Veteran Profiles

Master Sergeant James R. Sanders

Born February 4, 1940 James R. Sanders "Jimmy" as his aunt called him went to live with her at the age of two on the Tract Road just west of Emmitsburg, Maryland. Jimmy attended Elementary School at St. Euphemia's in Emmitsburg Md. in 1945 at the age of five. His aunt thought he was ready for school and so she enrolled him although he was a year younger than his classmates. Jimmy graduated from elementary school and continued his education at St. Joseph's High School located in Emmitsburg Md. The schools he attended no longer exist there.

In 1956 he passed his drivers exam and received his license. Jimmy didn't have a car of his own until 1958. His first car was a 1954 ford. He, as most kids in the Emmitsburg area, picked cherries to make a little spending money or help buy school clothing, but Jimmy also had a job delivering two daily newspapers, The Gettysburg Times and the Hanover Evening Sun, to the people in the Emmitsburg area who didn't receive their paper via the U. S. Mail.

Jimmy graduated high school in 1957 and nine days after graduation his aunt signed for him to enlist in the U. S. Air Force. Jimmy was also very active as a Cub Scout leader. He joined the cub scouts in 1951 and in 1955 when he was fifteen years old he became a den chief until he enlisted in the U. S. Air Force. Jimmy did his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base at San Antonio Texas. He trained to be a Dental Technician and attended basic tech school at Montgomery Alabama. He did his four years and then separated from the Air Force in 1961.

The first thing Jimmy did upon arriving home was to register to attend classes at Mt. St. Mary's College and then he got a job at Houck's Clothing Store on the square of Emmitsburg working a cash register. He also worked at Boyd's Restaurant located at Charlie Harner’s Bowling Center located on West main St., a place where most adults and kids hung out to eat or bowl.

Jimmy also worked at Harbinson and Walker in Baltimore Maryland making kiln bricks and he explained to me the kiln bricks are made differently because they are put in the kiln to bake regular bricks..

Jimmy said he found out he had to work as a civilian and so he re-enlisted in 1962. He also said he hopes his philosophy doesn't offend any service people.

In 1967 Jimmy attended NCO Academy in New Mexico. A year later he was an honor graduate at Tech School in Texas. Two years later, in 1970, Jimmy earned an associates degree in dental assisting. Master Sergeant James R. Sanders retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1979 after 21 years of service.

After returning home in 1979 Jimmy started work at Westinghouse Elevator Company ( later to be known as Schindler Elevator Company) located at Gettysburg Pa. where in 2004 after twenty five years he retired..

Jimmy met Joyce Aughey in Saxton Pa. and they were married November 30, 1983 at a hunting camp two days after deer hunting season opened because the preacher was a hunter and didn't want to miss the first day of the season.

Since retirement Jimmy volunteers a lot of his time to helping veterans. He and his wife help with Veterans Day ceremonies at St. Catherine's Nursing Center where Jimmy's wife Joyce makes individual fresh fruit baskets and passes them out to all veterans and Jimmy presents a new US flag to fly at St. Catherine's Nursing Center. Jimmy also helps at Martinsburg West Virginia Veterans Hospital where bingo is sponsored by Post 121 American Legion Emmitsburg Md.

Jimmy is a member of The VFW, lifetime member of The American Legion, Am Vets, Blue ridge Sportsman club and Saxton Pa. Sportsman Club.

Jimmy, since retirement, is like Norm on the "Cheers" TV show because he tends to sit on the same bar stool at the same spot at the bar at The American Legion at almost the same time every day, unless he and his wife are on a gambling trip somewhere like Las Vegas Nevada or Atlantic City New Jersey. When he doesn't show up at his usual time everyone starts wondering where he is and then the guessing game begins.

I will now tell all of his friend that don't know his real name I am writing about our own "Fuzzy" Sanders. I think I should explain how Jimmy got his nickname of Fuzzy. Jimmy had just gotten a crew cut before he went to his cub scout meeting and his scout leader ran his hand over Jimmy's head and called him Fuzzy and the name stuck with him ever since.

I think we can all agree that Fuzzy has not only been an asset to the Emmitsburg community but a veteran that does not forget his fellow veterans.