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Gilbert Howland

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Gilbert Howland had already served with Merrill's Marauders and was there at Pork Chop Hill in the next war. He shipped out for his third war in 1966 as an ARVN advisor in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. He felt lucky that his Vietnamese counterpart spoke English, which made the job much easier. (This interview made possible with the support of DAVID W. MARQUEZ.) (8:10)

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Gilbert Howland moved from an ARVN advisor position to become operations sergeant at a 1st Infantry Division unit with large artillery pieces. He was in the command post, but he dodged the Viet Cong rockets along with everyone else. During the Tet Offensive, a few infiltrators made it into the base, but the damage was limited. (This interview made possible with the support of DAVID W. MARQUEZ.) (4:45)

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One of Sgt. Gilbert Howland's duties was to make a circuit of the perimeter of the base and make sure the guards were awake. It was at this time in Vietnam that drugs began to flow from there back home, transported by soldiers. Knowing that disturbed him, but he, too, brought home something illicit, souvenirs. Before he left, the B-52 strike that had been requested finally came, to everyone's surprise. (This interview made possible with the support of DAVID W. MARQUEZ.) (7:44)

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There were no disturbing interactions with anti-war civilians when Gilbert Howland returned from Vietnam. The veteran of three wars was retired at Fort Dix after almost thirty years of service. He finally got his parade decades later at Fort Benning and the Ranger Hall of Fame. (This interview made possible with the support of DAVID W. MARQUEZ.) (2:36)

Gilbert Jensen

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The tool and die factory looked dark and bleak so Gilbert Jensen wanted to enlist and join the war effort. It took a family meeting to convince his mother to let him become a Marine. Boot camp in San Diego featured an erratic drill instructor and a surprise swimming coach. (5:47)

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Gilbert Jensen thought Guadalcanal was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The only danger the first night was from local sea creatures but soon he was face to face with the determined Japanese occupiers. (7:57)

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Marine Gilbert Jensen recalls when a Japanese force of 500 men landed on Guadalcanal and was beaten. Then they landed 900 with the same result. What happened when they upped the ante to 1500? (2:17)

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Gilbert Jensen had a best friend named Billy Ricketts. The war caught up with their friendship on a three man patrol in the jungle of Guadalcanal. Other combat memories from this time include a night attack on a Japanese camp and nighttime Japanese banzai attacks. (6:17)

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You were always close to the enemy in the jungle on Guadalcanal, according to Gilbert Jensen. And he had the stains on his shirt to prove it. You could see strange things as well, like the time the Kansas farmer of the unit thought he saw the Japanese climbing coconut trees with lit cigars. (3:48)

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In the daytime, it was Japanese artillery. At night, they brought their naval guns to bear on the Marines in the jungle. If that wasn't bad enough, Gilbert Jensen couldn't cross a river without checking for their hygiene conscious troops, who would bathe anytime they got near a body of water. (3:48)