Kenneth Killilea was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He grew up there for the most part. He also lived in Wellesley, Massachusetts as a teenager for a brief period. He grew up during the Great Depression with some luxuries that many others did not share. As a young man, he was very fortunate. His father had a good job with the U.S. Rubber, Company. Killilea was provided with an allowance. He was even given an automobile. His father insisted that he enjoy his once in a lifetime childhood experience. He did not even have to mow the lawn. He lived life as a playboy. Many of his friends were in the same position. He had an older sister and later in life two stepsisters. He enjoyed high school. He joined the Marine Corps the day after the 7 December 1941 Japanese attacked on Pearl Harbor. He called his buddies and they all agreed to join the military. He and his drug store cowboy friends were all changed by the war. He heard about the Japanese attack on the radio while driving in his car. He called his friends Peter Dunn, Steve Cleaver and others to enlist along with him. The service needed them. He liked the Marine blue uniform and decided he would look best in them rather than in a sailor or army uniform. He knew about the Marines through older friends. He wanted to be a warrior. The Corps certainly made a warrior out of him. Being an independent spirit, his parents did not disagree with his decision. Everyone was ready for the war effort after the Japanese attack. He flunked the first physical examination because of his size and weight. After working in a gym under a tutor, he passed the next test by putting on weight. He then went to Parris Island.

Kenneth Killilea received his Marine Corps boot camp training at Parris Island. The moment he stepped off the bus upon arrival, he and his fellow boots were reduced to a pile of clay. They were told that they would be formed into Marines and that it would be no picnic. The training did exactly what it was intended to do. His drill instructor was Sergeant Ukomski [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling]. He was a very mean individual who taught the men the basics of carrying their gear and regimentation. Their heads were shaved and then they were assigned to barracks. Boot camp involved difficult training including drills and bayonet training. Killilea would be one of the very few Marines who would leave boot camp prior to completion. With most Marines fighting at Guadalcanal, there came a need for a Marine drill team. Killilea was selected by his captain to participate in a competition at Citadel College that involved multiservice drill teams. Complete with new uniforms, highly polished footgear and chrome bayonets, his team won the competition against Navy and Coast Guard teams. They were awarded liberty after their success but were told to keep out of trouble or they would be taken back to Parris Island and shot. The men did not take any chances and heeded the warning. Upon return to Parris Island, the nice new uniforms and other accoutrements were taken from them and they were put back in their dungarees and finished their basic training. They were the only Marines who ever left Parris Island while in boot camp. While out on leave, the drill team members told wild stories to girls in drug stores. They were not even full-fledged Marines at the time. [Annotator's Note: Killilea chuckles at the memory.] While at Parris Island, each trainee was issued a lock box to hold most of the gear that had been provided to them when they arrived. Ukomski told his recruits that if they lost their key to the box, they should come see him for the spare he had for each lock. The men thought that their drill instructor might be softening up. One of the men lost his key. After a debate on whether the instructor was being sincere, the man was convinced to trust Ukomski at his word. The man who lost his key was Private Horowitz. He went on to ask the help of Ukomski. After opening the box, the drill instructor told Horowitz to don all the clothes that were in the box. The private put on all his socks, underwear, outer wear and even winter clothes plus any other apparel that was in the box. After that, the private was told to fall out outside. The temperature was very hot at the time. The sergeant made another boot go get his barracks box and bring it out to Horowitz. The sergeant told Horowitz to hold the box that belonged to the other barracks mate over his head. There was sand all around the barracks. The sergeant told Horowitz to repeat a demeaning slogan as he circled the barracks with the box over his head. He was told to do so until he dropped. The man circled the barracks repeatedly until he finally did drop. The other boots had to peal clothes off him and throw water on him. No one ever lost their key again. The first thing each man did in the morning was to check for their barracks box key. The sergeant was mean, but he had to be to make the trainees into Marines. Discipline and regimentation were taught. When someone made a mistake at mail call, the barracks would be called out at two o'clock in the morning for mail call. Mosquitoes would be attacking the men while they were in formation just wearing their skivvy shorts [Annotator's Note: underwear]. Killilea was sent to the 3rd Marine Division when he left Parris Island. He joined them in New River, North Carolina for combat training. At this juncture, he was being treated with dignity as a Marine. He was put in a machine gun section. It was tough combat training. He signed up for the paratroopers and was ready to go in two weeks. Beforehand, the division was split in half. A portion went to the west coast to fill up the 4th Marine Division. The other half went to South Carolina. Both groups went on to further training. Killilea was assigned to the 4th and went to Camp Pendleton for more combat training in the mountains and Oceanside along Catalina Island. Consistently every Monday morning was a 25 mile hike with full pack and weapons. A truck followed the troops so that anyone who dropped out could be picked up. If a man fell out on the hike, he would miss his upcoming 72 hour pass. The Monday hike took a lot of the weekend beer out of the boys. It was tough climbing the mountains and avoiding snakes. There was live ammunition and grenades during the training. Killilea was the best machine gunner in the battalion. He used both the light and the water cooled .30 caliber machine guns. He had to carry the gun as the gunner. It weighed 30 pounds and he did not like carrying it. He worked hard to become number two gunner so he had to carry the lighter weight tripod instead of the gun. He learned how to disassemble and reassemble the gun and worked hard such that he became a squad leader. He carried a .45 caliber pistol and a compass and that was much easier. He could fire all the machine guns. There were practice landings in Higgins Boats [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel, or LCVP] at Oceanside. The 4th Division was the first division to leave stateside and go directly into combat.

