The American Legion General Buckner Post 16 last month honored World War II veteran George Meeker for his 70 years continuous membership in the American Legion. Meeker was presented with a plaque honoring his membership at his Homer home. In the photo above, Bill Sheldon, left, presents the plaque to Meeker, second from left, while Mike Morawitz, second from right, and Warren Huff, right, watch.Meeker served as U.S. Navy radar officer on the aircraft carrier USS Gilbert Islands in the South Pacific during World War II. While sailing toward Japan in preparation for the upcoming invasion, Meeker noticed a huge fireball in the sky, not knowing at the time it was the atomic bomb that had been dropped on Hiroshima. The Gilbert Islands sailed on to Tokyo and then back to Pearl Harbor. After the war, Meeker returned to western Kansas and went back to farming. He became a member of American Legion Post 9 in Garden City, Kansas. After retiring from farming, Meeker and his wife Helen moved to Homer, where he transferred his membership to Post 16. Married 72 years, George and Helen Meeker live in a home overlooking the Homer Spit and the Kenai Mountains across Kachemak Bay.