Although there are many that celebrate Veterans Day in Hartselle, there are not many to say they were on the beaches of Normandy, June 6, 1944. Thomas “Bud” Hill has lived in Hartselle since 1936 and will turn 101 later this month. He is also a World War II veteran.

Hill said that he served in the Merchant Marines and Coast Guard in his three years of deployment during World War II. He was honorably discharged following the end to the war. “I stayed in the South Pacific until they dropped the bombs,” Hill said.

At 26 years old, Hill chose to join the war efforts. Although many were drafted into service, Hill chose to enlist in the military.  “Everybody else was going and the war was getting worse, so I thought I should get on down there,” Hill said.

When Hill first enlisted, he received six weeks of training in New York before deploying to Europe. “I spent the first part in Europe. I was on an army tanker between the English Channel. We had Germans on one side and Allies on the other – I didn’t get much sleep that year,” Hill said.

In addition to direct conflict, in 1944, Hill and his companions had to endure a new type of adversary. “In 1944 the buzz bomb was perfected. Everybody in the English Channel dreaded those things,” Hill said.

During his time in the war, Hill said he was exposed to more than just conflict. “The war exposed you to so much. The noise, the bad food, the inconvenience of everything is about as bad as the bullets,” he said.

In 1944, Hill also took part in the invasion of Normandy. “After we got on the shore, we had to get supplies. We only had a handful of bullets and there was so much going on you couldn’t hardly see,” he said.

Hill has maintained that activity and involvement even now. He is a deacon at Cedar Creek Free Will Baptist Church, and has been part of the Falkville Masonic lodge for 62 years. Johnny Ferguson is also a veteran and fellow mason. “Bud Hill is known all over the state through the Masonic Lodge. He’s 62 years a mason and he still does work. He still has part in it all. He is a blessing to know,” Ferguson said.

Hill has also taken part in multiple Veterans Day programs, programs that are especially important to him. “They mean a lot, a very lot. I know they are important, and I love it,” Hill said.

In particular, Hill enjoys the camaraderie between fellow veterans. “I understand all the things and problems they went through. They were all soldiers and did the best they could. The system with all volunteer now is the best they have. We are going to have one of the best event systems in the world.The young is going to have to take over, the old has gotten too old,” Hill said.