Kenneth Killilea left the United States and sailed with the 4th Marine Division to Roi-Namur in the Kwajalein Islands in the Marshall Island group. The three gunners in the machine gun section cut their belts [Annotator's Note: ammunition belts] in half and placed them back in the cans. They made sure that the asbestos gloves were available for changing out the heated barrel during a fire fight or for holding the gun by the barrel when need be in John Wayne style. The gunners thought they were invincible until the Japs [Annotator's Note: a demeaning term for Japanese] started firing back. Once the fire came back from the enemy, the rookies discovered that they were no longer at Camp Pendleton. They hit the deck and fought their way in the proper way. It was a great learning experience with a battle that was not much but still educational with grenades and explosions going off. With a massive ammunition dump that blew up, Killilea got his indoctrination into combat and learned it was a lot different than training camp with someone shooting at him. Roi, with its airstrip, was secured fairly quickly so Killilea and another machine gun section went over to neighboring Namur. That was tougher combat. The enemy had more troops and buildings that had to be overcome. After securing both islands, the men boarded a ship for a trip to Maui. In the initial voyage to Roi-Namur, the troops discovered their destination slightly after leaving San Diego. They had maps and plans to study while en route to the combat zone. With every assault, Killilea was always in the first wave. The men knew their job and they did it. Killilea was a member of the 4th Marine Division, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Regiment, G Company [Annotator's Note: Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division]. He remained there for five operations [Annotator's Note: Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima]. The men fought with great officers who stayed with them the whole time. They did not lag behind. The men were young and without wives or children. They were warriors. The assault on Roi met stiff resistance all the way from the beaches. There were trenches and other emplacements all the way to the airstrip. Incoming fire was experienced prior to securing the island. Roi was mainly an airstrip while Namur had buildings and sniper positions in the trees where the enemy had to be rooted out and killed. In the Marine Corps, the troops were taught to face the enemy, kill them as quickly as possible, and think about it later. That is what the Marines did as they found the enemy and engaged them as quickly as they could. That was what they were trained to do from Parris Island on up. There was a massive explosion that shook both islands while Killilea was 50 feet off the beach on Roi with his machine gun on its tripod. The enormous blast rose 2,000 feet above the ground. It was an enemy torpedo ammunition dump. It was unforgettable. Fragments and debris from Namur came down over him like rain but nothing serious happened to Killilea. Several Marines were killed in that detonation. After Roi-Namur, the men boarded a ship for Maui where they would train, get replacements and new equipment.

