After my graduation from high school in Royal, Iowa, in May 1943, I joined the Army and was sent to Camp Des Moines, Iowa, where we learned how to march, salute and do kitchen police. Then I was transferred to Camp Roberts, Calif., an infantry and artillery basic training camp. I was assigned to the infantry. Camp Roberts in July is hot and dry; Royal, Iowa is hot and humid. I loved the dry air.

Camp Roberts was hilly with a few trees. Some cows roamed the area and they loved the shade of the trees. We did maneuvers: We ran, zigzagged and hit the ground ready to fire our M-1 rifles. One goof-off soldier would pick the shade of a tree to land. One time he hit the shade and screamed—he had hit a fresh cow pie!

On a 20-mile hike by compass, two of us got lost. We located another company of soldiers, and they had just finished dinner. We asked if they had any food left; all they had was green bean juice and heels of bread. I have never forgotten how good that was, and still today, when we have green beans, I soak my bread in the juice.

I was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 185 when I joined up, and after basic training, I weighed 200 pounds. I was one of the soldiers that loved the GI food.

I ended up in a tank company in Hawaii and earned one battle star for the Marshall Islands campaign.