Part two of Bob’s trip to te MVPA Convention in Louisville KY. In this special episode, Bob talks to two World War II veterans about their experiences.
First Tom Grasser, talks about landing on Omaha beach with his WC54 Ambulance.
Then Bob listens to Melvin Richardson tell about his experience in the Seabees throughout the Pacific theatre. Two great stories from the Greatest Generation.
Full Transcript
This is part two of Military Collectors from Louisville Kentucky the MVPA Convention.
I’ve got a special guest lineup for you this week two World War II veterans.
One who is a combat medic who drove a WC 54 ambulance across Europe, landed on the beaches at Normandy, Mr. Tom Grasser. I know you’re going to want to hear his story as well as Melvin Richardson, a Seabee who also served during World War II, right here on Military Collectors from Louisville Kentucky at the MVPA convention.
[Music]
We have a very special guest on today’s show and world war II veteran and our greatest generation guest today Tom Grasser from Kenosha Wisconsin and now from Albuquerque New Mexico but the story behind this gentleman has something to do with George Patton and the race across Europe and D-day, Omaha Beach and I’m gonna let Tom tell the story because it’s very, very special.
Tom, God Bless you my friend, thank you for your service, okay and World War II veterans are very special to this country.
Not many of you guys are left but you have a very special story and I want to talk about it today on Military Collectors, okay.
We started in Kenosha Wisconsin, there we were … we were drafted into service after I graduated high school I graduated June the 11th. June the 17th I was in the army.
Anyhow, they took us down to Fort Ord California where we were training and we there basic training, qualified on the rifle range and then they said you’re gonna be in the Medical Corps, drive an ambulance.
I said, “I don’t even know how to drive!” I said, “My mom got killed when I was 11 years old, we never had an automobile.” Anyhow, they said, “We’ll teach you!” And what happened was, we took it slow, easy and they were patient.
Anyhow, I learned how to drive, and of course, few times I run into things.
Fact is, I work at an information booth in Albuquerque New Mexico. People come in from Chicago or pardon me California and I say, “Did you ever go to the redwood forest?” “Yeah.” and I said, “Well, if you look up on the tree about nine or ten feet, there’s scars on there, that’s how I stopped the ambulance.” It’s grown that much now.
Anyhow, I did learn to drive and everybody had gone in service at that time with either 18 or 27. Everybody in between had been already drafted.
So we trained and then they took us the Boston or Newport News Virginia to ship out to go over the England.
And when we got over to England, why we got brand new ambulances. And the one, my ambulance, that I rode in was Third Army, we were with Patton, number 14.
And we trained in… where was it that we were at? Hanford Court, and we were way up, I guess it’s another end, by Scotland.
And we train down the roads there in all. And we used to come down the roads in England, the roads are very narrow of course, they go up the left side, we go up the right side, but our vehicles were so big they went very down the middle. And took up the whole road.
And yeah, make a long story short like, we got our orders to come on go overseas, and what we did is, we taped the doors and, and put a snorkel on the tailpipe and taped it to the back of the ambulance and they had some kind, I’m no mechanic, so I don’t know what it takes to keep anything under water for a any period of time, but it was like a gauze material with beeswax and wrapped the carburetor and distributor.
[Bob] To water proof it.
[Tom] Waterproof it.
We came off the LST after it hit the beach at Omaha Beach, went aground.
The front opened up, the ramp went down and the quartermaster had already put in plates so we wouldn’t dig into the sand.
We come off front-wheel drive and the back of it was like big balloon until we got on land that we came through.
Anyhow, we went it there for, oh, I don’t know, maybe two, three hours.
They said go in that field over there and they said there may be mines and that.
But we haven’t checked it. So, our Lieutenant got in the two and a half ton truck and crossed back and forth and zigzag and nothing blew up. So, we all parked our ambulances in there. And we had thirty ambulances.
That evening or afternoon we took off on up to the front. And we got to, and I may be lying now, it’s a long time ago, but since it was a Avranches, it was on the coast of France. And we’re all in the convoy in there 30 Ambulances bumper-to-bumper.
18 year old, well, I was 19 then, I had gone, anyhow, sitting on the bumper two planes come over they dropped flares.
Ah, they’re going to take our picture! All of a sudden they come back and they were strafing, and boy scouts honor, they came to those thirty ambulances there, Stuka dive bombers had screamers on the tail just roaring, make your hair stand up.
Anyhow, came to those ambulance and pull up over us. Did not drop a bomb or strafe.
Made another round, came up, got to us, and some of us admit…
pardon me…
but I’d been out the first night in France.
Anyhow, we made it through and pull in the field and camp for the night. And did not get, like I say, we didn’t get hurt at all.
