CCC's. Dad and several young men from Owsley County were sent to Montana to work on forest reclamation projects from August 1935 March 1936.
When he returned home an end of the year, he started High School in Booneville and completed it as an outstanding student in 1940. As a High School Student he joined the Kentucky National Guard for a year and was a member of Company F 149th Infantry.
He enrolled at Berea College on a work study program to be a County Agriculture Agent.
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After his freshman year at Berea he married Wanda Rowland at Boonville Kentucky on August 2, 1941.They moved to Jeffersonville Kentucky. He worked in Louisville for Mingle Furniture Company that had a contract to build C-76 wood airplanes.
Our country became embroiled in World War II on December 7, 1941 and he was called for active military duty. He enlisted as a Private in the United States Army Air Corps on September 30, 1943 at Cincinnati, Ohio. He completed Basic Training and began training as a pilot cadet at Amarillo Texas. After a few weeks there, the Army Air Corps decided to wash out all 36,000 cadets and send them to be trained as Gunners or Navigators. He was sent to Texas for Gunnery School. He excelled in this school and was assigned the responsibility to teach Gunnery to the new students. Dad wanted to go on to Europe to be assigned to a flight crew in order to start the required number of combat missions. After thirty missions were completed, (the combat requirement) then one could probably be assigned state side duty.
He left Tucson, Arizona June 17, 1944 on his journey to assignment in Europe. On July 4 the troop ship next to the ship he was on blew up as a result of a German submarine attack.
On July 15, 1944 he records in his diary" Landed at Naples. Saw the ruins of war in Bay of Naples. My little Jim's first birthday."
July 28th was his first mission as the Tail Gunner on his crew's B-24. They flew several successful bombing missions until September 8th. His dairy records: "Bad day. Shot down by flack." They were over Yugoslavia and were missing in action for some time. The Yugoslavian Underground assisted him and most of his crewmembers in escaping and evading the German army for many horrible days and helped them get back to a United States Military base. The Germans captured some of his crew. Dad and the remaining crew had to complete the balance of the required bombing missions.
On January 19 1945, his diary reports: "This is a happy day for me and will be well remember. Sure am thankful to my God to be safe and sound." This was his last mission!
His Honorable Discharge records his participation in Battles in Rome-Arno, North Appenines, Northern France, Riceland, Art Combat Balkans.
He was awarded the EAME Theater Ribbon with five Bronze Stars, Purple Heart, Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and a Good Conduct Medal.
He was discharged as a Staff Sergeant August 31, 1945 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
He returned home to Lexington, Kentucky to be reunited with Wanda and little Jim. They lived in a basement apartment in the home of Florence Rowland. (Florence was Wanda's mother.)
Leland found employment as a US Post Office clerk. He sorted mail in the US Mail railway car that was attached to the train. The train stopped at most every town and picked up and dropped off passengers and mail. He worked on a several different train routes. The last train route was a train that went from Lexington to Whitesburg and back.
When the railroad decided to stop running this route, the Post Office Department commissioned the building of a Highway Post Office (HPO) vehicle. It resembled a large Greyhound buss The HPO was based in Lexington. It left the Lexington Post Office about midnight and went all the way to Whitesburg stopping at every large and small Post Office along the way. The crew on the HPO would have a six-hour rest and then repeat the process in reverse. He got back about 10:00 PM the next day.
Dad was required to make three back to back trips on the HPO and then was off work for a week as he had put in a large number of hours and did not get overtime pay.
After several years on the HPO, the Post Office Department decided to stop this service and truck the mail. Dad was then assigned as Supervisor inside the Lexington Post Office. He served at several different Lexington Post Office sites before he retired in December 1977.
Leland and Wanda bought and moved to a house at 1405 Martin Court in Lexington in 1947. James L. went to school at Bryan Station from grades one through five while living at this location. Robert W was born on August 11, 1952.
Dad and mom had a house built at 310 Manhattan Drive and moved there in August 1953 and have stayed there.
When his family moved to the Martin Court address, he and Wanda placed membership at Arlington Christian Church. He became an active member there and served as a Deacon for many years. He remained a member there until his death in September of 2004.
When his son James became old enough to be a Cub Scout, Leland assisted the Cub Master of Pack 3 (Cecil Smith) with the many chores required to make outings successful.
When James turned eleven and joined Boy Scout Troop 30, Leland became a Troop Committeeman and later an Assistant Scoutmaster. When an Explore BSA Post 30 was organized he was the Associate Advisor.
When the family moved to the Manhattan Drive address he took advantage of the large backyard and turned that in a bountiful vegetable garden. For many years he provided Wanda green beans, corn and tomatoes to can for use in the winter months. He raised enough potatoes to last through the winter.
Leland's job provided him with a great deal of time off from work and this provided him opportunity to be outdoors, especially to be in the woods. That was his greatest passion. He excelled in squirrel hunting. During the days of CB radio his call sign was "Squirrel Hunter." He kept meticulous record of each year count. Wanda fried, stewed, baked and canned the bounty he brought home from the woods and the family ate them all..
In later years he focused in on deer hunting and rarely missed bring home a trophy buck every year. His Daniel Boone skills he developed as a boy in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky polished with years of squirrel hunting served him well.
If for some strange reason he let "The Big One" get away, Wanda would have to endure much mumbling until the next year's deer season.
Submitted by his son 2004.