Paul Joseph Sollars

Birth date	June 30^th, 1919  (Died November 27, 1997)
Age they entered the service	21
Hometown	Detroit, Michigan
Branch of the service	Army Air Corps
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Name of their unit	Seventh Air Force
When they served	1940-1945
Where did you serve?	Hickam Field (Pearl Harbor) and Canton Island
Did you enlist or were you drafted?	Enlisted
How did you feel about going to war?	He did it because it was expected. He wasn’t happy about it but he wasn’t regretful either.
Did you have any family members that went to war. If so, did they survive?	No immediate family members
Were you ever wounded? How and where?	No
Did you receive any medals? Which ones?	Unknown

Do you have a war story you would like to tell?	When the attack on Pearl Harbor first happened it was total chaos, everybody was just running around trying to figure out what to do. The worst thing that happened pretty early on was that he was running towards where the U.S. planes were and he saw his friend’s head lying on the ground. Also when he was trying to get one of the planes undercover one of his friends that was standing right next to him was blown up.
What was your reaction when you found out the war was over?	He wasn't certain whether to stay in the service or not. He came home in uniform and decided to leave the service only when he met my grandmother and fell in love.
What was the most frightening event of the war for you?	The Pearl Harbor attacks
What was the most cherished memory of the war for you?	He enjoyed being connected with the air force, and (though he was never a pilot) with the aircraft, he also had fond memories of Pearl Harbor before the attack.
Do you have regrets about your service in World War II?	No
How do you feel about America today?
How do you feel about the war with Iraq?
Is there anything else you would like to add?	After he came back to the United States, he served for over 40 years in the Detroit Police Force.

Paul’s Buddies

Landing