Coming Home To Vivian #veteran #WW2 #tvnews

Jay McFalls grew up in Rhea County, Tennessee. They didn't have much money.

Left home at 12. Came to Chattanooga at 15 and got a job

"I saw this pretty little girl sitting on the steps eating a sandwich and drinking a big orange," Mr. McFalls said. "I went and sat down by her, and I reach over and took a sip of her big orange."

He said she got mad. Very mad.

"And we've been together ever since," Mr. McFalls said.

Her name was Vivan. That was the year --- he joined the Army.

"I went to the South Pacific, New Guinea, Philippines, and Okinawa," Mr. McFalls said. "I was in the Army Engineers."

He came home on furlough, and Jay and Vivian got married.
After the war they lived here in Chattanooga. They grew a family.
He says the thing he looked forward to every day was coming home to Vivian.

"I never will forget the day I come home from work. She said, "Jay come on and let me show you something. Right there at that dining room table. The old payment book, they weren't any more payments in it," Mr. McFalls said.

They had paid off their house.

He told me Vivian grew up poor just like he did. He said she moved 12 times before she was 12.

"She said nobody will ever tell us to leave anymore," Mr. McFalls said.

That dining room table He now calls it the truth table.

"Everything here is the truth," Mr. McFalls said.

We found a lot of things on that table.

There are pictures of his family, a Bible, a book about Civil Rights Icon John Lewis, and a book about Okinawa. His picture is in it.

When he retired he and Vivian would go play songs at Senior Centers.

She would play piano he played his guitar.

Vivian passed away a few years ago with brain cancer.

After a while he started singing again at the VA on Fridays, but Covid cancelled that.

One thing that won't get cancelled his trips to the Chattanooga National Cemetery where she's buried.

Jay visits her there every morning before breakfast every single morning.

He goes there to talk to her.

"Whether anybody wants to believe me or not she knows what we're talking about, and I bring her memories with me," Mr. McFalls said.

Jay McFalls had a brother who fought in Europe in WWII. He landed at Utah Beach on D-Day, and is still living.

I want to thank the Daughters of the American Revolution, Chief John Ross Chapter who told me about Jay McFalls.