Veteran's History Project - Donald C. Larson

Donald C. Larson

Staff Sergeant

U.S. Army

1942-1945

EDITOR'S NOTE: Veteran's History Project author Larry Nelson is taking a few weeks off. During that time, we'll re-run previously published features about local veterans. The following story about Donald C. Larson first appeared in the Sun-Telegraph on May 5, 2012.

As was the case much of the time, the Cheyenne County Selective Service System was doing its job, drafting young men to help fill the ranks of the Army, mainly. After the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, the manpower needs of the military were very urgent.

There were six sons in the Larson household west of Gurley, Neb., and/or northeast of Potter. Three of the young men (brothers) were notified that they were going to be drafted. About the only questions were when and how many at a time? The timing was mostly decided. They were notified in February, went to Cheyenne, WY for their physicals and in March, were probably going to be in the military. Rather than leave the farm individually, they left as a group. It would be easier on their parents that way.

In March 1942, their father drove his sons to Sidney to meet a bus that was taking other guys from the area to North Platte. It turned out to be three bus loads. Once at North Platte, the men were loaded onto a train for Ft. Leavenworth, Kan. (At the time, Ft. Leavenworth was mostly a transition and training station for the Army.) Now the three Larson brothers are enjoying another new experience, a ride on a train.

At Ft. Leavenworth, they did get their fancy new haircuts, new clothing (uniforms) and new friends and were hearing directives from loud strangers. At this Fort, those in charge called several formations. The names were called off alphabetically. When the leader called "Larson" all three answered "present". Then, "Larson, D." again, all three answered "present". It was funny to the guys, not so much for the Sergeants. In a matter of a few days, the brothers were separated. One was going to the Engineers, another to the Air Defense Artillery, and remaining one, Donald, into the Infantry (hooaah!). None were staying at Ft. Leavenworth.

Donald got his second train ride – the other direction. After a stop in the San Francisco area, the men were taken to Camp Roberts, California for their training. The trainees were assigned a barracks and training began. He knew how to shoot and developed some respect for the M-1 rifle. His training kept him there thirteen weeks. The company of men graduated in late June 1942. They were paid $21 a month.

Soon, he was sent to Hawaii. While they were here, another formation was held and the Sergeants asked who could swim and who couldn't? The ones who couldn't swim were then marched to a swimming pool to learn. Don and a buddy took their place in the back of the formation and when they marched by a particularly good hiding place, they dropped out and hid for a few moments then went off for a soda, rejoining the formation when they marched back.

In late July, the 25th Infantry Division was headed for the fight. The men boarded ships and sailed west. Private Larson volunteered for KP duty on the ship. He had plenty to eat and avoided getting sea sick.

Japan had begun establishing control of most of the islands in the South Pacific, including the Solomon Islands. One of them is Guadalcanal. Guadalcanal is the largest island of the Solomon Islands.

Donald Larson said that the fighting was difficult as was the terrain and insects. Re-supply was often done by air drops of food and ammunition. He watched one of our destroyers heading for port when it was struck by a kamikaze pilot/plane. The ship and its men and cargo went down. The 2nd Division Marines were also fighting here.

Casualties were heavy for the Infantry. He was there for several months. His unit was notified that they were going to be moving out. They were going to New Georgia, also in the Solomon Island group. The soldiers arrived on LCI (Landing Craft-Infantry) ships. The ships had ladders off each side and when the craft got close enough, they waded onto shore. He said the enemy forces must not have been expecting the Americans as they didn't fire at them. The American forces secured this island.

His unit next went to New Guinea. His Company started out with about 200 men and was now down to thirty. They needed rest, resupplied, and re-manned. The next stop was New Caledonia. Larson had contracted malaria. He spent over a week in the hospital here. (There is a chance that a U.S. Navy nurse who now lives in Sidney, attended to this soldier at the hospital in New Caledonia.) The malaria would cause him to freeze one minute and roast the next. It bothered him for quite a time after that.

