Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

COMBAT STORIES FROM World War II

Curtis James | 2nd Pioneer Battalion - Marines

3:52   |   He wanted to choose his service instead of getting drafted, so Curtis James went for the Marine Corps in 1943. As part of the V-12 program, he attended college for a year, then had his training and got his commission. Assigned to the occupation forces in Japan, the friendliness of the Japanese was a big surprise to him.

More From Curtis James

Keywords   :     Curtis James    Newport KY    V-12 Navy College Training Program    Emory University    Atlanta GA    Parris Island    Camp Lejeune    Quantico VA    Japan    occupation duty    atomic bomb    Japanese

Videos ( 5 )
WWII
  • Curtis James  |  WWII  |  2nd Pioneer Battalion  |  4:29

    Stationed in Japan after the war, Curtis James had the opportunity to see the devastation at both atomic bomb sites. It was hard to believe. Marines went into occupation duty with a lot of animosity for the Japanese people, but were surprised to find out how friendly they were.

Korea
Vietnam
  • Curtis James  |  Vietnam  |  Multiple Units  |  4:32

    Curtis James was the first officer in charge of a Pentagon effort to manage crises during the Cold War. It was a brand new office inside the giant headquarters and, after running that for a while, he served in Vietnam at MACV in Saigon, managing the logistics of the war effort.

  • Curtis James  |  Vietnam  |  Multiple Units  |  4:40

    Curtis James returned from Vietnam to an assignment as director of personnel at Parris Island. This was the last post for the Marine Corps staff officer. His favorite was the Pentagon, where he initiated a brand new office to coordinate military crisis response.

Cold War
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