David Heath was born in November 1921 in Toppenish, Washington. When he was seven, his family moved to Montana. While climbing a mountain in the Rockies [Annotator's Note: Rocky Mountains], the car kept dying, so the family had to come up with creative solutions to get it over the mountain. On the other side of the mountain, they found a graveyard of burned cars from people who were stuck in blizzards. They moved to Montana because his mother did not like the humidity on the family farm in Washington. Heath still owns the property in Montana. They found an oil deposit on the property. Heath grew up with brother and a sister. They lived in Jordan, the county seat of the largest county in Montana. Garfield County is known for the dinosaur fossils found there. One day, his father found fossilized lemons. Heath saw a baby dinosaur in the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History that came from Garfield County. His mother taught piano to local kids and his father did whatever work he could find. There was a barter system in the region because nobody had money. Heath attended first through seventh grade in Jordan. The family then moved to Nashua [Annotator's Note: Nashua, Montana]. In Nashua, Heath delivered groceries around town.

In 1940, David Heath graduated high school and went to work on a farm. Later that year, he joined the Marines [Annotator's Note: United States Marine Corps]. Prior to graduating, he heard and read Marine Corps advertisements asking for recruits. He was working in a garage when he heard the Marines needed aviation mechanics. He understood that after four years of service, he would be able to work in defense manufacturing on the West Coast. When he went into the service, he received boots that did not fit which caused issues with his feet. While overseas, all of his clothes rotted away. After joining the Marines, he visited with his mother, who was in another town getting a license to teach piano. The following day, he traveled to Denver [Annotator's Note: Denver, Colorado] to be sworn in, then went to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California]. His father thought it was good for him to join the Marines because there were no opportunities for him in town. He did not know there would be a war, he was only interested in aviation mechanics. As a kid, he saw a plane flying over the family's house. His mother told him it was Charles Augustus Lindbergh [Annotator's Note: American aviator] in the Spirit of St. Louis [Annotator's Note: Ryan NYP Long range aircraft]. Lindberg was a hero for Heath. He was not prepared for what he experienced in San Diego. He immediately had to scrub a floor with a toothbrush. His drill instructor was a private after four years of service. Early in the morning, he would have to run around the base with his rifle over his head. After basic training, he worked in the mess hall. He did a good job working at the mess hall. His fellow classmates were being trained with chemical mortars. Heath was moved to Camp Elliot [Annotator's Note: part of Camp Pendleton Marine Crops Base, San Diego, California], where it would rain alot. Heath did guard duty there while the barracks were being built. After that duty, Heath transferred to Greens Farm [Annotator's Note: Green Farm Camp, Marine Corps training area, San Diego, California], which was by a lake. At night, the Marines would catch frogs for food. Heath was a corporal at the time and his job was to keep the area clean. They would sleep in tents and slit trenches and learned how to purify water. He served in a training battalion. He was visiting his uncle when he heard about the attack at Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He immediately returned to his barracks where he found the Marines preparing to fight. He did not know what he had gotten himself into.

David Heath moved to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California] and went aboard the USS President Jackson [Annotator's Note: USS President Jackson (APA-18)]. He then boarded the USS Matsonia [Annotator's Note: SS Matsonia ID-1589] which had been a luxury liner. The bunks were stacked four high, and his quarters were above the boiler room, making the floor too hot to walk around barefoot. He was aboard ship for 67 days. During the cruise, they landed on several islands and practiced amphibious assaults in Higgin's Boats [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP]. Several people almost drowned during training sessions on coral. One day, he was given leave on an island, then they set sail again. One of the ships in the convoy was sunk by a Japanese submarine. Heath saw destroyers and sub chasers drop depth charges [Annotator's Note: anti-submarine weapon]. He felt his ship shake from some of the explosions and saw black men run from below decks. Eventually, they arrived at the harbor. Getting down the nets and into the landing craft was challenging. While on the President Jackson, Heath was put into a Higgin's Boat and told to capture La Jolla Beach [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California], much to the surprise of the beach goers.

