Dave Fleischer was born in October 1922 in his mother's home in Dallas [Annotator's Note: Dallas, Texas] where he was raised. He and his brother owned a pawn shop, but his brother's gambling problem resulted in loss of funds. Fleischer owned a barbecue restaurant next to his family's house before the war, and owned another after the war in 1945. He went into the service in October 1942 and got out in October 1945. He had never fired a gun and was scared to death. He went overseas on the Queen Mary [Annotator's Note: RMS Queen Mary]. Many of the men got seasick. They arrived in England. They were told they would be leaving in a few days after interviews and assignments. The Army Corps of Engineers had set up ropes marking where it was safe to walk among the mines set by the Germans. Fleischer was scared to death. He carried an M3 [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M3 submachine gun, also referred to as a grease gun]. He was serving with the 394th Fighter Squadron [Annotator's Note: 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, Ninth Air Force] ten miles behind the lines, and would move as the front moved. While in France, an air raid siren sounded and Fleischer ran for a foxhole. He hurt his knee and went to the medical tent to get it looked at. He got stitches and was sent back to work. It never bothered him until he got out of the service in 1945. Fleischer went to work for the medical center at the University of Texas [Annotator's Note: The University of Texas at Dallas] where he worked as the head cook. He is 94 years old [Annotator's Note: at the time of the interview]. He is glad to have served his country, although he was very scared when he went overseas.

Dave Fleischer [Annotator's Note: serving with the 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force] got called for guard duty [Annotator's Note: while in Europe] one night. They called their lieutenants 90 day wonders [Annotator's Note: derogatory slang for a newly commissioned graduate of three month, or 90 day, officer candidate or midshipman school]. Fleischer was scared as hell on patrol, carrying his M3 [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M3 submachine gun, also referred to as a grease gun] on his shoulder. He yelled at a lieutenant to “Advance and be recognized”, but he got no response until he repeated himself, and the lieutenant gave the right password. Fleischer told him he was about to pull the trigger. [Annotator's Note: Fleischer laughs.] Once while on an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank], he was told not to worry about his clothes, that they would be replaced, but to not let his gun get wet. He was young and scared to death. They were cooking Christmas dinner one night. They had fresh fruit, vegetables, and meat, no C rations [Annotator's Note: prepared and canned wet combat food]. That night it was about 20 or 30 degrees below zero.

Dave Fleischer had one older brother, Gilbert. He tried to enlist in the Army, but was initially rejected because he had a heart murmur. He ended up serving in antiaircraft. Fleischer's mess sergeant asked if he would like to take a ride in a jeep after the war was over. They came across a dead German, an officer carrying a Luger [Annotator's Note: German P08 Luger 9mm semi-automatic pistol] with a pearl handle which Fleischer took home as a souvenir, along with a few bullets. His wife's brother borrowed it and never returned it. Fleischer's father, Adolph, worked as a tailor. He slipped on ice during a snowstorm and was badly injured, eventually dying. His mother, Rose, worked for the IRS [Annotator's Note: Internal Revenue Service]. Fleischer grew up during the Depression era [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. He took the streetcar, which cost three cents, to school. He was 19 years old and working for a jeweler when Pearl Harbor was attacked [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. They were scared to death at the time. After high school, Fleischer worked catering, selling popcorn and peanuts at football games, at SMU [Annotator's Note: Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas] and would give almost all the money to his mother. His mother left everything to Fleischer's sister, whose children are now very generous and send him checks.

Dave Fleischer had a friend with whom he went to enlist. His friend went into the Navy, but Fleischer wanted to enlist in the Army. He was scared to death. [Annotator's Note: A phone rings off camera.] Fleischer was overseas with the 394th [Annotator's Note: 394th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force] for two years. He did not stay in the Army because he wanted to help his mother build up their barbecue business. He has four children. He used 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]. Fleischer was changed by the war because it taught him not to be afraid of anything. It is important for younger generations to learn about the war. Fleischer was discharged as a PFC [Annotator's Note: Private First Class].