Page 147 - Anthology

Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) or Higgins Boat

I was a mechanic on a Higgins Boat – landing craft. We went from island to island. I don’t remember the
names of all the islands. Our job was to land the infantry and keep them supplied. We did not go into
actual combat. We were combat support soldiers. I didn’t like army life. I didn’t hate it either. I just
wanted to get out as quick as I could.

I was still in Manila, Philippines, when they announced that the United States had dropped the bombs on
Japan and the war was over. We didn’t know anything about an atomic bomb. We really had no idea
what they were talking about other than that they were really big bombs and Japan had surrendered. We
were sent into Japan after the surrender for the occupation. My unit was close to Osaka, Japan, and I
was a jeep driver. Our main mission in Japan was to unload the ships.

Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)

My service in the Army gave me a chance to experience other people and how they live. We went from
island to island, so I got to see a different life from what I had in Kentucky. There really was not a lot to
do on the islands. It would get hot. I can remember many a day when it got above 120. From 1943 to
1945 I lived on a boat or in a tent. The food was K-Rations and now and then a hot meal. Most all the
army food was dehydrated.