Written by Doug Franklin for the Ladonia Groups website Dec. 7, 2005 with added information from Joyce Sallee both citizens of Ladonia.

Let us not forget Pearl Harbor Day. Ladonia lost Navy serviceman Barron Bishop, a member of one of the town's chosen families, who was on duty in the boiler room of the USS Arizona, which took direct hits from the Japanese bombs.

The late Leroy Byers of Ladonia was at Pearl Harbor on that day and had just had breakfast. There was an urgent need to get American aircraft out of the hangars and in the air as soon as possible so they would not be destroyed. The electricity had been knocked out and hangars were too dark fo! r the flight crews to make the aircraft ready, but a box of unassembled lanterns were found. The word went out to see who knew how to quickly assemble lanterns to light the hangars. Leroy was the lantern expert on the field. ( As a youngster, he had the job at Muddig Methodist Church of cleaning the lanterns regularly. ) He was given a couple of recruits to assist, and in no time they had lantern light for the hangers.

All four of the Sallee boys ( J. B. Sallee, Sib Sallee, J. D. Sallee, and Billy Sallee )were at Pearl Harbor that day. Mrs Sallee wrote Sam Rayburn a letter telling him all four of her boys were at Pearl Harbor and that Billy had lied about his age and went into the CB's at the age of fifteen and was about to turn eighteen. Mr Rayburn had Billy brought home. ( Some of these Sallee men might be at Center Point Cemetery )