It's not my story, it was written by my Uncle Marvin about his time in the Aleutians. It might be of interest to someone... maybe not. I left it just as he wrote it.
Marvin Orlando Larson WWII September 1941 - February 1946 Assigned to Anti-Aircraft and Infantry Battle Campaigns: Aleutian Islands and Rhineland 4 years, 4 months and 8 days
The start of this account of my being in the U.S. Army started in Sept. 1941. I and a buddy of mine from Thompson, Iowa, we had gone to school together, were drafted the same day. We were sent to Dr. Des Moines to be processed taking medical exams. We both passed and enlisted in the regular army so our pay went from $21.00 per month to $30.00 per month, and also were the first in line on payday, and the draftees were last.
We were assigned to barracks, and started training on searchlight that are used in anti-aircraft defense from bombers and fighter planes. We were at Camp Callan, Calif. for this training. This was still peace time so things were slow and easy. We went to different towns to go swimming in the Pacific Ocean. I was a barnyard hick and never had seen the ocean. I saluted my first officer, a Second Lt. left-handed, you were supposed to use your right, it took him so much by surprise that he did a quick look and I kept on going for my barracks. We had to make our bed cots, top blanket so tight that if they dropped a quarter on it, it should bounce. If the quarter did not bounce, they would grab the bedding and pull it up so you would have to do it over again, that is the barracks Sgt. would do this. We had nice sunny weather, all during training, the big day came, Dec. 7 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.
That nite about midnight we had to fall out and go to our search light, moon was shining, so none of us took our rain coats, about one hour later the bottom fell out of the sky, it was raining cats and dogs, we were wet to the bone. Our training stopped, and we were readied for overseas duty.
We were shipped to Ft Lawton, Washington near Seattle. I was lucky they gave me a 1903 Springfield, no bullets, if the Japanese landed, we had to run to supply and get a clip of five bullets. Anyway this kept me off from KP and other details, as the five of us had to be ready, with the rifles under our army cots. Danny Thorland was on KP at the noon dinner he had his cart full of dirty dishes, made too sharp a turn and dumped all the dishes on the floor of the mess hall, about half of them broke, the Mess Sgt. screaming and hollering that Danny would have to pay for them. We also took off for Seattle one nite, for some fun. Met some sailors and on the guys swiped a sailor's hat. As we were Army, the kid that took it did so as a joke. No buses were running had to walk about ten miles back to Ft. Lawton.
My name was called to shipped out from Ft. Lawton, we were put on an old tub that had been a Navy tender in WWI, only carried 167 guys. We were on our way to Dutch Harbor in Aleutian Islands, we left Seattle going up the inside passage, it was called this as Islands were along the way, and Canada was on the other side. We stopped at Ketchikan for a few hours, my buddy Ernie Pedersen had a sister living there. We were on our way again, one of the Army guys got sick, stopped at Juneau, Alaska to let him off. Most of the guys were in the hold where the drive shaft went through, and also the steam power rudder was. We Were heading for the Gulf of Alaska, a very dangerous trip in stormy weather, well we hit a mean storm, the boat would go up one wave, slam down in the trough, then hit another wave, the rudder out of the water, the propeller was out of the water was just not doing anything. We had to hang on to our bunks in order to stay in them. Next Morning it was just as bad, Ernie and I were the only ones to eat that day, rest of the guys were seasick. The storm let up as we came to Kodiak, and island off from Alaska. We stayed about two days, so went onshore, and the Navy guys let us use their showers. We took off for Dutch Harbor and made it three days later.
