When we left our story last week, Sgt. George C. Agee, Jr. had just married Miss Eva Irene Baliles on June 17, 1945—only about six weeks after he and his fellow POWs were liberated by Patton’s 13th Armored Division as they fought their way into Austria.
Eva was the daughter of James Lee (J.L.) Baliles and Martha Emma Shelton Baliles, who lived on Route 8 near Wood’s Cold Storage. Heartbreak had touched the family a few years earlier. In October 1941, Eva’s younger brother, Herman Shelton Baliles, was tragically killed near the cold storage plant when the tractor he was driving overturned, crushing his chest. He was just 13 years old.
After George returned home and married, he was sent to Florida for training in preparation for the invasion of Japan—an operation that, thankfully, never came to pass. Back in Patrick County, he agreed to help his father-in-law build a gristmill on the pond at the family farm. It became George’s job to travel with J.L. Baliles to Mayodan, North Carolina, to dismantle a waterwheel Baliles had purchased, bring it home, and reassemble it.
George’s son Steve stated that “most of the mill’s mechanical parts, including the grinding rocks, were originally part of the mill on Sycamore Creek behind Fairystone Church operated by my grandfather’s grandfather David Morrison.”
Once the mill was completed, George moved to Roanoke to continue his education under the G.I. Bill. He attended Virginia Southern College in Roanoke, which later became part of National Business College.
George and Eva welcomed their first child, Steven, in 1952, followed by Phillip, Andrew, and Carole. In February 1958, George achieved his certification as a public accountant.
For thirty-five years, George worked as a CPA, retiring in 1986 as managing partner of the firm Brown, Edwards, & Company. Even before his retirement, his thoughts often returned to the old family mill. From 1946 to 1973, J.L. Baliles had ground corn there for local farmers, but by the early 1970s, age had forced him to close its doors.
At 60 years old, George took on the challenge of restoring the mill. He hired local contractor Mavin E. Harris to dismantle the rotted frame of the building and replace it with solid wood. While the mill house itself was beyond repair, the original wooden mechanisms that transferred the waterwheel’s power to the shaft—turning two massive “corn stones” to grind meal—were still in good condition.
George Cleveland Agee, Jr. passed away on May 7, 2001, leaving behind a life marked by courage, dedication, and service. He had survived being shot down over Europe, endured captivity in one of the most notorious POW camps of World War II, returned home to further his education, built a successful career, raised four children, and always held close the values of his Patrick County upbringing.
In 2022, George’s son, Steve Agee, and his wife, Nancy, traveled to Siracourt, France—the village near where George’s plane, the Jackass Male, was shot down. There, they met the town’s mayor, Andre Genelle, who shared his plans for a memorial honoring the B-24 Liberator crew.
The connection endured, and in March 2023, the Agees returned to Siracourt for the dedication ceremony. Steve laid a wreath at the memorial and spoke in honor of his father and the other ten crewmen of the Jackass Male.
Today, far across the ocean in a small French town, a monument stands in memory of one of Patrick County’s own. On it, a photograph shows Tech. Sgt. George C. Agee, Jr. smiling in the back row, with his hand on his hip—a lasting tribute to a man whose life embodied resilience, service, and love of home.
I am deeply grateful to George’s son, G. Steven Agee, for sharing this remarkable story. If you have questions, comments, or story ideas, you may contact me at rockcastlecreek1@gmail.com or 276-692-9626.
