He Took a Bullet in Okinawa. Now This WWII Marine Is Celebrating His Centennial Birthday

Logan and his fellow Marines were forced to sleep in flooded foxholes, sheltering themselves from enemy fire with their heads barely rising above water. Each morning, they woke up submerged and skin wrinkled.

By June 1945, Okinawa had been secured, but Logan felt the war was far from over. It wasn’t until September that Japan formally surrendered. In the interim, Logan’s division was tasked with disarming Japanese troops in Tsingtao, China.

“The only thing we saw for two years riding ships from island to island were dead [Japanese soldiers] and dead Marines and dead Natives, and that’s all we saw for two years. You think that won’t run you crazy?” Logan says.

Of the 200 men in Logan’s company, only about 25 survived. The Battle of Okinawa had raged for 82 days, claiming the lives of 12,000 American troops and wounding 40,000 more.

WWII Veteran William Logan, 100th birthday celebration at the Choctaw Community Center in Poteau, OK May 21, 2025.

Charlie Neuenschwander

The Choctaws’ military contribution and legacy

Approximately 44,000 Native Americans served in the armed forces during World War II, and an additional 150,000 contributed to the war effort through agricultural and industrial services.

During World War I, the Choctaws were the first group to use their indigenous language as a military code, preceding the Navajos. Despite facing racial discrimination and not receiving citizenship until 1924, many men of the Choctaw Nation were eager to serve their homeland.

As a Native American in a predominantly white unit, Logan carried the legacy that the Choctaws established during World War I through his service.

Though he and his fellow Marines were from different backgrounds, Logan felt that the bonds he forged in the trials of war transcended racial identity. Even amid the chaos, moments of camaraderie emerged in the unit.

In a rare break from their demanding schedules, Logan recalls, he and his comrades tied a pig and several chickens to their company jeep, resolute to eat anything besides their K rations.

The only member of the unit with a mess kit—a portable set of cooking and dining materials—was their Native American comrade from the Apache reservation. He shared his kit with Logan and helped cut meat off the pig to cook for the rest of the Marines.

“He was long and tall. He just reminded me of Geronimo,” Logan said. “We had all kinds of people mixed up, and we didn’t have too much trouble with each other. Our lives and their lives depended on us getting along.”

In April 1945, Logan received the Purple Heart for his efforts in the Battle of Okinawa. He was also awarded a Good Conduct Medal and an Honorable Service Button. At almost 21 years of age, he was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps.

Post-service life and legacy

After the war, Logan returned to his hometown of Albion, Oklahoma, where he married his wife, Estelle Miller. He found few job opportunities in the city and took on physical labor, building fences for the local store, while receiving a government stipend of $20 a week for a year.

Eventually, he returned to Oregon and worked in the logging business to save money and start a family. Once he had enough set aside, he sent for Estelle to join him there, and they had three children: two girls and one boy.

The Logan family spent about 10 years in Oregon before returning to their roots in Oklahoma. There the veteran found employment with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, serving the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma by building and repairing community infrastructure.

“For the Choctaw and them old houses, you could just throw a cat through the wall,” Logan said. “For one old man, when we had the final inspection on these nice brick houses, and when they gave this old guy his key to his house, he started crying. He said, ‘I never did figure I’d ever have a house.’ ”

On April 22, 2019, the Choctaw Nation recognized Logan as their veteran of the week. He then got the chance to speak at the Oklahoma State Capitol in front of Chief Gary Batton and State Representative Lundy Kiger. He was also recognized as the Choctaw Nation’s January veteran of the month in 2024.

In 2020, his eldest daughter, Sally Logan, published Stories of the War in the Pacific, a book chronicling her father’s life and military achievements.

The veteran donates copies of the book to share his story with community members, particularly with mothers of sons, hoping to shed light on the toll war puts on the nation’s young men.

Now 100 years old, Logan resides in Poteau, Oklahoma, where he enjoys spending time with family and sharing stories of his remarkable past, all while remaining actively involved in his community.

“You know, he has a better social life than I do now,” Sally Logan says.

Her father visits the Choctaw community center every Wednesday for lunch, and the organization has repeatedly honored the veteran for his sacrifice and service. Most recently, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma honored Logan at its Veterans Day celebration in 2024.

“I guess I’ve become famous because I went to World War II and got shot, but anybody could have done that,” Logan says. “I’m not no celebrity. I’m just a little country boy.”

Logan is the beloved patriarch of his family. He has three children, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. His wife died in 2018 after 72 years of marriage.

WWII Veteran William Logan, 100th birthday celebration at the Choctaw Community Center in Poteau, OK May 21, 2025.

Charlie Neuenschwander

The celebration of a life well-lived

On May 21, Choctaw Nation members and volunteers honored Logan’s 100th birthday during their weekly luncheon at the Poteau Choctaw Nation Community Center.

With over 100 people in attendance, community members greeted him as event organizer Mary Hale guided him up the aisle to his flower-decorated table at the front of the room.

Logan was surrounded by birthday balloons and faced a banner displaying the number 100.

Choctaw Councilman Jess Henry took the microphone to announce Logan as the luncheon’s “guest of honor,” then handed it off to the centenarian to thank attendees for the birthday wishes.

Attendees sang “Happy Birthday” as Logan was presented with his cake. Before the meal, guests enjoyed a special video message from Chief Batton, who extended his birthday greetings to Logan.

“Just getting to be with his friends and family was the most important thing to him,” Hale said. “So we made sure all the friends that have known him for years and years were there and that his family could make it.”

Several members of the Logan family were in attendance, including Sally and Bill’s 91-year-old sister Eva. Sally Logan shared that her father’s life has been marked by longevity, but more importantly, strength and resilience. She said that rather than letting his war experiences define him, he chose his own, independent path.

“What I learned from him is that you do not just take somebody’s word for something,” Sally said. “You stand up for what you think is right, always. If you’ve made up your mind, you stand up for what you think is the best decision.”

After the celebration, Logan reflected on his milestone, saying, “I’m still just the luckiest man in the world. When I got home [from the war], my mom told me she prayed about me every day. So I just got something looking over me, and it makes me feel so loved.”