Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

SEARCH RESULTS

my selections

10,852
Videos
49
Photos
148
Docs

Search Again

advanced search

John Kane

Korea | 1st Battalion, 7th Marines

His last two months in Korea were in a safe place, held back in reserve. John Kane almost volunteered to go back to the front but he figured he'd used up his quota of close calls. So, when his time was up he returned home, did guard duty for a while and then left the Marine Corps. His only regret was not using the intelligence training he'd received. (6:57)
What hazards did he face in Korea? Aside from all the different weaponry, John Kane had other things to deal with. From the extreme cold to the rats to the opportunistic Korean ladies, there was always something, (5:51)
Either they were gutsy or their officers didn't mind wasting them but the Chinese would come in under their own barrage. They were also well equipped with Czech and Russian weapons. But Marine John Kane enjoyed some advantages, like warming his hands to a nearby napalm drop. And he had good allies with the international forces that were there. (5:46)
He does have a couple of small issues with the Marine Corps. John Kane was a squad leader in Korea, which is a sergeant's job but they barely promoted him to corporal. So they were stingy with rank and medals, as well. Nevertheless, he is proud that he had a hand in containing communism. (5:45)
John Laster

WWII | US Naval Armed Guard, SS Alcoa Patriot

John Laster recounts a humorous story of a drunk Merchant Marine officer trying to smuggle two bottles of whiskey aboard ship while in the Panama Canal. He wound up being shot and lightly wounded by a guard who was later billed $1.50 for the bullets. (4:24)
A Liberty Ship carried 28 gunners on board. John Laster was a loader and served on all the different guns. With the 3 inch 50 AA gun, they could put out 6 shots in 9 1/2 seconds. "Not bad for a bunch of country boys!" (5:07)
The war in Europe ended while John Laster was aboard the SS Arthur Dobbs. Planning a night of drunken celebration in Calcutta, where he was docked, he wound up on Shore Patrol duty instead. Then, back in Egypt, he was assigned to the SS Glenn Curtiss. (9:13)
In the port of Naples, there was a system of warning lights to signal gun crews whether they should fire at enemy planes or let the port gunners take care of them. Unfortunately, recalls John Laster, the crew of a French ship did not heed the lights. (10:33)
John Laster never felt the enemy "had anything big enough or good enough to keep me from coming back...I am still here, some of them are not." He swears he is ready to go back and he urges vets to leave a history and a record as he has done. (2:13)
During the intense air attack experienced by Naval Armed Guard John Laster, he saw the SS Paul Hamilton hit by an aerial bomb, causing a mile high plume of smoke. "One second they were there, the next they were not." Part 2/2 (7:28)