Leland J. Kennedy Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

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I got discharged on the first of November in Marysville, California. Of course they had a little ceremony you know. And one thing that - when I got there though - that has always, some sorrow - it was a regular service for us and they had a chapel. I always visited the chapels and I went in there and there was some fellow and he was kind of sobbing, and I went over to him and he had just gotten back. He had been out in the Philippines or someplace, a young fellow, much younger than me. Rut his mother had passed away and he was really upset. And he just complained that they didn't let him know sooner or more gently, but I guess you can never tell a person anything bad gently you know. Of course you know, I never saw him again, didn't even know his name. Q: What was your duty there at Marysville? A: Well we were in a process center, a supply center, just handling - not weapons, or anything like that - just clothes, supplies, general supplies for guys who were going to Japan I guess. I don't know, or going over to the Philippines, or occupation troops going west, and it was mostly doing nothing. Q: Well. (chuckles) Were you record-keeping, or . . . A: What? Q: Were you record-keeping? A: No I wasn't record-keeping. I was never in the ofice. No, I didn't, no. I was just an ordinary T-4 and waiting to get discharged, and I did get discharged. I stopped at Salt Lake City, Utah, coming home and you had you know your mileage pay and that. But those trips I made - 1 think I went from Alton to Chicago west twice, and I had to pay my own fare. I got an airplane ride home the first time and even maybe the second time. But out at Baxter they wanted to get rid of you as much as you wanted to get rid of it - you know, not really, just GI stuff you know. If you were ambulatory, they didn't want you, and you didn't want them as far as that goes. (chuckles) They didn't want to feed you, and house you. They had a place for guys who were much more hurt than you were. Q: Yes sir. And you had no desire anyplace along the line here of staying in then, as a serviceman. A: No, I never did. Maybe I should have. No I never had. I didn't dislike the army, but I didn't love it. I'm sure it's a good career, though, if a man wants it, it's fine. SESSION 5, TAPE 9, SIDE 1 Q: I indicated yesterday 1 was going to ask about Homer in service in World War 11. A: Well you know, I told my wife about that after you left and I don't know too much about Ilomer's military career. Now like the last time I saw Homer was three years ago today and tomorrow. My sister died three years ago and he was down for the wake and the funeral. IIe comes to Alton to a doctor. With reference to Homer's military service, I know he went in in the fall of 1941, and he went to the Aleutians. That's where he went first. And then he went into - I suppose the Philippines.
And he got out before I did, but he went in much longer than I did. Rut he was out about a month or maybe six weeks before I was because he came down and met the train, he and my mother and sister came into St. Louis but . . . do you know Homer? Q: No. A: You know he lives in Springfield. He and his wife run the Calvary Cemetery for Bishop McNicholas, and I was thinking, if you had to have it, you could call him. He's a very gracious person, and I'm sure he'd he glad to tell you about it. Q: No. I was just wondering if - you said that he was on lay duty and . . . A: He was in the office. But they - they were in combat against - weren't there some Japanese in the Aleutians. Didn't the Japanese get that far? Well, they had combat with them. Now, as to what - you mentioned he was in the Thirtieth Division I think. Q: No, Seventh Division. A: Seventh Division. Q: I was mistaken, Seventh Division. A: Well he was attached to the headquarters company when they went to the Philippines. And when they got out to the Aleutians, I guess it was early. I think that - well, he was in before Pearl Harbor - whether they were at the Aleutians before Pearl Harbor themselves - he went out to California. He made some friends out there. He was up, like where I got discharged in Marysville, he was in that area. They went up to Alaska from there. But when they went up there - I would assume it would be early 1942, I don't know. Sometime in 1942. But they were in combat up there, and they lost some men. When they were getting started as a headquarters company - if you were there, and you had a gun, you had to shoot it, I guess. That's about the best way I can describe it. He didn't go to OCS [Officer's Candidate School] I don't think. 1 think he had an opportunity, but he didn't go. He may have been a master sergeant; if he wasn't, he was a grade under that. He was a warrant officer, is what he was, he was a warrant officer, that's what it was. That's the rank he eventually achieved, a warrant officer. After I got hurt, I had a couple of letters from him. If they had an opportunity to see MacArthur - if that was considered an honor, I don't know. I would have considered - maybe Truman wouldn't have. But . . . Q: I see. (laughter) A: But whether MacArthur had doubles or not, I don't know. I don't know that. The only guy I heard who had any doubles was Churchill, and I think about that and laugh about it all the time because - because if you hear one guy who talks, you hear them all. So that . . . (chuckles) Q: Yes sir. Did you say you had seen Eisenhower over in England? A: Yes, yes. I saw Eisenhower. At St. Lo and with his driver - I wasn't aware it was his lady friend. But it was that Kay something, whatever her name was. Q: Summers.
