08/17/2026
Today I interviewed 100-year-old World War II Veteran, Mr. Steve! He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1943 to 1946 before going on to serve in the U.S. Air Force until 1966!
Mr. Steve was born on July 14, 1926, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Growing up during the Great Depression was tough. He had one younger sister, and his father worked two jobs as a plumber and firefighter while his mother had worked in the textile mills in New Bedford.
Steve remembers having holes in his shoes and using pieces of cardboard from boxes to cover them up. While his family always had enough to eat, times were still difficult. Saturday meals often consisted of beans and hot dogs, and the family kept chickens in their yard.
Steve graduated from Middleborough High School in June 1943. Like so many of his generation, he remembers hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor while listening to the radio.
That same year, at just 17 years old, Steve decided to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. In September 1943, he went to Boston and enlisted.
He went to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, in October 1943 for boot camp. At the time, Marine Corps boot camp was only seven weeks long. After graduating, he was given orders to report to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
From Camp Lejeune, Steve headed overseas. He traveled through the Panama Canal, stopped at Pearl Harbor, and then joined the 2nd Marine Division in Hawaii in February 1944.
Steve’s first assignment was with the 5th Battalion, 10th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, an artillery unit, where he worked with a .50-caliber machine gun. He was later transferred to D Company, 2nd Battalion, 18th Marines.
Then came Saipan.
On June 15, 1944, the invasion of Saipan began. Steve went ashore on D-Day plus one. He remembers climbing down the cargo net from the ship, carrying his rifle over his shoulder, and lowering himself hand-over-hand into a Higgins boat.
The landing itself was surprisingly quiet for Steve. His boat reached the beach, dropped the ramp, and they simply walked onto the sand. His job was to help move supplies off the beach and up to a storage area.
Steve eventually joined E Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division.
On Saipan, he remembers Japanese snipers, nighttime harassment, and attacks that often came around dawn. He also remembers seeing flamethrower tanks being used to clear Japanese soldiers from caves.
One story that really stuck with me happened when Steve and his unit were setting up around the northern part of Saipan. An Army sergeant warned them that a Japanese soldier was nearby. The Japanese soldier suddenly pulled out a pistol. Steve reacted instantly, drawing his own .45 and shooting him.
Steve said then he had to clean his pistol.
After Saipan, Steve went to Tinian, landing on D-Day plus one there as well. The fighting was lighter for his unit, but there were still Japanese snipers and moments when they found themselves pinned down by enemy machine-gun fire.
One night Steve and his squad were sitting behind 2 Sherman tanks when a sniper shot the marine right next to Steve. “We took care of that sniper” Steve said.
Eventually, Steve and his unit returned to Saipan and prepared for the invasion of Okinawa. They were part of the reserve force and remained aboard ship while the initial forces went ashore.
Thankfully, Steve was never sent onto Okinawa, just staying in the waters right off the island.
Then, one night, the war was suddenly over.
Steve remembers the lights being left on throughout the battalion area. When a colonel asked why, he was told, “The war is over.”
The colonel simply said, “Good. Leave ’em on,” and walked away.
Steve returned home to Massachusetts in January 1946.
Later that year, Steve joined the U.S. Air Force and continued his military career until retiring in 1963 and moving to California then eventually the Philly area.
After more than 80 years, Mr. Steve has finally shared his story!
KeepingHistoryAlive.org