Next morning a Jeep comes flying into the camp where we were and, I think, it was a lieutenant, he may have been a second lieutenant or first, I’m not sure, anyhow, just a young fella or older.
They jumped out he says I’m going to say Mass, anybody here know how to serve?
I put up my hand because I’d been an altar boy back when I was a kid.
Anyhow, we went ahead and I served, my one claim to glory, I served that Mass in France the first morning we were there.
So, we ended up, came in France, Belgium Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia, Italy and then into Germany.
And we, very fortunate, I tell you, that’s guardian angel was sitting on my shoulder all the way.
And we did not get a scratch, got home after, let’s see, got out of the army the Fort Chartres in the Illinois.
We got in there New Year’s Eve and everything was shut down.
So, they said they couldn’t get us out until the next day.
So, we got off the second of January 1946 and the rest is behind me.
But truly one thing I want to say, if it was not for the people back home, the women that went to the factories the fellas the 4Fs, that people looked at as, you know, no good.
They went to work. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, so help me, they had scrap drives, the food. People without food and grandpas and grandmas and uncles and aunts from that time, know what they put up, gas rationing to help us. And those are the heroes.
People come up and say, you know you’re, you’re a hero.
I did not.
I’m no hero!
I did what I was being paid to do.
And I was lucky!
I said the people back home that backed us up and esprit de corps for World War Number Two.
At that time was 200%, so help me, that, and the people back home are the heroes, not us.
There’s a lot of guys, of course, gave their life and all.
I just outlived the rest of them and that’s my story.
[Bob] Tom, God bless you, sir, (I’ve been blessed, believe me.) Thank you so much, (yep) being on our show and thank you, what you’ve done for our great country.
(yeah) We wish you many, many more years and they’re gonna have many, many more years.
[Tom] I’m ordinary enough to live a long time.
(Yes, thank you very much) I tell my priest, he says, Tom, how old were you?
That’s 90. I said that’s 90.
He says, you’re getting up there in age.
I said, yeah, I said, you know, I keep going around I knock on the pearly gates and Pete says, not yet. Get it right!
So, I got to keep going around till I get it all right!
[Bob] And you will, you will, my friend. God Bless you and thank you so much.
(Thank you.)
If you have missed any past episodes of Military Collectors, be sure to go online at military collectors tv.com and you can see not only past episodes, but also read in-depth features on the people and their pasion of their military collections.
I’m a little bit country. and I’m a little bit rock and roll. I’m a little bit Memphis and Nashville. With a little bit of Mo-town in my soul. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. But I know I love it so. I’m a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.
The all-new Chevy Silverado. It’s a little bit country and it’s a little bit rock and roll. [Music]
Take a moment to think about the food you buy and eat. Is it fresh? I mean, really fresh or is it shipped from a grower hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Well, here in South Carolina, we celebrate fresh, locally grown food and unforgettable meals with family and friends. So, choose food that’s rooted right here. Choose certified SC grown. It’s a matter of taste.
Wacca Wachee Marina located on the Waccamaw River in Murells Inlet, is a first class freshwater marina. For over 60 years locals and visitors have enjoyed Wacca Wachee Marina as a recreational stopover or as a launching spot on the river. Wacca Wachee offers affordable rates on wet slips, rack storage, fuel services, and a collection of amenities to enhance your boating expereince. For a great meal with a waterfront setting visit Deck 383 located dock level at the marina. Wacca Wachee Marina – Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
[Music]
[Bob] Well, our letter this week comes from Bill in Bangor Maine and Bill writes, “Bob, I’m trying to get into collecting Japanese World War II collectibles.
What are some of the more unique helmets that I might be able to get into and what might they be worth?” Well, Bill, I appreciate you writing into our email notes this week.
I’ve got an expert here that I think can answer your question.
Matt Fox from Quarter-ton Military Parts down at Chickamauga Georgia.
He is also a Japanese helmet collector.
Ok Matt, I got ask ya.
[Matt] Uh-huh.
[Bob] Bill wants to get in to collect the these, ok, what are kind of the differences here in what you find?
[Matt] Well, your standard Japanese helmet, just a lightweight helmet looks about like this, you don’t have a star in the front.
(Okay) That they’re very, very common.
They’ve gotten expensive since all the movies have come out.
(Right) But if you’re really wanting to get into something, that’s a little bit more interesting, not your norm.
You can get into like, like this is a naval marine.
Japanese naval marine.
These are very collectible.
These are the northern Japanese and since they were taller than your normal Japanese they consider them, more I guess, you could say, scary or more intimidating because they were larger.
I mean, they were large, ya know, and so, they made them Marines and it’ll have, of course, the anchor on the front and the later style will have a painted anchor.
Now, if you really wanted to get into some really weird Japanese helmets.
This one here for instance, this is a Japanese machine-gunners helmet.
