Louis E. Casebonne was born in January 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother died when he was five years old and he lived with his aunt until his father remarried. Casebonne and his bother then lived with his father and stepmother, but his sister remained living with his aunt. His childhood was secluded, and he lacked a knowledge of the outside world due to his oppressive stepmother. His stepmother would not let them play in the front yard. His father worked, but made a meager salary and therefore his family struggled during the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. At age 13, he joined the Christian Brothers religious order and was sent to De La Salle Normal School in Lafayette [Annotator’s Note: Lafayette, Louisiana] for four years of instruction. Casebonne was unaware of the rising tensions in Europe and Asia. He was shocked by the news of Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. While he was in Lafayette, he received news about the war during his mealtime at the monastery. He was often worried about his brother, who had been drafted into the Navy and sent to the Pacific. Upon leaving Lafayette in late 1945, he enlisted in the Army on 2 January 1946 hoping to get away from his family and earn four years of free college education.

Louis E. Casebonne enlisted in the Army on 2 January 1946 hoping to get away from his family and earn four years of free college education. He was inducted in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] and attended eight weeks of basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The regimentation of military life was a welcomed change and he enjoyed his time in the Army because of it. Casebonne was sent to Europe immediately following basic training and was assigned to the 970th Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC). He boarded a liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship] where they slept in bunks that were stacked four to six high. He decided to sleep on the deck. Many people became seasick. They were given two meals a day. The troop ship was not pleasant at all. Because he spoke French fluently, Casebonne was sent to Paris [Annotator’s Note: Paris, France] for assignment. Upon arrival in Paris, he was informed that communists in the area had ransacked the office and compromised his identity. As a result, he would not be permitted into Russian-occupied territory throughout his time as a counterintelligence agent. He was assigned to the CIC office in Marseille, France. Because he did not know how to drive, he had a friend who helped him learn how to drive. The following day, Casebonne set out for Marseilles, stopping in Dijon, France. The CIC office was in a villa, and he stayed with two other agents and five POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] that serviced them.

A few weeks after arriving in Europe, Louis E. Casebonne was assigned to the CIC office [Annotator’s Note: 970th Counter Intelligence Corps] in Marseille, France where he did the work of a special agent, which included running background checks on women dating other agents and checking in with a net of informants. He lived with two other people in a villa. Marseille was the most dangerous city in France to do counter intelligence work because it was a “cesspool of Russian Communism.” He had a German assistant that helped him at the office. He did not feel prepared for this work and was flying by the seat of his pants. The man Casebonne replaced in Marseille had been murdered. There were other mishaps with other agents during his time there, especially when agents were moving supplies. On May Day 1946 after a close call in which he was almost killed by a mob incited by Russian agents, Casebonne requested and was granted a transfer to the European Counter Intelligence School in Oberammergau, Germany where he learned to speak German and about the structure of the Nazi government. Casebonne went to a seance and then on the way home, he and others in the car were in an accident. Everyone survived and Casebonne had to stay with the car until the next morning.

Louis E. Casebonne was assigned to the CIC office [Annotator’s Note: 970th Counter Intelligence Corps] in Marseille, France where he did the work of a special agent. After an incident, he requested to be transferred to the European Counter Intelligence School in Oberammergau, Germany where he learned to speak German and about the structure of the Nazi government. He enjoyed the education even though it was very intense. The school was very well run, and the food was excellent. In the dining hall, they had a full orchestra that played while students ate their meals. The scenery was beautiful because the town is in the Alp mountains. The local people were very pleasant, and the town was known to put on the Passion play that was acted out by the locals throughout the generations. He was then transferred to various stations around Germany before landing full time in Wiesbaden [Annotator’s Note: wiesbaden, Germany]. While in Wiesbaden, he undertook a clerical position and kept files in order pertaining to the Nuremberg Trials [Annotator’s Not: The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War 2], Operation Paperclip [Annotator’s Note: Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from former Nazi Germany to the U.S. for government employment after the end of World War 2 in Europe, between 1945 and 1959], and Operation Ratline [Annotator’s Note: Ratlines were a system of escape routes for Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe in the aftermath of World War 2]. He never wore his rank on his uniform. The first morning he was in the office, a German knocked on his door and handed him a piece of paper. Casebonne was suspicious of this. He brought the paper to his superior and left. Casebonne eventually found out that the note was a threat to his commander’s life, so he received merit for his good work.

