WWII veteran, 100, sharing songs of healing from combat as he plans return for Battle of the Bulge

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A hometown hero is sharing some important World War II history with ABC13 after he lived it.

Chester "Buck" Sloan, 100, is one of the last living WWII veterans.

In fact, according to the national WWII museum, only about 1% of WWII veterans are alive today.

Sloan was 18 when the world was at war.

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He was drafted into the Army and immediately thrust into combat.

"If we hadn't of fought that WWII, we wouldn't have had a country today," Sloan told ABC13.

Still, while he recognizes the war's importance, it's weight at times, he says, has been too heavy to bear.

"It didn't seem like there had been a war to me, and I drank too much," Sloan said, adding that his family, faith, and music saved him.

His songs now chronicle his journey from the beaches of Normandy, France.

"How has music helped you?" ABC13's Shannon Ryan asked Sloan.

"It just filled a gap and music makes you happy," he said.

Today Sloan, and his wife Shirley, who served in the Air Force and is a Vietnam War veteran, encourage other veterans to find peace in their own way.

"Treat them as good as you can because their head is messed up, and it messed their brain up," Sloan said.

He's asking the country he served to take a beat to practice understanding and say thank you.

Sloan and Shirley still play each Saturday night at the Buckshot Jamboree in east Houston.

They're currently raising money to attend the 80th reunion of the Battle of the Bulge in December.

For more updates on this story, follow Shannon Ryan on Facebook, X and Instagram.