I wrote this for my highschool newspaper. I'm including the story, the interview, and the sources I used.
The year is 1945. Just a few years ago you were talking with your friends about what you’d do when you got out of high school, whether you would go to college or get a job. Now you're stuck on a boat set toward Japan for occupation duty. In 1945, the year WWII ended, the U.S. occupied Japan with the goal of demilitarizing their country and building their economy back up after the war.
Back on the boat Gus Suryan is drafted and joins the military, sent to Japan.
“I was 18 in 1944 when they called me,” he said in an interview.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt started the Office Of War Information to push people toward supporting the war effort. There were many different types of media they used to get to people: cartoons, posters, radio ads, and many others.
The people of Sedro-Woolley were especially keen on helping the war.
“There were drives all the time on war bonds and stamps and we would go out and try to find all the metal, the scrap metal,” said Suryan. “It was the whole community, everybody, it’s just automatic.”
After being drafted, Suryan was sent through basic training at Camp Roberts, California. He shared some of the experiences he had, giving a view into what it was like going through the drills they had to do as a private.
“You had to dig a fox hole then the tanks would come run over you, but you had to get used to that in case you go somewhere there is a tank battle going on or anything. I remember it took eight of us digging all day just to dig a hole about three and a half feet deep so we could get down into it. The ground was so damn hard,” said Suryan. “That was common practice, that and walking behind what they called walking barrage,” or walking behind artillery fire. “We did lose one boy, though. Eventually he had a misfire on one of those shells, blew the end a little too close to it and it killed him.”
Before going to Japan, after basic training, Suryan was placed in the Philippines. The U.S had been occupying the islands for a long time before, but Suryan stayed there for a bit and this is one of the things he saw, “Every morning the filipino women would come walkin’ through and they would have big bundles of bananas and most of the time we didn’t have enough to eat anyway, so we was always buying bunches of bananas and eating them,” said Suryan.
After going through the Philippines, Suryan was put on a boat, living off nothing but c rations and ash. C rations were developed after reserve rations, fed to soldiers during WWI.
At first, C rations were stews, but more varieties were added as the war went on, including meat and spaghetti in tomato sauce, chopped ham, eggs and potatoes, and many others.
With C rations being at least better than the rations that came before it, living off nothing but military rations takes its toll after a while.
“Our first real meal was on thanksgiving day and we got turkey then,” said Suryan. “Our quarters was on the second floor of the main building where the mess hall and everything was. When we went on duty at midnight I could see some bones laying around and evidently an Indian from California was on duty and he found this turkey sitting there roasted, so he took it back and all the guys had something to eat except for me. I did get some fresh bread, some butter, and a hot cup of coffee out of that though.”
After months at sea, Suryan landed in Hokkaido, Japan; He shares what he saw while there for occupation duty.
“It was a lot different, more unusual stuff then what I was used to but it was all new stuff to me. The island of Hokkaido was more like around here, steep mountains, lots of firs and cedars and such like that all around,” said Suryan.
He did not interact with a lot of Japanese people while he was there, but there were a few times he did. There was a time he was guarding a building.
“A man came out and gave me a couple of tangerines. I didn’t have much of anything in my pocket but some ol’ peanut bridle so I gave him that and he was quite happy over that.”
Aside from that time, He would see a few Japanese people as he guarded the building.
“I would watch a lot of japanese people that were hungry, pretty much starved actually and pretty well beaten down, and that bothered me, especially when they went through the garbage cans. We had strict orders not to let them have anything out of the garbage cans. So we would have to be on guard all the time and run them off.”
Suryan went into the later part of WWII but what he wants people to remember is, “there were quite a few sacrifices made by the guys up front.”
The text in parenthesis are words I couldn't pick up in the recording, or my questions.
Transcribed:
(Why did you decide to join the military?)
I was drafted, that was automatic.
(How does drafting work?)
When you turn 18 you're supposed to sign up with the draft board and then they call you when they need you.
(During the war there was a bunch of propaganda stuff with the axis and saving resources and buying war bonds and I was wondering if you saw any of that before you were drafted?)
Yeah, there were drives all the time on war bonds and stamps and we would go out and try to find all the metal, the scrap metal. (Was that you and your friends?) It was the whole community, everybody, it’s just automatic.
(What year did you join the military and how old were you?)
I was 18 in 44 and they called me.
(What branch and division did you join?)
I was in the army. I wound up with the 77th Infantry division in the Philippines.
(What jobs did you have in the military?)
I had several actually. I was a rifleman when I first started. Then when I joined my division and we went to Hokkaido Island (Japan) for occupation duty, we occupied that island and I was in the headquarters Defense platoon and our job was to protect the personnel and the officers at the headquarters.
(While you were in the military did you ever meet up with anyone that you ended up sticking with, any friends?)
Oh, I had a lot of friends but everybody went their way when we sent out, each one of them to a different outfit (Outpost?)
(What places have you been to and which one was your favorite?)
I took basic training in Camp Roberts California which is down by ??? (4:20 in the recording) and then when I came back and they shipped me overseas, I shipped over from pittsburg California. I joined the division there at Cebu island in the Philippines and I was there until we packed up and went to Japan for occupation duty.
(How was life over there?)
