The Heirloom Podcast: A Laurel WWii Story with Jimmy Bass
Most high school students worry about making the team, getting good grades, or planning their careers. For Jimmy Bass, the challenge was unexpected: sail the Pacific, defend the free world, and defeat the Axis powers—all before prom, graduation, or the age of 18.
Gardiner Park High School Football
In this special July 4th episode of The Heirloom Podcast, we sit down with Mr. Jimmy Bass—a now 98-year-old World War II veteran from Laurel, Mississippi—to hear his extraordinary story of service, survival, and legacy.
Jimmy served aboard the USS Harding, surviving a kamikaze attack on April 16, 1945, during the brutal Battle of Okinawa. He was nearly thrown into the sea when a Japanese bomb struck the ship. Hanging on to a gun tub with his feet dragging in the ocean, he lived to tell the tale—and give glory to God.
USS Harding
You’ll hear:
• What it was like to survive a kamikaze strike in the Pacific
• Where Jimmy was when Japan surrendered
• Why he returned to high school football after the war
• How the Laurel Veterans Memorial Museum came to be
• Reflections on marriage, faith, and freedom—77 years after Okinawa
“We just did our part. And when it was done, we came home to live.”
– Mr. Jimmy Bass
After the Allied victory, he returned to Laurel, laced up his cleats, and played right guard on the high school football team. He helped win the Shrimp Bowl Championship, launched a career in photography that spanned four decades, and captured thousands of Laurel’s most treasured moments—weddings, graduations, senior portraits, Friday night lights.
He also co-founded the Veterans Memorial Museum in Laurel, where he still volunteers weekly—at age 98.
“We get a lot of credit, the World War II veterans. But I believe if today’s young people were faced with what we faced, they’d rise to it too.”
– Mr. Jimmy Bass
Jimmy was married for 75 years to his wife Ann, raised two sons, and lived a life marked by faith, service, and quiet leadership. His story reminds us that the best legacies—rooted in love of country and community—don’t just shape individual lives; they shape generations to come.
Mr. Jimmy Bass and his generation have left us an incredible heirloom of freedom. We’re honored to share his story this Independence Day.
— Josh Nowell
Watch now on YouTube
Listen in on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X for Heirloom updates!
