Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Bill Johnson

WWII | Headquarters Battery, 340th Field Artillery Battalion, 89th Infantry Division

Bill Johnson tried to volunteer at seventeen and again at eighteen. Finally, the draft took him and he was on his way to the war in Europe. But first, he had rough seas and submarines to deal with. (5:30)
The first thing Bill Johnson saw at the bottom of the gangplank in Le Havre was a Red Cross girl with coffee and donuts. That would be the last pleasant sight for a while. Soon the communications specialist was running field telephone wire under fire and dodging Screaming Mimis. (5:51)
As his unit advanced through Germany, Bill Johnson encountered a group of Hitler Youth who had been armed by the SS and left to harass the Americans. They promptly surrendered. The war was winding down and the Nazi's secrets were being laid bare, like the concentration camp at Ohrdruf, which he helped liberate. (4:46)
When Bill Johnson's unit moved into a German town, the first thing they did was pick out the nicest homes for their accommodations. Despite being asked to leave, the civilians gave the Americans no trouble. At the end of the war, he lacked enough points for a discharge, so he settled into occupation duty, which was tempered by his post in the beautiful Austrian Alps. (4:46)
Bill Knowlton

Vietnam | 5th Special Forces Group

Growing up with polio could have meant Bill Knowlton would’ve been unlikely to ever serve in the military, but in his favor he was able to join the Army after he got fed up working on Wall Street. Being placed in Airborne really gave him a love for the Army so he decided to take on more responsibility and go to Officer Candidate School. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/) (5:04)
Coming out of Officer Candidate School, Bill Knowlton would be assigned to the Special Forces which had already done a lot of work in Vietnam. In fact, some members had already done multiple tours there, and he recalls the tragic story of one who was trying to go back to support his comrades. After another long stint of training, he’d get his orders to Vietnam. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/) (6:06)
When Bill Knowlton arrived in Vietnam, he found himself under fire in no time. His assignment was to assist the locals in developing and defending their livestock and agriculture from the Viet Cong, He remembers calling for support during one firefight and seeing something he’d never seen before. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/) (5:44)
Bill Knowlton got a new assignment after working on Revolutionary Development. Sent to Detachment A4, he’d end up joining a group that would fight in the Battle of Nui Coto. The Composition Force made up of Vietnamese and other mercenary groups of Southeast Asia would go up against entrenched NVA and VC soldiers. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/) (8:34)
Bill Knowlton recalls leading a very successful ambush on a supply line moving through Cambodia. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/) (4:41)
Bill Knowlton tells some stories about the men he served with during his time with 5th Special Forces and the sort of conditions they had to work through at their camp. (Interview conducted at, and with the assistance of, The Veterans History Museum of the Carolinas.- https://theveteransmuseum.org/) (7:23)