Kenneth Killilea and the 4th Marine Division left Maui to invade the Japanese island of Saipan. It was a disaster from the start. There were fully loaded LSTs [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship Tank] lined up side by side. The LSTs were carrying ammunition and gasoline. A welder is thought to have set a time delayed fuse that ignited an explosive chain reaction. It was referred to as the second Pearl Harbor because of the destruction and loss of life. [Annotator's Note: Killilea is referring to the West Loch Disaster which occured on 21 May 1944.] Killilea was in the fourth LST from the last to explode. They were tied to the dock and offloaded as quickly as they could. The men who were there were told not to talk of the event to anyone. Hawaiians were told that it was an exercise. It could be seen for miles. About 300 men were lost. The information was not released until the discovery of the story after the war. Provided with new equipment and LSTs the division sailed for Saipan. Out came maps and the information about the battle plans that were shared with the troops. Landings on Saipan were met by fierce enemy resistance at the beach. The first day's progress was minimal. That night, there was a counterattack but the Marines held. Subsequently, the enemy would be pushed back each day. The Japanese holed up in the mountains. It was the toughest battle of all those fought by Killilea. The fighting on Saipan was difficult. There were spider holes [Annotator's Note: a small one man foxhole with a cover that disguises the position] that the enemy took refuge in. Lee Marvin was shot in the posterior by an enemy in a spider hole. Enemy snipers were hidden in the palm trees. The machine gunners sprayed the palms to eliminate the shooters. The Japanese tried hard to push the Americans back into the ocean. There was hand to hand fighting at night. They [Annotator's Note: the Japanese] would infiltrate sections under cover of darkness to kill sleeping men and steal their weapons. In the process, the infiltrators would discover weak spots to assault that same night. When one of Killilea's men fell asleep while on watch at night, Killilea handed him two grenades and pulled the pin on each so the man would not sleep again that night. The cycle was to sleep two hours and be on watch for two hours. Even with the chaos of combat, an individual got use to it. They were trained for the strain but there was no let up. It was common to just feel the urgency to get the conflict over with. He never felt hunger but remembered being exhausted physically and mentally. There was no let up except for the two hours of sleep. It was not good to feel that wake up shake of the shoulder meaning it was time to take the watch. The 27th Army Division was with the 4th Marines on Saipan. There was no respect for the Army by the Marines. The Marine General "Howlin' Mad" Smith [Annotator's Note: USMC General Holland M. Smith] relieved the Army general for not keeping up. The troops in the 27th were green and would sometimes shoot at the Marines in the front of them. There were needless deaths as a result. Army equipment that was abandoned had to be recaptured. The 27th was designated to take Tinian but the Marines took it instead. The beaches on Tinian were beautiful, as was the town of Tinian. The Japanese had prepared their defense based on the Americans attacking the main beach near the town of Tinian. The intelligence people for the Marine assault had located a fine landing area in a different location. The Marines in their assault came in from the opposite direction of the main Japanese defenses. The LSTs lined up in a fake attack position on Tinian town and confused the Japanese. The Marines took the island in 11 days by catching the enemy flat footed. After securing those two islands, the Marines returned to Maui to rebuild their forces and replace their equipment. They anticipated the next assault would be on Truk but it never happened that way. Prior to the Saipan fight, it was determined that more men were needed in the Pacific. Men who were incarcerated in several military prisons were offered the opportunity to have a pardon under honorable conditions in return for them joining the fight. That was a mistake. The individuals who responded to the offer did not have the proper assault or weapons training. They had no combat experience. When confronted with a difficult battle situation, they would panic and beat a hasty retreat to the rear. They were virtually worthless in the campaign. Regular Marines with Killilea would not do that. Only two in his whole regiment had combat fatigue. The combat experience was very exciting. Some boys lost their religion over there while some gained religion. Reaction to combat depended on an individual's psychological make-up.

Kenneth Killilea and the 4th Division returned to Maui from Tinian. There was a big luau and then training started again right away. The [Annotator's Note: inaudible] went back to Saipan. Killilea and a few other corporals were assigned to a sergeant who volunteered for everything. The sergeant apparently was attempting to earn a Medal of Honor. He would go on a dangerous mission with only a runner to assist him. The corporals would not let him take on the tough jobs by himself so they volunteered to help. Jointly, they became known as the Suicide Six as a result of their hazardous assignments. Captain Gus asked for volunteers for difficult jobs and Ted would volunteer for the group. In one situation on Saipan, the 2nd Division [Annotator's Note: 2nd Marine Division] and some forward elements of the 4th Division captured a group of Japanese and placed them in a native farmhouse. The captain asked for men to watch the unarmed Japs [Annotator's Note: a demeaning term for Japanese] overnight in order to transfer them to the CP [Annotator's Note: command post] the next day. The Suicide Six offered to watch the