Louis E. Casebonne was assigned to the CIC office [Annotator’s Note: 970th Counter Intelligence Corps] in Wiesbaden, Germany where he undertook a clerical position and kept files in order pertaining to the Nuremberg Trials [Annotator’s Not: The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War 2], Operation Paperclip [Annotator’s Note: Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from former Nazi Germany to the U.S. for government employment after the end of World War 2 in Europe, between 1945 and 1959], and Operation Ratline [Annotator’s Note: Ratlines were a system of escape routes for Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe in the aftermath of World War 2]. He met his future wife at an office party. He had a friend who was Jewish and tried to reconnect family members of those who were separated during the war. He witnessed some of the reunions and it was very emotional for him.

Louis E. Casebonne, assigned to the CIC office [Annotator’s Note: 970th Counter Intelligence Corps] in Wiesbaden, Germany, met and married his wife in Germany before returning to the United States in late 1948. Casebonne was very concerned about the Cold War [Annotator’s Note: a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States and their respective allies from 1945 to 1991] and the spreading of Communism. His wife got seasick on the journey across the Atlantic. He was discharged with the rank of sergeant. Casebonne had some difficulty readjusting to civilian life. He sent his wife to his parents because he was not medically cleared. When he finally was cleared, he reunited with his wife and they began their life together. They struggled in the beginning because he had no money. He worked for about two years and was able to buy a car and some appliances. He then attended Loyola University [Annotator’s Note: Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana] for two years with the help of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment].

Louis E. Casebonne was recalled to service during the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953] erroneously. When he went to the induction center, he tried to explain his situation to the recruiter, but he did not listen. Casebonne and a fellow CIC [Annotator’s Note: Counter Intelligence Corps] office friend was sent to Maryland and when he arrived, the sergeant asked why he was there. He had to wait at the camp until the first of the year to figure out what he was going to do. In the meantime, he had to pull KP [Annotator’s Note: kitchen patrol] and MP [Annotator’s Note: Military Police] duty at the base. Casebonne and his friend took a trip to the CIC office in Maryland to plead their case, and the front office told them they would investigate it. Not long after, Casebonne received orders to go to Germany. He was given a three-day leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time], so he went to New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] and collected his wife. He bought her a ticket on a luxury liner, and she was to meet him in Germany. On his way over to Germany, he learned that because he married a German woman, he was considered a threat and was given orders to return home. Casebonne told his wife to stay with her family until he had enough money to bring her home. He spent a year at Fort McClellan, Alabama as a Provost Marshal rounding up soldiers who had gone AWOL [Annotator's Note: absent without leave]. It took two years for him to make enough money to bring his wife back to the United States. Casebonne is concerned about the leaders of the world today. He remarks about the Russian leaders of the past and today.

Louis E. Casebonne’s most memorable experience was when he was in Marseille, France because it was very dangerous. He also remembered when he helped reunite Jewish families. He went to concentration camps in 1946 and learned how the Nazis had annihilated the Jewish people. He served because he wanted to do his part and get an education. The war changed his life because he brought his bride home. He became a man and a contributing member of the world while in the military. He is proud to have served. Casebonne did not feel like he was a World War 2 veteran until his children convinced him to wear his hat because America needs to be reminded of the sacrifice of men in service. He lost his discharge papers in a hurricane and cannot get duplicates. Casebonne believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations, so people do not forget.