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96-year-old Walter Grainger of Bakersfield, CA appears on episode #747 of Hometown Heroes, airing August 19-25, 2022. The son of a World War I Navy veteran, Grainger is one of six brothers to serve in our Armed Forces. The latest mission this retired teacher has embraced is the quest to construct the Kern County World War II Veterans Memorial, which is scheduled to be unveiled on Veterans Day, November 11, 2022.

Walter Grainger with a rendering of the Kern County WWII Veterans Memorial.

“We’re going to be celebrating the lifetime of World War II veterans,” you’ll hear Grainger say on Hometown Heroes. “Before they’re all gone.”

Multiple concepts for the memorial were considered, but the plans that will come to fruition in November follow a design submitted by Grainger himself. The names of WWII 684 Gold Star heroes from Kern County will be etched in granite. Families of veterans who, like Grainger, were able to return from their World War II service, have the opportunity to add veterans’ names to the other side of the memorial’s panels. In Grainger’s case, he and his four older brothers will all be listed, in alphabetical order. If you’re interested in adding a WWII veteran’s name to the memorial, the deadline to submit names is August 30, 2022. The memorial committee is actively looking for surviving WWII veterans in Kern County who can be on hand for the monument’s unveiling in November. E-mail KernCountyWWIIMemorial@gmail.com if you know of a veteran who might want to attend. Watch the video below for Mr. Grainger’s description of the unique statue that will stand at the center of the memorial, and the personal experience that helped inspire that element: