Lifelong Searcy County resident and WWII veteran Cecil Blair has been recognized by U.S. Senator John Boozman for his service and sacrifice. Blair was recognized as a part of “Salute to Veterans,” a series recognizing the military service of Arkansans.
Blair was born on Feb. 28th, 1923 in Magic Springs, now known as Witts Springs, and grew up on his family’s farm. As a teenager, Blair worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps before being drafted into the Army in May 1943.
Blair was first sent to Camp Robinson where he received his initial issue of uniforms. Blair later trained stateside at Fort Custer, Michigan and Camp Reynolds, Pennsylvania before deploying to the European Theater. He was assigned to Battery B 551st Field Artillery.
Blair earned five campaign stars in five major battles in the European Theater. He was discharged from military service on December 1st, 1945. Following his release from the military, Blair returned home to continue farming.
Boozman will submit Blairs entire interview to the Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congresss American Folklife Center to collect and retain the oral histories of the nations veterans.
Excerpts of Blair’s full interview can viewed online here.
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