Roy White and Jeanne White

00:05 My name is Jeannie white. I am 49 years old. Today's date is Saturday, August 17th, 2019. We are in Chicago, Illinois and I am here to interview my dad Rosendo White.

00:30 Well, they haven't heard it all before you start anything. They have me here is Roy a wife.

00:38 Here. Yeah, they have me here if Roy White.

00:47 72 years old

00:53 Get your 92. Okay, that's a 9.

01:03 Okay, you want me to repeat it again or?

01:09 Okay.

01:11 My name is Roy White.

01:14 92 years old

01:19 Saturday

01:21 August 17th

01:28 And that's without the 19 2019, Chicago, Illinois.

01:36 I am here with my daughter Jeanne White.

01:41 Okay, so Dad, we're here to talk about your experience in the Army and serving during World War II. So talk to me a little bit about when you join the Army. What made you join the Army? What was it like when you joined?

02:04 And then day.

02:06 How to get me

02:08 Ahead of the night I escaped at all and I'm here to tell the story.

02:14 Thank you very much.

02:17 Okay, and you join the Army? What year?

02:23 What I wish I could remember I forgot that already. OK you joined an April on April 10th. 1945 Fort Hood, Texas. Remember anything about what it was like when you were training practice learn how to shoot a gun and

02:48 How to avoid problems look forward to getting where you were going safely.

02:57 Caillou where I looked at your papers you were a rifle sharpshooter.

03:03 Remember that it's raining harder. We would go out and Test Dummies they'd have out there and we shoot them and they let us know if we hit it or not.

03:15 And that was testing our talent as far as shooting and you were also trained as a clerk-typist and a lineman telephone lineman.

03:30 You talk to us about the ship that you were on the US Everly. What was that? Like being on that ship? It was a little scary that begin with and but after you

03:43 They give you as a ride, then you you are just and then you're happy again. What did you have to adjust to? What was it like with a claustrophobic like are you under there was something like what if I, you know, you're in the water and a strange part of the ocean and you don't know if there's somebody under there in a submarine or get ready to blast you out of there. So, okay, you took it with your heart pumping pretty you beating.

04:15 Pretty fast and then you forget about it and forget it was used to it. And you were going to Kyoto Japan. This was October 1945 on the elderly.

04:30 1945

04:32 Were you where you guys scared? Remember the fear something new and you know you're going into.

04:43 You know, I'll run into some problems somewhere in the ocean. And okay, the war had ended in September 1945. So you were going to the 364th station hospital and you are there for cleanup Duty?

05:01 364 station Hospital

05:05 And when I went from there.

05:08 Kept on going

05:10 Anything else about the Everly you would you would always tell stories about how you would talk to the cooks in Spanish? Cuz they didn't know you were married in Aiken bill as they say that gringo.

05:25 Naturally an American speaking person. And here he is telling us his story about in Spanish.

05:37 Or whatever you want to call it and we got by real good. Yeah, never got into a fight or anything and he used to say that they would give you extra food if you speak Spanish.

05:54 And that was a good that was a good thing. I just start so let's talk about what it was. Like when you were in Japan. Who did you you're a clerk-typist? Who did you work with Father wolberg? Yeah. I was with a priest.

06:10 I need tell me I go with him wherever he goes I go. Yes, I drove him to wherever he wanted to go. What did he tell you about the Jeep? But he told me not to pick up any strangers just it was between the two of us. That was it.

06:30 And I learned a lot from him. Yeah, and he learned a lot for me to do so.

06:35 I was always open for information or suggestion whatever you were his typist and his clerk but you would tell us that he picked you to be his assistant because you knew your prayers. I know you're Catholic prayers.

06:53 So we're eating at long as you did at the hospital or other things that you did.

07:04 When you were with other Wahlberg talk to other people and especially ones that were hurt pretty bad or something and sort of get them to in a mood to a good mood.

07:17 Did you tell him jokes? Yo are always good about telling jokes crazy things about my life.

07:24 How easy it seem to be in

07:27 Kept on going never stopped and talked about the other cleanup Duty you would talk about going into the caves. What was that? Like, what did you do when you are on cleanup Duty when we go in there? We didn't know how safe it was.

07:44 But we go in there and I when I wasn't by myself, right they would never send you there by yourself. You always have somebody with you. So in case there was some kind of accident like somebody shooting at your yeah cuz yeah, what did you bring with you you talked about? So what did you have? What kind of weapons if you have with you got through that?

08:07 Well, I had a I had a rifle had a rifle and then my gun on my hip ready for anything good come up. You said you had a bayonet and I'm sure of course you always have to pay on that so I will always ready but never run into any problem. Okay, so you didn't find any nothing that scared me. Okay, if you did come home with a samurai sword and a Japanese flag, so you found some artifacts remember where you how you found those or did you guys just find those lying around or in the case take them off I gathered them up and then I was returning them and they said no you can have them.

08:49 And I took him home after I was up. My mother just couldn't get up.

09:00 So

09:02 Then eventually I did get rid of them. I I went to a store and I don't know how we got into a conversation. Then I told the guy I have a some stuff in my car. You want to look at it and they said oh, yeah, I'll give you something for it. What do you want in exchange for whatever you did me. So I went from there are some other things that you did in Japan. We have some photos here of your time in Japan.

09:32 What were some other things that cuz it was the end of the war? So was there a father wolver?

