November 7, 1941 - October 1945
My grandpa was born in Widstoe, Garfield County, Utah on April 10, 1920 in a log cabin.
In 1941, there was a "selective service program" in the United States. Young men were inducted into military service for one year, supposedly. The pay was $21.00 per month. He was busy milking cows and doing other farm chores. He was busy and he forgot to register for the draft at the time that he should have. He was worried when he realized that he was late in registering. His grandmother, Minnie Agnes Holt Willden, was living with them at the time. He asked her and his parents, John Wesley Young and Minnie Irene Willden Young, for their advise. They said he should go to Coalville immediately and register, which he did. About two days later he received his induction notice in the mail. Among other things, it said, "Your neighbors have selected you." He was drafted into the United States Army on November 7, 1941.
His first days in the Army were at Fort Douglas, Utah just east of downtown Salt Lake City. He says that it was strange and different. He could take a shower every day if he desired. He says that it seemed good not to have to milk cows twice daily. He could watch a free movie two or three times weekly. He marched in a parade in downtown Salt Lake City. He traveled by train from Salt Lake to Camp Roberts, California. On the route, they stopped in Los Angelas. He enjoyed the nice warm weather both there and at Camp Roberts. While he was there, he was assigned to the field artillery.
At Camp Roberts, He was issued an olive green comforter for his bunk. At the time he received it, he noticed that there was a cigarette burn hole in it about 2.5 inches in diameter. He never suspected that he would be in trouble over it or he would have mentioned it at the time he received it. When it came time to turn it in, he was accused of making the burn hole and was told to report to the Captain. The Captain was about to make him pay for the quilt. He told him that he did not use tobacco in any form and that the hole was in it at the time it was issued to him. He had every G.I. in the barracks, including him, pay a little money to compensate for the damaged comforter.
His Field Artillery Battalion (222nd) was sent to Escondido, California. He says that Escondido was a wonderful town. He loved it there. His troops lived in an orange packing building most of the time. At Camp Roberts and then Escondido, he was trained as a cannoneer on the 155 MM howitzers. They had a plastic obtrated interrupted screw-type breach block. Private Ceasaretti and my grandpa would twang the howitzer projectiles into the breach block with a loud thump. They were commended on how well they did it.
On the route to Fort Lewis, Washington they stayed overnight at Bend, Oregon. They arrived after dark and it was cold with about eight inches of snow on the ground. What a change from warm southern California! We slept warm in pup tents but it was cold getting in and out of bed. The officers slept inside a nice warm public building.
They were at the Pamona Firing Range in July, 1942. It was a contrast to Fort Lewis vicinity which was all green with pine trees. The firing range was in a very dry, hot sage brush covered desert. Sometimes the temperature rose as high as ll5 degrees. They nearly cooked. Sometimes the wind blew hard and covered them and their pup tents and everything else with desert dust and sand. Their relief was when they were allowed to go on pass to Yakima where they could rent a room, take a shower, see a movie, and on Sunday go to church, etc. But while on the firing range, they would fire the howitzers. The speed of a fired projector was 850 feet per second.
In August l942, the 222nd was sent to Pittsburg, California, Camp Stoneman, which was a "taking off" place for G.I.'s to go overseas. While at Camp Stoneman, he was privileged to go to Fresno, California on pass and visit his Aunt Jane and Uncle George Kilner. Aunt Jane is his mother's sister. Also, his father and mother came to Pittsburg to see him before his overseas departure. What a joy! They were put on a train and taken to some shipping docks near San Francisco. Their troop ship went underneath the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge. They passed by Alcatraz and out into the Pacific Ocean. He was feeling a little blue. It was great to see his parents at Camp Stoneman. He had wanted to see Erma too, but she had been unable to make the trip. She had sent a box of cookies which he enjoyed.
En route to Hawaii on September 12, 1942, his home ward, the Oakley Ward, sent "Articles of Faith" by James E. Talmage and the Book of Mormon. He read both of them while aboard ship en route to Hawaii. He gained a greater knowledge of the gospel and his testimony was strengthened. He was very grateful to the people of the Oakley Ward.
They arrived on Oahu in early September l942, where they were transferred to another ship and sent to Maui. The Hawaiian Islands are beautiful with a year-round temperate climate. While on Maui, he visited Haleakala, the world's largest dormant volcano. Down in the volcano, we went into some quite large caves where he learned something about pole stalactites and stalagmites. He greatly enjoyed the trip. He also enjoyed swimming in the ocean. The L.D.S. boys often attended church services in Wailuku. One day, he attended a baptismal service in an outdoor pool about 1/2 mile from the Wailuku chapel. After the services, there was a big roast pig luauw. He went via U.S. Army Aircraft on pass to Oahu and was endowed in the Hawaiian Temple. Later he went again and did endowment work for his oldest brother, Jay Wesley Young, who died on December 7, 1941 on the USS Arizona, at Oahu Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
While on Maui, they had to get out of bed in the middle of the night to take a 20 mile hike on a paved road around one part of the island. They had lunch under a huge bayan tree, supposedly one of the largest in the world.