prisoners. The volunteers thought there were maybe a dozen enemy troops they were guarding and so they relaxed overnight. They found out the next day that there were over 30 enemy prisoners and chances are they potentially could have overwhelmed some of the guards if they chose to do so. Another example of missions for the six would be to go out front of the line to a listening post to hear enemy activity to phone back to the outfit [Annotator's Note: Killilea was a member of Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division]. Other times might find them trying to spot enemy machine guns. The idea was to find out where the enemy was located in order to send back for amtracks [Annotator's Note: Landing Vehicle, Tracked or LVT, also known as an amtrack or alligator]. Ted would go up with his runner while the rest of the Suicide Six accompanied him. Together, they would find the gun positions and get an amtrack up there to root them out. Ted was wounded on the cheek by a bullet during a mission. These actions were not required, but the men volunteered. The landings after Tarawa did not use Higgins Boats [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel, or LCVP]. Amtracks were used instead. The Higgins Boats were hung up in the reefs at Tarawa. The Marines ended up being waist or shoulder deep in the water. With all the packs and equipment, it became an absolute slaughter in the water. After that, the Marines trained on amtracks and had their own personnel drive the vehicles instead of the Navy personnel. An individual quickly learned from personal experience that war is not a monopoly game. Battles can be planned and orchestrated but there will always be unforeseen situations that arise. Things will happen that the plan never considered. So many things went wrong. There were short rounds [Annotator's Note: a friendly round that does not reach the enemy but instead falls short on top of friendly forces]. The outfit would climb a hill and fire down on tanks with bazookas and flamethrowers. Battles transpire a yard at a time. Killilea would sometimes be directed to move his troops up and they would gain a small amount of ground. Then, others followed suit. The progression would follow a pattern to the top of the hill and only be interrupted by the unexpected. The mantra was Just Do It. Without thinking about it, the advance was just automatic. Take the blockhouse and then the next objective. That was the training given to a Marine. Killilea's outfit had fire teams that included flame throwers and bazookas when they needed them. If a bazooka man went down, another individual picked up the weapon and worked with the loader supporting him. The Marines were cross trained in multi-weapon usage. That made them more adaptable in being able to move forward. Killilea was trained in all types of weapons, even the rockets that fired off the back of a jeep. He knew how to be a mortar man and could also use a flamethrower. He was a demolition man who could handle satchel charges against a pillbox. In contrast, the Army taught a man to be a rifleman and that was his job. The Marine could pick up multiple type weapons and handle each of them. A Marine might even be moved up to take an injured leader's place if warranted. If a heavy weapons man went down, another man would be assigned to retrieve the weapon and continue moving forward. Men in the outfit would come and go as casualties were experienced. Toward the end of the war, replacements would be lost without their names ever being known. More replacements would be assigned as a group to compensate for the casualties lost. Names would never be important at that juncture.

Kenneth Killilea left Maui and traveled by LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship Tank] to Saipan. The Japanese did not bother with LSTs because they did not draw enough water to absorb a torpedo and the LST had as much firepower as a surfaced enemy submarine. On the voyage to Saipan, the LSTs had a DE [Annotator's Note: destroyer escort] escort. The main body traveled seven days behind the LSTs. The destination was Iwo Jima. Iwo had been bombed by American flights with remaining ordnance returning from Japan. Additionally, any major ships passing near Iwo would bombard the island. Consequently, it was felt that only five to eight days would be needed to secure the island. What was unforeseen was the network of emplacements below the surface that were connected with a complex series of tunnels. Aerial photographs could not capture what could not be seen. The battle would become a series of actions that necessitated rooting out the enemy from hidden emplacements. One cave would be blown only to have the former occupants escape via tunnel to another stronghold only yards away. While aboard ship en route to Iwo Jima, the troops took their weapons apart and cleaned them. The men learned the nomenclature of the weapons. The men prepared psychologically for the upcoming action. Except for the replacements, most of the men knew what combat was all about. The seasoned veterans educated the new men to not be concerned with themselves. If they worried excessively about themselves, they would end up being killed. They were told to just worry about killing the enemy. The troops familiarized themselves with the operational plans for their outfit. Killilea's outfit [Annotator's Note: Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] was assigned to secure the first airport on Iwo Jima. Each section of the plan was well known to the men. The amtracks [Annotator's Note: Landing Vehicle, Tracked or LVT, also known as an amtrack or alligator] were to be the landing crafts for the operation. The Japanese defensive field of fire covered from the beach backward toward their emplacements. It was sectored off to assure maximum damage to the invading forces. It was brutal. All kinds of equipment were destroyed. Tanks could not get in. There