Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Clayton Nattier

WWII | 369th Bomb Squadron, 306th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force

The German guards had fled in the night. The next day, a Russian tank was at the gate of the POW camp and, soon, a Russian general to go with it. Downed pilot Clayton Nattier recalls that the Russians wanted to remove the men to Soviet territory, but the senior Allied officer wasn't having it. (9:31)
Newly liberated POW Clayton Nattier arrived at Camp Lucky Strike, where thousands of men like him waited for passage home. When his turn came, he rode in a Liberty ship, fighting seasickness all the way. He was soon in a luxury hotel in Miami Beach. (7:12)
B-17 pilot and former POW Clayton Nattier reflects on the possibilities of escape and also on the psyche of the German people. Before he joined the 306th Bomb Group, there was some controversy in the unit because of heavy losses and the new commander brought in to solve the problems. Those events became the basis for the movie Twelve O'Clock High. (6:58)
Clebe McClary

Vietnam | 1st Reconnaissance Battalion

There was plenty of hunting, fishing and sports for Clebe McClary growing up in South Carolina. He wanted to enlist in the Marines right away, but was persuaded to go to Clemson. After a time as a football coach, he saw an American flag burned and that was it. Straight to the recruiter he went and during basic training, he was selected for OCS. (7:58)
He wasn't the best at drilling and he struggled with the academics at OCS, but Clebe McClary made it through to become a newly minted Marine Lieutenant. Then he was promptly sent to Vietnam, where he volunteered for Recon Battalion. (5:32)
Marine Recon units were small and specialized. Young Lieutenant Clebe McClary led such a team in Vietnam. If you were seen or made contact, you messed up. He had sympathy for the locals because many of them were forced to fight or lose their own lives. (6:43)
Lt. Clebe McClary told his dad that running Recon patrols was a lot like hunting back home. It could be deadly, though, especially if you were the point man. He describes two of his men, one of whom he's still close to and one who was destined to save his life. (6:20)
Recon was a dangerous business when you were moving through the bush in Vietnam. Clebe McClary and his men once got caught in a crossfire between the enemy and their own side. Another time, he became separated from his men for three days. (4:27)
He didn't see a lot of snakes, but the wildlife was plentiful when Clebe McClary was in the field in Vietnam. The birds were beautiful, the monkeys were annoying and the water buffalo did not like Marines. As for the enemy, he could not be trusted at all and the truces were a joke. (4:11)
It was a long night. Clebe McClary and his men were left alone on Hill 146 after an operation gone awry. The NVA was coming in and a grenade fell into his position. It was the first of several that would knock him right out of the war. During the fight, Ralph Johnson jumped on top of one of the grenades, saving Clebe's life and the lives of other Marines around him. Johnson would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his selfless service. (5:59)