09:45 According to visit

09:49 Some other

09:52 People with diamond

09:57 We would get on with conversations and

10:01 Did they do you remember the Eisenhower any of the other generals p.m. To you? And the other men? What was he like? What were the generals are there Spanish? And that was a main thing that already got them curious. So I got along beautifully.

10:23 No problem there.

10:27 So they treated me like gold. I mean they put me in a Jeep and we go here and go there and very friendly very friendly. Yeah, you always said that the Japanese people were very friendly very nice to you. Got some you learn some Japanese. You have your Japanese language guy that you had with you.

10:52 I got along real good then have any

10:57 Anybody coming up like trying to beat me up or take something away from me? Nothing? No, it was good.

11:06 So what did you feel you're the the reason was that the army that year were in Japan after the war? What was the purpose of you? But like every but like why do you think the military stayed there? What were you guys trying to do like protection for?

11:30 Okay people that were indicted in that area. Okay, I could have civilian housing up trust. Okay.

11:39 So we waited you also visited Hiroshima Hiroshima after that.

11:53 Just to see what it was like.

11:56 But they had that they were careful with her.

12:00 With us as troops and everything, you know, they they weren't out to shooters or anything. They were just testing us and everything worked out. So I never had anybody who has a hardship that's good the u.s. Hibernate.

12:22 What are some of the things you and your friends did in the Army? There's a picture of you and your friends with roller skates on you guys roller skating in the in the barracks or Barracks. Just something you did to pass time in shape. See you. Don't only move your day Siri move your head and your arms and everything.

12:46 And bump into each other and do all kind of sort sort of things that come to your mind just to pass the time just giving us a Time.

12:57 Good friends. Yeah. Yeah talk about your friends will wear some of your friends when you were in the military.

13:03 When you were in the army or some of your friends or some things that you and your friends did.

13:09 Well, here I am.

13:12 And this is

13:15 Robert

13:17 He was a very friendly friend a guy.

13:23 Yeah, there was quite a few things at the

13:28 I forgot a lot about already. I will take you where it will the war had ended too. So it looks like they're worth parades and there is some things that you and Eisenhower coming to talk to you. So you got to see a lot of the

13:43 Gyro pronunciation at the end. It was like it really was.

13:48 We have exchanged ideas and

13:52 Are motivated

13:55 Never a dull moment. So what do you think the how do you think your time in the military affected you?

14:04 I think it opened up my eyes that I was growing up and ready for whatever they they would throw at us. That's when you volunteered in the Army. You weren't even done with high school you your older brother Ben was already in the military and you you left when you were eighteen, so it was up to me.

14:27 Got along good. What was it like coming back coming back from Japan trying to stay but

14:42 Either you or they put you into something else or get out of here. And that's the way it was me. I said, I am ready to leave about a year out of here and everybody and then you kept in touch with Father Wilbur on the letters that he wrote you did. He stay in Japan. I was a his driver. Yeah, wherever he would go I go with him. Yeah. Yeah, very proud of me. Yeah. Yeah. He kept writing you after he after you left and then he still kept.

15:30 So I was a grown man by then. It's time you got out. What are you most proud of?

15:38 From the airtime in the military compete and

15:46 Get together with somebody and give our views of what we think of the situation. We were in and everything and we got along fine. I didn't have any problems. No fighting with anybody or trying to fight with anybody.

16:03 Just moved here movie where did what we had to do? Okay. How do you want to be remembered?

16:11 Well, if they remember my name my name Roy white and then I would tell him my name was Rosendo in Spanish, right? Yeah.

16:23 They were always thinking well, what a fool is this guy or what? What is it you but I got along fine. Didn't have one incident where I was. Sorry get on the USS, Bernie and

16:37 Go hunting for problems or trouble and never encountered any other words. I was gifted. I was gifted it was an experience and I still carry it. Remember a lot of things have really good pictures and used to tell a story of when you were alignment and you go up the poles with spikes on your shoes. One of the guys told me I want to I want to do if I want to get up that pole as fast as you do and then he put them on backwards. He couldn't do it I said, hey how about turn them around take that one there and put it on this foot and that went over there and snap it on and he was a member you tell them things like that, you know know I had fun.

17:31 Heard you were in there to do a job and yet you would do such things at the what come to your mind.

17:40 Why you always make everything fun? So I'm not I'm not surprised that you used your time to learn about the Japanese people really for them always coming up with ideas.

17:55 I'm not surprised so.

17:59 Anything else you want to mention?

18:03 No, there's pretty hurts a lot. But then and you know that it's a story the story about coming back what it was like coming back as as a veteran.

18:17 Coming back into civilian life after being in the military anything else about adjusting and having to get a job going back.

18:29 Wherever you were at you would adjust to what you know, what was around you and that was one main thing.

18:40 So I was glad when I came out of there and

18:44 And is so near that I had some pictures so I gave away quite a few swords and stuff like that. I gave him away didn't eat him. So I made out like a champ any advice for anyone in the military going overseas. That's individual. Yeah. There's guys that are

19:12 Hard to deal with and guys trying to take advantage of some of your things or things like that. Yeah.

19:19 Getting a promotion was easy made Sergeant just like nothing. It was easy easy for you and you're very respectful of others. So I'm not surprised. Absolutely.

19:37 Okay, sunny any last words before we finish up any last words before we finish up that you want to say about your experiences or about the military or if I had to do it over I would I would

19:55 I had no fear. No.

19:58 Okay, so it made a man out of me. That's what I want to do. That's what I want to do.

20:05 Perfect. Alright. Thank you, Dad. And thanks for your time.

20:13 The Story of My Life