Stories by Our FBC Families
Every family has a great story - funny things from your childhood, where you grew up, how you met your spouse, some of your life experiences, and lessons you'd like to pass on to the next generation. This is a place where we'd like to hear your stories and post them (with your permission, of course). Please think about writing your story and submitting it to the church secretary for publication on this page. We often go to church with folks we love and admire but sometimes don't know what they do for a vocation, how they met their spouses, and what legacy they would like to leave for future generations. Your story doesn't have to be long and can even be in an outline form. We'd love to know you better and especially benefit from your wisdom and experience. You can write and send your story using the form below or bring it to church. If you have special memorials or stories of your loved ones please submit those as well.
Storming the Beaches of Normandy with Nothing but a Pocket Knife

US Army Medic Orva Ray "O.R." Dulaney
Mantachie, MS
Story taken from North Mississippi Daily Journal, June 6, 2012 ; also at this website.
For the first 10 days of 40 Days of Honor we focused on young men from our area who gave their lives in Iraq or Afghanistan. And while Memorial Day is truly meant to honor their sacrifices, there are many still living in our area who served with significance in some of the hardest circumstances any man could face - and lived to tell the story. Today, on the anniversary of D-Day, we tell one such story.
His name is Orva Ray Dulaney, but everyone calls him “O.R.” He has run a gun repair shop in Mantachie since the early 1960s. His workshop has plenty of room for a man working alone. Inside there is a rugged workbench and a worn out padded stool. The leg supports of the stool are worn out from where O.R. props his feet, supporting his lanky 94-year-old frame.
Behind the workbench is a row of two dozen rifles, all waiting to be fixed. O.R. Dulaney is a hard-working old man who repairs guns broken by people. But on June 7, 1944 he was a hard-working young man repairing people destroyed by guns.
It was D-Day Plus One, the day after the Normandy invasion. O.R. Dulaney was a medic in the 2nd Infantry Division preparing to land at Omaha Beach. The previous day’s carnage was still scattered across the beach and floating in the water. Battered bodies were everywhere. Although the barrage of German shells and bullets had subsided somewhat, there was still a steady stream of artillery and small arms fire covering the beach. When the front of his landing craft dropped, O.R. found himself waist high in water, wading the final forty yards.
As a medic, his only weapon was a 2-inch pocket knife, meant for cutting the fabric of a wounded soldier’s uniform. The man who would one day be a gunsmith never carried one into battle. He was there to save lives, not take them. It was an appropriate mission for a medic named “O.R.”, except that his operating room was out in the open, within the whistle of bullets flying mere feet from his head.
A tear runs down the old man's cheek as he recalls what he went through as a young man. The scene was too overwhelming then to take in, but he made "only be the grace of God". Even now, nearly 70 years later, it is a subject he keeps locked tight inside. "You wouldn't believe the things I saw if I told you," O.R. said. "Things no man should ever see. Things done to men that no men should ever have done to him." He steadily dabbed his eyes with an old paper towel.
What O.R. Dulaney saw on June 7, 1944 was the remnants of one of World War II's most brutal moments. It was one of its most pivotal moments, too. The Allies had established a tiny foothold on French soil, and from there would begin their gradual takeback of the European continent. O.R. Dulaney's division, the 2nd Infantry Division, would help lead that takeback. His unit stayed engaged in combat for its first 3 months in country.
One of the hardest fought battles he witnessed was "The Battle of the Hedgerows". It was fought shortly after Normandy, but gets overshadowed by the legacy of the beach invasion. It was no less costly however. O.R Dulaney recalled the scene this way, "I could walk from one end of the hedge to the other - some 200 yards - and my foot would never touch soil. The bodies were that thick laid out along the hedge."
In total, O.R. spent nearly two years away from his home in northeast Mississippi. When he returned home to his wife Odelle, he had a 2 1/2 year old son that he had to get to know. Sadly, the little boy named Paul Ray would die at just age 5. It was yet another painful memory that drew a tear from the old man's eye.
Mantachie, MS
Story taken from North Mississippi Daily Journal, June 6, 2012 ; also at this website.
For the first 10 days of 40 Days of Honor we focused on young men from our area who gave their lives in Iraq or Afghanistan. And while Memorial Day is truly meant to honor their sacrifices, there are many still living in our area who served with significance in some of the hardest circumstances any man could face - and lived to tell the story. Today, on the anniversary of D-Day, we tell one such story.
His name is Orva Ray Dulaney, but everyone calls him “O.R.” He has run a gun repair shop in Mantachie since the early 1960s. His workshop has plenty of room for a man working alone. Inside there is a rugged workbench and a worn out padded stool. The leg supports of the stool are worn out from where O.R. props his feet, supporting his lanky 94-year-old frame.
Behind the workbench is a row of two dozen rifles, all waiting to be fixed. O.R. Dulaney is a hard-working old man who repairs guns broken by people. But on June 7, 1944 he was a hard-working young man repairing people destroyed by guns.
