Claude, who lived in Wichita Kansas on the day Pearl Harbor
was attacked, was 18 years old when he was inducted into the U.S.Army. That
date was October 10, 1944.
He was assigned to the 96th Infantry Division,
383rd Battalion. The 96th was known as the “Deadeye”
division. The division saw 200 days of combat in such locations as Ryukyus Island
chain and the Southern Philippines as well as other locations.
Claude saw service on Okinawa, the first island in the Japanese
empire to be invaded by American forces. The initial attack was eerily easy.
But as the Marines headed north, and the soldiers headed to the southern part
of the island, resistance became brutal.
Claude was assigned to be a flamethrower. This position was
a particularly hazardous one since the Japanese were terrified of the weapon.
Flamethrower operators were targeted especially by Japanese snipers. One shot
to the tanks on the back of a soldier and jellied gasoline would explode,
killing the operator and all around him.
Claude survived Okinawa and the war, eventually obtaining
his PH.D while going to school on the G.I.Bill.
He taught handicapped children and adults at the university level.
His awards include the Purple Heart, Army Occupation Medal,
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal.
Claude was discharged in November, 1946.
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