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American Morning

Found Memory

Aired October 04, 2002 - 09:47   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It has been a bit more than a year since 83-year-old Dickey Williams of Rapid City, South Dakota lost her husband, retired Army Colonel Burl Williams, and his plane shot down three times, but one time by France by the Germans in 1944, and now his wife has received a priceless memory of her husband and his military service, a wallet -- a wallet missing in action for 58 long years. Dickey Williams, live from her home in Rapid City, South Dakota to share her remarkable story with us.
It is an honor. Good morning to you, Mrs. Williams.

DICKEY WILLIAMS: Good morning.

HEMMER: Did you and your husband talk about what he did before his plane hit ground and he jumped out?

WILLIAMS: Well, not really, he just told me about when he had to bail out, because the plane was on fire, and he threw his wallet down in a field, and that's about all he would talk about it for some time.

HEMMER: So you knew he threw his wallet out. He did tell you that story?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I did. Yes, I did.

HEMMER: So then, what happens, Mrs. Williams, over this time period? Who finds it, and how in the world do they reach you in South Dakota?

WILLIAMS: Well, a young man by the name -- I was 14 years old and his name was Julian Gattswon (ph), I think is the way to pronounce it in France, and he turned it in. When the French historian was in the area in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) France, and he turned it into him, and so he had it all these years, 56 years, before he turned it in.

HEMMER: Now I had heard that he actually hid it, so essentially the Germans would never find it or ever discover it -- go ahead?

WILLIAMS: Well, that's what we think, also. And so then my nephew in California saw it on the Internet, and he immediately got in touch with me about it.

HEMMER: Wait a minute, your nephew saw it on the Internet? How did that happen?

WILLIAMS: On the Internet, out in California. And he just saw it. He was on the Internet that day, and he saw it, and then he called me, and in the meantime, Rapid City chamber of commerce saw it, and they called me also.

So we've been going back and forth from -- the historians name was Phillipe Carone (ph). And he's been very helpful with us. He has e-mailed my son in Tennessee, and they've just gone back and forth with a little, even with a little language barrier; they got information straightened out, and we eventually got the billfold back and all its contents.

HEMMER: What was inside, Mr. Williams, can you tell us about that?

WILLIAMS: Yes. Well, it had his pay scale which was $462 a month at that time. That's the pay he got. And then there was his fishing license, and he was also a Golden Glove boxer, so he had an Oklahoma Association card, athletic card, and his fishing license, his Social Security, and $1 bill called, which a is called a "short snorter."

HEMMER: Why is that?

WILLIAMS: Guess you haven't heard of that.

HEMMER: Why is it called that?

WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't know why they haven't called it one. But I worked for an aircraft factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma and I had one also. And you just had your friends sign it.

HEMMER: Hey, what does it mean to you -- I'm sorry about the delay in the center. What does it mean to you to have this part of your husband's life now, 58 years later?

WILLIAMS: Well, it's just wonderful. He passed away last year, and so it was nice to have, you know, received something back that had been his. So we really were look forward. It took several months, because it first came on the interview -- on the Internet in February, and it has taken us at least four months before we got it straightened out, and it was mailed back us to then, from this historian.

HEMMER: That is a great story, and I'm going to...

WILLIAMS: Isn't it fabulous?

HEMMER: Yes, it's wonderful actually. And you're a charmer. Are you sure you're 83?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I am, and I feel every bit of it today -- today.

HEMMER: Listen, great for you to be with us today, OK?

Dickey Williams in Rapid City.

WILLIAMS: Thank you so much.

HEMMER: You got it. Take care.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 4, 2002 - 09:47   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It has been a bit more than a year since 83-year-old Dickey Williams of Rapid City, South Dakota lost her husband, retired Army Colonel Burl Williams, and his plane shot down three times, but one time by France by the Germans in 1944, and now his wife has received a priceless memory of her husband and his military service, a wallet -- a wallet missing in action for 58 long years. Dickey Williams, live from her home in Rapid City, South Dakota to share her remarkable story with us.
It is an honor. Good morning to you, Mrs. Williams.

DICKEY WILLIAMS: Good morning.

HEMMER: Did you and your husband talk about what he did before his plane hit ground and he jumped out?

WILLIAMS: Well, not really, he just told me about when he had to bail out, because the plane was on fire, and he threw his wallet down in a field, and that's about all he would talk about it for some time.

HEMMER: So you knew he threw his wallet out. He did tell you that story?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I did. Yes, I did.

HEMMER: So then, what happens, Mrs. Williams, over this time period? Who finds it, and how in the world do they reach you in South Dakota?

WILLIAMS: Well, a young man by the name -- I was 14 years old and his name was Julian Gattswon (ph), I think is the way to pronounce it in France, and he turned it in. When the French historian was in the area in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) France, and he turned it into him, and so he had it all these years, 56 years, before he turned it in.

HEMMER: Now I had heard that he actually hid it, so essentially the Germans would never find it or ever discover it -- go ahead?

WILLIAMS: Well, that's what we think, also. And so then my nephew in California saw it on the Internet, and he immediately got in touch with me about it.

HEMMER: Wait a minute, your nephew saw it on the Internet? How did that happen?

WILLIAMS: On the Internet, out in California. And he just saw it. He was on the Internet that day, and he saw it, and then he called me, and in the meantime, Rapid City chamber of commerce saw it, and they called me also.

So we've been going back and forth from -- the historians name was Phillipe Carone (ph). And he's been very helpful with us. He has e-mailed my son in Tennessee, and they've just gone back and forth with a little, even with a little language barrier; they got information straightened out, and we eventually got the billfold back and all its contents.

HEMMER: What was inside, Mr. Williams, can you tell us about that?

WILLIAMS: Yes. Well, it had his pay scale which was $462 a month at that time. That's the pay he got. And then there was his fishing license, and he was also a Golden Glove boxer, so he had an Oklahoma Association card, athletic card, and his fishing license, his Social Security, and $1 bill called, which a is called a "short snorter."

HEMMER: Why is that?

WILLIAMS: Guess you haven't heard of that.

HEMMER: Why is it called that?

WILLIAMS: I don't know. I don't know why they haven't called it one. But I worked for an aircraft factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma and I had one also. And you just had your friends sign it.

HEMMER: Hey, what does it mean to you -- I'm sorry about the delay in the center. What does it mean to you to have this part of your husband's life now, 58 years later?

WILLIAMS: Well, it's just wonderful. He passed away last year, and so it was nice to have, you know, received something back that had been his. So we really were look forward. It took several months, because it first came on the interview -- on the Internet in February, and it has taken us at least four months before we got it straightened out, and it was mailed back us to then, from this historian.

HEMMER: That is a great story, and I'm going to...

WILLIAMS: Isn't it fabulous?

HEMMER: Yes, it's wonderful actually. And you're a charmer. Are you sure you're 83?

WILLIAMS: Yes, I am, and I feel every bit of it today -- today.

HEMMER: Listen, great for you to be with us today, OK?

Dickey Williams in Rapid City.

WILLIAMS: Thank you so much.

HEMMER: You got it. Take care.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com