Irving Locker stood and pumped his fist as he and two other World War II veterans were introduced during the State of the Union Address on Feb. 5, 2019.
The room erupted into bipartisan applause.
“It was very nice,” Irving says.
Whether he’s on the national stage or talking to groups in The Villages in central Florida, the 100-year-old Trinity Springs resident proudly shares his story. The 5-foot-tall centenarian even lugs around a 3-foot-long, 45-pound 90 mm artillery shell and other memorabilia from the war for presentations.
“People need to know freedom isn’t free,” Irving says.
As someone experienced WWII firsthand, Irving knows that well.
Before the War
Irving was born in St. Paul, MN, the youngest of seven children. When he was 9 months old, his mother took him and his siblings on a train to New Jersey, where relatives lived.
His father was shoemaker during the Depression and Irving learned to shine shoes at church from a young age.
“We were very poor moneywise, but very rich in love and kindness,” Irving says.
In high school, he worked for a man who owned a garage and gas station, where he learned an important lesson about leading others.
“He said, ‘If you give each man a particular job to do, they will become professionals and you’ll get it done in half the time and it will be done right,’” Irving remembers.
That philosophy proved invaluable when Irving was serving in the Army during the war.
Finding His Niche
Irving was the only one in his family to graduate high school. Shortly thereafter, in 1943, he was drafted into the Army.
He remembers boot camp at Fort Dix being very difficult. Then he was assigned to the 116th AAA Gun Battalion at Camp Davis in North Carolina.
Despite his small stature, Irving became one of 14 men operating one of four large 90 mm guns. He became a sergeant in charge of a gun and then a staff sergeant coordinating all four guns. That leadership style he learned as a teenager came in handy.
His position also put him in danger.
“The biggest problem I had as a staff sergeant was the Germans put mines in the ground and had big warning signs to throw us off,” Irving says. “We’d get marching orders and I’d have to go to a new field 20 or 30 miles out or wherever. There were big signs and I had to decide whether to go into the field or not. I had to go into those fields to protect my men. I ran my Jeep through those areas where we were going to place the guns.”
Irving could understand some German because he grew up speaking the Jewish Yiddish language.
“Every time we moved into a new position, the captain would say, ‘Go see what you can find,’” Irving says.
In this role, he searched downed planes for items and information that could help the Army. He also visited farms and found items to create makeshift toilets and showers for the troops.
In the Heat of War
Irving was a part of the top-secret Exercise Tiger training exercise, which German torpedo boats attacked and killed more than 700 Americans.
Then D-Day came.
Using Higgins boats, Irving’s battalion stormed Utah Beach at low tide. Others had gone in before them to direct where they needed to go.
Death and destruction surrounded them.
“We were not allowed to stop and help any of our men on the beach, wounded or dead,” Irving says. “The men who took us in on the Higgins boat, that was their job.”
Irving’s faith carried him through on D-Day and beyond.
“I learned to believe in God in the war because I never thought I was going to come out alive,” Irving says.
To learn more about Irving’s time in the war, view the video he commissioned to tell his story.
Achievements and Recognition
Irving’s battalion was credited with destroying 75 enemy aircraft.
They also helped liberate Gardelegen, a Holocaust camp.
At one point, an enemy armored division surrounded the 16th Infantry 1st Division and Irving’s battalion received an emergency call to shell them immediately. Reports indicated that they had hit squarely on the enemy and saved the division from annihilation.
His battalion also received credit for destroying tanks, and Irving received a medal from a delegate of General George S. Patton.
Most notably, he received the French Legion of Honour from the French Consulate of Miami, FL, in 2011.
After the War
Irving served in the Army for about three years.
He went into business with his brother and then sold printing equipment throughout the country.
He also married his wife Bernice. The two of them have been together for 76 years.
“I’ve had a wonderful life,” Irving says.
Life at Trinity Springs
Irving and Bernice have lived at Trinity Springs for about two years.
“I love it here and thank God my wife is doing well here,” Irving says.
They enjoy many aspects of the assisted living community, including the food, theater and gym.
“One of the reasons we love Trinity is we have a full gym that I’m in almost every day,” Irving says.
He likes socializing with others, including people considering moving into the community.
His message to them?
“I’m not on the payroll, but I’m telling you this place is great.”
