Arthur H. Larson
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Navy
Arthur H. Larson of Duluth, Minnesota entered the Navy on August 12, 1943.
He was a Carpenter's Mate 2nd Class in the 67th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) in the Pacific.
"Hit the beach on Tinian (Mariannas) August 3rd, 45 days of lunch of dry bread and a slice of bologna & coffee. I was the naval censor for B Company, 67th NCB and also served as junior officer of the day (JOOD). Our unit built North Field where the Enola Gay was based and walked around it daily, not knowing it would drop the first atomic bomb. We watched and counted the B-29s leaving and returning from bombing Japan, a 3,000-mile run.
"Saw many of the big planes crash on takeoffs and landings. We shipped out of Tinian in June, 1945 by LSM bound for the Marshalls, a 1,000-mile trip. I was sent to Runit Island in charge of the post office. To get home I signed on as a member of the crew of the USS Lassen, an ammunition ship loaded with 4500 tons of live ammunition, and spent the entire trip from Parry Island, Eniwetok atoll to Seattle sanding, staining and varnishing the captain's ladder -- my punishment for having a carpenter's rating -- although I never touched a saw or hammer in my military service.
"I landed in Seattle on Thanksgiving Day in time for the second best meal of my entire life and was discharged from the Navy on December 1, 1945 at Minneapolis."
