Ninety-nine-year-old Oliver Leslie York was in the Navy from 1942 to 1946, York served on the USS Zellin II and obtained the rank of Petty Officer 3rd class. The Zellin II, also known as the Mighty Z, was the second U.S. Navy ship named after Brigadier General Jacob Zellin. The ship was previously named The President Jackson. It was a converted civilian passenger and cargo ship whose main purpose during WWII was to transport troops around the Pacific theater. Grubb said the ship was part of every battle in the Pacific known as General George MacArthur’s island hopping. Mr. York was one of seven boys who grew up on Sand Mountain in Alabama. Upon receiving his draft notice at age 19, York enlisted in the Navy. After hearing his brother talk about sleeping on the ground and eating MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) in the army, he chose the Navy because he knew the food was better and he’d have a dry place to sleep. York said he loved serving in the Navy and was in charge of the paint shop on the ship. He tells the story that it never failed, that it would be his turn to be served in the chow line and they would have an air raid drill. Sure enough, as they were heading for the island of Leyte, in the Philippines on Jan. 13, 1945, he and his buddies were in the chow line when the air raid sirens went off. They got back to their quarters and barely got their life jackets on when they felt the impact of the Japanese suicide plane hitting the ship. The fuselage crashed into the starboard side of the housetop, where a cache of incendiary missiles showered the decks and started a number of small fires. Damage to the topside was extensive at the point of impact. Seven men were killed; three were declared missing; and 30 were injured. York also remembers evacuating troops from the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska. He later married June Payne. They had four children. The couple settled in Sequatchie, Tennessee and later moved to Jasper, Tennessee. York worked as a boiler maker for Combustion Engineering that manufactured nuclear steam supply power systems. After retiring from the company at age 62, he operated a lawn mowing business for the next 20 years. At age 82, he quit to care for his ailing wife. They were married 65 years.After his wife’s death, York moved to Okeechobee, Florida where he lived until he was 96. Today he resides in Fayetteville with his daughter Kathy Yeoman.