Roy Drapal and his birthday car

Roy Drapal was born in Fairfield in 1926. After graduating three months early from Edgar High School, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Force. He was sent to Wichita Falls, Texas, for basic training. Upon completion of his basic training, he was posted to the southeastern United States. He was assigned to a battalion headed for Germany. A chance delay returning from a dance derailed those plans. His train was delayed because of derailment. The conductor of the train wrote a note for the higher ups to explain the delay was legitimate. Instead of landing i...