Local WWII, D-Day veteran Jack Hamlin dies at age 102

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Jack Hamlin, the last remaining World War II veteran who has roots in Springfield, has died. He was 102 years old.

Hamlin fought during D-Day, the pivotal battle of World War II, as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1944, rescuing injured soldiers in the water and transferring them to a nearby hospital ship.

The City of Springfield honored the 102-year-old veteran with a ceremony earlier this year , when Mayor Ken McClure declared June 6 as Jack Hamlin Day in Springfield and awarded him the Keys to the City.

Hamlin was born in Springfield in 1921 and attended Central High School and Drury University before he enlisted to serve in the military. In 1939, he became a minor league baseball player as a member of the New York Yankees minor league team in Joplin.

50 years after D-Day, Hamlin was one of 75 American servicemen invited to meet and have dinner with the Queen of England as part of D-Day 50th Anniversary. This would be one of seven visits he would make to Normandy.

Hamlin has since lived in the Springfield area, helping out the community through his public service and sharing his story.

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