Don Daniels was born in Columbia, South Carolina in December 1925. He lived there until he was 14. He then moved to Blythewood [Annotator's Note: Blythewood, South Carolina], which he considers his hometown. He had two sisters and three brothers; he was number three. His older brother served in the Navy during the war. His family did the best they could during the Depression [Annotator's Note: Great Depression; a global economic depression that lasted through the 1930s]. His father had been in World War 1 and had gotten shellshock [Annotator's Note: another name for post traumatic stress disorder]. He also had pneumonia in Germany. His condition made him have to leave the dairy business in the 1930s. Daniels talked to his father about the war a little. His father was in the railroad artillery in Germany. The Depression was a rough time. Daniels did not finish school. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Daniels where he was when he heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on n7 December 1941.] He was home and heard about it the next morning. He was dumbfounded and excited. He did not have any idea of what it would mean for him. Daniels' father ran a country store. Daniels had to stay out of school to take care of the store when his father went to get supplies. That forced Daniels to drop out of school in the tenth grade. He went in the Marine Corps on 29 February 1944.

[Annotator's Note: Don Daniels entered the service in February 1944.] When he reported on the last day of the month, he could not really choose where he wanted to go. He wanted to go in the Navy. There were seven men there. Two had to go in the Army. The other five wanted to go in Navy but he could not do that. They decided to flip coins. Daniels got tails and that meant he got the Marine Corps. He hardly knew what the Marine Corps was. He is glad now. It was good training. He went to Parris Island [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in Port Royal, South Carolina] for boot camp for 12 weeks of tough training. He appreciated that he went through that and it prepared him for manhood. Six Marines drowned in the mud there. They would get back in the barracks around nine o'clock at night and it would take until two or three in the morning to get their M1s [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand] cleaned. They were full of mud. He had a good sergeant drill instructor but did not like the corporal. Daniels liked the drills the best. He was right proud drilling in front of a General. The worst was out in the pluff mud [Annotator's Note: pluff, or plough, mud is a slippery, shiny, sucking mud with a distinctive smell], waist deep. He did not receive advanced training and was shipped to Boca Chita, Florida [Annotator's Note: Boca Chita Key, Florida] near Key West [Annotator's Note: Key West, Florida]. From there he was sent to the Naval Airbase in Key West [Annotator's Note: Naval Air Station Key West] for main gate guard duty. He left there in October [Annotator's Note: October 1944] after getting there in May. He became good friends with some of the pilots and crew chiefs. He got to fly with them, and he flew over Cuba once. He went back to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina] for a few weeks and then San Diego, California, where he boarded a ship for Hawaii. The 31st Replacement Battalion was formed there. In Hawaii, they became part of the 5th Division [Annotator's Note: 5th Marine Division].

In Hawaii, Don Daniels was at Camp Tarawa. Before getting there, he was loading ships for Iwo [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan]. He got to go into Hilo [Annotator's Note: Hilo, Hawaii]. There was not much to do there. He went to Honolulu [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii] for one day once by boat. Boot camp was the only training he had. Going to Iwo, certain outfits got on certain ships. The conditions on the ships were good. The Replacement Battalion did not get much training. They did not think they were going ashore. The morning of the second day [Annotator's Note: 20 February 1945], they were told they were. He had never gone down a cargo net before then. There were a lot of ships going in. He did not pay much attention; he was 19 and just did what he was told. He had no duties aboard ship. Daniels was watching the bombardment even though he was advised not to. It was unreal. He never thought he would have to see anything like that. The first night, the wounded came in and his ship was used as a kind of hospital ship. They brought back the dead too. He does not like to repeat the sight of seeing somebody buried at sea. It was terrible for him. A lot of people started to be brought aboard the ship and it worried him. They were told to get ready to go on the second day. The training was mostly given to the 5th Division regulars. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Daniels how he felt about the Japanese before he got to Iwo Jime.] He only knew that we were at war with them and the quicker it was over, the better. He had never been down a cargo net before. He went into an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] to go ashore. They could get in closer than the original troops had. He went ashore on D plus two [Annotator's Note: 21 February 1945]. The beach was being cleared and camps were being set up. Bulldozers were brought in. The whole island is black and is gritty, the sand is coarse because it is mostly volcano ash. He was directed to a lieutenant who asked him what kind of training he had. Daniels said he had none, so the lieutenant made him a machine gunner. He went into Company A, 28th Marine Regiment [Annotator's Note: Weapons Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division]. He had received no training on the machine gun, only rifle training. He was scared to death the first day and night. He tried to be as safe as he could. There were only three men left in the machine gun unit he joined; the sergeant, a corporal, and one private. There are eight or nine usually.

[Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Don Daniels to describe moving across the island during the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japan in February 1945.] The first night he was there, he was in a foxhole that was more like a ditch. Another company was close to them. A couple of Marines wandered out and were shot by their own men. That happened twice that night and that scared him. The third day, they started moving out a little. There was still a lot of shooting going on. By the fourth day, they had moved a bit and the Japanese stared throwing screaming mimis [Annotator's Note: artillery that makes a shrieking sound flying through the air; normally used as a term for the German Nebelwerfer rocket artillery] at them. Daniels, the sergeant, and corporal jumped in a hole. Each machine gun platoon has a water cooled gun [Annotator's Note: Browning M1917 .30 caliber water cooled heavy machine gun] and an air-cooled gun [Annotator's Note: Browning M1919 .30 caliber air cooled light machine gun]. The water cooled gun has to be carried on a cart. The fellow pulling it had a sleeping sickness and should have been discharged. After the shelling stopped, they were looking for him. Daniels found him under the machine gun cart, sleeping. [Annotator's Note: Daniels laughs.] They never did see the Japanese and they had to move with caution. After the fourth day [Annotator's Note: 23 February 1945], they did not really need the machine guns, but they had to be there. The biggest weapon there was the flamethrower [Annotator's Note: ranged incendiary device that projects a controllable jet of fire; M1, M1A1, and M2 flamethrower]. It was not hot there but was warm. Iwo Jima is a sulfur [Annotator's Note: sulfur is a combustible nonmetal chemical element] island. It was called the only battle with heated foxholes. The ground was hot.

Don Daniels' closest call was an accident. His unit [Annotator's Note: Weapons Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division] was staying back one day for some rest. They took turns staying awake that night. Daniels and his sergeant were on watch in a foxhole. They were on a hill. The rocket people would come up, unload, and take off fast. They had to go down the hill where Daniels was. A truck hit the bank and covered them up. They got out without getting hurt. His company's objective was to take care of the area closest to the ocean. He did go the whole length of the island. They later turned around and came back to clean up the caves. They stopped below a big cliff and he was in a foxhole made of rock. There was a Japanese up in a cave shooting at them. For several hours, they would get shot at each time they moved. On the other side of the hill were big caves. The flamethrower tanks [Annotator's Note: M4A3R3 "Mark I" Sherman tank] came up there. Daniels outfit started over the hill but had to stay for two days before moving. He had to smell the burning Japanese bodies for two days. It was terrible. He then marched back down to the beach and there was not much activity.

[Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Don Daniels to describe the process of clearing caves by hand on Iwo Jima, Japan.] They would hope they could get their flamethrower [Annotator's Note: ranged incendiary device that projects a controllable jet of fire] close enough. They reached a good distance. Later, they had to manually go in and get some of them. Daniels never had to go in the caves. Some of the Seabees [Annotator's Note: members of US naval construction battalions] hunting souvenirs went in and got shot. Two came up to do that. There was a flat area they tried to take. The Japanese had a honey bucket [Annotator's Note: slang for place used for human waste] there and one of the Seabees stepped into it. Daniels only saw Japanese soldiers at a distance. After they were using rifles instead of the machine guns, he would shoot at them but never knew if he hit any. He did see a lot of dead Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese]. The closest he got to a live one was when he was in a flat area. The flamethrower always had two riflemen with him. Daniels was behind them when the ground opened, and a Japanese came out with a pitchfork. The flamethrower turned and burned the man to the ground. It was sad to see somebody get burned up like that. But that was the enemy. You do what you have to do. Mostly the Japanese were armed well. Being in the machine gun platoon, Daniels did most of his fighting at a distance.

Don Daniels became friends with men he served with. He only stayed in touch with three or four by exchanging Christmas cards for a while after the war. The company commander in Japan was a captain who had been raised near Daniels in Hopkins [Annotator's Note: Hopkins, South Carolina]. His name was Hopkins too. He got pretty friendly with him. He did not see him after the war though. Daniels thinks he was well prepared to go ashore on Iwo [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan]. He liked his M1 [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand]. He went into the machine gun squad [Annotator's Note: in Weapons Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division] and got a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] and a .45 pistol [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol]. After they got far enough, they went back to being riflemen. The replacement battalion was not enough to cover the losses of men. The artillery men were even sent to the front to serve as riflemen. Daniels saw one who got shot who should not have. He does not know if he died or not. His biggest fear was of getting shot. After he spent two days with burning Japanese and the caves were burned out, they assumed if anyone was left, they were burned too. They were headed back towards the beach when they finished up. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Daniels if he thinks the battle was worth the price paid in the number of dead.] Since the Japanese were not going to surrender, it was the price they had to pay to get the island. He returned to Hawaii to Camp Tarawa. There, they just rebuilt. He got to go to Honolulu [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii] at different times for a couple of days. Then they went back to training.

