McComas honored at State Capitol

On April 16, 2008, Nevada resident, Floyd McComas, 98, was honored by the Missouri House of Representatives with an Outstanding Missourian Award submitted by Representa-tive Barney Fisher. Mr. McComas is Missouri's oldest surviving POW. With McComas are Steve and Ellen Dean, Fisher and his wife, Mary. --submitted photo

* House presents one of the country's oldest living World War II POWs with the Outstanding Missourian Award.

On April 16, Nevada resident Floyd McComas was honored in the Missouri Legislature with an Outstanding Missourian Award in the House of Representatives, and recognized as one of the country's oldest surviving POWs from World War II.

McComas was born in 1909 and will celebrate his 99th birthday in July. He was drafted into the U.S. Army as part of the infantry in August 1943, at the age of 34. The following year, on June 16, he participated in the Allied landing on Omaha Beach.

On his first day with a new unit, Oct. 4, 1944, McComas was captured and imprisoned by the Germans and was taken to Stalag 7A near Moosburg, Germany. There he joined other soldiers from the Unites States, Russia and France. McComas called the camp "better than he expected" for its above-average treatment of the prisoners, perhaps because at the point in the war the Germans "knew they were going to lose."

McComas recalled how his bunkmate in the camp understood and spoke a little German, a skill that came in handy when a young German guard thought McComas was making fun of him. He wasn't, and told his bunkmate to relay his message to the guard. The guard relented, but told McComas that if he did it again, he would shoot him. He and his bunkmate also would trade the other cigarettes they would receive for bread -- cigarettes McComas estimated were 50 percent sawdust. Every other day, he would work in the town, helping to tear down buildings and working in railroad yards, just to get a hot meal.

"My prison life is up in my head," McComas said. "You can make it good or make it bad. I try to make it good."

McComas was freed by General Patton's Third Army on April 29, 1945. He remembers Patton driving up to the camp in a Jeep, then ordering his soldiers to pitch tents outside the camp where they would stay for a few days before traveling to France. About one month later, McComas was sent home and subsequently discharged from active duty service on Sept. 9, 1945, as a private first class.

McComas spent most of his life in Kansas City with his wife, Ethel, whom he married Nov. 23, 1935, working as a retail furniture buyer. He still drives and reads the newspaper every day, and enjoys woodworking and collecting state quarters.

"My goal is to live long enough to collect every state quarter," McComas said.

He was introduced by Sen Chris Koster, D-31st District, to the Senate and by State Rep. Barney Fisher, R- 125th District, to the House.

"We are honored to have a true American hero visit the Missouri Senate. Floyd McComas, like all of our men and women in uniform, sacrificed so much to fight for his country. He deserves our utmost respect and heartfelt thanks," Koster said.