Knowing is half the battle

When 12-year-old Taylor Menadue dressed up for Halloween as Audie Murphy, the most decorated American combat soldier in World War II, it threw people off.

“They all thought I was saying ‘Eddie Murphy,’” said Taylor, a Jordan Middle School student.

Taylor’s extraordinary interest in World War II history caught the attention of local veterans last month, and he was awarded an honorary membership in the Southern California Chapter of the Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge.

He received the award at a luncheon at the end of January, delivering a speech to the more than 60 veterans and their families.

“I told them that they were my heroes, and that I’m glad they fought for my country,” Taylor said. “I could see some expressions on their faces that looked like . . . ‘thank you.’”

Dennis Leslie, 80, who gives historical presentations at schools and historical locations for the Douglas MacArthur Memorial Museum, awarded Taylor the honorary membership.

“I don’t have any grandchildren myself, and he’s a diamond in the rough,” said Leslie, who served a short stint in the Army during the Korean conflict. “I think this kid is going to go somewhere. I hope he gets into teaching because we really need teachers like that.”

His curiosity about World War II history started when he was about 7 years old, his mother Rebecca Heacock said.

“His dad took him to an air show, and that was it,” she said. “Since then he’s been obsessed with World War II.”

Taylor has gobbled up books, movies and documentaries on the subject, and has spoken with veterans about their experiences, she said.

The result is an extensive knowledge of World War II that varies between encyclopedic factoids and colorful re-tellings of anecdotes passed on to him by veterans.

One of Taylor’s favorite tales came from a Battle of the Bulge veteran whose motorcycle broke down on a bridge under heavy fire. As enemy forces advanced, the soldier frantically tried the throttle of his vehicle until, with cinematically good timing, the engine sparked up and he sped away to safety.

Taylor said he is impressed by the fact that World War II was fought by troops who did not have access to much of the sophisticated technology the military uses today.

“Even if just your radio went out, you were out of luck,” he said.

Taylor plans to write a book someday compiling information he has learned about the war with stories from veterans.

He also wants to participate in reenactments when he gets older as a way to expose more generations to World War II knowledge.

As a sixth-grader, Taylor is still a couple of years shy of delving into World War II history at Jordan, where students begin World War II study in the eighth grade.

But he said he is looking forward to sharing things he’s learned with his peers.

“I think they should know because it’s an important part of American history,” he said.

 CHRIS WIEBE covers public safety and the courts. He may be reached at (818) 637-3232 or by e-mail at chris.wiebe@ latimes.com.