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City services to honor World War II vets

Ray Davis Jr.

Two World War II veterans will be honored on Monday during Memorial Day services in Dunkirk.

Anthony Spann of Westfield and Ray Davis Jr. of Dunkirk have been named co-grand marshals of this year’s city parade. The services begin at 10 a.m. in the park and the parade will start at 11 a.m. Both are organized by the Dunkirk Joint Veterans Council.

Spann was born June 3, 1921, in Westfield, son of James and Mary Spann. He was the eldest of five children and graduated from Westfield High School in 1939. His father owned and operated a family dry cleaning business in which all of the members of the family participated.

His father encouraged his son to attend Canisius College, a Catholic school operated by Jesuits in Buffalo.

He worked in the dry cleaning business for two years and then he enrolled in this college. Since the family finances were low, he sought employment while in college with the Railway Express Co. loading baggage at 90 cents per hour.

Anthony Spann

In the midterm of his fourth year, he and three other students elected to enlist in the Service as it appeared that young men of his age and appearance were called 4-F or draft dodgers.

While they were attending a restaurant in downtown Buffalo, they decided to flip a coin. Heads — the Navy and Tails — the Marine Corps. (Fate — indicated the Marines) He, thereupon, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. on March 25, 1942.

He finished his fourth year of college at the good graces of the Marine Corps. and, on July 1, 1943, he was assigned to active duty and sent to the Pacific Asiatic Theater from June 14, 1945 to February 18, 1946, when he was discharged.

He will be speaking briefly during today’s Dunkirk services that begin at 10 a.m. in Memorial Park.

Davis served in the U.S. Army and was on the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion and was involved in the four major battles in Europe.

He was born April 17, 1922, and worked at the AL-Tech Steel plant for 34 years in Dunkirk as a crane operator.

One of Davis’ greatest war memories was shooting down a fighter ace from Germany. “I looked up there and when I saw what it was, I let him have it,” he said.

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