Growing up I always knew that my grandfather had served during World War II. It was Just one of those things in school where I raised my hand when we were learning about the war and the teacher asked how many of us had relatives who served. But I never knew any more than that - I never knew where he was or what he did - he just never talked about it much - and I didn't know if I should ask.

As a 96th Infantry Division Quartermaster Company Truck Driver, I had an opportunity to confiscate supplies. I would take large cans of fruit cocktail, peaches and pears and put them in my toolbox, behind the seat or wherever I could find a place to stash them.

Once in a while I was assigned the job, along with other drivers, to drive up near the front lines to haul out spent troops. As soon as we got behind range of enemy artillery fire, I would stop the truck and dig out my stash of canned fruit and toss the cans into the back of the truck.

It was a rather nice bright sunny day. We had been on the island of Leyte about three days and nights after hitting the beach in the initial wave of the landing attack, the morning of October 20, 1944, in troop-carrying amphibious landing craft or LVTs, we called them alligators.

I was a member of the Armed Forces in the invasion of Okinawa as a rifle squad leader in a front line company. Our Division, along with several others made the landing on April 1, 1945, Easter Sunday. After being in combat for nearly two weeks our regiment, now a mere shell of the regiment which landed on Easter Sunday, was pinched out and moved to the rear to receive replacements and bring the number up to full strength.

The 96th Infantry Division of World War I was activated late in World War I at Camp Wadsworth, South Carolina under the command of Major General Guy Carleton on October 20, 1918. After the armistice of November 11, i918, the under-manned, untrained 96th Infantry Division was demobilized on January 7, 1919.

The 96th Infantry Division was reconstituted in the Army Reserve system on June 24, 1921 in Portland, Oregon. During the 1920's and 1930's the Division had summer training of its reservists and aided Civilian Conservation Corps camps in the Pacific Northwest.

By the start of World War II for the United States, most reserve members of the 96th Division had been called to active duty. The 96th Infantry Division, after arrival of a cadre, mostly from the 7th Infantry Division, was activated at Camp Adair, Oregon on August 15, 1942 under the command of Major General James L. Bradley. Shortly thereafter Brigadier General Claudius Easley became Assistant Division Commander. Both Generals stressed rifle marksmanship and under the skilled training leadership of General Easley, the 96th Division acquired the nickname, The Deadeyes.

General Patton's Third Army was pushing through France with his tanks, and General MacArthur was island hopping in the Pacific. Finally, in New Guinea he was getting ready for the return to the Philippines. Each needed more troops, especially the infantrymen. So here we are, the 96th Infantry, at Camp Carson, Colorado, the day that the sergeant had us fall out in first class in suntans, which was unusual, or were on pass to go to Colorado Springs for a good time. Naturally, no one told us that we were leaving, but boarding the train going????

I was wounded on Okinawa on April 7, the day after we came in sight of the main Japanese defense line. It was a flesh wound on my arm, but at that stage of the battle even a slight wound was a ticket off the island it was what we called a million dollar wound.

I did not see many live Japanese soldiers on Leyte or Okinawa, where we were usually advancing in the open and they were hidden in defensive positions. We might first know of their presence when they opened fire.

Horn yelled, "Peterson, get your gear and report to Ski at Headquarters, on the double."

As a private in a combat infantry company, I know it can only mean trouble when you're singled out for anything. I'm part of a team, here; we've been trained to work as a group. Horn didn't grab a bunch of guys to go out on patrol, or paint rocks. or do the kinds of no-brain stuff that privates do best - he picked me. By name. Maybe it's KP, or I'm going to be decorated, or courtmartialed, or ...