Willie McLauren Rast was born at the Orangeburg Regional Hospital in Orangeburg, South Carolina

on September 28, 1920. He was the son of Charles and Hattie Rast who resided in Bowman, South
Carolina. Willie had one sister, Julia Mae who married Howard I. Buck.
Willie grew up working on the farm in Bowman but after finishing Bowman High School, he
attended Logan School in Columbia, S.C. for advanced training in machine shop. He was hired by
the Ford Instrument Company in Long Island City, N.Y. as an engine lathe operator. While in New
York, he was drafted and inducted into the Army in Flushing, New York and served in the 763
rd

Railroad Shop Battalion. He was a private first class in Company B and served as a switch board
operator in Hainault, England until his company was shipped to Germany during the Battle of the Rhineland.
Unfortunately, like so many other veterans, most of Willies war activities are unknown because either they did not want
to talk about it or they were just doing their job. It is known that Willie witnessed many of the atrocities of the POW
camps and could not forget the sights or smells of that experience.
After the war, he returned to Bowman, South Carolina. He met and married Loyce Chavis in an unusual circumstance.
He had planned a date with one of Loyces sisters, but when he got to their house to pick up the sister, Loyce informed
him that her sister had already left with another date. So, he asked Loyce if she wanted to
go out with him and she said yes, and the rest is history. They had two sons, Larry Allen and
James Irvin. Willie and Loyce were married 58 years.
Willie was a carpenter and built houses for several years but retired from Mayer & Cie
(pronounced Key) in Orangeburg, S.C. as a precision machinist.
Willie continued to farm and he loved to grow vegetables and fruit. He was an active
member, Deacon, and Sunday School teacher at the Bowman Baptist Church.
Willie passed away in 2005 at the age of 84 and is buried in Bowman, S.C.