World War II from three perspectives
By Brandy Nance
Originally published 12:26 p.m., November 6, 2007
Updated 12:26 p.m., November 6, 2007
“(In combat) they say there’s no atheists in fox holes...”
Those were the words of Richard E. McCoy of Emporia, a former corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, at Tuesday evening’s World War II Roundtable discussion.
McCoy said that in foxholes, soldiers do not just pray.
“And that’s true,” McCoy continued. “You beg ... you plead ... you ask, ‘What do you want me to do, God, to get me through the night?’”
McCoy was one of three speakers at the roundtable. The others were John “Jack” Greer, who was a torpedoman on a Navy submarine, and retired Sgt. Walter Zumbrum of Americus, who was a member of the Army Air Corps. The three men talked about their experiences in World War II from three different perspectives — three different branches. Greer joined the Navy in 1943; Zumbrum joined the Army Air Corps in 1942; and McCoy joined the Marine Corps in 1943.
McCoy had many stories about his experiences in the Marine Corps — some humorous and some somber. The conversation that silenced the group was the foxholes.
“Were you scared?” he asked. “Oh yeah, you were scared. You can’t eat. You can’t go to the toilet. You get constipated ...”
However, not everything in combat is blood and guts, McCoy continued. He recalled one time in Okinawa, where he and a couple of men who were serving with him ended up in a trench at night — the kind of trench where they were pulling out toilet paper. They ended up stripping to their shoes only, headed to the ocean where they washed the best they could and went back to camp — with only their shoes on.
Did they catch it for that? Oh yeah, they caught it for that and were teased when they returned with no clothes on, McCoy said as a ripple of chuckles spread through the group of more than 50 people.
Greer also spoke of his experiences in World War II. He said he chose to go to torpedo school and that led him on to submarine school.
“Contrary to most people’s beliefs, (a submarine) isn’t bad conditions to live under,” he said. “If you’re claustrophobic, forget it.”
Greer said to make it in a submarine, which was close quarters, everybody had to get along with each other. But the conditions weren’t bad at all.
“We had coffee around the clock,” he said. “Everybody had their own bunk. We have the best food the Navy had.”
One of the best things about being in the Navy was the two weeks off after every patrol.
“The Navy furnished the beer,” he said, with a smile. Several people in the audience smiled, chuckled and nodded their heads.
Greer recalled a time they had a rest period in Pearl Harbor. He recalled the hotel, which had long tables they ate at.
“They had big stainless steel pitchers full of milk,” Greer said. “I can remember seeing those pictures of milk and thinking ‘that was pretty tasty.’”
Zumbrum said he has always liked planes and that love led him into the Army Air Corps.
“I was always into flying,” he said.
Zumbrum’s didn’t get in the first time he tried to enlist. His blood pressure was too high, he said. He was told to wait until the draft and in August of 1942, he got in. Zumbrum served in the 376th Air Service Squadron of the 5th Air Force.
Zumbrum recalled that his squadron arrived by ship in Sydney, Australia at 4 p.m.
“We weren’t able to get out until after dark because there were too many Japs around,” he said.