Bryghte Davis Godbold was born in Alabama in 1914. Times during the Great Depression were not good for his poor family but he did get a good education. He did not suffer materially during the times, but he was aware that things were difficult. The family lived on a 220 acre farm. Various crops were grown and livestock was kept. When an animal was butchered, it was sold or shared with neighbors. The family moved to Selma when Godbold was about 12. His father went into the trucking business. Godbold held a newspaper delivery job throughout his school years. After high school, he attended college at Auburn majoring in electrical engineering. He graduated in 1936 and became an officer in the Marine Corps.

Bryghte Davis Godbold joined the Marine Corps and attended the basic school for new officers in Philadelphia. The training ran from July 1936 to May or June 1937. He had several job opportunities following college graduation. He was fortunate in the Great Depression to have multiple offers of employment. He graduated at the top of his class and that helped him with the job offers. The main reason he joined the Marines was the urge to become a member of the Corps. Following Philadelphia, Godbold had duty aboard a cruiser, the USS Pensacola (CA-24). He was a lieutenant serving under the captain in command of a Marine detachment of approximately 50 men. Joining the Pensacola in 1937, he was aboard for about a year. He was next attached to the Marine barracks at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He was one of six officers at the barracks. He rotated out of that assignment after a year in order to attend the antiaircraft school in Fort Monroe, Virginia. After nine months there, Godbolt was given command of an antiaircraft battery in San Diego. Next, he transferred to Honolulu and then Palmyra Island. Godbolt spent four or five months installing an antiaircraft battery on Palmyra. After returning to Honolulu, he spent a month prior to being assigned to Wake Island. He had become a seasoned Marine by then. He had also been promoted to the rank of captain by that time.

Bryghte Davis Godbold and the Marines on Wake Island lived in tents. The civilians involved with island construction may have been working on barracks, but Godbold was not aware of that. He was only on the island a week before the war started. Godbold was the commanding officer on Peale Island. Peale had one three inch antiaircraft battery which Godbold commanded. The island also had a five inch seacoast battery which was comprised of two guns. That battery commander reported to Godbold but largely acted independently. There were about eight .50 caliber and the same number of .30 caliber machine guns on Peale Island. Godbold was familiar with the men under his command through times together prior to their Wake Island assignment. Godbold knew immediately through radio communications that Pearl Harbor was under attack. Devereaux [Annotator's Note: then US Marine Corps Major, later Brigadier General, James P.S. Devereux, commanded the 450 man Marine detachment deployed to defend Wake Island] sounded general quarters and the Marines manned their posts. The troops were at their batteries and posts within an hour after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The island defenders fully expected to be attacked next.

Bryghte Davis Godbold observed incoming Japanese aircraft flying at a low level. They flew over the islands and attacked targets of opportunity. The defender's three inch antiaircraft guns were not useful against the low altitude aircraft. The .50 and .30 caliber machine guns were more effective for defense. The three inch guns were more useful as the attacking planes departed. Godbold thought that one or two Japanese planes were shot down. Godbold could not see the airstrip but was aware that almost all the American planes were destroyed. Following the air raid, Godbold and the Marines prepared for a follow up attack. No casualties were suffered. As the Japanese landing ships approached the Wake Island atoll, the five inch guns on Godbold's island [Annotator's Note: Godbold commanded two five inch coastal guns on Peale Island] fired at them. After one ship was sunk, the Japanese withdrew. Godbold only had a long distance perspective of the action. The Marines were relieved that the enemy exited. The defenders prepared to fight every day. Enemy aircraft attacked Wake from high altitude every day. When the enemy brought their next invasion force to the islands, they were supported by dive bombers off an aircraft carrier. Those marauding aircraft came in at low level. The Marines moved their guns from one end of Peale Island to the other. It was fortunate because the enemy heavily bombed the previous gun locations. Camouflage was used but not completely successful. There were 12 to 20 civilians who served alongside the Marines. Those non-military personnel performed the same duties as the gun crews. They mainly handled ammunition and supplies. There were no significant casualties between the first landing attempt and the ultimately successful second landing.

