When Duty Called: Oral Histories of Veterans

Recon by Motorcycle (Harley Davidson): Conclusion

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 22:51:43 GMT

Jack Marsh the seventh from the left.

We then prepared to go into the Philippines. At Mindoro, it was not exactly unopposed, but it was a rather modest opposition. We had more action when we landed at Zamboanga and Mindanao. At that time since we were no longer infantry soldiers, we did not confront the Japanese soldiers on a personal basis. At Zamboanga, we probably came the closest to being used as reconnaissance troops were supposed to be used. We were sent up the road about 40 or 50 miles to San Ramon which had been held by the Japs since the invasion. I do not know why a half a dozen armored cars and some jeeps scared off the Japanese, but they scattered when we got there so we liberated the San Ramon prison.

After we liberated the prison at San Ramon, the civilians all gathered around, and there were two American school teachers in that camp who had been there forever. We had little trouble communicating with the general population since most of them spoke some English. We talked to the schoolteachers and a few of the other civilians because we were looking to contact the local guerillas as part of our assignment. There were a couple of guys there. One of them was Captain Moreno and the other was Captain Yap. We talked with them for a while. Captain Yap and Captain Moreno volunteered to take us to the guerillas. It was quite a few miles up into the hills. We made it quite a way up in the hills when they had us stop, and suddenly all around us the guerillas rose up out of the forest. One or two of them could have obliterated us since we did not know they were there. It turned out that Captain Yap and Captain Moreno had been collaborators [those that had cooperated with the Japanese], so the guerillas were happy to get them. The guerillas did not treat the captains very nicely. It was getting to be evening by that time, so they tied those captains to a couple of chairs. I honestly do not know what happened to those two after that because we were only there for a bit before we went back to the beach at Zamboanga. That was exciting. Here we had collaborators with us! And we did not even know it.

We set up a semi-permanent camp there on Zamboanga. We ran some patrols out of there. We were there for only three or four weeks, probably not over a month. They sent a contingent to Jolo from the 163rd Infantry, and my platoon, 2nd Platoon of 41st Recon, was attached to them with three armored cars and some jeeps. We were sent together to make a landing at Jolo. Jolo was not unopposed, but it was not at all what they encountered at Okinawa and Iwo Jima. Certainly, we were fired upon and got strafed by Japanese airplanes. We used to talk to each other and wonder about if we lay this way or that way which is a better target if a Japanese airplane was strafing us? Gallows humor. We made the landing there at Jolo, and we were directed to take off on our own. We went back up in the hills. We spent one or two nights in a Philippine constabulary barracks. I am sure that the Japs used it too. There we could get Voice of America on our radio, so I was listening to it one night and heard that Roosevelt had died. That is how we heard about it.

I guess it was about this time that I put in for a 45-day furlough, and it came through. I went back to my outfit, and this was the time when we needed a pass to get back through the 163rd Regiment lines. I still have that pass. I went from Jolo to Zamboanga where I turned in my arms [weapons]. I went on an LCI [Landing Craft, Infantry] to someplace for air transportation then flew from the Philippines to Guam to Honolulu. While I was in Honolulu, they came up with a point system. When I got to California, a guy called all of us in and told us that it was his belief that none of us had to go back overseas. I left Jolo on the 23rd day of May 1945 on a 45-day furlough and never went back.

I had the distinct advantage of serving with the same people that I had known all my life. We did not lose very many out of our unit at all. Our commander did not want us to engage with the enemy. We were to find out information, and those that were successful did not let the Japanese know that they were there. I had only one real encounter with a Japanese soldier. We ran into a lone Jap on patrol. He was dispatched, and that was the extent of it at that time.

After I came home, they instituted a 45-day temporary duty in the United States. I started feeling sorry for myself, so I signed up for another 45-day furlough.

My brother was in the Navy, but we did not see each other during the war. I was over in the Pacific for 38 months.

When I got back, I married my wonderful wife, Darlene. I drove for Greyhound for about five years and then transitioned to driving truck. I have had a good life.

Recon by Motorcycle (Harley Davidson): Episode 3

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 22:47:09 GMT

The bombers from our headquarters made things a bit exciting for us while we were out on the river above Buna. The bomber pilots did not know much of what was going on at that time, so they flew over our positions, turned around and then went back up for another run. The Japanese Betty Bombers were very similar to our B-26s, and that is what we thought …

Recon by Motorcycle (Harley Davidson): Episode 2

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 22:43:24 GMT

The 41st Infantry Division Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop took a train to San Francisco to get on our ship, the Argentina, which took us to Australia. We still had those old-style flat helmets which we threw on a pile as we boarded the ship, and we picked up the new helmets. It was exciting to get the new helmets because now we could shoot in a prone posi…

Recon by Motorcycle (Harley Davidson): Episode 1

Alisha Hamel — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 22:41:49 GMT

Jack’s brother, his mother and Jack

Harley-Davidson produced the majority of motorcycles used during the war. This was partially due to the 1919 Trans-Continental Motor Train which showed the company to have the superior machine in all aspects. Harley-Davidson produced more than 88,000 motorcycles and shipped them worldwide to American and Allied forces.…

General George A. White Creates the American Legion

Alisha Hamel — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:51:43 GMT

The American Legion was started at the end of WWI as an organization for former members of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. Lt. Col Theodore Roosevelt, the eldest son of President “Teddy” Roosevelt brainstormed with Lt. Col. George A. White, an activated Oregon National Guardsman, to create the American Legion. Roosevelt and White advocated for what is …

Australian and American Relations in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II - Conclusion

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 23:52:04 GMT

Blamey was assigned as the Allied ground force commander as the token Australian on MacArthur’s primary staff, but MacArthur got around that by routinely creating task forces outside of Blamey’s command.

