For Bill Stroub, the scars are still evident. In fact, the 82-year-old Simi Valley man is hesitant to talk much about his time in combat in the jungles north of Manila.

But there is a memory, Stroub says, that takes precedence over the nightmares, the memory of his generation's battles that helped keep America's way of life intact, memories of a war that, he says, need to be kept alive.

Stroub grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. His father worked as a painting contractor, but when the Depression hit, painting jobs were hard to come by.

In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt initiated the Works Progress Administration as part of the New Deal to assist Americans in finding work. Stroub's father reluctantly took the opportunity.

"He was hesitant because he liked to do things on his own," Stroub said, "but he also knew we needed help, and the WPA provided food and clothing as well."

In late 1935, as job conditions were getting tougher, Stroub's father moved his family to Hawthorne with the hope of finding work in the painting business.

We always had blackouts'

In 1940, his father was able to purchase a home for the family. "I think he felt like he had finally accomplished something, and like it was all worth it," Stroub said.

A little more than a year later, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

"I knew that I was too young to get drafted at the time, but it scared me" he said.

"I remember hearing air raid sirens throughout Los Angeles, and we always had blackouts. We couldn't even have our car lights on most of the time."

For the next three years, Stroub worked for his father as a painter. But in June 1944, three months after he turned 18, Stroub received his draft notice.

"I knew I would have to go sooner or later," he said. "As I got closer to turning 18 and the war wasn't over yet, I knew I would be drafted. I was willing but not anxious to go."

He was sent to Fort MacArthur in San Pedro for his official induction into the Army. "They were getting ready to send us to our respective training bases, and all I remember thinking was how I didn't want to be sent to the infantry," Stroub said.

Luck was on his side. "They found out I could paint and had me stay at Fort MacArthur," he said. "They eventually assigned me as lead painter in charge of painting the barracks on the base."

Their plans for us changed'

But after two weeks, he was told he had qualified for the Army Air Corps. After completing basic training, he was sent to electronics school training.

"The original plan was to send us for more radio and radar training in Illinois and Florida," Stroub said. "But the Battle of the Bulge in Europe began, and their plans for us changed."

In March 1945, as the Battle of the Bulge raged on, Stroub learned he was going to be reassigned again. "They sent me back to the Army, and this time I really was put in the infantry," he said.

Ultimately he found himself on a transport ship bound for Manila. "I remember getting close to Manila and seeing ships in the water, nose up," he said. "They had all been hit and sunk. I think that is when I really started to worry about what would happen to all of us. Manila was fortunately under U.S. Army control by then."

Stroub was assigned to a machine gun squad in the 35th Regiment, 25th Division. He carried ammunition boxes filled with machine gun belts as the squad fought its way through the jungle north of Manila.

"Once one man in the front was either wounded or killed, they would move one of us up from the back of the squad," Stroub said. "That is how we worked our way up to the position of gunner, as a very bad way to get promoted."

They dropped the bomb!'

In July 1945, Stroub and his unit were transported by cattle car to northern Luzon to prepare for the invasion of Japan. "None of us really wanted to go to Japan, because we all knew how horrible it would be," Stroub said.

But in early August, Stroub was told atomic bombs had been dropped over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. World War II was about to end.

"I remember a guy coming in and yelling, The war is over! The war is over! They dropped the bomb!'" Stroub said. "I don't think there was one guy there who didn't jump in excitement, and many shed some tears."

In September 1945, Stroub reported for duty in Japan as part of a group of occupation troops.

"I was surprised to see how welcoming a lot of the Japanese people were of us," Stroub said. "I think they were just as happy as we were that the war was over."

Stroub spent nine months on active duty in Japan, completing assignments that included driving Army trucks, helping disarm the nation of Japan, and playing guitar in the division dance band on weekends.

"When I arrived back in the states, I remember kissing the ground, thanking the Lord it was over and receiving a bottle of milk and welcome home from a Red Cross volunteer.

"When things got back to normal, I enrolled in classes at El Camino College to prepare myself to get an education and find a great job."

Good memories for me'

He began a career in electronics engineering and program management, working for several aerospace companies, including 33 years at Northrop Corp. in Los Angeles, where Stroub remained until he retired in 1986.

"I stayed active and returned to part-time work at Northrop for a short time," Stroub said. "I also completed work at a couple of other companies, too."

In 1981, Stroub left the Los Angeles area and moved to a small horse ranch in Simi Valley with his wife, Becky.

"The years I have spent here with her have really been wonderful," he said. "We've been married 33 years, and she is really the love of my life."

In 1991, Stroub officially retired. Now he plays the guitar with local bands as well as at his church. Music, Stroub said, is more a passion than a hobby.

"I wasn't very excited about getting drafted into the war," he said. "But some parts of it, like meeting great buddies in the military and realizing I played a small part in winning World War II, are good memories for me. When I think of the war, that is what I try to focus on."

— Of War and Life is a twice-monthly column that tells the stories of area veterans. Contact Jauregui at jmjaureg@callutheran.edu or by mail at Jannette Jauregui, c/o Ventura County Star editorial department, P.O. Box 6006, Camarillo, CA 93011. The information included in this report is based on the recollections of the veterans.

 

 

  
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