91-year-old WWII veteran using Facebook to find long-lost war buddies

Knowles says his division saw more actual combat days than any other in WWII. They had a totally of 587 combat days, and Knowles was there for many of them.

Knowles service ended when he was injured in combat and sent home to Telfair County, Georgia. He says he never saw anyone in his division again.

For years Knowles, who earned a Purple Heart for his service, has wondered what happened to many of the people he served with.

“My daughter has tried off and on for several years. She even located some people in Minnesota that was in my division, but I didn’t know them,” Knowles said. “We never did find anybody.”

Knowles says he’s tried for years to get in touch with people through the newsletters he receives from the Disabled American Veterans Charity.

“I take the DAV and that’s the first thing I look at is reunions, but ever since I retired, I have heart problems, and almost every time they’ve had a reunion I’m sick and I can’t go,” Knowles said.

So this year, they decided to try a new approach. Knowles' daughter took to Facebook, posting her dad's photo with the caption, "Please share! I would love to see any members that I served with in 1942 and 1943! I think most would be from Minnesota and Iowa!"

Knowles has just over 250 friends on Facebook, but the photo posted earlier this week has already been shared 6,000 times, and Knowles hopes it will eventually reach someone who can help.

“To meet some of the people from my squad or my company or my platoon, I would love that. I would love to communicate with them. We’re all getting old so I don’t know whether any of them is even living or not,” he said.