MacArthur found that if he deemphasized the number and quality of Australian troops, he had a better chance of getting more American troops. Fredrick Sh…

Australian and American Relations in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II - Part 1

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 23:48:14 GMT

There is little written or known about US Army involvement at the Battle of Salamaua. This battle was the turning point in the Southwest Pacific between battles commanded by the Australian Army and battles commanded by the American Army. The Australian Army fought against the Japanese with relatively little help from the American troops until the Battle…

Letters from the Grave

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 21:24:35 GMT

Chapter 3 – Earl Wells Joins the Marines

March 22, 1944

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS – Certificate of Enrollment

This is to certify that Earl Huston WELLS (934594), USMCR, husband of Augusta M. …

Letters from the Grave

Alisha Hamel — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 18:39:46 GMT

Chapter 2 – Grover Marcus Wells Joins the Marines

March 8, 1943

Dear Brother and Sister-in-Law,

I guess you know by now that I was on Guadalcanal. That I am also safe in a rest camp now with p…

Letters from the Grave

Alisha Hamel — Sat, 30 May 2026 15:02:08 GMT

Earl was my grandfather and Grover Marcus was his younger brother. Earl was married to my grandmother, Augusta, with whom he had two young daughters, Dianna and Shirley. Augusta was pregnant with my mother, Earleen, when Earl enlisted in the Marines though I am not sure they knew that my grandmother was pregnant when my grandfather enlisted. My grandfat…

A Combat Engineer on D-Day, Omaha Beach: Conclusion

Alisha Hamel — Tue, 19 May 2026 19:35:40 GMT

Photo of the type of explosives that might have been used to blow up the swastika at Nuremberg.

We were on the front lines the whole time. We were the first to arrive at Dachau. I remember that a tank with a wire on it went up to the entrance gate. The tank driver put the end of the tank muzzle on the gate, then moved forward and pushed the gate over. Th…

Combat Engineer on D-Day, Omaha Beach

Alisha Hamel — Tue, 12 May 2026 19:31:52 GMT

One time we were in a wooded area and dug into our foxholes. The wooded area had a little valley and a little stream running through it with the trees all around. We were shooting at the Germans, and they were shooting at us across this little valley. There was a cow out in this little field in the little valley and at some point, in the day, the cow go…

Combat Engineer on D-Day: Episode 1

Alisha Hamel — Tue, 05 May 2026 15:08:12 GMT

Since I will be on the Stephen Ambrose Band of Brothers Tour for the next couple of weeks, I decided to gift you with a story of Soldier who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. I am also going to try to post notes every day while I am on the tour….and maybe some pictures.

Here is Dick Scherzinger’s story:

How I was recommended for a Medal of Honor

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 22:53:43 GMT

Leonard DeWitt tells his own story about why he was recommended for a Medal of Honor. I am proud to call him my friend.

Near Miss on a Medal of Honor: Conclusion

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:46:45 GMT

That night I was in the center of my company’s perimeter because I was the communications sergeant and had to be close to the commander. I heard some racket happening on one side of our perimeter, and I volunteered to carry some ammunition and grenades to the men in those foxholes. I thought they might be in trouble, but when I got there four of the fox…

Near Miss on a Medal of Honor: Episode 2

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 22:43:42 GMT

We loaded back up in the same ships, and we went around to Oro Bay. The 32nd Division had already gone over the Owen Stanley Mountain pass and fought against the Japs. They eventually ran them out of Buna. We arrived at Oro Bay and pulled up to this makeshift dock where we unloaded our ship. Our artillery ship then arrived, and as we started to unload i…

Near Miss on a Medal of Honor: Episode 1

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:40:37 GMT

Medal of Honor Nominee: LTC Leonard DeWitt

Medal of Honor Nominee, Given a Distinguished Service Cross

Interviewed on 9 May 2011

The Battle of Salamaua started on June 29, 1943, and the object…

Saving Lives at Pearl Harbor: Conclusion

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 21:42:56 GMT

Then the rumors started, all kinds of rumors…the Japanese are going to come back tonight was one of them. If they had known about our circumstances, they should have come back. I do not think they would have changed the war, but the war would have been extended. The attack missed the huge fuel tanks that were up on the side of the hill. Those fuel tanks…

Saving Lives at Pearl Harbor: Episode 2

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:55:55 GMT

I ended up being assigned to the USS Wright, a seaplane tender which was stationed at Pearl Harbor. A seaplane tender was like when you take your car into a shop. A seaplane tender pulls up next to an aircraft carrier so the guys on board the tender can fix the airplanes on it. Well after the war started our mission changed. The USS Wright turned into a…

Saving Lives at Pearl Harbor: Episode 1

Alisha Hamel — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:49:36 GMT

Camp Elliott main gate, 1941

It was called Pearl Harbor, but that morning it was the Harbor of Hell – Ed Johann

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. – Franklin D. Roosevelt