In 1942, 24-year-old Roy Snyder left behind his young wife, Doris, and their newborn son to fight the Japanese in the Philippines during WWII. After four years of brutal jungle warfare, only two of the 24 men in his unit survived. Roy returned home with honors, but he carried the weight of memory all his life, saying his extra 60 years were "lived for those who never came back."

In 2004, a U.S. flag was flown over the Capitol to honor both Roy's service and Doris's strength. Just days before his passing in 2006, Roy held that flag once more, calling it the award he cherished most.

Does your family hold a story of courage and survival from World War II? Share it with CGTN's global campaign, Echoes of History: Our WWII Memories, and help keep these personal histories alive for the world to remember.