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William Weston

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William Weston remembers joining the Navy and getting sent off to basic training in Norfolk, Virginia. After finishing there, he spent 6 years serving in the military. (1:17)

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William Weston remembers minesweeping and how they would assist American ships navigate through minefields. There were many instances where ships would be hit by a mine and get sunk. He was also in charge of manning the large machine guns during a deployment in the Philippines. (6:50)

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William Weston remembers the invasion of Tarawa and some of the chaos that he and his ship had to deal with. Here, the conflict with the Japanese was brought to a head with both parties bringing a lot of firepower. (4:34)

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Being on the 20mm gun crew of a minesweeper, Mr. Weston had to think quickly after a nearby battleship was hit by a Japanese bomb during an inconvenient time for Mr. Weston. He received a Purple Heart for his injury, but not before heading off to fight at Saipan and Tinian. (8:21)

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After the war, William Weston got hired on by the New York State electric company due to his knowledge from working on the battleship. (3:46)

William Wilkerson

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Unlike nearly every other recruit, William Wilkerson says he enjoyed boot camp. "Healthy enough to take the abuse and smart enough to take the orders." He was among the first trained at brand new Camp Pendleton. (5:09)

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Besides getting shot, there were serious hazards in the jungles of the South Pacific. William Wilkerson tells of elephantiasis and malaria that struck troops and of the curious lack of snakes. (4:36)

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After hitting the beach on Iwo Jima, William Wilkerson found himself leading the remnants of his unit. He was the old man of the outfit at 21. They managed to reach the North End of the island and sent a canteen of salt water back to HQ. Part 1/2 (12:00)

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In the chaotic aftermath of Iwo Jima, William Wilkerson and his unit hitched a ride back to Guam without any orders. There were no officers left in the outfit to give them. (9:26)

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William Wilkerson explains how Japanese gunners on Iwo Jima achieved their pinpoint accuracy. He laments accidentally shooting Korean civilians and gives a surprising take on the iconic raising of the flag. Part 2/2 (10:28)