[Annotator's Note: Don Daniels was part of a Marine machine gun crew during the Battle of Iwo Jima, Japan.] He says life had more meaning after the battle. He felt more like a man. He returned to Hawaii. They were to go take part in the Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Okinawa, Japan] invasion. They did not have time to prepare nor enough troops he thinks. He remained in the machine gun platoon [Annotator's Note: Weapons Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division]. He does not know how many men the company started with. It was down a good bit when the replacements came in. Daniels felt terrible about having to go invade Japan. He was sitting out in the ocean when the peace treaty was signed [Annotator's Note: formal surrender of Japan, 2 September 1945]. As far you could see were ships. He cannot estimate how many people; there were three Marine Divisions out there. It was worrisome. Surviving was a chance you would have to take. He heard of the atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945] being dropped over the speakers in the camp. He got the word of the Japanese surrender at night. The ships were allowed to turn their lights on. It lit the ocean up. [Annotator’s Note: Daniels gets a little emotional.] He did not do much celebrating and went on about his regular duties. They knew they were still going to Japan. He was there for nine months on occupation duty.

Learning of the Japanese surrender was a relief for Don Daniels. He was on a ship off Honolulu [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii] getting ready to go. They were told they could not be told where they were going. He thought that was a big joke because nothing else was left. He went into the same place for occupation duty that he would have gone into for an invasion, Sasebo Harbor on Kyushu Island [Annotator's Note: Kyushu Island, Japan]. Daniels felt good about going to do occupation duty. All they did was go there to be there. They did not have many duties. Once they took charge of a steel mill over the weapons being melted down. They had to check to make sure nothing operable was coming in on the trains. They had not been concerned the Japanese would try to do anything when they arrived. They saw no military among the Japanese watching them. He interacted with civilians at times. He got along with them. They were very receptive to the Americans. He was not allowed to eat Japanese food in the restaurants. The Japanese used human waste for fertilizer at the time. He had no real duties and did not have much to do and did very little sightseeing. He was dispatched to the north end of Kyushu island. Once secured, Australian soldiers took over the area. He had to eat Australian food there. A lot of mashed mush. They mostly played poker in their down time. They had no shows to go to. They had activities on the big Japanese army base there. Danny Kaye [Annotator's Note: David Daniel Kaminsky; American entertainer] put on a big show once as did the USO [Annotator's Note: United Services Organizations]. He enjoyed some of the sights but did not enjoy being there. He returned home August 1946. The 5th Division [Annotator's Note: 5th Marine Division] stayed in Japan. The men with points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] enough to return were transferred to the 2nd Division [Annotator's Note: 2nd Marine Division] in July [Annotator's Note: July 1946]. The trip home was just a time on a ship. He had no trouble with seasickness. He felt so sorry for some of the men who had it.

Coming home from Japan was a joyous time for Don Daniels. His brother was already out of the service. They tried to get Daniels to reenlist when he was discharged in San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California]. He told the lieutenant he had 90 days to make up his mind and he would do it at home. He thought about it but never really considered it. He was discharged 26 August 1946 as a PFC [Annotator's Note: Private First Class]. That was the highest he needed to get. He went to trade school to be a tile installer on the G.I. Bill. He had no trouble transitioning back to being a civilian. He did not have trouble with nightmares or post traumatic stress [Annotator's Note: generally referred to as PTSD]. He could have gotten his trade skills without the G.I. Bill, but it made it easier. His most memorable experience is hard to say; it all fit together. He remembers most watching the burial at sea. It sticks with him. He fought because he was drafted, and it was the duty to do. He had thought about volunteering, but he cannot say if he would have or not. Being in the military helped him for the rest of his life. It made him realize things more. He does not see how you could be the same person coming out as when you went in. His service means a lot to him, because in the last few years, the generation now is realizing what happened in those days. Years went by, and people would not thank you for your duty. Now it is every day. Daniels feels World War 2 was the turning point in the United States. After that, everything started to happen, and it brought the United States completely together. When he was in Japan, he had not seen anybody he knew from back home. His future brother-in-law was on one of the repair ships and came into the harbor at Sasebo [Annotator's Note: Sasebo, Japan]. Daniels went over his sergeant's head to his captain, who let him and a friend of his go to see his friend on the ship. [Annotator's Note: The interviewer asks Daniels if the thinks The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana is important for teaching future generations about the war.] He thinks that it is important to keep the newer generations aware of what the United States has done in all of the wars.