David Heath arrived at Tulagi, the capital island of the Solomon Islands. Not long after arriving, shells started falling around the Marines. The USS San Juan [Annotator’s Note: USS San Juan CL-54] and the USS North Carolina [Annotator’s Note: USS North Carolina BB-55] fired on the enemy position, silencing the Japanese guns. Soon after, Heath was on a landing craft heading for Florida Island. His lieutenant threatened to shoot the coxswain if he did not bring them to land. Heath ran ahead of the other Marines and waited for them to catch up. The Marines managed to scare away some Japanese pilots and destroy their float plane. The next day, they went to Tulagi and found some mutilated Marines. The incident sobered up Heath to the realities of war. Tulagi was a volcano-like island. They camped near a natural spring. They were told the raid would be up to 72 hours, but turned into a month without resupply. Heath found wild yams, cooked them, and ate them. That night during guard duty, Heath saw a light. After investigating, he found the seawater they used to cook the yams had prosperous in it, creating a light. Occasionally, they found loose coconuts, which provided them with something to eat and drink. However, they sometimes ate bad coconuts, which would make them sick. A small boat brought them meat, which went bad quickly, making the Marines sick with dysentery. In one night, Heath had to use the bathroom 39 times. One man had to be hospitalized. The Marines were not allowed to fire their rifles. When they landed, Japanese Marines held the island. After three days, they were all gone. During an inspection, a Marine accidently shot his rifle near the lieutenant. A troop transport carrying the Marines’ sea bags was sunk near the island. The only thing Heath got back from his bag was his wallet, empty. He never turned in the Marine that stole his money. They played alot of poker on the ship and on the island.

David Heath transferred to Guadalcanal, 26 miles from the island of Tulagi [Annotator's Note: both in the Solomon Islands]. They created a train of Higgin's Boats [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP] lead by a tuna clipper, to get across to the island. Several Marines drowned in the crossing. The Marines knew there were Japanese radio operators calling in Japanese Betty bombers [Annotator's Note: Japanese Mitsubishi G4M medium bomber, also known as the Betty], which would attack ships. This time, an aircraft carrier and the USS North Carolina (BB-55) provided cover. Aircraft from the carrier destroyed many of the bombers. Heath got onto the tuna clipper that led the transport train. They had so many people on the boat that it almost capsized. About that time, a Japanese warship came into the area, but its light went right over the convoy. It smelled bad inside the little boat. When the Japanese light went over the boat, they turned off all of the engines and lights. Heath thought he was about to be killed. After a short time, the Japanese ship left and they started moving again. They came across a man drifting in the water, but could not help him. That man gave Heath nightmares. While at a reunion of Guadalcanal veterans, Heath met the man who was yelling for help.

David Heath made it ashore [Annotator's Note: Heath landed on Guadlacanal, Solomon Islands with Company C, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division] and started moving towards the Japanese radio operators. The locals did not like the Japanese, so they moved into the hills. The locals lined the path to the Japanese with phosphorus wood. When the Marines found the Japanese, they started firing on the enemy position. One of them threw a grenade into a hut, killing six Japanese. The Marines started moving towards the rest of their company when they were fired on by a single Japanese soldier. The same Marine shot that Japanese soldier several times then Heath finished off the wounded enemy. That Marine was a crack shot having practiced shooting birds as a kid. He taught Heath how to shoot more effectively. Not far from that soldier's position a sniper had pinned down the company. The captain, whom Heath liked, was killed by the sniper. Heath moved forward and found the sniper. He got away without being shot. As a kid, Heath would play rubber gun war, which gave him an idea on how to take out the sniper. Just then, a bullet then shot through the whiskers [Annotator's Note: beard stubble] on his cheek. He jumped to a tree and was almost shot again, this time through the tree. He took out some extra rounds and put his bayonet on his rifle. The assistant BAR [Annotator's Note: Browning Automatic Rifle] man took out the sniper. Upon further investigation, Heath found out a ricochet bullet he fired killed a Japanese radio operator. The Marines managed to kill 23 Japanese in that skirmish.

David Heath found out he was behind Japanese lines. To evade the 800 soldiers, the Marines walked behind them, up a hill, along a ridge, and to the ocean. That night, the Marines knew the Japanese were nearby. One of the Marines got into a yelling match with a Japanese soldier. The Japanese attacked later that night. An officer was about to stab a Marine with his sword when another Marine named Hooker [Annotator's Note: unable to verify identity] took the blade from the officer and killed him with it. Hooker was awarded the Silver Star for that action. While in San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California], a colonel made Heath and the other Marines walk over 200 miles in 12 days. The day after the Japanese attack, that colonel took some Marines and killed more Japanese with a shotgun and his pistol. Heath was not in that group, but was close enough to hear it. The Marine that was attacked by the Japanese officer lost a foot from the attack. Heath wrote that Marine Christmas letters until his death.

