David R. Saunders was born in December 1922 in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. His father was a tugboat captain on the Mississippi River. He had a great childhood in New Orleans, and he had a large extended family. He remembers vividly the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]; he was dove hunting with six other guys and when one man's wife came to pick them all up, she was crying while telling them about the Japanese attack. Saunders remembers saying, "There goes my membership to the dove hunting club" when finding out that he would soon be called to war. Sometime later, Saunders came across a friend of his who should have been in the military. It was this friend who told Saunders about the Merchant Marines and the opportunity for higher pay he could expect. Saunders thought he would join the Merchant Marines to help his mother who was struggling at the time. Saunders reported to the Orange Street Wharf in New Orleans on 1 February 1943 and boarded the ship SS Mayo Brothers.

David R. Saunders traveled down the river [Annotator's Note: the Mississippi River] and out into the Gulf of Mexico. While in the Gulf of Mexico, a ship that was traveling alongside Saunders ship [Annotator's Note: the SS Mayo Brothers] exploded and was sunk. Saunders never knew if it was a German U-boat [Annotator's Note: German submarine] or a mine that sank the ship. His ship reached the Panama Canal and, after sailing through the Pacific to Perth, Australia, made stops in India, Arabia, Sicily, and Egypt while either picking up or dropping off war materials including tanks, ammunition, and fuel. While in port in Egypt, Saunders contracted an illness from the food he was eating.

[Annotator's Note: David R. Saunders joined the Merchant Marine and during a port call in Egypt he contracted Bacillary Dysentery.] Unable to continue with the crew of the SS Mayo Bros, Saunders stayed at a British hospital for many weeks before sailing out, still sick, aboard the SS William Harper. At Mombasa, East Africa, Saunders tells the story of two US Navy seamen who were poisoned and were killed after trading alcohol for cigarettes with African natives. The seamen were buried at sea. They went through a bad storm and the ride was rough. After stops in South America, Saunders found himself at a doctor's home atop a mountain in Trinidad where he was given medication to help with pain associated with the Dysentery. He found relief halfway to the end his journey in New York City [Annotator's Note: New York, New York]. In September 1943, he returned to New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] and sought further treatment for his Dysentery. In October 1943, he was released from the hospital but was cautioned not to return to military service. [Annotator's Note: The interviewee takes long pauses trying to remember events.]

By May 1944, David R. Saunders had joined the Army and was sent to Camp Beauregard [Annotator's Note: in Pineville, Louisiana]. During his training, he laughed when he was not supposed to and was punished by walking from one end of the camp to another for five days. After completing training at Camp Beauregard, he was sent to Camp Plauche [Annotator's Note: also known as Camp Harahan in Harahan, Louisiana] for six weeks. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer pauses the interview to change tapes at 0:54:47.000.] Saunders was then sent to Fort Warren, Wyoming for more training and then went to the Pacific. Saunders does not know what unit he originally was assigned to but at the time of his separation he was an electrician with Company B, 737th Railway Operating Battalion and worked the railway. Later in the war, Saunders guarded and transported Japanese prisoners of war on rail cars to areas south near Manila [Annotator's Note: Manila, Philippines].

David R. Saunders saw his first combat at Lingayen Gulf [Annotator's Note: Luzon, Philippines]. He was not injured badly, but he saw many of his friends killed and wounded. He remarked that the Japanese were very good at planting mines. He recalled chasing the Japanese towards Taal Lake [Annotator's Note: Luzon, Philippines]. His unit secured the lake. He recalled eating a lot of fish while at Taal Lake. The Japanese eventually surrendered to the Americans. Saunders had to facilitate the transport of the Japanese prisoners on the trains. [Annotator's Note: The interviewee takes a long pause from 1:15:58.000 to 1:16:45.000.] Saunders remarked that he was not assigned right away when he landed in Philippines. Saunders believed the Japanese looked at him with hatred. The war ended shortly after Saunders' unit secured Taal Lake and he was sent home.

David R. Saunders recalled when they announced that the war was over. Everyone was hooping and hollering. When he landed in Fort Lewis, Washington, he was given a delicious meal. He realized that there was a mistake with his travel arrangements and he had to wait a couple of days before he was sent back to Louisiana. Not long after, he was sent to the Korean War. [Annotator's Note: The interviewee pauses from 1:26:14.000 to 1:26:50.000.] Saunders was then sent to the Korean Peninsula where he served as a member of the occupation force and helped develop a rail system in the area. He was also assigned to train soldiers with artillery weapons during the Korean War.

After separation from the service, David R. Saunders did not take advantage of the G.I. Bill. Saunders' most memorable experience of World War 2 was waiting to lay the railroad tracks in the Taal Lake [Annotator's Note: Luzon, Philippines] area. He would not have missed fighting in the war. World War 2 gave him a better relationship with God. He is proud to have served. He believes that many Americans do not care about their country or World War 2. He believes it is vital for institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] to exist for future generations.