were small boats and bodies bobbing in the water. There were many dead Marines and sailors. Killilea landed with the first wave as he did in other landings. It was important to secure the existing airfield so that friendly aircraft could use that facility in support of the continuance of fighting. Having landed at nine o'clock, by three hours later, Killilea and his outfit had reached the airfield but did not take it until later. Landing on the beach was difficult. Not only was the enemy firing artillery at them but they also dropped large cans down at the Marines. The cans were filled with shrapnel, nuts, bolts, chains and so forth. That ordnance would be exploded over the Marines causing much injury and damage. The enemy threw everything they could at their assailants on the beach. It was hard to see the enemy. The flash of their weapons could be observed but not the individuals. Fire would be returned to the positions of the flashes. With the action in such close proximity, naval gunfire support was problematic. Marine howitzers had to be brought in to support the landing force. It was a difficult task to get the artillery onto the beach. It took courage to keep fighting until the equipment could be brought forward. When a Marine on the beach turned around, it looked like the whole Navy was behind him. The volcanic ash on the beach was so soft that when a step was made, the foot would sink into the sand. The troops could not stand up. Advancing meant crawling up the beach through that porous ash. It was unbelievably difficult. The smell was foul. The sandy ash smelled like sulfur. The enemy was invisible. Being underground, the enemy gun emplacements were hidden. They would open their camouflage and fire. The Marines could only fire at the gun flashes or throw satchel charges into the caves. Upon reaching the airstrip, the men waited for the command to attack and secure the field and its buildings. It was something else. Waiting for the order to attack, a shell came into Killilea's position. It was a large shell that killed five of Killilea's men. There were hardly any remains that could be found of them. Killilea was peppered with shrapnel as was Bowers who was with him. Killilea's wound was from his arm to his legs on his left side. Bowers' wound was on his opposite side. Using his knife, Killilea removed the larger pieces of shrapnel from his wounds. The two men applied Sulfanilamide to the wounds and bandaged themselves. This first aid material was available from their first aid pouches attached to their cartridge belt. The two wounded Marines were useless after that. After laying there a long time, a corpsman came in and helped them. He applied dressings to Killilea's wounds. His worst wound was from his smashed tibia. Bowers was in about the same condition. The opposite side from their wounded side was fine because it had been protected by being buried in the sand. The wounded men were provided with a bottle of brandy and morphine was administered. A tag was written by the corpsman and attached to each man stating what he had done for them. Litter bears were going to be sent to the two wounded men as soon as possible. In the Marine Corps, the litter bears were the band members. Every minute was like the Fourth of July. Another round could have killed them at any time. Sergeant Ketchum [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling] came in and told them to saddle up to move forward. Killilea had foul words for him. At that, the Sergeant pointed his weapon at the two men and said for them to get going. Killilea harshly demanded that the sergeant look at their wounds. When he observed the injuries, he said farewell to the two wounded men and took off for the attack. Subsequently, Killilea and that sergeant became good friends. In a similar situation, Killilea would have done the same to the sergeant. Later, another corpsman came by. The two wounded men had disposed of their tags and said that the previous corpsman did not have time to administer any medication. They were given a small bottle of brandy and another shot of morphine. That made them feel alright. Litter bears finally came to them and with Killilea being senior man, he told the bearers to take Bowers first. Afterward, they returned for Killilea and brought him to the first aid section on the beach. Eventually, he was transported to the hospital ship offshore, then to Guam, Honolulu, San Francisco, and on to Boston.

Kenneth Killilea was climbing up a mountain on Saipan when he and his outfit [Annotator's Note: Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] received the word that the Japanese were planning something. They were positioning themselves on top of the mountain just forward of the Americans. They attacked down the mountain toward the Americans. There were 4,000 of them in a banzai attack toward the valley below. It was pitch dark when they came on yelling and screaming. Killilea was on the ridge to the enemy's left. He was to cover their flank. The Japanese were howling and screaming. The firing went on all night long. A ribbon of light eventually came through. It was reported that the Army had suppressed the banzai attack. Soon, Killilea's captain told him to open up on the figures that were ahead. They were thought to be enemy soldiers who were attempting to escape. The American machine gunners fired on them. After daybreak, the figures could be better identified. Unfortunately, it turned out to be American soldiers who had retreated after the enemy broke their lines. The unlucky soldiers were being fired on by their own men with howitzers and other types of weapons. It resulted in an unbelievable slaughter. It was an unfortunate thing in war. There is a difference in the training and leadership between the Marines and the Army. The Marines on occasion on Saipan had to recapture lost land where the Japanese had broken through. It was a horrific situation.

