Come April 23, Zunner’s trip will begin its 100th year. It should come as no surprise that Zunner has no shortage of stories to tell.

“I’ve done everything from driving a truck and trailer to selling insurance, being a meat cutter and being a post master,” Zunner said.

With Zunner’s birthday coming up on April 23, a birthday party for him is scheduled for April 25 at the Old Tool Tavern. Zunner’s friends and family will be coming from across the country. The Rustic Ramblers will be playing music and Cattaraugus County Legislator Timothy Nagle will be stopping by to present a proclamation.

SERVICE IN WORLD WAR II

Edward Zunner has lived an active life, including as a horseman and on a farm in Leon before moving to Randolph

One of the most notable things Zunner has done is serving his country during World War II. He began at boot camp in Camp Blanding in Florida, spending 10 weeks there before going on to George Meade and disembarking on a troop ship that took him all the way to Glasgow, Scotland. From there he took a train to the outskirts of London while London was being bombed. After the bombing was over they went on to Southampton, England and boarded a troop ship to Le Havre, France. From there they went on to what was called a repple depple, now known as a replacement depot, which was a unit used to house, feed, and manage personnel replacements before assigning them to front-line units. It was there that Zunner was given his supplies and officially assigned to the Third Division G Company.

A truck then took Zunner and his troop into France, entering into the combat zone, crossing the Siegfried Line and Maginot Line, along with both the Rhine and Seine Rivers. Zunner detailed crossing the Rhine River between two bridges with a German Quonset Hut on the other side.

“Every time we tried to board a boat to cross the river we met incoming German artillery,” Zunner said. “So we finally made it, full-speed-ahead, over to the rocks. From then on we were headed to the Maginot Line.”

They headed on through two small towns, and in one town Zunner said they were told to build themselves a ring of fire protection. At the time he said they did not know what that meant, and were told it meant to build themselves a trench hole and stay down there.

“So we stayed there, and I think if we had lifted our heads we would’ve gotten them shot,” Zunner said. “The next morning we looked around and we had a picket fence behind us which was all chopped off. During that time we heard some woman screaming, apparently due to the fact that she was scared of a bombing and the artillery.”

Zunner served in World War II, including in Nuremberg, earning multiple ribbons and medals, including a Purple Heart

Continuing on through the towns, Zunner’s troop arrived at Nuremberg.

When arriving at Nuremberg, they came across a tank trap in the form of a stone wall the Germans had built across the street. Their tank drivers had blown a hole through the wall, so the troops were trying to advance through and around it.

“A couple of our fellas made it across with no trouble,” Zunner said. “Then the German sniper that we had up in the steeple, he had zeroed in there. He had hit two fellas already on the other side of the street and so I said ‘well, he’s not going to think of another one trying to go that fast.’ So, zip I went.”

Zunner made it through the hole, but as soon as he did the machine gun opened fire. Upon trying to turn and shoot back Zunner found he could not raise his arms. He had been shot in both arms from the machine gun. He made it into the next house where some of the men already were, who then put First Aid packets on both of his arms.

This was all happening at 7 a.m., and after a while a Jeep came to take Zunner to an aid hospital. They picked up the other two men who had been wounded across the street, and were taken in by a nearby unit, which Zunner said was at about 11 p.m. by then.

Zunner detailed a nurse finding a chocolate protein bar in his pocket and him eating it even though he was going into surgery soon, and that was all he had to eat before going into the operating room. While at the operating room he had a man lying next to him that had been a tank driver that had been blown out of the port hole of the tank. The man had been hit by shrapnel everywhere but his back.

“He was cut up and down his arms and legs and every place you could imagine,” Zunner said. “He had lost his hearing during the explosion and had a concussion. He had been blown out of the tank.”

Zunner told of watching them work on the man, and not being able to put the needle in for anesthesia to knock him out because of the injury, having to stick the needle in the foot. He said it still took a long time for the man to go out, and by then they had come to work on Zunner as well.

Zunner’s left arm was wrapped in plaster, and he had to keep his right arm at a right angle. He had to stay that way for the two or three hospitals he was transferred to. Zunner’s first time on a plane was during one of these transfers, where he said the pilot told them where the parachutes were if they needed them.

“We were all arm and leg cases, so no one could use a parachute,” Zunner said.

Zunner was transferred through different hospitals in France until he ended up in a recuperation hospital for a few months, while he waited for reassignment. He said at the time he had an appointment with a doctor, who wanted to see him again the next day with other patients coming in. After the appointment Zunner found his name on the shipping order list, saying he was shipping out the next day, so he did not end up going back to that doctor.

Zunner boarded a hospital ship in France where he was shipped back to New York City, staying in the hospital there from August to January.

“While I was in the hospital I was watching the Ed Sullivan Show and sitting on the floor,” Zunner said. “He says, ‘stop the show, I’ve got some news. The war just ended in Europe.’ Of course we all raised a big hooray.”

Zunner was hit in Nuremberg on April 18, five days before his 19th birthday. In January he was called back to active duty. After the hospital he went on to Georgia and Tennessee, staying there until he was called to serve in the Pentagon building. He served there until the end of June when he was asked if he was interested in reenlisting. Zunner decided against reenlisting and was discharged in 1945.

Zunner received multiple ribbons and medals for his time in the service, including a Purple Heart.

ACTIVE MAN

Looking back on his life now, Zunner said reaching 100 years old is “kind of on the exciting side.”

“I said what can I do at 100?” Zunner said. “Well, I’ve gone this far, maybe I’ll go to 105 or 110.”

While Zunner faces some handicaps and is not able to get around so easily anymore, and is not able to hear without hearing aids, he said he does miss some things he used to do during his early life.

“I was a very active man after I got out of the service,” Zunner said. “I was quite a horseman, a horse show judge. I went on a lot of trail rides all through Randolph, Allegany, Little Valley hills. I just didn’t sit down.”

Zunner took care of 16 horses and 32 head of cattle on a farm in Leon, New York. Zunner has two sons and two daughters, 14 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and was married to Marcia Zunner before she passed away. They resided together in Randolph, where Zunner continues to live.

When it comes to living a long life, Zunner said the secret is to remain active.

“Don’t sit down,” Zunner said. “Keep on going. That’s the whole secret. I was always busy and that’s the only thing I say that really helped me. I worked hard all my life and I prayed a lot when my pain got the worst of me. I would always say a prayer to St. Jude to help me.”

As others continue to go through life, Zunner’s biggest advice besides staying busy is to be honest and kind and help each other.

“That’s the most important thing in life, to help one another,” Zunner said. “Eat what you like and eat it all. Have a little glass of wine occasionally. That’s all I can tell people to do. I love to take care of my animals. Though, now that I’m living in Randolph I can’t have any animals so I have to watch them all on television.”