Served December 12, 1942 - January 9, 1946

I had the opportunity to interview Kennard V. Andersen, a World War II Veteran.  Kennard was born on August 7, 1922 in Redmond, Utah. 

He was drafted on December 12, 1942 at the age of 20. He was a single young man and was working as a farmer.  He was drafted by the Army as a Private First Class.

He first went to Camp House, Texas.  He was not that far away from home.  It was a very difficult adjustment being away from home, family, friends, being only 20 years old and knowing the world was at war.  Camp House, Texas was located 35 to 40 miles out of Dallas, Texas.

Next he was sent to Louisiana.  He was trained in his army maneuvers and he lived in tents for 3 to 4 months.  He was in the 84th Infantry Division.  He then moved to Clayburn, which is located by Alexandria, Louisiana.  He went to New York Harbor and was put on a ship in a convoy of 4 to 5 transport ships.  The ship while out in the ocean, ran into an ocean mine and was forced to return to New York Harbor.  For two days he sat on the ship and was later sent out on another ship.  While traveling the ship dodged a German submarine.  He was on the ocean for 21 days.  The ship docked at Glasko, Scotland and he was then loaded into a train headed for Chesterfield, England.

He received training and was detached from the Machine and Motor Guns Company and put in Regimental and put into Military Police.  He was in England for one month.  He then crossed the English Channel in small ships.

The invasion took place 19 days after the initial invasion of France.  He landed on Omaha Beach in France.  He made friends while all this was going on, but didn't have too much time to associate with them.  He didn't have much free time, they kept him very busy.  He occupied two platoons with two machine and motor guns.

In the French and Holland combats there was a lot of bloodshed.  Kennard was put on the front line in a cement bunker where he operated a machine gun.  These bunkers were made of cement 9 feet thick.  The bunkers were also called pillboxes.  They had beds, stoves and were warm.  He would try to stay as comfortable as possible.  One time these Germans got into the American bunkers, so the Americans had to blow up the bunkers.

During the time Kennard was in the Army he had one brother enlist.  Kennard would write to his family and friends as much as he could.

While on the front line he would eat k-rations which consisted of biscuits, tuna fish, a chocolate bar and some coffee.  While back off the line Kennard would have a hot meal, hot chocolate or a hot lemon drink prepared by the company's cook.

Kennard had to cross the Roar River before Christmas in 1943.  He experienced Battle in Ardines, Belgium.

He was in bed one morning and was jerked out of bed at 2:00 a.m.  It was very cold outside and there was a lot of snow.  He crossed the Elbe River with his company.  The Elbe River was twice as wide as the Sanpitch River.  They went through the river into Hidleburg, Germany.  That was when the war ended because the Germans had surrendered!

Kennard was given an honorable discharge on January 9, 1946.  He was then a Private First Class in the 84th Infantry Division.  He was 24 years old.