Lt. Col. Paul A. Dongieux Sr., 94, at ease at his home in Jackson. The Yazoo native climbed the ranks from private to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he and his brother established a very successful laundry equipment distribution business. Special to The HeraldBy JASON PATTERSON
Managing Editor

Paul Dongieux knew that trouble was coming.
In November of 1940, 13 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Yazoo County native signed up for the U.S. Army.
Dongieux had experienced hard economic times and rode out the Great Flood of 1927 in Yazoo County on a barge. He was working in Vicksburg when he decided to enlist. He knew that it was just a matter of time before the U.S. joined the fight against Hitler in Europe.
“I figured if I enlisted early, I would have more control of my service,” Dongieux said. “I believed I had something to offer, and I thought enlisting early might put me in a better position to select a job I was qualified for.”