Aristide "A.D." Durio was born in Sunset, Louisiana in July 1926 and grew up there. His father worked in rice fields, and met Durio's mother, Alcidie Stelly, while working there. Durio attended school in Sunset. He had a brother, Howard, who served on a submarine in the Navy in the 1930s, but experienced medical problems as a result and was discharged from the Navy. During World War 2, he was married and had three children and was going to be drafted, so instead he volunteered for the Marines but remained stateside during the war. Durio was 15 years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. At the time, he was in the Boy Scouts [Annotator's Note: The Boy Scouts of America; youth organization in the United States] and they were at Sacred Heart Academy in Grand Coteau [Annotator's Note: Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau, Louisiana]. He knew that his brother [Annotator's Note: Russell Durio] was stationed in Pearl Harbor on the Arizona [Annotator's Note: USS Arizona (BB-39)]. He was listed as missing in action, but after one year, was declared dead. Durio wanted to enlist when he was 15, but his parents would not allow it. He eventually joined the Army and did his basic training at Fort Hood [Annotator's Note: then Camp Hood in Killeen, Texas]. He did not find it challenging because he was used to working hard, and had no problem with discipline.

After basic training, Aristide "A.D." Durio was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland [Annotator's Note: Fort George G. Meade in in Anne Arundel County, Maryland] to ship out to the European theater. They tried on their winter uniforms, but then it was decided they were going to the Pacific instead. From Fort Meade, they went to California by train for deployment. The trip took weeks. He saw the Golden Gate Bridge [Annotator's Note: in San Francisco, California]. They slept in tents and ate K rations [Annotator's Note: individual daily combat food ration consisting of three boxed meals]. There was segregation at the time. It was only white men on the ship, which traveled in a massive convoy. They arrived in Ulithi [Annotator's Note: Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands] and began taking classes in speaking Japanese and trained on the ships in preparation for the invasion of Japan. He was a replacement, unassigned to any unit. From Ulithi, Durio was sent to the Philippines where he was assigned to the 43rd Infantry Division. They stayed there until the Japanese surrendered [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. Durio was near Manila [Annotator's Note: Manila, Luzon, Philippines], and was able to visit the city. He saw many underfed children. They would come beg for food from the soldiers who would share. Durio felt discouraged seeing them. The men stayed in tents and paid local women to do their laundry. His unit was on an island on the way to Japan when they learned about the atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. There were rumors that there were Japanese soldiers hiding in the mountains, but no one was sure it was true until a Filipino soldier came down with a sack full of heads of Japanese. Durio occasionally fired his weapon while on guard duty. He carried an M1 rifle [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand].

Aristide "A.D." Durio and his unit [Annotator's Note: 43rd Infantry Division] was loading up to invade Japan. His outfit was one of the first to land at Yokohama [Annotator's Note: Yokohama, Japan]. Many of the children in Japan were underfed too, like the children in Manila [Annotator's Note: Manila, Luzon, Philippines]. The Army supplied the men with candy and drinks, and they would share with the local children. When on the ship heading for the Philippines, there was a unit of black men that was segregated, but Durio and his fellow Cajuns made a point to go and meet them. Durio was in the Army of Occupation in Japan for almost a year. He had been reassigned from the 43rd to a cavalry unit. They rode horses for patrol duty. Durio was then made a corpsman because he had been in the Boy Scouts [Annotator’s Note: The Boy Scouts of America; youth organization in the United States]. He returned to the United States and was discharged in San Antonio [Annotator's Note: San Antonio, Texas], then returned home to Louisiana. He worked with his brother doing plumbing and electrical work. In small towns, veterans are recognized. Durio is a member of the VFW, Veterans of Foreign Wars, which has an honor guard that participates in the funerals of servicemen.