“As tough as things were, I felt that the faster I got things done, the better off I was going to be”
My name is William Difu and I was a Scout in the Infantry in WWII. Prior to serving, I worked for the Navy at Vallejo. I was inducted into the army. Not many wanted to serve, me included. However, once I got in, shortly after, Pearl Harbor happened, and that made me want to take action.
The transition to military life was a big change from civilian life, but I adapted to things fairly easily. As tough as things were, I felt that the faster I got things done, the better off I was going to be.
I went to the 40th division after my training. Instead of getting the usual 18 weeks of training, we only got 8 due to war breaking out. I went overseas to Kauai, Hawaii. I was transferred from the 40th division to the 25th division. At the time, I was still in training, but I learned all sorts of things from how to shoot a rifle to obeying commands. There aren’t many things you are ordered to do in the military that you are happy obeying, like being the Kitchen police(working in the kitchen), but we did them because they had to be done. We formed very close brotherly bonds. Being one of the smallest guys,I was assigned to being a scout. Guadalcanal, down in the South Pacific. That was my first offensive. I was wounded in battle twice, from a hand grenade exploding near me as well as pieces of shrapnel getting into my ankle. It was an experience for sure.
War has not played a prominent role in my life. I served my time, and did what I had to. During war, you have to learn what you have to do. War is something that may be necessary in some instances, but if there is a route that can be taken to avoid it, it should be taken. War takes the lives of a lot of innocent young men; I was just one of the lucky few. I was proud to serve my country. Even though I was wounded, I was part of something bigger than myself, and that was fighting to protect my country.
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