[Annotator's Note: David Heath served in the Marine Corps in Company C, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division and took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal.] Douglas MacArthur [Annotator's Note: General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area] wanted to go to New Guinea, but Bull Halsey [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey] decided to go to the Solomon Islands. Because of that, the Marines did not have the aviation support needed to stop Japanese supply efforts. Heath was suffering from jungle rot on his feet and hands, keeping him from marching to the Japanese resupply position. They could not treat the jungle rot. The Marines really hurt the Japanese on Guadalcanal. Heath remembers the Japanese were bad shots. The Marines had to march all around the island to halt Japanese resupply efforts. On one patrol, Heath's squad was the point for the regiment. During the patrol, a machinegun opened up, hitting several Americans. Heath hit the ground and got himself into a safe position amongst some vines. A Japanese soldier cut through a log by Heath's head. Both sides retreated a little bit. Hooker [Annotator's Note: unable to verify identity] was almost killed by a knee mortar [Annotator's Note: Type 89 grenade discharger] and a machine gun. Heath had been in a mortar squad, but was transferred to a new squad because they needed NCOs [Annotator's Note: Non Commissioned Officer]. Heath knew one of the men in the squad, so their parents would bring letters to and from their houses. That Marine took over Heath's squad. To pass his mortar test, Heath had to hit a target within three shots, and he did it in one. The friend that took over his squad fired a wet mortar that landed short and blew Heath off of his feet. Soon a half-track [Annotator's Note: M3 half-track; a vehicle with front wheels and rear tracks] appeared with a 75mm cannon on it. When it was fired, Heath would get knocked around from the blow back. Heath ran from his cover and made it to a rear position. Hooker was the only man left in his squad. That night, the Japanese attacked Heath and what was left of his squad. The 10th Marines [Annotator's Note: 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division] fired their artillery pieces almost on top of Heath's position, but managed to kill many Japanese troops. Not one shell fell short.

David Heath served on Guadalcanal for six months and ten days. He had a colonel that was sent back to Camp Lejeune [Annotator’s Note: North Carolina] and served with the women Marines [Annotator’s Notes: United Sates Marine Corps Women’s reserve]. During a mission, someone bounced a beer bottle off of the colonel’s head. On another mission, the colonel went crazy and it took eight Marines to hold him down. They calmed him down and they kept moving. Another Marine also went crazy in the field. One afternoon, a Japanese soldier came into Heath’s camp asking to surrender himself and 50 other troops. Heath had to march all night to get to the Japanese camp. They got to the camp early enough to witness how the Japanese troops greeted the rising sun. A replacement Marine got scared and rand away without his rifle and helmet. The Marines retreated, with Heath bringing up the rear. One of the Marines got shot in the back of the head. Heath dismantled the Marines BAR [Annotator’s Note: Browning Automatic Rifle] and took some of the parts with him. He ran across three more and performed the same task to them, then disposed of the trigger mechanisms. He zig zagged back to his lines. One of the Marines almost lost his arm from an enemy bullet. The Japanese trap included 1500 troops waiting to surround the Marines. When the Marines first landed on Guadalcanal, the USS San Juan [Annotator’s Note: USS San Juan CL-54] and the USS North Carolina [Annotator’s Note: USS North Carolina BB-55] laid down a barrage that scared the Japanese into the mountains. The Marines then found the Japanese artillery and destroyed them, then destroyed their supplies. Heath believes it was a smart thing to do. Heath’s Marines were in bad shape after the surprise attack. His colonel volunteered them for a mission, even though half of the Marines were in the sick bay [Annotator’ Note: hospital]. Heath took two platoons on the mission to take out the Japanese. He made it to a clearing and found a Japanese soldier. The soldier took out a grenade and a Marine shot him with a shotgun. After dark, a corporal in command of two more platoons directed all the Marines to attack, and they managed to kill the Japanese in the area.

