By PHOEBE DONALD ROBINSON / Community Columnist

Kelsie Sanders, graduate of Montevallo High School, won the Honor Flight Birmingham Legacy Scholarship for her award-winning essay of the experiences of Clarence Edward (Shorty) Goodwin during World War II.

The $2500 scholarship was given from reserves from the Honor Flight Birmingham program which flew WWII veterans to visit the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C. for free.

Nearly 1,000 veterans were part of HFB, chaired by Pam Nichols and Amy McDonald.

Goodwin, age 91, grew up in Pinson and was drafted at age 18. He went to boot camp, called Hell’s Bottom, in Fort Worth, Texas for three-and-a-half months.

Goodwin landed on the beaches in North Africa as part of the 36^th Texas Division, 142^nd Infantry under open fire by the Germans.

Of the 42-man unit that landed, only five survived. He traveled to Italy where he and 20 soldiers volunteered for a mission to stop the Germans from crossing a river.

After heavy fighting and the death of 14 soldiers, the remaining seven surrendered to the Germans after running out of ammo.

They were forced to walk for 350 miles from Poland to Germany.

Goodwin, who had been shot, received no medical care. He survived almost two years in POW and work camps with little or no food, working 16-hour days. He lost from 176 to 108 pounds.

Goodwin finally escaped after several attempts and made his way to the Russian border where he fought with them for three weeks until he was finally returned to the American troops.

His family had been told that he was killed in action and did not know he was alive.

After arriving in Birmingham, Goodwin walked 22 miles to Pinson when he arrived home into his mother’s arms.

“Throughout the war, his prayer had always been, ‘Lord, let me put my arms around my mother one more time.’ His prayer had been answered,” said Goodwin in Sanders’ essay.

“The WWII era is important because it continued the United States legacy of standing against tyranny and promoting democracy around the world,” said Sanders in her essay. “It is a strong reminder of how expensive freedom is at home and abroad. We must always remember the past so that mistakes are not repeated in the future.”