GARNETT — Anderson County’s last surviving veteran of D-Day, Willis Henderson, died Monday at the age of 98. Henderson, who owned a Garnett trucking firm when he was drafted, was one of the oldest draftees and he served in a combat engineering company. His first combat experience in World War II was Omaha Beach at Normandy during D Day. He liked to mention that he rode into the beach on a landing craft packed with high explosives. He and his unit won a commendation for eliminating a troublesome Nazi pillbox on the beach. The occupants, former Polish captives who were forced to join Nazi forces, were glad to surrender, he said. He returned from the war and restarted his trucking firm. The Anderson County Review reported on Facebook that his funeral services will be Thursday at the First United Methodist Church in Garnett.
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 3:30 p.m.
