In the fall of 1941, William Florio was a senior at Natick High School in Massachusetts. He was a loyal citizen of his small hometown and took pride in having the same roots as some well-known residents, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Horatio Alger and Katherine Bates, the author of the well-known lyrics to "America the Beautiful."

He planned to return to Natick after finishing at Boston College, where he received a full scholarship for basketball. Everything seemed to be going as planned. Then his plans changed.

"After Pearl (Harbor) was bombed, I no longer felt the desire to go to college," said the Santa Paula resident, 82. "All the boys from home were being sent every which way, and I felt that it was more important to do my part."

After graduation, Florio went to the local Marine Corps office and enlisted. He was sent to Parris Island, S.C., for basic training and was assigned to Marine Corps Aviation.

When he completed his training, Florio was sent to Jacksonville, Fla., to train as an aviation mechanic.

"I was trained to learn every part of the various aircraft the Marines used, so that when they needed something fixed, I could get the job done fast," he said. "That was the key to our part in the air. Once a plane came down, we had to do everything in our power to get it back up there as quickly as possible."

Shortly after his training was complete, the young private was reassigned as an aerial gunner.

Florio was transferred to El Centro for radio and radar school and worked primarily with Douglas SBD dive bombers.

"We didn't know it at the time, but the kind of training we were doing was essential in fighting the Japanese kamikazes," said Florio, referring to the suicide missions performed by the Japanese fighter pilots.

In August 1943, Florio was sent to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro near Irvine for more training before boarding a ship bound for Henderson Field in Guadalcanal.

"We stopped in Pearl Harbor on our way to Henderson Field, and it was very emotional to see the devastation that was still there," he said. "It reminded us of what we were fighting for."

Once he arrived at Henderson Field, Florio was immediately assigned to a mission to provide air support for the ground forces as well as the Army Air Forces.

"The American soldiers worked hard to secure that island up until that point," he said. "We weren't about to give it away."

F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair fighter planes escorted the Marine Air Squadrons, which consisted of nine Douglas SBD dive bombers, to each mission. Within a year, Florio was flying missions in Manila, Corregidor and Bataan, as well as in the Philippines under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

In early August 1945, Florio was notified that he had earned enough combat points to return to the United States. He was on a Liberty ship bound for San Francisco when he heard the news that the Japanese had surrendered.

"There was an enormous burst of excitement on that ship," he said. "Everyone cheered. We hadn't even heard about the bombs being dropped, and then all of a sudden it was over. It was a miracle."

He was sent to Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he received an honorable discharge. It was there that he also received his medals, which included the Marine Air Medal, the Naval Unit Commendation and the Purple Heart, which he earned after being hit with artillery flak while on a mission in the Lingayan Gulf.

Florio returned to his family in Natick and reunited with his two older brothers, both of whom also served during the war.

A year later, Florio decided to continue his time in the service, this time as a member of the Air Force.

"There were a lot of opportunities for members of the military," he said. "I enjoyed my time in the service and felt that it was the best thing I could do."

Florio enlisted as a master sergeant and was sent to Mitchell Air Force Base, N.Y., and Palermo, N.J., as part of an Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron. Soon after, he was reassigned to Paris to work as part of the NATO operations under Gen. Dwight Eisenhower.

Florio returned to the United States for a short assignment before being sent to Taiwan with an air maintenance group attached to the CIA. The assignment was to monitor the Chinese coastline.

Florio's next assignment was in the United States. He was sent to Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., where he served as a contracting supervisor in charge of the overall maintenance of Air Force One.

"There were three planes in the fleet, and our unit managed their upkeep," he said. "We were on constant guard of the needs of the planes' interior, exterior and also the needs of the president."

Florio served under Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson before he retired in 1965.

"This country experienced a lot of change while I was at Andrews," he said. "Having to receive President Kennedy's body, though, was the hardest part of it all. I still shed tears over that horrible day."

After his retirement, Florio moved his family to Southern California. He attended Sears Management School and worked in the Ventura branch until he retired in 1982.

There is one job, however, that Florio has yet to retire from.

Florio joined the Santa Paula Veterans of Foreign Wars when he moved to the small community and dedicated himself to honoring the memory of those lost in combat. He will take over the role of commander at the end of this month.

"I think back on what this country has gone through and what we experienced in that war," he said.

"I believe that we owe a lot to the boys that died for us, and we have to remember to always honor the sacrifices they made."

Of War and Life is a weekly column by Jannette Jauregui that tells the stories of Ventura County's veterans. Jauregui is the media relations coordinator for California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. Veterans who want to share their stories can contact her by e-mail at jmjaureg@callutheran.edu or by mail at Jannette Jauregui, c/o Ventura County Star editorial department, P.O. Box 6006, Camarillo, CA 93011.