Bryghte Davis Godbold and the men defending Wake Island could see enemy ships across the atoll from Peale Island. The first enemy landings were repulsed [Annotator's Note: This was the second attempt to capture Wake Island and took place on 23 December 1941.] Subsequently, further landings were initiated. Godbold could tell what was happening on the other islands but he had a job to do to defend Wake and focused on that. He did not know if the enemy would be successful. Rumors ran around the island constantly that help was on the way for them. The rumors were soon discounted. Little happened on Peale Island during the landing attempts. The enemy wanted the airfield on the main island. Godbold was ordered to set up a defense around the airfield and Wake's main command post. As the Marines under Godbold advanced toward the airfield, there was a firefight. A notification was given that the island was being surrendered. It was a surprise to Godbold because the defenders seemed to being doing all right. Godbold and his men were moving the 200 to 300 yards toward the airfield when the word came to lay down their weapons. The Marines individually disposed of their weapons. Godbold had 30 or 40 men with him at the time. The defenders made themselves available to the Japanese. They were taken to the airfield. Personal effects were taken from them. Little was told to them by their captors. Food and water were sparse. Godbold was not too concerned about being executed. They stayed at the airfield for 24 to 36 hours. Exiting the airfield, the officers were separated from the men and moved to a civilian barracks. They were maintained there. There was uncertainty about what was going to happen next. Godbold was with Devereaux [Annotator's Note: then US Marine Corps Major, later Brigadier General James P.S. Devereux commanded the 450 man Marine detachment deployed to defend Wake Island]. There were about 25 officers. They shared their experiences concerning the island's defense. Devereaux surrendered because he was ordered to do so by Commander Cunningham [Annotator's Note: then US Navy Commander, later Rear Admiral, Winfield Scott Cunningham was overall military commander on Wake Island]. The Marine commander did not contest or support the decision.

Bryghte Davis Godbold was shipped to Shanghai from Wake Island after its fall. He was taken to an empty compound near Wusong [Annotator's Note: Wusong, also spelled Woosung, China]. They were ordered to stay in an empty barracks. Some captured officers helped prepare food but most did nothing. Food and water were sufficient to sustain them but not very palatable. Soup, rice and breakfast mush were the primary foods provided. There were specific cases of brutality but generally the Japanese left the Americans alone. The living conditions were sparse. The officers had a bit better treatment than the enlisted men. There was no forced labor for the officers. Some Japanese officers and camp commanders were arrogant and insecure and took it out on captives. Godbold witnessed some minor brutality. Officers were segregated from the enlisted men. He came in contact with some British merchant mariners, a Flying Tiger [Annotator's Note: a member of the American Volunteer Group or AVG, also known as the Flying Tigers], and China Marines [Annotator's Note: Marines who had served in China prior to America's entry into World War 2]. The camp contained many prisoners. Devereaux [Annotator's Note: then US Marine Corps Major, later Brigadier General James P.S. Devereux commanded the 450 man Marine detachment deployed to defend Wake Island] kept a chain of command in prison camp. He did well. The officers were expected to attempt to help the enlisted men. That ability was relatively limited by the Japanese. The enlisted men were forced to work on various projects. Contact between officers and men were restricted. Godbold did become the athletic and recreation officer for the camp. There were some opportunities to compete during the weekends. There were games and a well stocked English library. There was a good supply of reading material. Devereaux protested the Japanese using his men as slave laborers. He did what he could.

Bryghte Davis Godbold received several Red Cross shipments while incarcerated by the Japanese. The packages were most welcome. The Japanese stole some of the packages. Some winter clothing was provided. Shanghai Jimmy James provided food to the POWs. [Annotator's Note: Joseph James Skalicky, also known as Shanghai Jimmy James, was an American expatriate who had opened a number of restaurants in China between the World Wars, primarily in Shanghai. During the first year or so of the war, the Japanese let him keep his restaurants open and even allowed him to provide food for the prisoners being held in the area. In early 1943, the Japanese arrested and imprisoned him with the other POWs.] Medical treatment was provided by two doctors and a dentist. The Japanese also provided some aid in that regard. There was a lack of medical supplies so the care was as good as could be expected given the circumstances. The sick could receive treatment albeit there were limited drugs.

