Homer J. Comeaux, Jason Theriot, Mrs. Comeaux:

-Was 17 years old when signing up for the National Guard against his parents’ wishes
-Left with all his friends from New Iberia in 1940 to Camp Blanding, Florida for 13 months
-They were supposed to train for 12 months (a year) but they were kept an extra month longer so they figured something was wrong
-Within that month the war broke out and they were sent to North and South Carolina to guard the coast
-His friends that he signed up with: Rivis Hebert, Walter Hebert, Shorty Broussard, Eudey Surlock, Wallace Thibodaux, Chink Broussard, Ellis LeGrange, LeTick Courrege, and Oswald Ronsonet

-In South Carolina was put in the combat infantry in the airfield
-Then sent to Brownsville, Texas and trained there until 1942
-September 1942 brought them to New York and put on a ship
-Had turned 18 a few days before they left on the ship

-Met a lot of the Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville, Franklin men
-They all went overseas together
-All could speak French and spoke it to each other a lot
-Some of the orders in the beginning of training were said in French but they were also taught in English
-They were trained in American rules not Frenchmen rules

(9:15) Overseas
-Landed in Scotland and by truck sent into England
-Took them awhile to get to London to help guard the Air Force (8th, Bushy Park)
-They ate many deer off the King’s land (illegal); they had it good for awhile
-When patrolling had to yell “halt” 3 times if they saw movement and if no answer then shoot
-Would do this mostly when they came across deer and say they thought it was the enemy
-Comeaux’s neighbor (in New Iberia) Etian Leblanc was their cook and he was always on the ready for the deer they killed as it had to be done fast so they weren’t caught
-It was an important job though guarding the air field from the Germans

(13:50) Africa
-Took a ship in 1943 to North Africa; no problems really, just a few bombs falling on them
-Their first duty was to guard the Oran prison; then put to guarding the port
-Had problems with the locals as there was a lot of stealing between the Arabs, Africans and Americans
-There were some French speaking people in Oran; his French helped him a lot

(20:57) Italy
-A few months later after landing in Africa put into the 202nd Combat Infantry Battalion and they made them into MPs
-Moved around a lot in Algiers and then shipped to Italy
-Was in the 71st MP Company
-Left for Italy on 5 LSTs; the German news commentator (Axis Sally) was telling them what they were going to do to them when they landed
-That morning of them landing they were bombed at; landed about a quarter of mile from Comeaux’s ship
-Once on the beach they dug their own foxholes; landed on Anzio beachhead
-Followed the infantry into Rome and couldn’t go in as it was an open city
-Had to split up and got in and worked as military police

(24:34) Talking
-Breakdown of movements and dates
-Infantries he was in or might have been in
-Looking through papers and photos
-People from Louisiana with Comeaux, those he knew

(32:47) Story of a jeep accident with a grenade

(33:55) Rome
-Their duty was to find the hiding Germans within the city; go through building and hotels
-Knocking on doors and asking them to come out; if no answer they tied hand-grenades to the door handle and ran around the corner
-Lots of German snipers in Rome; one shot Comeaux’s officer, they unloaded on that German

(Talking of family and wife after the war)

(49:50)
-Didn’t stay in Rome for too long; went to the Rhine River to guard it
-Took no pictures from the war, didn’t believe it was right
-Drove a motorcycle as a MP; all new Harley Davidsons were given to them
-They had to guard a general in Rome with the motorcycle

-Looking at the papers at men that served in Louisiana; trying to find someone from Franklin
-Message Comeaux wants the President and his admin to hear on the war in Iraq

Transcription Begins:

Homer J. Comeaux
218 Bob St.
New Iberia, LA 70560
Company G, 2nd Battalion, 156th Louisiana National Guard
North Africa & Italy

I was seventeen when I joined the National Guard. My parents didn’t want me to sign up, but I signed my name anyway. I left with all my friends. When we left New Iberia in 1940, they organized us and shipped us to Camp Blanding in Florida for 13 months. We were supposed to come back within a year, but they kept us there longer. We figured something was wrong. They wanted to keep us there to train us for one more month. I didn’t have a lot of education, but I had enough sense to know that they were keeping us around for a reason. Within that month the war broke out and they sent us to South Carolina to guard the coast.

