It all started when as a small boy I was mystified by planes and their ability to fly. In my dreams, I could hold out my arms and fly anywhere ... I loved my dreams.

At age 16 I started work in the shipyards in Tacoma Washington, for Todd shipbuilders, when I worked up to being an electrician.

At 17, I graduated from Lincoln High School in Tacoma. I had been in a program for prospective navy pilots called V6, and I wanted to be a navy pilot. At 17, I needed parental permission to enter the Navy, so my dad and I drove to Seattle. I passed all the requirements to be a pilot, physical and all, and was entering the bus to go to Idaho for boot camp when a corpsman came to the bus and said "sorry, one more test" And I turned out to be color blind. There went the flying career.

Bob, my brother-in-law, had just signed for the Navy C. B.'s and construction group, so I returned to recruiting and they took me in the ranks. We were sent to Williamsburg, Virginia for boot camp. I was assigned to the 67th C.B. battalion. There I tried out for a group called the "Frogmen," later to be "Seals." I trained with them for about a month with the Marines, before I found I had to be 19 years old to be in this group.

Then, we were sent to Camp Endicott in upstate New York for advanced training. Next, we were loaded on trains and moved to Camp Hueneme, California, near San Francisco. At this point we were divided in several groups, I ended up in the 68th C.B.s, headed for Attu, Alaska. Attu is the last island on the Aleutian chain. It had just been taken back from the Japanese in May of 1943 in a very bloody battle. I spent 18 months on this "Hell Hole". Williwaws - winds in excess of 150 mph - were the big attraction on the island. I was assigned to a lineman crew, building power lines, climbing poles and stringing wires. The conditions were miserable and dangerous, working on a pole With 60 mph winds whipping around you, ice dropping on your head, and voltages in excess of 2,300. You did the whole job - dig the hole in frozen tundra, erect the 45 pole, then climb it, frame it and run the wires. You drive the truck and winch yourself out of the mud. All in extremely cold temperatures and snow many feet deep. Not a fun place to vacation.

I left the Aleutians in April of 1945 and landed in Los Angeles in the 94th C.B.'s to be sent the Hawaii. There I ran trucks, transporting equipment.

VJ Day came around, and what a party; you wouldn't believe it unless you were there. Such jubilance celebrated by all, the war has ended. How does it get better?

My next assignment was Guam, where I climbed poles, strung wires, guarded Japanese prisoners, and cut trees in the jungle. They issued me a carbine "Pea shooter", no ammo. Well that was not quite fight, they did get to see the chamber. The were outfitted with double bit axes, So, (take no chances kid)
I spent some time at company headquarters running the PBX system. One day I was able to announce, "Greene has 39 points, he is going home." I had my grandmother as a dependent, so that gave me 10 extra points. I landed back in the states after being in service 2 years, 6 months, 15 days. I separated from Portland Navy station in December 1945.

As I look back, this experience gave a small boy a chance to grow up... something many young folks enjoy.

Now, at 86 years young, I'm on way to Hawaii to help celebrate VJ day...courtesy of the Greatest Generation organization. Thanks to all involved.

I was fortunate to get my private flying license through the government G.I. bill, so did fulfill my dream.

   e-Mail William (Bill) Greene