8-year-old boy to be on ‘Good Morning America’
An 8-year-old boy with a local connection is scheduled to make an appearance on “Good Morning America” today. The segment, scheduled to run between 8 and 8:30 a.m. on ABC, will feature Louisiana-native James Leininger, whose life has been mysteriously touched by a former Uniontown man who died in World War II.
Leininger’s parents, Bruce and Andrea Leininger, say their son’s life has been intertwined with the life of Lt. James McCready Huston of Uniontown, a Navy pilot who died at the age of 21 when the Japanese shot down his plane over the Pacific Ocean in March 1945.
In a 2004 interview with the Herald-Standard, Bruce Leininger said he believed Huston’s spirit lived on though his son, who was then 6 years old.
“I believe the spirit of James Huston visited our son and manifested some of his spirit in our son,” he said. “I don’t believe in reincarnation. I don’t understand how he manifested himself. It’s a guess how God does this, but there’s no doubt this has happened.”
The Leininger’s said their son was about 21/2 years old when he began having recurrent nightmares about a fiery plane crash and a man named “James” who was trapped in the plane when it crashed into the ocean.
Leininger’s parents said the boy exhibited an extensive knowledge of aviation, and said he could remember a Japanese plane with a red sun on it shooting down the plane “James” was in.
After the dreams began, the Leininger family started researching and eventually discovered Huston, whose military records show his death matched the descriptions their son was giving.
Huston, born Oct. 22, 1923, in South Bend, Ind., lived in Uniontown during the 1930s and was killed March 3, 1945, during a strafing run on Futami Ko, a heavily fortified harbor at Chichi Jima, according to information previously given to the Herald-Standard by Huston’s family.
He was the son of James McCready Huston Sr. of Brownsville and Daryl Green Huston of Uniontown.
Although Leininger stopped having nightmares when he was age 3, his parents told the Herald-Standard that their son still has recollections of days gone by.
He often talks about past experiences “James” had while on the USS Natoma Bay during World War II, referencing what the man ate and did for entertainment while on the navy vessel, his parents said.
Leininger has made several television appearances in the last few years, appearing on “Primetime” for an interview with Chris Cuomo in 2004.
Jean Bright of Centerville, a relative of Huston, previously told the Herald-Standard that she believes Leininger has a connection with a Navy pilot who died 61 years ago.
“I think what the boy is saying is true, but I don’t understand how he knows this,” she said.