Interviewed by:

Spencer Rushnak & Jasper Treese

"I saw Hitler half a dozen times. I was close enough to kill him ... "
~ Carl Johnstone (14:14)

Carl M Johnstone's Story:

Carl M. Johnstone was born on December 21, 1918 in Mississippi. His father owned a Ford dealership and this was Mr. Johnstone's first job and the one that he held through his years before serving in the war. Living in Mississippi, Mr. Johnstone's family was very close and one of his favorite things to do was play with his cousins. When it was time for college Mr. Johnstone chose to stay close to home and he attended the University of Mississippi (Ole Mis).

Being at an age eligible for draft, Mr. Johnstone tried to use his job at the dealership to stay out of the war for as long as he could. Inevitably, however, he was drafted in 1944. Mr. Johnstone was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. This site was used as a training station for soldiers before they were sent off to fight. When Mr. Johnstone arrived at this site, he was already a Second Lieutenant. He was not there long before he was sent off across the seas to Casablanca. Upon arrival, Mr. Johnstone was promoted to Captain and this distinction meant that he now had troops of his own to command. At one point during his post, Mr. Johnstone was watching a parade. He saw Hitler trying to gain support by attempting to recruit more Blackshirts to his cause. At the time Mr. Johnstone had a revolver and his biggest regret was not killing Hitler when he had the chance. Today he knows how infamous this man became and he knows that this action would have changed the course of the war.

Patrolling was what Mr. Johnstone and his troops were responsible for outside the area of Casablanca. Once he was reassigned, he continued this fight for America in Germany. Unfortunately for Mr. Johnstone, while patrolling on a road on the outskirts of town, he and his men encountered Germans. Hiding in foxholes these enemy troops jumped out of the holes and shot at Mr. Johnstone's platoon. While talking to the fire control trooper on a walkie-talkie, he was shot in the groin, ending his tour immediately. Pulled off the front lines by nurses, he was brought by boat across the English channel where he stayed in an English hospital until he was well enough to go home.

When Mr. Johnstone was well enough to travel, he was sent to America and was brought to a hospital in Baltimore where his wounds would slowly heal. He remained there for about 6-8 weeks. At the time of his arrival the hospital had just opened and he was one of the first patients treated. According to Mr. Johnstone, the only thing that hurt more than the gunshot wound was having to wait to get home and see his family. When he finally did arrive home, he found it difficult to acclimate to life outside of combat and he had a great deal of trouble sleeping. With nightmares constantly going through his mind about the things that he had seen, he had difficulty making sense of all the horror he witnessed. It took a great deal of time and work by himself, but eventually Mr. Johnstone was able to deal with his experiences and live a relatively peaceful life.

Mr. Johnstone credits his daughter as the sole reason he and his wife eventually made the move to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Mr. Johnstone is currently living in Orleans, MA. and is 98 years old.