Gender

Male

Birth date

1923-10-17

Place of birth

Seattle WA, U.S.A.

Inducted

1943-5-1, Fort Douglas UT

Enlistment type

Volunteer

Service branch

Army

Service type

War

Unit type

Combat

Units served

Co. 'L' 442nd RCT

Military specialty

Infantry

Stationed

U.S.A. - Hattiesburg, MS; Italy; France

Separated

Colorado Springs CO

Unit responsibility

Combat infantry

Personal responsibility

Rifle squad - scout.

Major battles (if served in a war zone)

Italian Campaign; Southern France through rescue of lost battalion; Bruyeres

Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)

Bronze Star; Purple Heart; Presidential Unit Citation

Living conditions

During training at Camp Shelby, lived in Army barracks and slept on cots. Ate Army mess hall chow (std stuff). During combat (Italy and France) lived outdoors in the field in 2 man pup tents or on the ground or in slit trenches. Field chow was primarily K rations. Less frequently C rations and hot field meals.

Most vivid memory of military experience

Aside from the ties with buddies and the cameraderie of his own squad, platoon, etc, learning that the enemy were like most of us, youngsters with same or similar emotions, love, hate, fear, sadness, happiness (even under perilous circumstances).

Missed most whilst in the military

Family, opportunity for courtship, ice cream.

Most important thing, personally, to come from military experience?

Happy to have lived through the war experience, some sense of dissappointment that I did not do better as a soldier as others I know of. After the war, wanted to put that war experience behind and start living. Did not consider Army life as real. Except for and at veteran's reunions, not too interested in rehashing the war. That's history and I survived. Some did not.