Tom Brokaw wrote a book, The Greatest Generation, where he says, “It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced.” The generation he speaks of, both men and women, fought not for recognition, but because it was the right thing to do.
This is the story of four brothers, three that served and one that wanted to but couldn’t, although as an adult he served his community in a different way. This is the story of how their lives were shaped by their time at war and afterwards. Some would say they left as boys and came back as men, but these boys were men before their time.
These brothers are the Humberts: Bill (now 97), James (Jay), Don (also in his 90s) and Richard. Although they near the century mark, both gentlemen are sharp as a tack and willing to share their stories of what life was like for them during World War II.
Bill, an excellent storyteller, was in the Navy. He enlisted at 17 years old, with his parents’ approval – they had to sign the papers. He enlisted because he wanted to be in the Navy, and if he waited until he was 18, he would have been drafted, with no choice in his branch of service. Bill had quite the adventure serving our country; even his first time at sea, while being shipped to California, was an adventure. The soldiers were woken in the night asked to prepare for abandoning the ship. There was a terrible storm, but after about an hour of waiting to jump, they were told to return to quarters.
Bill served 18 months in the Pacific during the war. The ship he served on sunk two submarines and was held captive for 18 days in the Marshall Islands. The Japanese did not believe that there was about to be a surrender, but they were treated well, when surrender did happen. Bill was part of the ceremony where the Japanese flag went down and as he put it “Old Glory went up!”
Don was a Marine. He joined when he was 19, and he also served in the Pacific at Okinawa. He has many stories to tell of his time on the ship but was not involved in any battles at sea. When his crew came home, the ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge, and then he came back to Washington DC where he was discharged. “It was an honor to serve.”
James, who has passed away, served in the Army. James’s daughter Tina shared his story. James enlisted when he was 15 and walked many miles to do so. While in the Army, he was part of the First Infantry and served in Germany. He got his GED while in the Army, and during basic training he learned to drive by practicing on Army Jeeps. He was a NCO Buck Sergeant and a member of the “Circle C Cowboys”. He served as part of the Occupation Forces after the war.
Brother Richard had a health condition that kept him from serving in the military, but that did not keep him from public service. He served the State of Maryland by working for their department of health.
Each of the men lived productive lives after their military experiences. Each of the four brothers had good jobs and wonderful families.
When asked about how they heard about world events during the war when they were on their respective ships, Bill explained that there were not radios or telephones, so anything that happened was relayed via messages to the ship. The worst news they received was of President Roosevelt’s death. Even though they were still at war, the ships on the Pacific gathered and had a ceremony. When they heard the war in Europe had ended and they were still at war in the Pacific, they knew they still had a job to be done.
During the interview, the brothers talked about many things related to the times of their service and afterwards: the atomic bomb, PTSD, and more. Both brothers agreed they didn’t suffer from PTSD from their time in the service. Bill was at one time part of a mine rescue team, and he felt he saw things in rescue work that were a lot worse than he saw during his time in the service.
The stories of this generation need to be heard. Many people of that time have passed away without sharing their stories. As part of that generation, Bill’s, Don’s, James’s, and Robert’s stories of wanting to serve their country however they could act as a lesson to those that remain. All they knew was that they wanted to serve and protect America even if they were just “boys.”
Bill, James, Don and Richard… Thank you for your service.