Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
0:44 | Bill Wheat recalls the unfortunate fate of his first sergeant when the panicked driver of a friendly tank made a misinformed maneuver.
Keywords : tank friendly fire
Shortly after being appointed the position of overseeing a heating plant, Bill Wheat has an encounter with a Japanese septic tank that ends in laughter amongst his crew.
Bill Wheat tells two stories about his time in a field hospital in Luzon when he came down with malaria. A nurse tending to him noticed a wound and indicated his qualification for the Purple Heart, but Bill had other ideas. Additionally, when the nurse took away his rifle, Bill sought help from Paul (a friend and Airborne medic) to ensure he was properly equipped for a possible Japanese attack on the hospital.
Bill Wheat details the many events that occurred between landing in Leyte and fighting in Manila. Bill and his men watched the Japanese take Manila from miles away. The unit sustained banzai attacks at night in Manila, and cleared the Japanese troops stationed in Intramuros (Walled City).
