By Kathy Warnes
Reverend Ernest Norquist of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, describes his draft status in 1941 as “being under the threat of the Selective Service.” He decided to enlist in the Army so he could choose where he could go and his choice was the Philippines.
By Anonymous
The average age of an American soldier is 19 years.
He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is
considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears,
not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He
never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than
wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.
By Carroll R. Bierbower
I joined the Navy on May 20 1943 just before I was to be 18 years old. I was sent to the US Navy boot camp in San Diego California. From there I went to Electricians school also in San Diego. In December I was then assigned to the not yet finished USS Comfort AH6 as communications electrician. I became one of the communication electricians and movie operator.
On July 10, 1943, Chips, a soldier dog of the K-9 Corps, stood beside his handler, Private John Rowell of Arkansas, in a landing boat. They watched the shore of Sicily take shape in the dawn light, just east of Licata, on the southern coast of Sicily. Chips and Private Rowell heard the chatter of machine guns, rifles answering and the explosive bursts of hand grenades. Private Rowell saw the crimson machine gun tracer bullets and the white gold of flares blazing across the sky.
Being in Patton's Third Army was a mixed blessing. Everybody knew about the swashbuckling, profane, theatrical General. The men at the front of his attacking battle sword spoke of him as ‘Old Blood and Guts’—Our blood and his guts.
by Bill Hawksford
The soldiers in Egypt were at the mercy of the British government to provide the necessary ships to return them to their homeland where they belonged. In the meantime they made the best of a bad situation and cheered up their lives as best they could.
By Bill Hawksford
Following is an excerpt from the book titled,
The Silly Buggers
by Bill Hawksford
In 1947, Billy was found guilty, by a Court Martial at Catterick Camp, of playing table tennis in the NAAFI while on guard duty. The military considered this offense more serious than the capricious soldier and sentenced him to 56 days detention.
By Charles J. Jefferson
The Wall
Editors note: To the Left, the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial serves as a testament to the sacrifice of American military personnel during one of this nations least popular war. Since its unveiling in 1982, the work has become a point of reference, inspiring a new generation of American memorials.
The relief of returning home was not like anything that I had ever experienced, or have since that time. It was so good to finally be reunited with my family after not seeing them for almost two years. I remember spending much of my spare time conversing with elderly men every evening after work. Many of us would gather after work at Elden Borneman's Store, and listen to the world news on the radio.
The second time I ever flew in an airplane, I jumped out of it. I was a 25-year-old surgical intern when World War II broke out; convinced that there would be more romance in Europe than in the Pacific theater, I volunteered as a battalion surgeon to join parachute regiment 506 of the 101st Airborne Division, also known as the "Screaming Eagles."