I went to Camp Roberts, California, to take my basic training. While in basic training my wife and two children came and lived in a camp trailer in San Miguel. I was able to stay with them at night. After I finished my training I shipped out for the South Pacific area. Just out of San Francisco Bay are a lot of land swells, and they make the ship pitch and roll something terrible. There were a lot of seasick soldiers on that ship. Personally, I fared pretty well. I felt a little upset, but I never got sick. With all the zigzagging and back tracking we had to do to avoid being detected by a Japanese submarine and getting in the sights of their torpedoes, it took us thirty-six days to cross the Pacific Ocean. We made a few stops on the way, such as New Guinea, Leyte in the Philippines, and then we went on up to Manila where we landed on Easter Sunday. I was placed with a heavy weapons combat infantry unit which was called Company H, 161st Infantry of the 25th Division, which was known as the 'Tropical Lightning Division.' My outfit was out in the hills of Luzon when I joined them. I had some exciting and frightening experiences, especially when standing guard at night. There were all kinds of sounds, such as tropical birds calling, chirping and hooting. We stood guard over a thirty caliber heavy machine gun and held a hand grenade in our hand. With all the sounds going on, it was easy to imagine Japanese were sneaking up on you. And many times you would pull that safety pin out of the grenade and be ready to throw it, and then find it was not Japanese after all, and would return the pin back to the grenade. Ironically, as I write this story (August 15, 1991), it was forty-six years ago today that Japan surrendered to the United States. I remember the day very well. That night we celebrated by shooting off fireworks. Our fireworks consisted of rifles fired into the air, hand grenades thrown out over an embankment, and sixty millimeter mortars. A tragic thing happened with the firing of the mortars. We had what we called a short round, meaning it didn't travel as far as it should. It landed just a little ways out in front of the troops, and a piece of shrapnel came back and struck one of the boys in the throat. He was injured quite badly. I can't remember now whether he survived or not, but that ended the celebrating for that night. I got in the motor pool and drove a jeep for our squad. After that it wasn't so hard, as I could drive wherever I went instead of walking. Shortly after the war ended we got on a troop ship and sailed for Japan. After a few days out, we got into a terrible typhoon. The waves were so high they came right over the top of the deck of the ship. The troops had to stay below deck, or they would be washed overboard They kept a guard stationed at every exit. I participated in the occupation of Japan from September of 1945 to February of 1946 when I was shipped home and discharged. After my discharge, I took a month and got reacquainted with my wife and children, and the rest of my family. Eldon Eugene Hales Eldon E. Hales was a master sergeant in the Army. He served in Africa and Italy under General Mark Clark for four campaigns. He received an Outstanding Merit Award and the Purple Heart. Donald R. Hall Donald Hall and Wendell Hall It was really a memorable occasion for us as my brother Wendell and I left for the service April 8, 1943, along with 40 others from Weber College. All of us met together that morning in a special meeting in the Moench Building with our college president H. Aldous Dixon, a wonderful man who expressed his pride in our willingness to serve and gave words of encouragement that made us feel exceptionally good about ourselves and what we were doing. It was a sad parting for everyone and at the end of President Dixon's remarks, he had us all stand in a circle with our arms linked together at the elbows and our own hands clasped together in front of us forming a human chain; joined with President Dixon at the 92 connecting point, who again expressed his love for us and the sacrifices we were making while pouring out his soul in a fervid plea for God's blessings to be upon each of us that we might have divine guidance and help for whatever we might encounter in the future. The future would tell that three of those 'links' would be completely severed, while another three would be broken and partially disabled for the rest of their lives. There were probably very few entering the military at that time that received the wonderful send-off that we did. We had much to feel good about and much to sustain us as we met later that night at the Ogden Railroad station to take the train together to Salt Lake City and then army trucks to Fort Douglas east of the city to begin the processing for our military careers. The railway depot was packed with parents, families, relatives, friends, and half the student body to see us off. The college band was also there to play in farewell our beautiful college hymn, 'Purple and White.' There were lots of tears shed over the impending loneliness that many were feeling as the time of our departure arrived with the knowledge that, 'This is it!' We were on our way to an unknown war. 'Where would we go? What would we do? What might happen to us?' Another chapter was beginning in the lives of both those leaving and those left behind. Chapters of loneliness, of sorrow and grief of uncertainties, doubts, and questions of courage and bravery with lots of faith and prayers offered in hopes for the best for everyone. How appreciative we were for everyone who came to see us off! We were finally on our way, saddened, yet buoyed by pleasant feelings. The physical things that we knew and enjoyed so much would be far from us, but wonderful memories of home could always go with us wherever we went. Memories of all the good families and friends we had and of those very special people who were always so good and helpful to us in our lives. The high point of my military career came one month after World War II ended. In brief, forty-two of us from Weber College in Ogden, Utah, left by train for Fort Douglas as a group. In that group was my brother Wendell, a year ahead of me in school. Soon the forty-two of us parted... While I ended up as a clerk-typist serving with an army hospital in England, Wendell was fighting with an anti-tank company on the battlefields of Europe. As the fighting continued, wounded troops from his outfit arrived in the hospital. The thought struck me, 'Could he come? Could he end up where I was?' Strange things do happen, as we all know. He did come, but not as a wounded soldier! When the fighting ended he was suddenly with me at the 185th U.S. Army General Hospital located at Camp Blandford, Dorset, England. This was on June 10, 1945. The surprise was that he arrived two days before his letter did (telling me that he was coming on R & R following his months of combat duty). What a completely unexpected and happy surprise it was for me! We both had our picture taken in front of London's famous landmarks, Big Ben, and the British Houses of Parliament, June 15, 1945. This was five days after we had been reunited after the war ended. Six thousand miles from home and eighteen months after we had last seen each other; we were together again! Wendell Herbert Hall Wendell H. Hall, an Army private first class, was an infantryman in the 103rd Division. He saw combat in France, Germany, and Austria. He writes: 'We liberated six concentration camps. We were the first division to cross the border into Germany.' He has written a book called, 'Reminiscences of WWII.' Eugene Dorton Hansen_ Eugene Hansen served in the United States Army in the Philippines and Japan. He was a sergeant with the Tank Corps. Richard L. Hansen_ Richard L. Hansen served in the Army as a welder in La Havre, France, working on large ships as a private first class technician. He also saw combat and received victory combat medals. 93