By M.J. Van Deventer
Staff Writer
Bert Collier was truly surprised and emotionally touched when he crossed the threshold Aug. 7 at the County Line Restaurant's special events center and was greeted by family and old friends, including several buddies with whom he served in World War II. His wife, Jeanne, began planning the event more than six months ago.
Present were his two daughters, Carol Goodwin of Oklahoma City and Pat Crowell of Memphis, Tenn., and numerous grandchildren.
The occasion was Bert Collier's 90th birthday, and Jeanne Collier and his family spared nothing in making the luncheon a memorable event for him. A patriotic red, white and blue theme greeted Collier as he walked through the door. The memorabilia his family had collected for the occasion recalled his affection and memories of his service to his country. Even the birthday cake had a patriotic theme.
Among the items on display were Collier's helmet, family photographs, a presidential distinguished service citation for the 101st Airborne Division, a sculpture of a soldier, a thick scrapbook, a coffee table book on the 101st Airborne written by Mark Bando, and Collier's Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals.
Collier grew up in Martha and later lived in Bethany for 54 years, and worked at Tinker Air Force Base before moving to Needles, Calif. Several couples from Lake Havasu, near Needles, made the trip to be with Collier on the special day. They are all camping pals, and they call Collier "the unofficial mayor of Lake Havasu.” The Colliers recently bought property in Fairview to be closer to their families and will return to reside in their native Oklahoma in several months.
Collier is among a select society — a vanishing breed of fewer than 4 million of the 16 million World War II veterans. More than a thousand of these revered soldiers die each day.
Before his European tour of duty, Collier witnessed the bombing at Pearl Harbor. He was later stationed at Camp McCall, then shipped out to Scotland on a troop train and was in southern England until D-Day. Collier was a lieutenant in the 101st Airborne and jumped into Normandy on D-Day in 1944. He landed in deep mud, water and a blowing wind. Tracer bullets were everywhere.
Just before leaping from the plane, he accidentally loosened the bag holding his grenades and other gear and pulled the cord for his "Mae West” life vest, which squeezed his chest. "I almost suffocated,” he recalled.
Collier led the 2nd Platoon of D Company, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Division.
Collier relives the World War II experiences and retells the stories as if they happened yesterday.
Was he really surprised?
"I'm speechless, overwhelmed,” he said, fiddling with his television mike. "Surprised? Damn right! I'm wired for sound. This day is really something.”
