Learning to survive with very little food while being confined in a German prisoner of war camp is just one of the things Dr. James Marvin “Doc” Moye has had to endure in his life while striving to fight for his native land.

Moye, who is 88 years young, is a retired Laurel optometrist. However, he recalls his days in the United States Armed Forces during World War II “as a great learning experience.”

While Dr. Moye’s time in the military was approximately 67 years ago, he can still recall much of that time with much retention.

Moye lives in Laurel with his bride of nearly 66 years Mae Eleanor Freeman Moye.

The Moyes, who grew up in Laurel together, both graduated from Laurel High School in 1940.

Dr. Moye then went to Jones County Junior College for two years. During that time at JCJC, Moye took a civilian pilot course and earned his pilot license.

It was in 1942 that Moye enlisted into World War II.

After enlisting, Moye was sent to Santa Ana, California for training.

“I had not been far from home before that trip,” Moye recalls. “I remember Santa Ana as being a long way from home.”

After that, Moye was assigned to Mather Field in Sacramento, California where he went through an instructor’s school. He then was assigned to a base in Taft, California where he instructed pilots’ basic training courses for two years.

It was while he was stationed in Taft that Moye married his high school sweetheart Mae Eleanor Freeman Moye. The couple exchanged their vows on Feb. 5, 1944 at the First Presbyterian Church in Laurel.

Then, Moye was transferred to the base in Sumner, Tennessee where he underwent B-24 training. He then went to Springfield, Massachusetts and got more training to prepare to go overseas.

Moye would then find himself in a unit being sent to Italy.

“We landed in North Africa and then went to an air base in Italy,” he said. “It was there that it all happened.”

Moye was among a fleet of aircrafts performing missions in World War II when his plane was shot down.