by Lauren Moye, BPC Managing Editor
A unique traveling exhibit opened at the Fountain-New Library on Monday, April 2. “Georgia Journeys: Legacies of World War II” explores the lives of twelve individuals whose lives intersected with Georgia. Georgia is the only common ground between twelve diverse individuals, each with their own unique contribution to World War II.
Journeys featured in the exhibit include stories like Louvinia Jordan, Hillard Pouncy, and Guy Gunter. Born in 1922, Jordan lived during a time when nursing, teaching, or secretarial work were the traditional female professions. Instead, Jordan became a cryptographic clerk. She helped to decode Japanese messages for the United States Army Signal Corps.
Pouncy served as a bombardier in the Tuskegee Air Squadron, popularly known as the Tuskegee Airmen. As a Tuskegee Airmen, Pouncy was one of the first black aviators in the United States.
Gunter piloted a glider, a small engineless plane, during WWII. Gliders were used to place troops and material behind enemy lines so that crucial defenses could be destroyed. Gunter shares his journey as one of the first glider pilots in the U. S. Army Air Corps.
“Georgia Journeys” will be available for the public to view in the Fountain-New Library until May 5. The exhibit is on loan from Kennesaw State University’s Museum of History and Holocaust Information.