For a few weeks, they were stationed on Oahu, where they took jungle training which consisted of many things such as crawling on their bellies under machine gun fire and crawling through and under barbed-wired entanglements. Also they were required to swim about 1/3 mile in the ocean with a 30 pound pack on their backs. I did it then but I'm sure I couldn't do it now at age 80.
From the Hawaiian Islands, they went via troop ship to the Marianas Islands in the Pacific. There were several islands, the main ones being Saipan, Tinian, and Guam. They were headed for Saipan, but didn't know it until they got there. The Marines were the first to go ashore. As he was in the Medics, he was kept aboard ship to help care for the sick and wounded who were transported via landing craft back to the ship. I saw wounded Marines drown in the ocean because they could not be helped aboard ship soon enough. They had been clinging to their rubber rafts but finally could hold on no longer in their weakened condition. A native woman was brought aboard ship. He thinks she was mostly of Spanish descent. She hadn't been wounded but was terribly hungry. He tried to feed her warm soup a little bit at a time. They knew that there would be very bad consequences if she were fed too fast, so he fed the soup to her very slowly even though she wanted it all at once. After the soup, she was provided a bunk to lie in. He had never seen anyone so hungry either before or since. She was a pitiful sight! These experiences took place in July and August l944.
Finally the medics were sent ashore, part way by landing craft; the last hundred yards or so we waded in chest deep water with medical supplies strapped to their backs. All the medics made it all right although they were under fire from Japanese mortars and snipers. There must have been quite a few snipers, as we couldn't even eat our "K" rations and "C" rations without being harassed by sniper fire. The snipers hid themselves very well behind palm trees, many of which had fallen as a result of artillery fire. One day he was sitting on a hood of a jeep eating "C" rations when a bullet whizzed by very close to his ear. What a close call! The Lord must have been watching over him. There were times on Tinian, Leyte, Mindoro, and Okinawa that he felt the same way.
From Saipan, they were moved to Tinian. There were dead Japanese bodies lying almost everywhere and he never thought there could be so many flies. While eating meals, they would hold their mess kits in one hand and would keep the other continually moving trying to keep the flies off their food. But he did experience some more pleasant things. One day he was exploring along the sea shore and found an abandoned Japanese automatic rifle and many rounds of ammunition. He had fun target practicing on ocean fish and crabs etc. Also a couple of times, the U.S.O. would bring troops of professional people, actresses and singers to entertain them. It was nice.
They were in the Marianas from July l944 to early l945. They were sent from the Marianas to the Philippine Islands. On the day they arrived, some Japanese suicide pilots were trying to crash themselves into U.S. ships. Some were sunk after they had gone ashore. Soon after, they were on land he dug a fox hole in the sand as fast as he could. It was about 42 inches deep. There came some strafing planes over head so he jumped into the hole, followed by a 2nd lieutenant right on top of him. He wondered why he hadn't dug his own foxhole, but he didn't dare ask him.
They had fun on the beach. They would swim or wade out into the ocean a ways and let the huge breakers, some of them 12 or l5 feet high, wash them back onto the sandy beach.
From the time they first entered the battle zones, the Medics used paregoric to treat G.I.'s who had dysentery. At one time on Tinian, his good friend and buddy, Clyde Anderson, from Tremonton, Utah had this affliction. After he treated him with paregoric, his trouble cleared right up. Now on Leyte, they used so much that their supply ran very low and he was sent to the other side of the island in a small two-passenger aircraft to get a new supply of paregoric. As they flew over the mountain range, the plane would hit into wind currents, causing it to drop suddenly almost straight down and at times it would almost lift straight up or so it seemed to him. This was his first trip in an airplane. For him, it was a little scary, but fun. He enjoyed the trip both ways.
In the islands of the Pacific, the weather was very warm. They would perspire a lot and were told to take salt tablets to take care of the problem. They also took atabrine tablets to immunize themselves against malaria. The germ was spread mainly by mosquitos which were as numerous as flies. From the time they were in Hawaii until they were back in the good old U.S.A., they slept under mosquito nets. The kitchens and first aid stations were also protected against mosquitos with netting. The medics also
administered aspirin, CC pills, gentian violet, and prophylactics among other treatments such as bandages and splints, etc.
While en route to another island of the Philippines, Mindoro, we witnessed Japanese air-craft vs. U.S. battleship encounters. Several planes were shot down and one battleship was sunk. A plane had dropped a bomb down it's funnel. After Mindoro, we went back to Leyte on the opposite side of the island. Traveling by truck, we passed many homeless Filipinos walking along the dusty road carrying bedding and other supplies on their backs. Some had big running sores on their legs. Later in the first aid station, we treated some of the people who had these sores.
The troops captured a wounded Japanese officer. While he was lying wounded on the ground, some of our soldiers treated him in a cruel and brutal way. They kicked him in the head, ribs, and stomach. He groaned in pain with each blow. "Man's inhumanity to man."
While on Leyte, we watched several rooster fights. Also we saw how they threshed grain by spreading it out on the floor and walking on it with their bare feet for hours. The civilians of Leyte were not far from our army camp and would quite often come into camp begging for chocolate and other goodies. Sometimes trades were made.