We were assigned to the 206th Anti-Aircraft Battery. This was an Arkansas National Guard outfit, which means they were not Regular Army, but in case of was could be called up. They had been there for about six months. We landed there in Feb. Ernie and I were sent to different batteries, he to “A” and I to “B”. Danny Thorland did not leave when we did but came up some two months later. I was put in a Fifty Cal. Machine gun squad, only six of us, and we stood nite guard duty, and ones on the three inch (75mm) guns stood day guard. In between us new guys pulled all kinds of extra duty, unloading a captured Jap coal ship, unloaded ships that came in with supplies, that was heavy work. Plus not having enough to do. Filled sand bags to make a parapet around all gun positions so it would help in case a bomb dropped close by, also from fighter fire attacking. The weather was such, that it was raining, fog or snow. We wore waterproof clothing at all times.
Well the big day that our officers said arrived on June 5, 1942, the Japanese came in dive bombing, bombers to drop bombs, and fighter plane, we called “Zero’s”. As new guys we took to a trench, we were on Hill 100, as it was called. I was in the trench and saw this Japanese Zero coming. I had a five shot Springfield, I was shooting at it, he kept coming, but he was strafing the buildings below us. The machine gun Sgt had taken over the gun, the Zero flew within 150 ft. of us, the Sgt. Was scared, took a dive, Trotter who was supposed to have been on the gun, was so mad that he told the Sgt. to beat it and if he came back to his gun position, that he would kick his bu$$ over the cliff, which would make a good one hundred ten foot drop. Oh he was mad, we should have had a kill (zero). The second day we were also bombed, dive bomber trying for the oil storage tank, Danny, my buddy, was over that way. Second day attack, our P-38 fighter and one lone B-17 made it to Dutch Harbor, and that sent the Japanese fleet sailing as they didn’t know how many planes we had.
We then “B” Battery moved to Hog Island, to set up our guns. We were about three miles by water from Dutch Harbor. The Navy Sea Bee’s put up all of Quonset huts. Again we had to dig holes in the ground, level the big guns, and fill thousands of sand bags to make parapets around each gun, so we would be protected some. Sgt. Bishop wanted some to go to a Navy Gunnery school on the main island, Bishop was scared to go himself, as he might flunk the course. I went over, we had 50 caliber which I was on, and could strip it blindfolded, the other gun was a “20”MM and that was something different, it had about fifteen springs in the back-plate. It was supposed to be two weeks long, the schooling, but about six warships of the Navy came into port, and wanted their men to go through the school, but we finished out the week, I made a grade of 4.0 highest one can make. St. Lt. had taken the course. Our Col. felt so good about me making the highest score that I was made a PFC. But I got even with him, the whole battery had to fall out for inspection, by the Colonel. Our machine gun Sgt. Told us that he was old and if the Colonel made a pass for ones rifle we were to hand it to him as he might drop the rifle. Well we were taught in basic training to drop the rifles as soon as one made a pass for it. Somehow I ended in the first line. Colonel came and stopped in front of me, I came to inspection arms, he made a pass for my rifle, I dropped it like it was a hot piece of iron, it fell to the ground as he was not fast enough to catch it. He had to pick my rifle off the ground and hand it back to me. I got by with that one. Well we took Attu, and Kisha, so the Japanese were kicked out of the Aleutians, no more pressure on us.
As the See Bee’s had done all of the work on our island, we had a steak supper for them and a beer bust. We had barrels of beer, and also the Captain was giving out awards, it was going to be some night. Well the Captain called my name out to come up and get my Good conduct Medal, I went up the Captain had the medal in his left hand, so he saluted me with his right, I too the medal with my right hand and saluted him with my left, which is wrong, but he did not say anything. Well things were slowing down at Dutch Harbor, rumor was that we were being sent back to the states. After 26 months there, we put on an old WWI ship, a coal burner to boot. Took us one week to go straight to Seattle. I took my leave that I had coming, and took the train to Minneapolis, Mn. First time in three years that I saw my folks, Levi, mother Dena, Bud, Mil, Frances, Eldon, Victor. Also went to see James & Grace Myhr.
From there, Marv was sent to the European Theater under General Patton, if anyone's interested, I could post the rest of his account.
Edited for formal designation of Japanese.
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