David Heath was stationed near Henderson Field [Annotator's Note: American airfield on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands named after Major Lofton Henderson], when he was told he would be leaving Guadalcanal. He was picked up by the USS President Jackson (APA-18). When he got to the top of the rope ladder, Heath was too exhausted to make it over the rail. Six sailors had to help him over. He was brought to New Zealand where he spent a month and four days in hospital recovering from yellow jaundice. While in hospital, he contracted malaria three times. When he returned to camp, he was given ten days leave. He went to a milk bar run by five beautiful girls. Heath took them all out on dates. The girls would compare notes on the dates. Heath was 21 years old at the time. He bought five wristwatches, which he sold to fellow Marines. One night, Heath came down with acute appendicitis. He went to a corpsman about it and was given the wrong medicine, making the ailment worse. After getting the correct medicine, Heath managed to get to his tent. The next day, a new corpsman checked him out and sent him to a medical facility. After having surgery on his appendix, Heath was incapable of crawling around. He knew they were going to go to Tarawa [Annotator's Note: Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands], but first they went to Hawaii for infantry training. Heath did not go to Tarawa, but was told his company [Annotator's Note: Company C, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division] took terrible casualties. His favorite lieutenant was killed while exiting his Higgin's Boat [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP]. While in the States [Annotator's Note: United States], Heath went to a movie theater and saw an image of his captain.

David Heath was told the Marines could not use a man with a hole in his stomach, so he was shipped back to Camp Pendleton [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, San Diego, California], where he worked driving trucks and buses. He ate well while at Camp Pendleton. He bought himself a motorcycle. He had a friend, a fellow Marine, who had two perforated eardrums and would turn his hearing aids off when he wanted to sleep. Heath would visit his friend's parents in Los Angeles [Annotator's Note: Los Angeles, California]. He ate a lot of lamb in New Zealand and was sick of eating it. Heath met his first wife while at his friend's wedding. He was married to her for 53 years. He had a hard time getting to see her during his time at Camp Pendleton. Meanwhile, he kept driving trucks for the Marine Corps. One day, he had a fellow Marine on the back of his motorcycle and they crashed. Heath broke his leg and the other Marine was unconscious. A sergeant saw him, got a doctor, and brought him to the hospital. The doctor set it wrong and refused to fix it. He later got into another accident on his motorcycle. He went to a different doctor, then transferred to San Bernardino [Annotator's Note: San Bernardino, California], where he was taken care of by the Navy. He was supposed to be discharged, but was put into a casualty company instead. Eventually the war ended, and on 28 September 1945, Heath left the military.

When he got out of the military, David Heath used the G.I. Bill. Before the war, he worked in a garage overhauling jeeps. Ginger, the girl he liked, knew he was going to be out of the military soon. Her brother worked in an auto upholstery shop. When Heath saw the job, he knew he could do that too. He used the G.I. Bill to learn how to do the upholstery job. The man he worked for was having an affair. When his wife found out, she took all his businesses and sold them. Heath managed to buy some of the machines and started doing his own work. One day, someone came into his bosses shop with a messed up car. Heath quit working for the man because the man refused to pay him his full share. He became a journeyman auto upholsterer using the G.I. Bill. Later, he had to get two disks removed from his spine, causing him to leave his job at another garage. Heath was brought a car he had worked on seven years prior, and it still looked like new. Sometimes he taught old timers new tricks.

David Heath missed his military friends. He does not think he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, while he is asleep, sometimes he kicks and punches and he has dreams about the war. He saw a Marine get shot in the face. That Marine survived, which Heath thinks is lucky. After he saw his first dead Marines, he realized what he was in for. He thought the Japanese were brutes. As a kid, he was sent home because he did not know his name, colors, or numbers. His mother had to teach him those things. In Washington, he saw Japanese-Americans working. Some of the kids would beat Heath with sticks. An eighth grader helped him when they attacked him one day. He felt like he got even with those kids when he killed his first Japanese soldier. He thought the atomic attack [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima dn Nagasaki, Japan on 6 and 9 August 1945] was the best thing that ever happened. He believes it saved many lives. For three years, he was asked to return to the Marines. He felt lucky to escape the Korean War. Heath believes getting married his most memorable experience during the war. He went into the Marine Corps to work as an aviation mechanic, but was put into a mortar squad instead. He did not have a choice about his job. He believes the Constitution [Annotator's Note: Constitution of the United States] is the best document ever made by man. The war made him a man, emotionally and physically. He loves the country and thinks Americans have the Greatest Generation [Annotator's Note: World War 2 generation] to look back to. He thinks The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] is necessary and wants future students to be taught about World War 2 history. He thinks being politically correct is not a great thing. He was worried about religion in the country. He was worried about Obama [Annotator's Note: Barrack Obama, 44th President of the United States]. Heath loved airplanes and remembers seeing two rickety biplanes pass over his head. He took a ride in one of the planes. The pilot saw a group of mustangs and dove towards them. When the plane went back up, Heath thought he would go through the floor. He worked for Lockheed [Annotator's Note: Lockheed Corporation] for 14 years.