World War II Veteran and Chicago Resident, Eddie Durham, Celebrating 100th Birthday

Stellar service to our country deserves worthy honor to one of the last of our living heroes

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Dec 09, 2021, 09:32 ET

CHICAGO, Dec. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Eddie Durham, a World War II veteran, is turning 100 years old and he will be celebrated in a centennial celebration befitting a hero. On Saturday, December 11, 2021, a birthday celebration honoring Durham will be held from 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. CST at Odyssey Venue, 19110 Ridgeland Avenue, Terrace Entrance on West Side, Tinley Park, Illinois. The celebration will include a special tribute to Eddie Durham, who served in the United States Army Transportation Corps, Spearhead of Logistics, during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. Dr. W. Douglas Rasmussen III, Veterans Commission Chairman of Tinley Park will also speak and there will be a Presentation of Colors by VFW Post 2791. Other local dignitaries are expected to be in attendance as well to salute this African American World War II veteran.

Eddie Durham, a World War II veteran, during active military service

During the mid-twentieth century, a young sharecropper from the deep south of Greenville, Mississippi, Eddie Durham, who was accustomed to a mule and plow, learned how to drive a truck as he matriculated in the United States Armed Forces, becoming a "tech corporal" and machine gunner while serving in World War II. During his tenure in the United States Armed Forces, Eddie fought in the Rome-Arno, North Apennines, and Po Valley campaigns.

Like most war veterans, Durham endured some scary situations while serving his country in the states and overseas. He drove a two and one half-ton truck to transport personnel and equipment. He went in convoy and blackout through the mountains while stationed in Italy. "We drove in the mountains in the dark, and I saw some of my friends drive off the cliff," said Durham. "It seemed like their trucks just disappeared on the road."

Eddie Durham also chronicled his time in World War II in his own written words.

A man of many milestones, he was married to Vernice Marie Whigham Durham for 50 years prior to her death. They had five children, two of which are deceased, and a legacy of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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