ON MEMORIAL DAY 2018, THIS
PLANT CITY SOLDIER REMEMBERS
THE NUMBING WINTER OF 1944, AND
HIS BROTHER'S LOST IN WAR.
A 97-YEAR-OLD HILLSBOROUGH
COUNTY VETERAN IS A BIG
BELIEVER IN MIRACLES.
SOME MAY CALL IT LUCK, JAMES
MONEY STOOD HIS GROUND.
HE TOLD STEVE ANDREWS, HE
BELIEVES A DIVINE HAND ACTUALLY
SHIELDED HIM DURING WORLD WAR
II.
I LOVE WATCHING
DOCUMENTARIES.
TO TALK TO SOMEBODY WHO WAS
ACTUALLY THERE, SUCH A THRILL.
IT WAS THE DEAD OF WINTER,
1944.
A 20-YEAR-OLD SOLDIER FROM
PLANT CITY FOUND HIMSELF GAZING
DOWN THE GUN BARRELS OF
HITLER'S LAST OFFENSIVE.
NOW KNOWN AS THE BATTLE OF THE
BULGE.
THAT STARTED FALLING ON US,
WE STARTED RUNNING HERE AND
THERE.
ABOUT SEVEN OF MY FRIENDS WERE
KILLED.
Reporter: 97-YEAR-OLD JAMES
MONEY SAYS IT WASN'T HIS
GENERALS THAT GOT HIM THROUGH
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE AND
WORLD WAR II.
IF GOD HADN'T BEEN WATCHING
OVER ME, I WOULD HAVE NEVER
MADE IT.
Reporter: HIS MISSION?
FIGHT THROUGH NAZI HEAVY ARMY,
AND INFANTRY.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO
DETERMINE WE WERE.
Reporter: JAMES LEFT A WIFE
AND TWO CHILDREN WHEN HE WENT
TO WAR.
HE KEPT A LOCKET OF HIS SON'S
HAIR IN HIS BILLFOLD.
THE BILL FORD IN HIS CHEST
POCKET WHEN A GERMAN SNIPER HIT
HIM.
CLOSE ENOUGH I THREW A HAND
GRENADE INTO THE HOLE ON HIM,
GOT HIM.
Reporter: JAMES CAME UNDER
FRIENDLY FIRE.
HIS EQUIPMENT DESTROYED, JAMES,
OUT OF DESPERATION JUMPED UP TO
SHOW HIS ARMOR.
Reporter: JAMES CLAIMS HE
WAS NEVER AFRAID.
HE SAW COMBAT.
KILLED WHEN HE HAD TO.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS OLDER FOR.
Reporter: ON THIS DAY, JAMES
MONEY IS PROUD TO WEAR THIS
HAT.
HE BELIEVES IT'S A MIRACLE.
HE STILL REPRESENTS A GROUP OF
PLANT CITY SOLDIERS WHO ARE BY
AND LARGE GONE.
AND A VANISHING BROTHERHOOD,
SOME CALL THE GREATEST
GENERATION.
I THANK GOD HE WAS WATCHING
OVER ME, BROUGHT ME BACK.
Reporter: WE DO TOO.
JAMES MONEY TOLD ME IT WAS 26
DEGREES BELOW ZERO WHEN HE GOT
TO BELGIUM.
SO COLD HE SAID HE STILL WEARS
GLOVES TO BED MOST NIGHTS.
EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ARMY, I
THINK WE CAN REALLY CALL HIM
ONE OF THE FEW AND ONE OF THE
PROUD.
ABSOLUTELY.
GOOD STORIES TOO.
REAL STORIES.
THIS ISN'T MADE UP.
