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Joseph Hiott

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Near the end of the fighting on Guam, Joseph Hiott experienced two things for the first time. He came under friendly fire and he saw his first tracer bullets. Back on Guadalcanal, his Marine unit trained with tanks to perfect new combined unit tactics. (5:40)

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Joseph Hiott's unit was combined with others to make the 6th Marine Division, a self sufficient force. He had deduced through unusual means that the next destination was Okinawa, site of the last land battle of World War II. At the Northern point of the island, a mountain gun emplacement was outfitted with very large guns, but there were no roads. The Marines had to complete the assault to find the answer to that riddle. (6:06)

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It was on Okinawa that Joseph Hiott was hit by the concussion blast from an artillery shell. He doesn't know how close it landed, but four men further away than him were wounded by shrapnel. Though he was only hit with the concussion, he suffers to this day. Of course, when he was given the choice, the Marine returned to his unit rather than being evacuated. (7:13)

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When Marine Joseph Hiott returned to his unit on Okinawa after recovering somewhat from a concussion, he assumed the job of Platoon Sergeant because that man was a casualty. They made a second landing and pressed on until every single enemy soldier was dead. Before it was over, he was filling in for the Gunnery Sergeant. (3:35)

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After Okinawa was secured, it wasn't long until Japan surrendered. The Marine Corps began tallying up points to schedule men to return home and you needed at least 85 points. Joseph Hiott had 97 and they were hard earned. He sums up his service with a tribute to his fellow Marines, and more especially, his fellow Marine Raiders. (2:42)

Joseph Hudson

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In 1944, Joseph Hudson volunteered for the draft, seeking excitement. He trained in complete separation from white soldiers, going to basic training and then administration school. He got off a boat in Calcutta and went to work in supply at a quartermaster outfit that was salvaging equipment from the Burma Road. (5:17)

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It was a completely different place. Joseph Hudson saw things in Calcutta that he never could have imagined. There was a mess kit thieving bird that swooped down from the sky. There were snake and mongoose battles staged for your entertainment and there were monkeys that went for a daily walk. (3:41)

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Joseph Hudson was in Calcutta when the war ended and was home soon because his four children gave him high points. He was only out of the Army a couple of months before he re-enlisted. He just felt more comfortable in the service. (4:30)

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It wasn't glamorous at Fort Leonard Wood, but Joseph Hudson was there doing his best, working in supply. He re-enlisted a second time while he was there, going to a cavalry unit at Fort Meade, where he learned about that unique vehicle, the Duck. (4:31)

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It was in the 3rd Cavalry at Fort Meade that Joseph Hudson, through sheer force of will and tricks learned working in supply, formed an Army band out of the thin air. (4:06)