Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:13 | When Leonard Smith arrived at basic training, he was put in a group for possible officer candidate training. He wasn't chosen, but the reason is understandable. He did manage to win a contest.
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His oldest brother went to war, then the second brother. When Leonard Smith's time came, he was glad to go, but was immediately in a state of confusion as names were called and men left the hall, but he was still there.
They made a pitch for him to join the regular Army and Leonard Smith was buying. But first he had to decide, Army or Navy? That was easy. He continued in the Army and readied to serve in the postwar Pacific.
It wasn't the best trip, with most of the men seasick. Leonard Smith was on his way to the Philippines and was told that he was now acting corporal. Great, but what does that mean? A hint, he was in charge, but he was on his way to the galley. After the voyage, he was also dubious when he was told he was now in the Signal Corps.
When he got to postwar Tokyo, the old hands told him he had it made. It was an office job for General MacArthur. They were set up in a building with all amenities and Leonard Smith thought that, for an eighteen year old, he was doing pretty well. All he had to do was follow the General's simple rules. When he found out what he could do with his cigarettes, he quit smoking.
He had a cushy assignment in an office building, but Leonard Smith took some R&R that he didn't really need and headed into the mountains of Japan, where he visited a resort which required some explaining to his wife years later. When it was time to go, they tried to recruit him for a civilian contractor. No dice.
