Tomorrow Magazine Veterans Day Special Issue, 2003

You had to keep order and do everything on the double.
WWilliam “Tom” Lee Jr. as told to
Molly Rose Teuke
When I enlisted in the Marines in
1943, I explained that I’d just gotten
married, but I was called up anyway.
I didn’t like leaving, but at 18, you
figure it’ll just be for a little while. I
did not go overseas. When I was in
San Diego, about half the platoon
went overseas right after boot camp.
There were a couple of times that
we were all dressed in our greens with
our sea bags packed, standing at the
foot of our bunks in the barracks,
waiting for orders to board ships. A
couple dozen names would be called
out to report for further training, and
my name was among those. It was the
same at Cherry Point, N.C.
William “Tom” Lee Jr.
U.S. Marine Corps, 1943–1945
Corporal
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