It was a lot different, more unusual stuff then what I was used to but it was all new stuff to me. The island of Hokkaido was more like around here, steep mountains, lots of firs and cedars and such like that all around.
(What kind of people did you meet in those places?)
We didn’t associate too much at the beginning so I didn’t meet very many japanese. Once and a while one of them might come out, like just before christmas one man, I worked in the building with, I was guarding that particular night, and came out and gave me a couple of tangerines. So I didn’t have much of anything in my pocket but some ol’ peanut bridle so I gave him that and he was quite happy over that.
(Did you face any troubles in the military?)
No.
(Do you have any stories you want to tell?)
I would watch a lot of japanese people that were hungry, pretty much starved actually and pretty well beaten down, and that bothered me, especially when they went through the garbage cans. We had strict orders not to let them have anything out of the garbage cans. So we would have to be on guard all the time and run them off.
(Would you encourage others to join the military?)
I would yeah, It’s like any other job, If you think you can make a (Goal of it 7:23?) do it. It’s good training for life skills.
(When you came back from the war, Japan and all that, was a lot different from when you left?)
There was some difference. I still had some time to serve because when I was in japan I reenlisted for 18 months, and I was hoping I would get to go to germany and europe and see some of that, but I wound at fort lewis then they shipped me out from there to Bedford Virginia where I studied top o’ graphic drawing, making maps off aerial photos, and then when I came back I didn’t know how to much of that so I just took any old job that they had open for me at the time and was three – five months I decided to go out I’ve got nothing else to do I might as well try cooking for a while so I went to the mess hall and I was mess sargent the next month. I kind of just sat out my time till I got out of there.
(Did you ever get that good at cooking?)
I kind of enjoyed it, it was alright (He is a good cook, what he cooks, his daughter)
(What’s your favorite gun you ever shot?)
The M1 rifle, that’s what I packed most of the time. I’ve shot the carbine, but I always liked the M1 the best. (What did you like about it?) It was dependable, you got eight fast shots if you needed, it wasn't that cumbersome to carry.
(What would you want people to know and remember about World War 2?)
The thing that I would want them to remember is that there were quite a few sacrifices made by the guys up front.
(Did you ever get to sit in a tank or anything like that?)
No, I’ve had tanks run over me, but it was common practice. At camp Roberts, Where I trained for basic training, you had to dig a fox hole then the tanks would come run over you but you had to get used to that in case you go somewhere there is a tank battle going on or anything. I remember it took eight of us digging all day to dig a just about hole three and a half feet deep so we could get down into it, the ground was so damn hard.
(I hadn’t heard that story either about the tanks) That was common practice, that and walking behind what they called walking barrage, you walk behind artillery barrage you can watch as it goes along the back. When we first started out there I was standing by it, one of the guns, and on an angle you can see the shell leave the muzzle. They had zeroed in on you and as you keep walking they increase the distance on that. (I’ve seen some of those coastal guns like at oak harbor and they are huge!) Oh yeah I think those are a sixteen inch, I’m not sure (In diameter?) Yeah. (Was it really loud?) It wasn't too bad, they were loud, yes, they were loud, after a while it gets on you, but I didn’t mind it. We did lose one boy In that though. Eventually he had a miss fire on one of those shells, blowed the end a little too close to it and it killed him. That's the chances they had to take against. (there was another time, we got to be counseled, it was seven at night we were probably all working out? 14:36) and we were sitting there and the sargent looked at me and went “Hey there’s a snake” and there was a little rattlesnake come up by a tree where we was all sitting and the guys (jump up 14:52) and he said “I want those rattles'' and a couple of guys had bayonets on their rifles so they went for it and the snake there was trying to go for that tree but didn’t quite make it. Poor little creature didn’t have a chance at all (What would he do with the rattles?) Well he’d just put on his hat or carry it along or whatever. I wouldn’t much care for them myself.
One time I was in the Philippines, every day before we sent off for japan, every morning the filipino women would come walkin through and they would have big bundles of bananas and most of the time we didn’t have enough to eat anyway so we was always buying bunches of bananas and eating them. (Did they accept american currency?) Oh yeah (Did you know if your dollar was worth more than their dollar?) No, It would have the same value no matter where we went. A Lot of the time we would buy some extra food or something like that to eat on the side. (Do you have to hide from your sergeant or anything like that?) No, just whenever the Filipinos came through with something to eat or something like that we would just buy it off of them. (Did you have to do anything like that in other places?) (Well yeah? 17:12) When we landed in Japan we lived on sea rats and ash for what seemed like a month and a half. Our first real meal was on thanksgiving day and we got turkey then. (Turkey after months of rations sounds really good.) Our quarters was on the second floor of the main building where the mess hall and everything was and when we went on duty at midnight I could see some bones laying around and evidently (Paty? 18:06) an Indian from California was on duty and he found this turkey sitting there roasted, so he took it back and all the guys had something to eat except for me. I did get some fresh bread, some butter, and a hot cup of coffee out of that though.
Sources:
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/japan-reconstruction
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/wwii-propaganda#:~:text=Persuading%20Americans%20to%20support%20the,and%20distributing%20the%20government's%20messages.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goebbels-propaganda/
https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/story/Article/1933268/c-rats-fueled-troops-during-and-after-world-war-ii/
By Luka Murcray
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