These are extremely rare and what they did is they went one step from, one step further from a German helmet that had the brow plate and they actually integrated the brow plate in the front of the helmet.
This was actually found in a bunker in China by Chinese digger.
These were very unwieldly they were so heavy on the front that they would, you know, the, the movement of the gun would cause the helmet to follow with the eyes of the guy shooting it.
So, they weren’t real popular.
So, there was very few of them made this.
One was probably thrown down and a normal helmet picked up.
But if you really want to get into weird Japanese helmets, this is a good, this is a good find.
[Bob] Well, let’s tell Bill, this one’s worth what?
Five hundred.
[Matt] It’s probably worth, it’s missing the liner, yet it’s about 500.
[Bob] Okay, this one as it’s rare?
[Matt] This one?
I wouldn’t even know where to start.
I’ve never seen one before.
This is the only one I’ve ever seen.
I would say ballpark I mean, 2 – 300 bucks.
I don’t know.
I really don’t know where to even start.
[Bob] Well, most of the time when these things, when you start collecting them, you’ll get lucky and find it (oh, yeah, yeah.) But when somebody knows exactly what they got, you’re probably looking, in two to three thousand dollars for something like that.
(Wow, yeah.) So there you have it.
Well Matt, thanks so much for your knowledge, okay, and Bill, I hope that’s answered your question.
[Announcer] If you would like to have your military restoration project or collectible featured on the show, just send an email with your photos to photos at militarycollectorstv.com
For 50 years, Ranger Boats has been paying tribute to America’s armed forces and their families. Not only in the United States, but those men and women who serve all over the world. At Ranger Boats, we appreciate the dedication that these men and women do each and every day. Protecting and preserving the very foundations of our freedom. Ranger Boats wants to give back to America’s real heroes with our operation troop salute program. For more information visit RangerBoats.com today.
The old 96 District in South Carolina is nestled in the western corner of the state and is a haven for fishing enthusiasts. South carolina’s freshwater coastline wraps around 84,000 acres of water including lakes Greenwood, Russell, and Thurmond. Experience incredible outdoor adventure, arts, culture, history, and heritage of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, and McCormick counties. Plan your next outdoor outing in South Carolina’s Old 96 district, a part of the South Carolina freshwater coast.
If you are interested in preserving and collecting military vehicles, whether you’re a military veteran or just have a love for military vehicles in general, then you may be interested in joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association. The MBPA is dedicated to providing an International Organization for military vehicle enthusiasts. For more information, and all the benefits a member receives with joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, go online at MVPA.org.
[Music]
Well, in the first part of today’s show, we took you across Europe with a race in time with Patton’s army and a combat medic Tom Grasser.
Now we’re going to the Pacific Ocean and Melvin Richardson from Webster City, Iowa is here joining us today.
He was with the Navy Seabees out in the Pacific and what a special story.
Our World War II veterans, the greatest generation and here’s one of them today, 93 year-old Melvin Richardson.
Melvin thank you so much!
Godspeed, for your service, my friend, tell me a little bit what was it like in the Pacific during World War II with the Seabees.
[Melvin] When we first went in, I wanted to join the Navy and they said my eyes were too near sighted.
So, then when I was 18, they were gonna draft me, I said I wanted the Navy.
They said, okay.
Well, when I got ready to go to boot camp, who said to go to Virginia and I said, no.
I go to the Great Lakes in the Navy.
No, you’re in the Seabees!
That’s the first I knew anything about the Seabees.
I’d seen these folders with a guy with a shovel in one hand and a rifle in the other hand.
I didn’t think I wanted it, but it was too late.
But it turned out for the best.
The good thing was that most of the Seabees average age, I was in, was like 36 or 37 years old, I was 18.
So, they didn’t know what to do with me.
Finally, one day some guys were taking their driver’s test and they said come on go along.
Okay. You guys wait til it’s your turn.
I got in the truck that I had no idea how to run.
Looked at the dashboard and saw how you shifted it and backed it up, and did this, what he wanted. They didn’t realize it.
So, I drove a truck for probably two or three months.
And then one day you know if anybody wanted to operate a crane I said, “Sure, I’ll do it!” I operated the crane, we worked on the docks there in Honalulu.
And then we went to Iwo Jima and worked on the beaches.
From there I went to Okinawa.
[Bob] Well, you know, Melvin, again the greatest generation and the service that they had, what was it like for your family back home and you out in the Pacific?
Did they, were they concerned?
I mean, you, Iwo Jima, that that was, that was serious!
[Melvin] It was serious.
Well, I had no way…
of course, I wanted them to know where I was except with kind of mild hints.
But I think somehow they finally got the idea that they knew where I was.
But of course couldn’t write it in a letter or anything to let them know.
There just wasn’t any way to let them know where I was.
