December 15, 1944 - October 1946
Interviewed December 2000

Young men were drafted at age 18, many were in the service under their parents permission.  He turned 18 in April of 1944.  But being a farm boy and coming from a farming community, and we were in to the 3rd year of the war, farmers were struggling to get the work done on the farms.  Therefore his father requested that he would be deferred the summer of 1944.  He received his draft notice and left for his training December of 1944.  Being assigned the 15th of December he had very little Christmas, but they celebrated Christmas. 

He took basic training in the infantry in Camp Roberts in California. After finishing basic training he took a short furlough (a small vacation) and was home for a couple of weeks.  During this time at home, Germany surrendered.  He went back to camp in California, and left to go overseas. They went overseas in a converted Cargo Carrier he headed for the Philippines.  During the voyage to the Philippines, the ship anchored in Pearl Harbor for a couple days.  They were not allowed to leave the ships, but they sat in the middle of the sunken ships that were bombed on December 7, 1941.  They were able to see the mass destruction, and the sorrow that would have been on that day.  A big scare on the ship happened while crossing the Pacific, with four other ships and being escorted by sub chasers, who carried depth charges (barrels of dynamite).    During the night the ships were to zig zag across the waters there was no communication or signaling aloud.  During the course of having to zig zag, a ship to the side of us forgot to zig when his ship zagged it struck our ship right in the middle.  The men in the lower decks were sure a torpedo had hit them.  When they got on the top deck, they could see the ship backing away from them.  There was a big hole in the front of the ship exposing a light.  It had cut their ship nearly to the water line.  They were lucky and kept heading toward the Philippines.

Ninety days after leaving California, we arrived in Manila, Philippines.  Manila was in the processes of rebuilding but there had been a great destruction to that city.  About a month after he arrived in Manila, Japan surrendered.  He had been assigned to the 50th Military Police Battalion.  His assignment there was to serve both the army and the civilians in the city of Manila.  The city had no police force.  The assignment to the MP’s was to train the civil police force in the city.  Shortly after that was accomplished the 50th MP Battalion was disband (not needed anymore).  Those of them with the shortest time in the service was then assigned to the 38th MP Battalion, and there he had an assignment to be a guard in a building known as the High Commissioners Palace, we know in our area as a County Court House.  The building consisted of a large courtroom, and office rooms.  Many of the office rooms were used as jail cells.  The 2nd floor was used to house the guards.  This building was used for what is known as the war crimes trials.  Many Japanese officers were convicted or even sentenced of the atrocity (the savage or brutal deed).  The trials were still going on when he left Manila.  He came home and was discharged  from the military service in October 1946.  It took them 15 days to come from the Philippines.  It was much faster because they went straight home.

He always had food but at times the food supply was short.  On the ship the food supply was the shortest.

He saw a few people he knew from his hometown and school but he was not stationed with them.  He saw Paul Nielson and Mark Pickett.  He also saw Neil Tuft who was older than him.  And Barbra Larson who invited him and Paul Nielson to go to her house in Manila for a Sunday dinner.  They thought it was nice to see someone from home.

It was a time when America was at war and the choice was clean cut.  Men were called into the armed forces to defend our country against foreign powers and we served willingly and without complaint.

While being stationed in foreign countries we realized more than ever, privileges and opportunities we had as American citizens.  It was a unforgettable experience to me in my life and I am grateful to have had that opportunity to serve my country. 

Taken out of my window of people waiting to go in and 
listen to the trial of General Homma

Front view of United States High commissioner Air Vac (wac)
residence or palace.   Taken from front gate.

A few ships in the Manita Bay just back of the High Commissioner building

This is not me, but it is where I worked (the front gate)
I spent most of my time on that chair with the pillow on it

Back of High Commissioner building out against the sea. 
I took it standing on the sea wall. The rounded part is where the court is held.

Taken out of my window towards the main highway and main gate.