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John Heilman

Gray haired John Heilman wearing a red suit and black tie with medals on the lapel and a red veteran's cap

WWII Veteran John Heilman, 2007

 John Heilman, 2007

  • Branch of Service: United States Marine Corp
  • Enlisted 1942

Listen to the following sections by scrolling forward to the timecode.

:12 - Enlisted into the Marines at the age of 21 in 194
2:49 - Journey after enlistment.
7:08 - Came down with malaria and was sent to the San Diego hospital.

7:41 - Incident in Gaudalcanal
12:34 - Time in the Marshall Islands
15:53 - Dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan
18:09 - Memories of the war
18:36 - Explanation of why he enlisted for the war.

J.B. Heilman Jr. Obituary 

The interview was recorded at an SDPB event in Miller, SD. 

Images Provided by John Heilman 

American soldiers prepare a mass grave for Japanese casualties on the Marshall Islands. (PDF)

GIs remove Japanese bodies after a battle on the Marshall Islands. (PDF)

The Marshall Islands. "How would you like to crawl through that?" Says John Heilman who had the experience. (PDF)

American soldiers were laid to rest on the Marshall Islands. (PDF)

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