[Bob] Well, when you were in Okinawa were you still running the crane there as well?
(Yes.) So, was it a rebuilding of the ports for the ships?
What were you exactly doing?
[Melvin] Well, I ran a crane actually loading gravel on trucks.
If they needed some gravel someplace, I would load the truck.
Most of the time it was pretty much just that.
[Bob] Was that was the crane floatable or was it up on up on dry land?
[Melvin] It was on dry land on crawler tread.
[Bob] Now, in, at Iwo Jima, how difficult was that?
I mean, of course, obviously you came ashore after they secured the beachhead and all of that.
[Melvin] Well I’m not so sure it was all secured.
We spent 30 days in foxholes.
We dug down in and used sandbags to build up the walls.
We lived in for 30 days at the base of Mount Suribachi.
And then they moved us up in to tents up over the airstrip.
Well, I don’t know.
Just sort of got along with what they did, with what they give you.
We’re gonna come to the showers, they dug a pit and the water seeped into it, but it was too hot.
You couldn’t stand it, underneath, because Iwo Jima was actually a volcanic island and the water was hot and it was sulfur!
Soap wouldn’t suds.
So, you just did the best you could with it.
[Bob] Well, you know, Melvin, I will tell you, it’s one of those things that soldiers understand how to survive and obviously you all did that so well in the Pacific.
And based on all of the hard work that you did during your service, how long did you stay in and then when did you come off active duty?
[Melvin] Well, I went in the 1st of September of 1943 and we got out the 1st of February of 1946. And all that time I was never home.
[Bob] Well, one last question Melvin, when you got home, what did you do for the rest of your life?
Okay, and, and I know your shirt says I’m 93, I’m 18 with 75 years of experience.
I, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a shirt that way.
Tell me what, what did you do?
Obviously, the good Lord blessed you, got you home safely.
What did you do with the rest of your life, sir?
I don’t think I was home more than a month and I met the prettiest, loveliest girl you ever laid eyes on.
And we got married.
I worked in Omaha in a hotel house first three years we were married.
Then I started farming.
And farmed for 25 years.
We’ve never really got very far with it.
And I’ve done some carpenter work, so I went into just remodeling and doing carpenter work.
In the eighties that kind of went down hill and we’re looking for something to do when I saw this ad about computerized embroidery.
And that’s what this is, is computerized embroidery.
And started a business, it was 30 years ago and right now my daughters are doing very well with it.
So, you just kinda got along with what you had.
[Bob] Well, everybody loves a great sweatshirt with a great saying, they do.
Well sir, thank you so much again for your service.
Thank you for being here with us today.
And I just want to wish you Godspeed and happy birthday on your upcoming birthday, and many, many more to come.
If you have missed any past episodes of Military Collectors, be sure to go online at military collectors tv.com and you can see not only past episodes, but also read in-depth features on the people and their pasion of their military collections.
[Music]
I’m a little bit country. and I’m a little bit rock and roll. I’m a little bit Memphis and Nashville. With a little bit of Mo-town in my soul. I don’t know if it’s good or bad. But I know I love it so. I’m a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.
The all-new Chevy Silverado. It’s a little bit country and it’s a little bit rock and roll. [Music]
If you are interested in preserving and collecting military vehicles, whether you’re a military veteran or just have a love for military vehicles in general, then you may be interested in joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association. The MBPA is dedicated to providing an International Organization for military vehicle enthusiasts. For more information, and all the benefits a member receives with joining the Military Vehicle Preservation Association, go online at MVPA.org.
Every soldiers training is the same but their story is their own. From the fields of Gettysburg, to the tanks rolling across the sands of Kuwait, the story of the mounted soldier is a story of mobility, speed and the historic power to shift the mighty tides of war. The National Armor and Cavalry Heritage Foundation is asking for your help in keeping the legacy of the United States armored and cavalry and telling the stories for many years to come.
I hope you’ve enjoyed part two of our MVP a series here on Military Collectors from Louisville Kentucky at the MVPA Convention. All of the folks that made our visit possible and who put on this great event each and every year, our hats off to you guys. If you’d like more information about the MVPA just log on to their web site become a member at MVPA.org or go to militarycollectorstv.com and you can also log on to their website there and become a member because preserving history like these vehicles right here the one that Tom Grasser drove across Europe, these are what this whole program is all about, is preserving our military heritage and the MVPA and all of its members do so well with that.
And I’d like to say also that all the guys Tom Clark have an MD and those key members of the board of the MVPA serves such a great audience when it comes to putting on and preserving military history through the military vehicle Preservation Association.
Well again Military Collectors is honored, it’s a privilege to be here each and every week to showcase what these folks are doing around the country. We’ll be back next week with another episode of Military Collectors. [Music]
