Alice Eubanks, 95, was part of the Greatest Generation; served Du Quoin and the nation as Navy WAVE in WWII

Alice Eubanks, 95, of Du Quoin passed away at her home last Thursday, a member of the "Greatest Generation" who served in the Navy during World War II. She was one of the greatest of all generations. Period. She was the wife of the late Henry Eubanks, longtime Du Quoin Police Department health officer.

Her service was unique and she was proud of it, wearing her Stars & Stripes jacket to every Du Quoin parade and raising an American flag in her front yard on Pawnee Drive to honor the memory of those who served.

In World War II the Navy recruited women into a separate women's auxiliary and they were labeled Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES).

Alice served as a 3rd Class Petty Officer in the Navy. She voluntarily enlisted in November of 1942 and was honorably discharged in January 1945.

Alice had planned to enlist in the Army, but at the last minute changed her mind and enlisted in the Navy, instead.

She said the uniformity of the military and color of the uniforms attracted her.

Alice entered basic training in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She was 20 years old. She liked basic training. Although the training got tough at times, the love of the service and knowing she was doing something good for someone else by serving her country got her through the hard times.

For entertainment during basic training, Alice joined the marching band. Some Marines taught her to play the drums.

After basic training, Alice was stationed at San Point Naval Air Station in Seattle. She was never sent overseas. She served as an armed chauffeur carrying a semi-automatic .45 hand gun.

She also worked as a dispatcher in land transport and then as master-at-arms in the barracks. On top of all that, she worked at the laundry center at the naval air station ironing clothes for extra cash. She and some of the other women in the Navy sold war bonds and stamps to raise money. She was proud to serve and told me that repeatedly over the years.

Alice received the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal during her two and a half years of served. She was not the only one in her family to join the military. Her younger sister joined about a year after Alice did. Alice's husband served in the 82nd Airborne Army.

In January 1945, Eubanks was honorably discharged because she was pregnant with her first of three children. She had two daughters, Ruth Belcher, of Virginia, and Donna Scro of Du Quoin. She also had one son, Carl Eubanks, who lives in Nashville and is an executive of Farmers & Merchants Bank there. After she was discharged, she became a housewife and a mother. Although she was no longer in the military, the experiences she had during her time served influenced her family life at home. She made sure that everyone was on time for things, and there was a strict schedule to be followed.

Throughout the years she gave her time to the community and to her church.

Alice had been a dispatcher for the Du Quoin Police Department. She had also worked in packaging department at the Du Quoin Packing Co. She was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Du Quoin.

Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. , Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Du Quoin with Fr. Joseph Oganda officiating. Friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. tonight at the Searby Funeral Home in Du Quoin.

Rosary will be prayed at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday at the Searby Funeral Home. Burial will be in the Sacred Heart Cemetery at Du Quoin.

The loss to our community, to her family--and to this nation--is great and I will remember you always.