Next: Luzon. It is now later in 1944. On the second day after Larson was there, Gen. MacArthur landed nearby and he got to see the general. Luzon is the largest island of the Philippines – it is northernmost as well. All branches of the US military were involved in this fighting. There were scores to settle as well, considering Bataan, etc. The 25th Infantry was there for 160 days.

Again, the fighting was intense and bloody. At one point, a lieutenant in charge of Larson's men was shot. Larson found four other men to carry a stretcher with the wounded Lt. to an aid station. At a security point, he and others took out the first Japanese tank to come through it. The second tank was better prepared. Another fight was on. They had light machine guns and a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle). They survived this battle as well.

His guys were out of food at one point. They were near a beach. A shark kept swimming by. Hmm. They soldiers opened fire on it and killed their next meal. They cut it up and cooked the meat in their helmets. He said it took a while to cook, but was pretty good. He has ordered shark at restaurants since then.

The fighting at Luzon went on. During all this he was able to stay in touch with family on a limited basis. His letters were censored so his family didn't know where he was exactly. He was promoted from Private First Class to Sergeant skipping the rank of Corporal. They ate C-rations. The P-38 can opener was part of the uniform so to speak.

He earned some medals for his part in World War II. He was a recipient of the Purple Heart. He was a squad leader. During the interview, he produced a Japanese flag. It was a white silk rectangle with the red painted ball in the middle. On the white around the red ball was Japanese writing. They were the signatures of names of the men in the previous owner's group. There was about only one way to get a flag like this.

Larson was injured first on Guadalcanal. It was an injury that the medics patched him up and sent him on his way. On Luzon, he was on a patrol behind the lines. The men were tired and worn out. As they got close to their camp, they came under fire. One of his men was hit in the shoulder and killed. SGT Larson was hit in the face with a smaller round. Bloodied, he rolled off the attack and returned fire. The men were able to get to safety and their foxholes. A buddy asked him if he was OK? His face was a mess. He was patched up and went back to the fight. The scar below his right eye is slightly visible now.

About the foxholes, often they were two-man foxholes. His needed extra digging. He was about 5-foot, 8-inches and his foxhole buddy was 6-6. He still has the entrenching tool! They didn't get a chance for showers or change of clothes. Once, he had to leave the foxhole to take care of a bodily requirement. From a seated position, he heard a grenade land. He dove for cover, landing flat on his stomach and very soon after the grenade exploded, missing him. His buddies were able to laugh about seeing his bare rear in the moonlight!

His unit fought in the Balete Pass. This was a 40-mile stretch of land they were to take. The enemy was very well dug in and had a superb tunneling system. This was a long vicious piece of the fight but they overcame the odds and routed the Japanese forces. He was also promoted there to staff sergeant.

During mail call, he received a letter from one of his brothers. He was in Manila ... not far from Larson. He asked for leave but was turned down. The company clerk told him there were two officers going to Manila and he could go with them. He got a chance to at least see and talk with his bother. They hadn't seen each other for almost four years.

After the bombings of Japan, it was time to re-deploy. They boarded a troop ship and sailed the long trip to San Francisco. After processing out, he and one of his buddies were able to board a train for Denver. The buddy had a sister in Denver and on arriving there, they stayed with her. A few days later, he left her place and got a taxi to get to a highway so he could hitch a ride home. A car soon stopped and the man drove to a nearby Dodge car dealer. At the dealership, he met a man who was there from Sidney. The man said he was going to Sidney that afternoon and would give Larson a ride.

When they got to Sidney, Larson said he wanted to be left off at the Kokjer Motor Company. His dad often was there visiting with the shop foreman. Sure enough, his dad was there when his son, the soldier walked in the shop. Sweet! They did a little visiting there and soon headed home for good. One of his brothers was already home, Larson was next. A couple of weeks later, the last brother came home as well.

Don Larson farmed north and east of Potter. He still does. He is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He kept in touch with many of his fellow soldiers. There was a re-union of the 25th Infantry Division held in Colorado a while ago. He linked back up with some of them. Most have now passed away.

Don Larson said he wouldn't talk much to anyone about the war. When he was 80 years old, he changed that and opened up some.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and for your service, Staff Sergeant Larson!