Caesar Comeaux, Jason Theriot, Hewitt Theriot:

-Was 17 years old when Pearl Harbor happened;
-Had been out with friends shooting and when he came home his parents told him "On el a geure" (We are at war)
-His older brother was in the National Guard and already at Camp Blanding, Florida
-Went to enlist in 1943 but was told to come back in when he was 18; drafted in February 14, 1944 and went into the Marines

-Sent to San Diego, California at the Marine station for 10 weeks; then went on leave for 10 days
-Was able to adjust in training and gained 30 lbs. while in service
-After boot camp and leave went to Camp Miramar, California (Air station) and started assigning them to as-needed-to places

-Started training as a mechanic on airplanes and out in the 3rd Air Wing on an escort carrier
-Went down to Honolulu for a “shakedown cruise” and while heading there the war ended
-Sent to Formosa and then Okinawa for occupation; afterwards went to Saipan
-Sailed on the CVE 110 “Salerno Bay”
-Came back to the states in December 1945

(6:20) In the Service
-Wasn’t that bad (at Saipan) and the sugarcane grows wild
-His mates thought he was crazy when he’d eat the cane, they thought it was grass
-After going back to the states they were put on another ship to do a “shakedown cruise” to Honolulu
-It was another aircraft carrier
-Station on one of the main islands for Hawaii

-On the aircraft carrier the pilots would practice flying
-His job was to keep them running and clean
-Carried about 30-40 planes; torpedo bombers and fighter planes
-If doing major overhaul they got to fly with them
-Came back to the states after a few months

-Had to spread the news to the islands of the war ending
-Would take precautions in keeping lights off at night and looking to submarines
-Never knew who knew the war was over or not

(11:06) Before Enlistment
-Couldn’t buy tires or gas but that didn’t bother him as a teenager
-He worked washing clothes and delivering them by bike
-Sometimes heard the news of the death someone or someone gone MIA but didn’t get much word
-Parents couldn’t read or write so they never got the newspapers; taught himself English

-Older brother in National Guard and he went through Europe and Africa
-Kept in touch through letters
-After the war and they both came home, never talked about it; never saw battle so not much to tell on his side
-The service was a learning experience since he never went to high school
-Mother had 12 children and in the 6th grade he had to quit school to help support the family

(20:55) Discharged and the War Ending
-Came back home on the Southern Pacific railroad; bought his own ticket
-Rode from California to home

-Was in Califronia when the bombs were dropped; heard it over the radio on the ship
-People were on the streets celebrating; they were allowed to get off the ship for the day
-Next day had to get back on the ship and head out

(Tape begins to distort at the end when Comeaux and Theriot are talking about experiences and voices change)

Transcription Begins:

Caesar Comeaux
Born: December 3, 1925
New Iberia
Marine-Aviation Mechanic

I remember Pearl Harbor. In 1941 I had just made 17-years old. When I came home that day my mother and father told me, "On el a geure"- We are at war.

By brother Homer was in the National Guard and I think he was already at Camp Blanding Florida and naturally my parents were concerned.

I went to enlist in October 1943, and the enlisting officer asked me when I would turn 18. So I told him I would be turning 18 in December. So he told me to go home and enjoy myself and wait till I was 18 for the draft. On February 14, 1944 I was drafted and went into the Marines.

I went to San Diego California at the Marine station there for 10 weeks for boot camp. I was in pretty good shape before I went to boot camp. I had been washing cloths and delivering cloths on my bicycle to help support my family before I was drafted. I made $3.25 a week and I would give that to my mother. She had 12 children. I was just a little shrimp but I put on about 30 lbs. in the service. I was able to handle the training. And then I came home on leave for 10 days.

I went back to California and trained to be a mechanic on airplanes. I was with the 3rd Air Wing on an escort carrier - the CVE 110 Salerno Bay. We went on a shake down cruise to Honolulu. The war ended while we were going there. They announced that we had dropped the bombs on Japan and I could not believe how many people were killed. It was unbelievable, but I had never heard anything about an Atomic bomb. When we came back to California we were able to go into the city and it looked like there was a million people in the streets celebrating.

We went to Formosa for occupation and to Okinawa. We hit a typhoon there. And we went to Saipan.

There was still a sense of danger in the Pacific. We had to go through battle conditions regularly. The war was over but they still had some Japanese out there that had not heard the news. We had lights out at night and everything. There were still some radicals (Japanese) out there.

On those islands the sugar cane grows wild. I used to chew sugar cane and those guys thought I was crazy. They thought I was eating grass.

While we were at sea the pilots would practice flying from our ship. We must have had carried 40 planes: torpedo bombers and fighter planes - F4U's and Mustangs. When we would do a major overhaul of the plane we would have to fly with the pilot.

We came back to the states in December 1945. They put us on another carrier for another shake down cruise in January. We went to Honolulu. We were stationed in Hawaii for awhile.

Back home we really didn't have the news communication that they have today. We had radio and we would hear about somebody getting killed or MIA and we felt sorry for the families, but we were not well informed. It was really just by word of mouth. My parents couldn't read or write and they didn't speak English, so we didn't get the newspapers. I had to learn to speak English on my own.

I was fortunate that I wasn't involved in any major attack, but we were scheduled to go to Japan. I had quit school in the sixth grade to go to work to help my family, so for me the service was a learning experience.

My brother was in Italy and we kept up with him through letters. When we both got back from the war we really didn't talk much about it. I haven't talked about my experience to anyone really.

I was discharged in California and I came home on the Southern Pacific.