Upon enlisting in the Marine Corps, I was sent to Parris Island, South Carolina. Having finished boot camp on Saturday December 6, 1944, Pearl Harbor was bombed the next day, December 7th. On December 8th, I was sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. From Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to American Samoa to protect the islands and train for combat.

Next stop was to Auckland, New Zealand for R&R. From there to Guadalcanal. From Guadalcanal, I was sent to Bougainville with the initial landing being 12,000 strong, landing at Empress Augusta Bay on November 1st. I was there at Bougainville until Christmas Day - having had 55 days in combat. Then I was sent to the hospital, having 19 attacks of Malaria fever. I was sent back to the States with a medical discharge August 7, 1945-seven days before the war ended.