A. W. Ishee

“Lord, I’ll see you in a little bit,” was the thought that ran through Private First-Class A. W. Ishee’s mind when he was surrounded by Germans with their bayonets pointing at him.

This young soldier endured many hardships during World War II as he endeavored to serve his country. Landing in France as a combat medic in Company L, he traveled with the 42nd Division of the 232nd Infantry Battalion as they captured parts of the Siegfried Line and engaged in the Battle of the Bulge. His company was nearly wiped out, and on January 5, 1945, he was captured by the enemy and thrown into a German prisoner-of-war camp. Just surviving became the order of the day.

Terrified by bombings, heartbroken at the death of many of his buddies, frozen, starved, infested with lice, mentally abused, and physically tormented, he managed to maintain his morale and sustain his faith in his God and his country. Over fifty years later, he was rewarded with numerous medals, including three Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. The Bronze Star is awarded for bravery, and the Purple Heart for being wounded in the line of duty.

This young soldier who so courageously served his country pastored the First Pentecostal Church of Laurel, Mississippi, until he was past eighty years old.

A.W. Ishee, the oldest of three, was born on January 12, 1924, in Laurel, Mississippi. His mother was a charter member of the original Oneness Pentecostal church that was established in Laurel. She received the Holy Ghost before any of her children were born, two boys and a girl. When Brother Ishee was just a 12-year-old boy, he received the Holy Ghost in one of Brother Oscar Vouga’s revivals. Brother Ishee and his dad were baptized in Jesus’ name on Easter Sunday in 1936.
Just before going overseas in 1944, he met his future wife, Norma Etta Baggett, who is the daughter of Brother and Sister Bennie Baggett from Louisiana. Brother Baggett was one of the early pioneers in the Pentecostal movement. The young couple was married on July 7, 1945, after Brother Ishee came home from the war. They are the parents of three daughters: Janet Culpepper, Kathy Anding, and Joanna Ishee. They have two sons-in-law, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Brother Ishee felt the call of God on his heart while in a foxhole in Europe, but did not want to preach. At age 29, he realized that all his zealous work in the church was not fully obeying God and that he must surrender to that special call from God. He preached for over fifty-one years.

Brother Ishee has evangelized in various states, assisted numerous pastors, and pastored several churches. He pastored the First Pentecostal Church of Laurel, which he founded in 1970, for over 34 years.

In his book Stalag IV-B: An Ex-POW Tells His Story, A.W. Ishee shares his experiences as a German prisoner of war and finally as an escapee as he and his friend find their way back home. Stalag IV-B is a true story told by someone who was there.