WWII vet wins $11,000 at legion raffle
Edd Mazure's service to our country during World War II and the 65 years of marriage that he and his wife will celebrate later this month were rewarded over the weekend as the winner of the "Queen of Hearts" raffle at the Du Quoin American Legion.
Rex Emery turned the card for the 88-year-old Navyman 15 weeks into the second round of the "Queen of Hearts."
It's a progressive raffle that participants buy into each week. One of the 52 face down cards is turned each week until the Queen of Hearts is turned over. If you are present you get the whole pot. If you are not present, half the pot goes into the next game.
The pot had climbed to $22,000. Mazure was not present for the weekend drawing, so he gets $11,000 and the other $11,000 starts the new game. Mazure is a 55-year member of the Du Quoin American Legion post and it is fitting that a veteran of World War II won the pot with Veterans Day only a week away.
Service in WWII
Sgt. 1st Class Edd Mazure volunteered for the Navy on his 18th birthday which was May 30, 1945. By June 1 he was in basic training at Camp Green Bay in Wisconsin. Five classmates decided to enlist because "it was the thing to do." However, he was only with his friends until the end of boot camp when they were all split up.
He was to stay with the Navy until the end of the war and was to be discharged within six months. He completed basic training in six weeks with no problems and said it would be a good experience for any man to have. Edd was then sent to the west coast to work as a Navy storekeeper, then worked on an aircraft carrier, and loaded Kaiser ships. His service in the Navy was shortened because of the war ending.
Edd lived in Valier before he left to serve and missed being home a lot. He was discharged in St. Louis and said it did not matter if he was in St. Louis or way on the west coast; he still felt just as far away from home. After receiving his discharge papers, he hitchhiked home from St. Louis, and a guy who picked him up went out of his way to take Edd all the way to his home to Valier.
Due to the passing of the G.I. bill in 1944, Edd decided to go to business school and major in accounting, but later changed his mind. He sold candy and later sold appliances for a firm in St. Louis. He later worked for Wonder Bread then sold furniture for a company in Evansville, Ind. for 21 years. He later worked as a custodian at Du Quoin High School for four years.
He has been a member of the American Legion for 55 years and in his spare time enjoys woodworking and occasionally builds things for his church, the St. Johns United Church of Christ.
He says everyone should respect each other and enjoy life. To him, respect means a lot, and he shows respect for everyone. He has a great deal of respect for the American flag. He remembers that when he was on the west coast and they raised the flag everybody stopped what they were doing to respect the flag.