Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
6:37 | The day he received his master's degree from Texas A&M, Roy Dugger found orders in his mailbox recalling him from the reserve to active duty. North Korea had moved on the South. Assigned as a forward observer, he had to go ashore and spot targets for the big naval guns. His career at this was very short. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Keywords : Roy Dugger Texas A&M Korea Houston TX reserve San Diego CA Treasure Island battleship Forward Observer (FO) mortar wound
When he was growing up in Texas, Roy Dugger had a friend named Audie Murphy, who would go on to become one of the most highly decorated soldiers in history. He remembers how they learned to shoot, starting with a slingshot. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
At Texas A&M, Roy Dugger joined ROTC and the Civilian Enlisted Military Training Corp. In the summer of 1942, he went off to camp where the guns were made of rebar and the tank was a pickup truck. More than a little disgusted, he resigned from college and the Army programs and enlisted in the Navy. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
His father wasn't happy when he joined the Navy, but Roy Dugger set off to boot camp, anyway, and his previous training at Texas A&M made him a natural leader. He also made history as the first sailor to beat a Marine in a contest on the rifle range. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
When he shot out the target supports at aerial gunnery school, Roy Dugger expected to be repairing the equipment, but his precise shooting led to being chosen to demonstrate accurate gunnery for some visiting dignitaries. One of those men was Lyndon Johnson, who recognized Dugger right away. Later, a training flight over the Gulf of Mexico turned into his first combat experience when a German sub was spotted. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Roy Dugger faced Japanese fighter pilot Saburo Sakai in the air over the Pacific at least half a dozen times. After the war, Dugger hosted his former enemy at a luncheon, where he learned the secret behind the success of the Japanese ace Zero pilot. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Tail gunner Roy Dugger lost four planes flying from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. Running out of fuel was the main problem, and he relates the experience of ditching in the ocean and waiting for rescue. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Everyone on Guadalcanal got malaria eventually, according to Roy Dugger, tail gunner on a Navy TBF Avenger. They called it "The Shakes," because you shook so bad you could not aim your gun. Another problem for the men was body lice, which was eliminated with a now-banned chemical. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Tail gunner Roy Dugger was flying out of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal when he was ordered to pack up and get on a transport plane for a destination unknown. All the way back in boot camp, he had taken a test which resulted in orders to leave the Pacific campaign and report for secret training. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Roy Dugger reported for secret RADAR training at Treasure Island in San Francisco bay and the first order of business was liberty. They had to find some women. Once he deployed on a ship operating the new technology, his quick thinking got him promoted to Chief. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
As possibly the youngest Chief Petty Officer in the Navy, Roy Dugger had no hash marks on his sleeve. This made him a "Slick Arm Chief," which could have made him the butt of jokes, but an older Chief set this straight with the men when he coined a colorful new term to describe the young sailor. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
After the war ended in the Pacific, Roy Dugger returned to Texas A&M and then a teaching job. Assigned to teach agriculture to a class of returned veterans, he had just one problem. The assigned subjects were not at all what the aspiring farmers needed. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
After his recovery from a serious wound, Roy Dugger spent the rest of the Korean War ashore in Pearl Harbor. His education background made him perfect for the administrative job with the 14th Naval District. He had to decline a commission because he would have made less money than he did as a Chief Petty Officer. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
Roy Dugger, blessed with a long career in the Navy and as an educator, reveals his thoughts on the three wars of his lifetime. He laments that we ever got involved in Vietnam and he greatly regrets not winning the Korean War. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.)
