MECHANIC FALLS – Shirley Erland Keene, a World War II veteran from Mechanic Falls, celebrated his 82nd birthday recently and was honored with a unique gift from his son and daughter.

Over the past few years, Keene has handed over all of his war memorabilia to his children, including a journal with entries covering the entire time he served from June 30, 1943, until Nov. 1, 1945.

At age 19, stationed in the Philippines, Keene flew with the crew aboard a B24. A bombardier, he was literally stuffed into the belly of the plane, sometimes for 12-hour missions. In the diary, he recounts the bravery, the camaraderie and the impossible feats of the men with whom he served.

In an attempt to say what words cannot, his children presented him with a collage under glass that tells his story of patriotism, complete with medals, orders, training certificates, maps, dog tags, ID badge, pictures, honorable discharge and recreated photo pages of his journal.

Next on the agenda? Publishing the journal, which is not only a heartfelt, well-written story, but also an up-close and personal piece of history from one who was there.