Fayetteville WWII veteran, 103, reflects on service, Black history
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- David S. McMillan is a 103-year-old World War II veteran who has seen a lifetime of service, sacrifice, and the lasting impact of Black Americans. He was born years before Black History Month became an official observance.
McMillan was born on Dec. 18, 1922, in East Over Township, just outside Fayetteville.
"I was born in an old house, I was raised in that old house, I went to the Army in that old house," McMillan said, sitting on his front porch beneath the American flag he once defended.
You've done fight for this country like everyone else, and they treat you like a dog. You don't know how that feels until you go and slip in the mud and everything else for this country. But I'm still here.- David S. McMillan
At 19, McMillan left home to serve in World War II and helped prepare for the D-Day invasion.
"I went to Fort Bragg on a Wednesday. That Saturday, they put us on a train to Fort Jackson for training. I stayed out there for eight months for basic training. Left there, went to New York on a ship to go overseas," he said. "I spent about eight months there when I was in the Army. I went to Europe, and in nine months, I think, June the 6th or 7th, invade France. They hated us."
McMillan was one of over a million Black Americans who served in World War II. Even though they fought on the front lines, Black service members faced segregation and discrimination abroad and at home.
"They put all the Black in the ship first. All of us. And then they put all the White men in the ship. We were in the bottom of the ship," McMillan said, recalling the clear separation in the platoons.
When McMillan came home in the late 1940s, he, like many other Black veterans, faced the harsh reality of Jim Crow laws. Public spaces, water fountains, and transportation were still segregated, and discrimination continued.
"You've done fight for this country like everyone else, and they treat you like a dog," he said. "You don't know how that feels until you go and slip in the mud and everything else for this country. But I'm still here."
During those divided years, McMillan found hope in another man in uniform: Jackie Robinson. He attended Robinson's first game.
"Jackie Robinson was the second baseman, and Pee Wee Reese was the shortstop ... a lot of them said they were not going to play with Jackie, but Branch Rickey told them 'red, white, black, and blue' if you don't want to play with Jackie, go down the road, and a bunch of them did leave," he recalled.
Today, McMillan's strength shows in his stories and his spirit. Before finishing his interview, he proudly showed his driver's license and talked about his love of singing. Then he broke into a song, singing, "I want to be at the meeting. I want to be at the meeting."
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