It was D-Day Plus One, the day after the Normandy invasion. O.R. Dulaney was a medic in the 2nd Infantry Division preparing to land at Omaha Beach. The previous day’s carnage was still scattered across the beach and floating in the water. Battered bodies were everywhere. Although the barrage of German shells and bullets had subsided somewhat, there was still a steady stream of artillery and small arms fire covering the beach. When the front of his landing craft dropped, O.R. found himself waist high in water, wading the final forty yards.
As a medic, his only weapon was a 2-inch pocket knife, meant for cutting the fabric of a wounded soldier’s uniform. The man who would one day be a gunsmith never carried one into battle. He was there to save lives, not take them. It was an appropriate mission for a medic named “O.R.”, except that his operating room was out in the open, within the whistle of bullets flying mere feet from his head.
A tear runs down the old man's cheek as he recalls what he went through as a young man. The scene was too overwhelming then to take in, but he made "only be the grace of God". Even now, nearly 70 years later, it is a subject he keeps locked tight inside. "You wouldn't believe the things I saw if I told you," O.R. said. "Things no man should ever see. Things done to men that no men should ever have done to him." He steadily dabbed his eyes with an old paper towel.
What O.R. Dulaney saw on June 7, 1944 was the remnants of one of World War II's most brutal moments. It was one of its most pivotal moments, too. The Allies had established a tiny foothold on French soil, and from there would begin their gradual takeback of the European continent. O.R. Dulaney's division, the 2nd Infantry Division, would help lead that takeback. His unit stayed engaged in combat for its first 3 months in country.
One of the hardest fought battles he witnessed was "The Battle of the Hedgerows". It was fought shortly after Normandy, but gets overshadowed by the legacy of the beach invasion. It was no less costly however. O.R Dulaney recalled the scene this way, "I could walk from one end of the hedge to the other - some 200 yards - and my foot would never touch soil. The bodies were that thick laid out along the hedge."
In total, O.R. spent nearly two years away from his home in northeast Mississippi. When he returned home to his wife Odelle, he had a 2 1/2 year old son that he had to get to know. Sadly, the little boy named Paul Ray would die at just age 5. It was yet another painful memory that drew a tear from the old man's eye.
Submitted by Betty Moody
Where were you born? Red Bay, Alabama in Franklin County
When did you come to live in Mantachie? 1963
What did you do for your vocation or job? Garment manufacturing and wholesale fish. The first two years we vaccinated baby chickens for Mr. Topp in Tupelo, MS plus we farmed.
How did you meet your husband? A friend and neighbor introduced us. He went to see her and saw me. That did it! Ha!
Relate a funny story from your courtship. There wasn't much time for much to happen. We dated two months...much too short.
What advice would you give our young people about courtship? Don't start too young, stay in a public place. Wait until marriage to have sex. Know the meaning of love, not lust.
What major obstacles did you have to overcome with God's help in marriage or early life? Our first child had surgery at ten and one-half months old.
What would you like to share with young couples about making a successful marriage? It starts with a lot of respect for other people. Have a lot of patience. Stay in church and pray a lot.
What are some major differences in today's world and the world of your youth? The way young people dress makes them more vulnerable to sex abuse. Improper use of Internet. Less respect for parents. Less regard for right and wrong. Much more divorce.
When did you come to live in Mantachie? 1963
What did you do for your vocation or job? Garment manufacturing and wholesale fish. The first two years we vaccinated baby chickens for Mr. Topp in Tupelo, MS plus we farmed.
How did you meet your husband? A friend and neighbor introduced us. He went to see her and saw me. That did it! Ha!
Relate a funny story from your courtship. There wasn't much time for much to happen. We dated two months...much too short.
What advice would you give our young people about courtship? Don't start too young, stay in a public place. Wait until marriage to have sex. Know the meaning of love, not lust.
What major obstacles did you have to overcome with God's help in marriage or early life? Our first child had surgery at ten and one-half months old.
What would you like to share with young couples about making a successful marriage? It starts with a lot of respect for other people. Have a lot of patience. Stay in church and pray a lot.
What are some major differences in today's world and the world of your youth? The way young people dress makes them more vulnerable to sex abuse. Improper use of Internet. Less respect for parents. Less regard for right and wrong. Much more divorce.
Submitted by Etta Lee Marlin
Where were you born? Tampa, Florida
When did you come to live in Mantachie? 1963
What did you do for your vocation or job? Taught school.
How did you meet your husband? Daddy brought him home for a meal.
Relate a funny story from your courtship. We would go to a movie and he would go to sleep.
What advice would you give our young people about courtship? Enjoy being together. Have a few rules as to relationship.
What major obstacle did you have to overcome with God's help in marriage or early life? Moving
What would you like to share with young couples about making a successful marriage? Put up with a lot of things.
What are some major differences in today's world and the world of your youth? So many electroncis and means of transportation.
When did you come to live in Mantachie? 1963
What did you do for your vocation or job? Taught school.
How did you meet your husband? Daddy brought him home for a meal.
Relate a funny story from your courtship. We would go to a movie and he would go to sleep.
What advice would you give our young people about courtship? Enjoy being together. Have a few rules as to relationship.
What major obstacle did you have to overcome with God's help in marriage or early life? Moving
What would you like to share with young couples about making a successful marriage? Put up with a lot of things.
What are some major differences in today's world and the world of your youth? So many electroncis and means of transportation.