Bryghte Davis Godbold received official, but highly censored ,Japanese radio news while at Wusong [Annotator's Note: Wusong, also spelled Woosung, China]. People entering the camp brought updated information. Illicit radios brought in the best news. Godbold shared a room with two other officers. They had a homemade radio that picked up Chunking radio. They knew what was going on. Several radios were built by the prisoners. There was no lack of information. Most prison camps were like that. The news provided hope that the Allies were winning. Godbold's radio was hidden within a space in their wall. They only used the radio at night. No one seemed to be caught with their radio. Godbold remained in Wusong camp about a year [Annotator's Note: from 24 January to 9 December 1942].

Bryghte Davis Godbold aided an individual named Kinney [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps First Lieutenant John F. Kinney] in his successful escape. Godbold was separated from him and thus had no opportunity to escape with Kenny. The senior officers in the camp would not have wanted Godbold to attempt an escape. It would have created problems. Godbold tried to help Kenny to determine the best location to escape. The men knew they were going to Japan via the Yangtze River and then through Korea. As the war came to closure, the Japanese were likely to pull the POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] back to Japan. As the recreation officer, Godbold had the time to aid in planning for the escape. He read old books and magazines that allowed him to study geography and determine the best escape route. Kenny and his group benefited from that knowledge of the terrain and geography. Godbold and others prepared boxcars for the transit of the POWs toward Japan. They surreptitiously loosened bars on one car that allowed the prisoners to get out. Godbold was not placed in the car or he might have escaped also. Four or five men escaped with Kenny. Godbold communicated with Kenny and another officer named McAlister [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps First Lieutenant John A. McAlister] about their escape. It was quite an adventure.

Bryghte Davis Godbold was transported from Wusong [Annotator's Note: Wusong, also spelled Woosung, China] through other regions of China to Korea. From Pusan, Korea, they were ferried across to Japan. Their camp was at Hakodate. Enlisted men were treated badly as slave laborers. The officers were kept separate from the enlisted and treated the same as in China. There was no disciplinary action taken on the officers as a result of Kinney's escape [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps First Lieutenant John F. Kinney]. The officers were allowed to garden and that was beneficial. The POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] would steal from the Japanese gardens. No one was caught doing these clandestine activities. Officers were left alone and given a little to eat. Harassment was constant but with little effect. The prisoners managed to maintain a radio and heard about the progress of the Americans toward victory. The day after the first atomic bomb was dropped a Japanese officer wanted to talk to several American officers. He spoke English very well. His interest was a personal curiosity about what would happen to the Japanese after their defeat. Godbold's hope for an end of the war grew as the days passed. One day, the POWs woke up and their Japanese guards were no longer there. Godbold went into the town and obtained a meal. American planes soon flew over dropping supplies to the former POWs. Americans arrived and took the former inmates to Tokyo and then to Guam. Afterward, it was on to Honolulu and then San Francisco and a hospital stay.

Bryghte Davis Godbold was sent on a 90 day leave after his hospital check out following his return home. He ultimately spent over 20 years in the Marine Corps. He retired as a brigadier general in 1958. He fought in the first year of the Korean War at Inchon and the Chosin Reservoir. He was highly involved in planning the Inchon Operation. He met MacArthur [Annotator's Note: US Army General Douglas MacArthur] and worked with his staff in Tokyo. He was aboard the command ship during the bold landings. The landings were not difficult. In retrospect, the Japanese military was obedient and disciplined but showed very little initiative. They were durable and could withstand much physical effort. World War 2 had a profound effect on Godbold's life. He was a career Marine and knew he would see some fighting. He had no nightmares or aftereffects. World War 2 had to be fought. It was mainly fought on our terms. The world was changed by the war. America became the most powerful nation in the world. With that came responsibilities and opportunities. The effect of war on individuals was possibly the worst thing that resulted. The National WWII Museum is a wonderful institution for the country.