I had a lot of friends that were already in the guard and they wanted me to join with them, so I did. I remember them all; Rivis Hebert, Walter Hebert, Shorty Broussard, Eudey Surlock, Wallace Thibodaux, Chink Broussard, Ellis LeGrange, LeTick Courrege who was killed overseas. Oswald Ronsonet was transferred out of our company and was killed somewhere in France.

Everybody was joining the guard at the time, plus we would get a paycheck. My momma and daddy was so poor and they had so many children that I figured they wouldn’t mind one of them off their back. But, they were against me joining. Not because they didn’t want to defend my country, but they were worried about my safety.

I didn’t have the most education, but I believed in my country and I fought for my country. And I would go back and fight for it again.

We were combat infantry guarding the airfield in South Carolina. Everyday we would walk five miles and run five miles back. We were in pretty good shape. Then they rushed us back to Brownsville, Texas for more training. We stayed there until 1942. In September, they brought us to New York and put us on a ship to go overseas. I had just turned 18 years old.

I met a lot of those guys from Breaux Bridge and St. Martinville and Franklin while we were training. They were good people and they helped the war out a whole lot. We all went overseas together. Ninety-nine percent of us spoke French.

Some of our orders in the beginning were in French, but they got away from that because they had to teach us in English. They wanted us to speak French, but not to train as Frenchmen, because we had learned the American rules. At Camp Blanding when we played cards, we would sometimes speak French to each other. We would like to catch two or three of them that didn’t speak French so we would take their money!

We landed in Scotland. They brought us in trucks and they put us guarding the 8th Air Force headquarters near Bushy Park. We ate quite a few deer off of the King’s land. For a while, we had it good. We had a strict order to howler halt three times. If they don’t stop we were told to go ahead and shoot, no matter whom it is. When we knew it was a deer, we would say HALT-HALT-HALT and BANG!

My next-door neighbor, Etian Leblanc, was our cook overseas. We would kill the deer and he would cook it. We wouldn’t let him guard. We’d tell him, “Go get ready with your knife sharpener.” He cooked it in a hurry, because we were always on the move. It was a good brown gravy and we ate quite a few.

What we were doing was very important. Our job, guarding those airfields, was a very important job. There were Germans and spies all over the place.

We took a ship to North Africa in 1943. In Oran, our first duty was to guard prisoners. Then we were put guarding the port. We had problems with the locals, the Arabs. A lot of them wouldn’t listen. There was a lot of stealing going on from the Africans and the Americans. That’s why you had to have tuff guys on guard at the ports and at the entrances. We could take care of ourselves because we had a lot of training.

I had a French girlfriend and I took her to dances. My French helped me out a lot when I was in Africa.

After a few months time, we were put into the 202nd Combat Infantry Battalion and they made MPs out of us. They moved us around a lot. We went to Algiers for a while. And then they shipped us to Italy.

We landed on the Anzio beachhead. The infantry was already on the beach. I was in the 71st MP Company. We left Africa on five LSTs. On the radio, the German news commentator told us what time we left and what time we were going to land. They knew that we were coming. We landed and bombs were falling about a quarter of a mile from us. We got on the beach and tug foxholes.

We followed the infantry into Rome. When we got to the border of Rome, we couldn’t go in for a few days because Rome was declared an open city. I was in the first jeep that went into Rome as military police.

I drove a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Our company got six brand new ones and we road them around Rome. We were guarding a general. We would surround his car with motorcycles on four sides.

There were a lot of German soldiers and officers hiding in Rome. Our job was to go through the city and the hotels and the buildings to get them out. I’d ask the clerk where they were. I’d poke him with my bayonet and tell him to tell me what room the Germans were in—a teleshon [what room]. He knew what I was asking. We’d knock on the door and ask them to come out. If they wouldn’t then we’d tie a hand-grenade to the door and run around the corner.

They had a lot of German snipers in Rome. One sniper shot at our officer. And we all unloaded on him. Those Cajun soldiers were tough. They could handle themselves in a fight. We fought hard for our country. That’s what they need over there in Iraq: a couple of good ole Cajun soldiers.