Personal Accounts of Wartime Service

A.S. Green's WW-I Dog Tags

Albert Sidney Green's World War I account.

On January 20, 1918 I resigned teaching of Providence School, to get myself ready for army duty, and on May 28^th 1918 I was inducted into the Army. (I) started for Camp Pike, Arkansas, on May 29^th. (and was) there at camp until the later part of July, then sailed from Hoboken, N.J., on Aug. 3^rd on the captured ship Voterland. 15,800 (were) on board the ship. Arrived in Brest, France, on Aug 11, 1918. Moved on to the front lines in the “Argone Woods” the night of Oct 26^th. I was buried by shell fire on Nov 4^th. My Co, 60^th Inf, lost 42 men our of 104 in the company on Nov 4^th. We moved on up I was looking strait at the (enemy) on Nov 11, at 11 O'Clock when it was all over. I was transferred to Machine Co. 165^th on Sunday Nov 17^th 1918 and hiked from (the) “Argonne Forest” to Remagen Germany on the Rhine River doing guard duty. Spent my 24^th birthday at Remagen. I did guard duty on the Rhine River until April 1919. Loaded on ship at Brest, France, sailed to U.S.A. arriving at Hoboken, N.J. In May 1919. Receiving my discharge on May 23^rd 1919 at Hatisburg, arriving home at Booneville on May 24, 1919.

My son “Sidney Fay Green” and his mother met me at Camp Shelby, Miss. My first time to see my son.

(Written by A.S. Green, about 1975, at the request of his grandson Ronnie Burrage)

(Download Scanned Image of Original - Page 1 -Page 2)

(Download PDF of scanned image of Discharge Papers)

( Picture of training company ) These men were given six weeks training and shipped to France. At least 42 of them did not return.

(Download a full size picture of dog tags) Note the MG added to the dog tags, indicating he was given Machine Gun training. After the Armistice, he was assigned guard duty on the Rhine River for 6 months.

James Dudly (Jimmy) Green's Korean War account.

I served in the US Navy during the Korean war. During my senior year at Booneville High School, I was informed that after turning 18 years old I would be drafted because of service men need for the U S armed services. In order to be able to finish high school and not be drafted in the army, I was able to join the navy and they would let me finish my school turn. So after graduation in 1952 I was sworn into the Navy and sent to San Diego, California, for my basic training. After Basic Training and Radio School I was assigned aboard the USS General J C Breckinridge (T-AP 176), a troop transport that moved troops and equipment from San Francisco, California into Korea. ( I crossed the International date line during this time sixteen times.) We would take troops and equipment into Korea, and bring back those that had served their time along with bringing the bodies of our troops who had given their lives.

When our ship was in hostile territory, my general quarters station was to go to the ship's forward gun tub and become one of the five men that was required to fire the big five inch gun. Our ship was fired upon several times by enemy airplanes as we landed our troops and equipment. Yes, I did get scared several times but with my faith in God, that he would see me through, I was able to carry out my duties.

Another time I did a lot of praying was when Captain Todd sailed our ship through a tycoon that was so big our ship took the biggest roll that any ship our size had ever taken before without sinking. Everything that was not tired down was washed overboard.

After the war ended I still had eighteen months of active time left on my time to serve, so I was sent to the beautiful Island of Guam. Guam was the communication center of the US Navy in the Pacific.

I received my discharge from active service in San Francisco, California, with four years of inactive service remaining. I enrolled at Mississippi State and was able to go to college during my inactive time. I received my BS degree from Mississippi State University, and my honorable discharge from the U S Navy the same year.

I am now 78 years old, and live with my lovely wife at 1400 Beverly Drive, Clinton, Mississippi.

May 2011

P. S. The boy next door had to write a report on a veteran for his school project for this up coming Memorial Day so he interview me and this is what he had me write for him.