On Christmas of l944, it was anticipated that Japanese infantry soldiers were going to attack during the night. Accordingly we dug slit trenches and made ourselves ready. When he laid in the trench for the night, the bottom of the trench was dry, but by morning there was about 5 inches of water in it. He got soaked and cold, but he dared not to leave the trench during the night as there was rifle and machine gun fire overhead. What a Christmas, but he felt thankful to be alive.
They boarded a troop ship in the early months of 1945 and found ourselves headed for Okinawa. On Easter morning, l945, U.S. troops invaded Okinawa. Japanese troops were holed up in "pill boxes." They were miniature fortresses buried deep in the side hills and were very difficult to penetrate even with bombs and projectiles. But invade we did even though many lives were lost. To see Naha, the capital city, almost totally destroyed was an awesome sight but of course Naha was only one example.
The climate of Okinawa was more pleasant than the Marianas and the Philippines, not so terribly hot and sticky. It was more like Hawaii. If it hadn't been for the devastation of war, it would have been a beautiful place. The farmers there grew a variety of crops including corn, grain, beans, and sweet potatoes.
A pyramidal tent housed about six army cots. Our entire Field Artillery battalion were housed in these tents and there were a lot of them. A strong wind arose coming from the ocean a short distance away. In a few minutes, the wind had developed into a typhoon. The sky immediately above the ocean was a swirling thick blackness which came up the shore and into our army camp. Nearly every tent and the cots inside were blown over. Some of the tents were ripped almost beyond repair. Some tents were picked up by the force of the typhoon and carried some distance away. About 1/3 mile away, a Red Cross barracks and U.S.O. had been built in a grove of palms. This building was not damaged at all. The tents were not occupied at the time of the damage so there were no injuries.
We had just finished checking out a cave recently occupied by Japanese and went back to the road. Three or four trucks passed, each one laden to capacity with dead bodies of U. S. marines and soldiers. The trucks would take them to cemeteries where bulldozers would scoop out huge trenches. The bodies were placed in them and the bulldozers would push the dirt back over them. Then the bulldozers would proceed to dig another trench for the next truck loads. Dog tags revealed the name of each of the dead. After burial, a cross was planted with the dead person's name on it. It was a huge cemetery as far as my grandpa could see. If he had written some things in a letter home, these things probably would have been censored.
Two of his brothers, Marion D. and Ted S., were on Okinawa at the same time that he was. One or two days, all of them got together and had a very nice visit. Marion was in the Sea Bees and Ted was in the infantry. Another day he visited Ted at his army camp. At dinner, macaroni was served. It had weevil in it, but the boys ate it anyway. He says it was great to see his brothers, especially halfway around the world. At one time, he was able to see Ted for eight days in a row.
While the three brothers got together on Okinawa, they wrote joint letters to their mother back home. One would write a paragraph or two and then turn the pen and paper to another to write and then the third one. They did this at least two times. He says that he is sure that his mom and dad must have been pleased to get these letters. His mom tied the letters together with a ribbon and wrote on the envelopes about them seeing each other on Okinawa, largest of the Ryukyus.
May 9, 1945 was VE day in Europe. Nazi Germany surrendered. The soldiers on Okinawa were delighted with that news. On August 6, 1945, a single atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and on August 9 a single bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. Military men on Okinawa were overjoyed when VJ day came. Surrender ceremonies were conducted aboard the U.S. battleship "Missouri" in Tokyo during the morning of September 2, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur being in charge. There was a joyful celebration on Okinawa. Cannon and rifle shots, tracers, exploding bombs and other fireworks occupied the afternoon and all night long. They were glad it was ended so they could return home. My grandpa had been in the Army since November 1941 without even a furlough.
Sometime in September after VJ Day, he found himself in troop ship-freighter combination headed for the good old U.S.A. Most of the fellows aboard he did not know, but of course he got acquainted with some of them. Courses of study were available aboard ship. He studied business arithmetic which occupied most of his time, but sometimes he just read stories and joke books. The ship docked in a Seattle harbor. How thrilled he was to be back and see the shores of his own country! They were given a pass to spend some time in Seattle. He saw a little bit of what "skid row" was like and went to one or two cheap movies which he did not particularly enjoy.
They were then sent to Fort Lewis. Army life then was so much different than when he was stationed in Fort Lewis three years before. He still had to observe "taps" and "revile" and roll call, but other than that they were free to do what they wanted such as going to dances and picture shows. He also telephoned Erma and told her he'd soon be in Utah.
He was sent from Fort Lewis, Washington to Fort Douglas, Utah in October l945 where he received an honorable discharge from the United State Army. He had been in the army for almost four years with never a leave or a furlough. But now that he was free from military obligations, he could get on with life as a civilian. It seemed new and different and a little strange after having been in the service for so long.
Erma was waiting for him at Onie's apartment in Salt Lake. It seemed wonderful to see her after such a long time. He kissed her and her hat fell off. That's still a little joke between them