Kenneth Killilea boarded a hospital ship offshore of Iwo Jima after being wounded in action. The largest pieces of shrapnel were removed from his wounds. Smaller pieces were not bothered with. There was good food on the ship. The wounded were transported to Guam after six days. There were much more serious cases there. Killilea's wounds were debilitating but not life threatening except for the possibility of blood poisoning. The 3rd Marine Division had recaptured Guam and Killilea spent time in the hospital there. Ten days after arrival, he was flown to Hawaii in a DC-3 [Annotator's Note: the DC-3 was the civilian version of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft]. Following a couple of weeks in a Hawaiian hospital, he was flown to San Francisco and sent to the Oakland Naval Hospital. Next, he with an accompanying corpsman, went by train to Boston. An admiral was very upset to be bumped out of his drawing room on the train by a lowly corporal in the Marine Corps. It was a nice trip to the Chelsea Naval Hospital in Boston. Altogether, Killilea was in the hospital for six months. After discharge from the hospital in Boston, he went home and got married. His wounds are still somewhat painful. His right leg and hip are painful. The pain can be accepted when compared to some poor individuals having much worse situations. The psychological pains and nightmares have never left him. After first arriving home, a thunderstorm would put him in a frenzy. He had to get away from his family when he became so upset. After about two years, the feelings ebbed a bit. In combat, the explosions and gunfire just keep going on and on. Shells and flares are part of your life in war but as a civilian it remains part of your memory. Thinking back on the war, most memories are acceptable except for one incident. Killilea had a friend in the Bataan Death March. They talked more about liberty than anything else. Killilea kept his war memories suppressed for 40 years. He only talked to his psychiatrist about the one event that he cannot reveal. It is still hard to talk about those past situations. Although never really frightened, he has a difficult time now with the memories. Ukomski [Annotator's Note: Sergeant Ukomski was Killilea's boot camp drill instructor at Parris Island and made a tremendous impression on Killilea] said it was a long way from Parris Island to Tokyo and 70 percent of the men would be killed on the way. The ones who paid attention to their training might be in the 30 percent who survive. The men had to become warriors. They ultimately got into the position of just not caring and just doing the best they could in combat. You could not be too concerned about whether you lived or died. If you get killed or wounded, that was the breaks. Not all of the Suicide Six survived the war. [Annotator's Note: The Suicide Six was the nickname given to Sergeant Ted, Killilea and several other corporals who invariably volunteered for risky assignments.] Only Ted and Killilea are left. When Killilea was discharged from the hospital and returned home, there were hugs and other reactions similar to most reunions. Killilea told his father not to ask him any questions. He went home and saw his future wife and mother. His mother did not ask any questions. It was nice to return home and not have to relive the experiences of war. He just did not talk about what he had been through in combat.

Kenneth Killilea feels strongly that it is important to continue to study World War 2. It is essential that young people know the history of the United States and what this country has gone through. They need to be reminded of the sacrifices the men and women have made from Lexington and Concord to today. It will help preserve the country for future generations. It should be taught in school and youngsters should be reminded of history as often as they can. People have fought for our freedoms through the generations. Citizens cannot maintain our heritage by being slackers or conscientious objectors. We have to fight for our country. We have saved other countries so many times that we have humbled those countries. The Marine Corps changed Killilea. He was wild and without values until the discipline of the Corps stabilized him. While he was growing up, Killilea saw family bread winners with salaries of 15 to 30 dollars a week. Killilea was provided an allowance and was able to spend that much money in a weekend. [Annotator's Note: Killilea's father had a stable and very lucrative job with U.S. Rubber, Company in Massachusetts during hard scrabble years of the Depression.] His married life, plus the Marine Corps, have both greatly benefited him. The National WWII Museum is very helpful in teaching values to young people. They will be responsible for the country tomorrow. It has always been Killilea's philosophy that no matter if a serviceman or woman was a mail clerk or Sergeant York [Annotator's Note: US Army Sergeant Alvin York was a highly decorated World War 1 veteran who started his military career as a conscientious objector and was later awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in combat against the Germans], they wore the uniform and played a role in the victory. No one went into the service to be a hero. They loved their country and wanted to serve. Killilea wanted to be a warrior but would have been content no matter what he was assigned to do. Looking back, he would gladly repeat his service. He is happy to help indoctrinate future generations so they can be prepared to do what is necessary to defend this country.