Hometown Hero: WWII organization installs ‘young leader’ as new commander

The huge banquet hall in Toco Hills was packed with white-haired men, many leaning on canes, some in wheelchairs, most wearing old medals, marksmanship badges or faded campaign ribbons.

The Atlanta World War II Roundtable was installing a new commander, and the room was more crowded than usual because many had brought wives or graying sons and daughters.

Outgoing commander Randolph Goulding, 89, a fighter pilot, asked for silence, then slowly read the names of 11 members who had died in the past year, as former Navy chaplain Larry Robert solemnly pulled the lanyard on a large gray bell.

Then Goulding installed Lee Weinstein, 73, a Sandy Springs lawyer and long-time member, as commander of the group.

“It’s too much of a job now for guys like me,” said Goulding. “It’s time for younger leaders.”

Weinstein’s only memory of World War II was “listening to a big oversized radio when the news came over that the war was over” in August 1945. “I remember jumping up and down with the adults. It was real excitement.”

The roundtable is open to non-veterans, but 165 of its 221 members served in the European or Pacific theaters, and their ranks are thinning fast.

“These are the last of the greats, stalwarts of our day and time,” said Robert, 53.

The roundtable is supporting a September “honor flight” for 15 veterans to Washington to visit the new World War II Memorial, including one who’s 101.

Goulding said it’s critical for dedicated younger folks like Weinstein to keep the organization going and the memory of the war alive.

“He’s a real go-getter,” Goulding said. “He volunteers a lot of his time to us and has great plans for the group.”

Weinstein said he’s both honored and humbled.

He is planning efforts to get veterans to speak at schools “to let students ask their questions and be told why winning the war was absolutely necessary.” He also is promoting the Veterans History Project, a nationwide effort by the Library of Congress to collect the stories of veterans, and assisting in a $7.5 million effort to restore the World War II paratrooper training camp in Toccoa, made famous in Steven Spielberg’s “Band of Brothers” 2001 HBO miniseries.

“We have met with the project’s architect to discuss what we can do,” Weinstein said. “I am hopeful of getting Tom Hanks to come to one of our roundtable meetings since he is dedicated to the Toccoa project.”

Group member Carl Beck trained at Camp Toccoa prior to jumping into Normandy on D-Day.

“They need to be cherished, honored and made available to the younger generations so those later generations can learn the real meaning of duty, sacrifice and preserving our freedoms and way of life, not only for Americans but for all freedom-loving people,” Weinstein said. “How do you know where you are going if you don’t know where you’ve been.”