William Breland has a lot to be thankful for.
On Dec. 7, 1941, he survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On Saturday, more than 100 friends and relatives joined him to celebrate his 100th birthday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Columbia.
Breland, who later served in the U.S. Air Force in the Pacific Theater until his retirement from the military in 1960, was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps stationed at Hickam Field on the day that led the U.S. into war with Japan. He now lives in Ridgeland with family but has Marion and Walthall county roots.
Lt. Col. William Deitch from Keesler Air Force Base was on hand to thank him for his service.
“It’s not the first time I’ve ever met a Pearl Harbor survivor, but it’s the first time I’ve met an Air Force Pearl Harbor survivor,” he said. “It’s just truly an honor to meet a true American hero on his 100th birthday. The Army Air Corps paved the way for those of us in the Air Force today. It is men and women like him that laid the groundwork that allow the airmen of today to serve. They built it and fought the fights and now we’re getting to reap the rewards and continue on the legacy that they started.”
Breland shared stories with those in attendance, including his secret to longevity.
“No tea, no coffee, no tobacco, no alcohol,” he said. “Never in my life did I use any of that. Eat good food.”
He also spoke of his military career and the places he’d been over the years.
“The North Pole, South Pole, Alaska, London, Paris, Germany … I’ve had a good life,” he said. “My children turned out pretty good. I have wonderful children. Thanks again for having this for me.”
The retired Air Force major worked at University Medical Center in Jackson and later worked for W.E. Walker stores, a 5-and-10 cent chain based in Columbia. He decided to go to college and using the G.I. Bill earned a teaching degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. He went on to teach at West Marion High School and Salem High School before retiring a second time.
Breland’s son, Randy Breland, also shared stories about him.
“He drove until he was about 97 years old,” he said. “After my mom passed, he said he probably didn’t need to be driving anymore. So he kept this nice Buick and deeded it over to me. We would take it to the ballpark and to church and whatever. Then I started noticing that I’d get in the car and the seat wouldn’t be just right. He had kept a key. He would try to get it back in the exact same place … and he wouldn’t. I knew that he was sneaking the car out when we weren’t there. So I told him, ‘Dad, if you want to drive the car, just tell me.’ I told him I know all the tricks from the times I snuck your car out when I was a kid.”
With all that Breland has done and seen in the past seven-plus decades, the fateful moment when the Japanese bombed the island base still causes Breland to become emotional.
“I thank the Lord,” he said. “When those dive bombers came in, one of them came in so low to us that its belly hit the pavement. One sad thing happened, a friend of mine was trying to take off in a plane and he caught the fence with the undercarriage. It flipped the plane and he got out and walked away. Less than a year later, a dive bomber came at him and hit his airplane.”
He also recalled watching the battleship U.S.S. Arizona sink.
“It got heavy, tipped up and went down long ways. I was about 100 feet from it when it went down. We lost a lot of men there. I’m so blessed to be here.”
Pictured Above: Pearl Harbor survivor William Breland was all smiles at his 100th birthday celebration Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Columbia. | Photo by Mark Rogers
