Carl C Ames, Jr.

Carl C Ames, Jr. was born February 20, 1923 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was the first of three sons of Charlotta Franklin Ames and Carl C. Ames, Sr. World War II began on December 7, 1941, this was the same year that Carl graduated from Central High School in Tulsa. He was to be drafted on his birthday, but enlisted in the United Staes Army Air Corps on January 22, 1942. Upon completion of basic training, Carl spent five months training as a radio operator and top turret gunner on the B-24 Bomber. He was sent overseas in June 1942 to Haifa Palestine (now known as Israel). This was a highly classified operation known as the Halperson Unit implemented to assist the British 8th Army by bombing the Germans. While waiting to replace a radio operator, Carl was chosen by General Auby Casey Strickland to be his radio-man, Humber Driver and body guard. On October 8, 1942, Carl was strafed (machine gunned by enemy fighter plane) shattering his left femur and lodging in his body. He was transported by a British ambulance to a Desert Field Hospital for four days before being set to Alexandria Egypt for treatment. Six days later he was sent by hospital train to Heliopolis, Cairo Egypt. He remained there for nearly six months in traction before being moved to a British rest camp in Tel Aviv Palestine for eight more weeks. Carl was eventually sent to Uxbridge England for active duty to prepare for the Normandy invasion. While at Uxbridge, Carl met a lovely British girl, Olive F. Evans, who was a Leading Air Craft Lance Corporal, stationed close to Carl's camp. He often said, "Olive was the only good thing that happened to him during the war." After obtaining permission from their respective Commanding Officers the couple was married on June 3, 1944 in London, England. The couple had very little time together until Carl's unit was ordered to the Invasion of Normandy. On the morning of December 15th, 1944, Carl was told to have his duffle bag ready to fly out to England and then home on Compassion Rotation Leave. He arrived in London with a over-night leave in his pocket, and walked in on his wife and to her total surprise she fainted. The couple had a beautiful baby girl (Velda Pauline Ames) born the next morning in the middle of a bombing raid on London. They were able to spend two weeks together while Carl was in transit, however he had to go onto the United States without his wife and baby as he was sent to Rehab-Leave in Miami, Florida. Shortly after arriving in Florida, he received notice from the Red Cross that his daughter was extremely ill with pneumonia so he immediately returned to London. Carl was then ordered to return to Europe for duty but was assigned in France with the 2nd Air Disarmament Wing. In August of 1945, Carl returned to the United States and later in January of 1946 was reunited with his wife and daughter who had traveled from England by boat and then by train to Tulsa. The couple's second lovely daughter (Sherry Lee Ames) was born October 20, 1946. Carl worked for the Postal Service as a rural mail carrier in the Tulsa area for twenty-four years before beginning a career as a home builder and developer when he began the construction of Ridgemont Estates on Keystone Lake. Carl retired in 1980 and the couple moved to their farm near Jennings. Carlís hobbies included hunting and fishing. He made many fishing trips to Canada when his wife, Olive was working for Zebco. He also enjoyed taking care of a few head of cattle and a few sheep. He was considered by his family as a handy man that could fix anything. He enjoyed trying to invent new things or modify old ones to make them work better. Additionally, he was an amazing storyteller. He liked any type of challenge and having to figure things out. He was proud of his military service and was a Disabled Wounded American Veteran, although he never complained or seemed to allow his disability to keep him down. Carl was a member of the First Baptist Church in Cleveland. He enjoyed listening to music of the Big Band Era, especially Les Brown and his Band of Renown and Tommy Dorsey. He passed away on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at the Muskogee Regional Medical Center at the age of eighty-seven. He was preceded in death by his wife, Olive F. ìBonaî Ames; his parents, Carl C. Ames, Sr. and Charlotta Ames; daughter, Sherry Lee Lamb; grandson, Scott Chatman Lamb; and two brothers, Gene and Paul Ames. He is survived by his daughter, Velda P. Hughes of Cleveland, Oklahoma; ten grandchildren, Phil and Julia Hughes of Cleveland, Oklahoma, Rita and Jon Hantsbarger of Lighthouse Pointe, Florida, Mike and Cindy Hughes of Ferdonia, Kansas, Pam and Shane McCleary of Blackwell, Oklahoma, Keri and Jimmy Laxton of Prague, Oklahoma, Winema Hughes of Blackwell, Oklahoma, Veronica Carlson of Seminole, Oklahoma, Teddy and Wendy Lamb of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Mishell and Robert Page of Cleveland, Oklahoma, Carla and Craig Fack of Cleveland, Oklahoma; twenty-five great-grandchildren; ten great great-grandchildren; and a son-in-law, Ted Lamb, Jr. of Cleveland, Oklahoma.