Veteran's history project

Editor’s Note: This story is one of many American Veteran accounts published in the Sidney Sun-Telegraph. The writer, who is from Potter, is conducting the interviews as part of the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project.

Leland Johnston was a ranch kid working in the Nebraska Sandhills near Thedford. He had been doing that since he was about 12 years old. When he was 18 he tried to get into the Army Air Corps but was turned down by that branch of service. The draft board did not turn him down.

He went to Valentine, where he boarded a bus for Fort Crook, between southern Omaha and what is now Offutt AFB. Ft. Crook was the site for induction physicals. After passing all the requirements, in mid-October 1943, he entered the US Army at Ft Leavenworth and was soon transported to Camp Roberts, in California.

It wasn’t his first train trip but was certainly his longest.

Once he arrived at Camp Roberts, he received the usual gifts of clothing, a good haircut, a new place to live and eat and finally, a Drill Sergeant—although the last turned out to be not so much a gift.

In addition to getting the basics drilled into them, some of the young men also were trained on heavy weapons. To get to training areas with the mortars, the men were required to carry the 80mm tubes on their shoulders. They were issued pads to protect their shoulders. At the last formation of a day, one of the recruits inadvertently dropped his shoulder pad. With the other men in the platoon watching, the DI made the recruit low-crawl to the supply area (not a short distance) to turn it in. On Christmas Day, 1943, the men were required to move out to the training area and locate dummy rounds so they could be re-used. On the day the men were to graduate from Basic Training, the instructor ordered his platoon to make a 25 mile hike carrying a 30 pound ruck-sack in a serious rain.

The physical endurance was not that difficult for Johnson. He was a farm kid and was in good shape. He survived and thankfully never had to see the sergeant again.

Johnson went on to Fort Ord, Calif., near Carmel and south of San Francisco. The effort there was to process and prepare for overseas duty. From there they boarded the USS West Point, bound for Australia.

The ship had no escort for this three week trip.

There were several thousand Soldiers, about 1,000 Marines and 500 female enlistees on this ship. The females were kept isolated. Food was served around the clock for this many people. The men slept on cots suspended from pipes and steel girders. He said the guy above him sweated a lot. The sweat dripped down on him. Lots of people were getting sick and making an incredible mess. Johnson figured out that the best place for him would be on the upper deck. He grabbed what fruit he could get and performed guard duty there.

The huge number of soldiers finally got off the ship at Milne Bay, located on the south-eastern tip of Papua, New Guinea. This was a place that received 400 inches of rain –unlike western Nebraska. It was also quite hot. The soldiers had to wrap their rifles and ammunition in plastic to keep them dry.

They were trucked to a replacement center where the paperwork was obtained that would tell the men where they were going. Rather than take the time to look up each soldier’s individual training and experiences, the administrators assigned people to their jobs by alphabetical order. Johnson, a trained Artilleryman, found himself unloading ships. The supply ships got as close as they could to the shore. The shore personnel went out to the ships in launches and put supplies in the launches then took them ashore. Those unloading food stuffs usually came up with a case or two of fruit for the rest of their guys.

Johnson did get a chance to go to a nearby Army Air Force Base. There he talked with crew members of the B-24 bombers. He enjoyed learning about the aircraft and all the jobs associated with it. A joke was that the guy in the tail gun was in the best position because one never heard of a plane going into a mountainside tail first.

When there was time to play or rest, Johnson said he and others obtained a few canvas body bags. A person would open an end of the bag, hold it overhead, and run up wind in the sand so that the bag would fill with air. The runner would capture as much air as possible then wade/paddle out into the sea and ride the waves.

In January 1944, Johnson and his group were sent to the Philippines. On the way there, he and a soldier from another unit recognized each other. Since they were from the same community in Nebraska, they got caught up.

Johnson’s group would stay in the Philippines until the war ended. They started out in Lingayen Gulf, then to a mountainous area, then to Manila. He was a truck driver, operating a six-by-six truck, hauling ammunition to the forces. At one point, the trucks found their way to their destination and had to set up camp. They dug their foxholes, then dug a slit-trench for personal reasons (open-air rest stop). As they finished their excavations, a Japanese bomber flew directly over them. The guys immediately took cover in their foxholes. When the danger was gone, the men checked their area and found three Philippine women using their new toilets! Rather than panic, the men let their guests finish. In a few moments, and when everyone was decent, the guys patiently befriended them.

Over the next months, the women and others would bring their kids to the soldiers hoping they would feed them. In exchange, the locals provided information about enemy movements in the area.

In the field, the men ate C-rations as well as a ten-in-one box.

The unit First Sergeant (1SG) of these men had a pet monkey. The 1SG had to go away overnight for meetings and left the monkey behind. The guys found some extra liquor and took steps to get the monkey drunk. When the 1SG returned, the monkey was sick so he took the animal to the local vet. The vet termed it ethyl alcohol poisoning. (It was hung-over.) When the 1SG got back to the men, there was hell to pay!

Johnson was in the Philippines when he learned that bombs had been dropped on Japan. He was at a rest camp facility, taking it easy. The word was broadcast and the celebrations started. He and a friend bought some adult beverages.

After the declaration of peace, Johnson and his unit were sent to Korea. He served there until early 1946.

Johnson got back into the ranching business and order-buying cattle for various people. He acquired an airplane so he could get around better. In not so much time, he found the woman of his dreams and the two were married. The couple had five children.

He still works in the Thedford area. He has a residence in Lincoln, as well.