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University of Illinois at Springfie
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ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ORAL HIST
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Preface This oral history of Leland
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Volume I Leland J. Kennedy SESSION
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next to us was a duplex house and a
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Q: Were these family meals that she
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I was awful fascinated by politics.
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Q: Yes sir. (chuckles) What part of
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that much about it, about the makeu
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out and there was the number of my
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A: Well. Yes, I always remember one
Page 24 and 25:
Q: Was it a paddle wheeler or what
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een that far back, in that era, may
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that wanted to take roomers or boar
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A: As you go by, that's the Alton W
Page 32 and 33: Q: Oh? Were you a pretty good corn
Page 34 and 35: A: Maybe it makes good talking to m
Page 36 and 37: A: The Fourth of July and Christmas
Page 38 and 39: A: I mean his wife is I think, and
Page 40 and 41: golden handshake. They'd give you m
Page 42 and 43: A: . . . and the twenty-five. But y
Page 44 and 45: day I would say that half of the fo
Page 46 and 47: Young Democrat convention, elected
Page 48 and 49: in Edwardsville, and you had to pay
Page 50 and 51: - and we were for Smith, and fighti
Page 52 and 53: work. I never was drafted for nothi
Page 54 and 55: more German than I was I guess. (la
Page 56 and 57: Of course there were war clouds han
Page 58 and 59: A: Twice a month. Q: Twice a month?
Page 60 and 61: There was neighbor against neighbor
Page 62 and 63: A: And they did, so that's . . . Q:
Page 64 and 65: SESSION 4, TAPE 7, SIDE 2 Q: That w
Page 66 and 67: ' I 59 you couldn't get across that
Page 68 and 69: A: Well they didn't have none of th
Page 70 and 71: A: Oh no, never saw any. I saw some
Page 72 and 73: VOTE FOR LELAND J. KENNEDY DEMOCRAT
Page 75 and 76: Q: Now when you first went in did y
Page 77 and 78: A: A port of embarkation or for sup
Page 79 and 80: A: Oh yes. I'm sorry about that now
Page 81: A: Alright. August. I'll tell you -
Page 85 and 86: A: No no, never said a word. Oh the
Page 87 and 88: though. He was a good talker, and o
Page 89 and 90: play cards or just talk. Women like
Page 91 and 92: Q: Yes sir. A: We had a strike in s
Page 93 and 94: Of course you'd have a lot of lawye
Page 95 and 96: A: Well that was - that was the bes
Page 97 and 98: polls in a particular city and he's
Page 99 and 100: Q: Yes. A: Bond never did like bein
Page 101 and 102: wife and family when you're out, or
Page 103 and 104: of Illinois) library and muse aroun
Page 105 and 106: A: Well legislative process, commit
Page 107 and 108: A: Yes I think so, had a column. We
Page 109 and 110: A: Well I recall - I guess they're
Page 111 and 112: state central committeeman. Now sta
Page 113 and 114: not an Italian name, but what those
Page 115 and 116: Q: Oh? WOKZ in Alton, Illinois? A:
Page 117 and 118: This is going back, and I don't hav
Page 119 and 120: had twelve in the pool. I think it
Page 121 and 122: Q: Oh is that right? A: Oh my first
Page 123 and 124: a federal gasoline tax thirty years
Page 125 and 126: Q: No sir, no sir. Well let's see,
Page 127 and 128: they changed those desks after reap
Page 129 and 130: Q: He started that in the 1951 sess
Page 131 and 132: That wasn't a bone of contention a
Page 133 and 134:
Q: Oh I see. A: I think they'd do t
Page 135 and 136:
Talking about lodging, 1'11 always
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his wife's sister. Of course they w
Page 139 and 140:
A: Oh did she? Q: Yes. A: Well some
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And a lot of those people are all g
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I believe there's a lot of that fam
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Leland J. Kennedy Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

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