Edward E. Boyles was born in November 1918 in Aberdeen, Idaho. Shortly after the end of World War 1, Boyles' father wanted to return to his hometown of Springdale, Washington, so they traveled in a covered wagon to Washington. Boyles remembered from a young age, he rode a horse named Old Joe everywhere. He even rode him to school for a few years. [Annotator's Note: Phone rings and tape is stopped at 0:02:42.000.] Boyles recalled the weather in Washington was so cold during wintertime that they would suspend school for days. His father eventually bought some land and built a ranch house. Boyles remembered helping his father build the house, outbuildings and fence during his spare time. This was during the Great Depression, but his father did own a Model A Ford and had enough money to go into town every Saturday. On Sundays, the family would go to church. During the week, one of Boyles' jobs was to run four miles to town and get the mail. During his second year of high school, Boyles wanted to see the world, so he moved out to the Mojave Desert for four months. He lived in a tent and found a job caring for goats. After being struck by a sidewinder [Annotator's Note: a species of rattlesnake] snake and having no one to help him with his wound, he decided he wanted to return home, graduate from high school and join the Army.

Edward E. Boyles joined the Army on 28 February 1938. He had gone through three summers of Citizens Military Training camp (CMTC). He did basic training at a small battalion post. He recalled in the summer his company was required to train and participate in a big maneuver at Fort Lewis, Washington where Colonel Earle G. Wheeler was present. During the maneuvers, Boyles was declared dead by one of the umpires. Because he was out of the game, he was tasked with delivering messages to various commanders around the fort, using different modes of transportations to deliver the various messages. By the following winter, Boyles was the company clerk. He expressed interest to going to Hawaii to his commander. He made arrangements to take a short discharge and reenlist for Hawaii in 1939. He arrived in Hawaii and was assigned to the 19th Infantry [Annotator's Note: 19th Infantry Regiment, Hawaiian Division at the time]. During that summer he played quarterback for his infantry. Boyles then requested to be transferred as an S2 [Annotator's Note: intelligence officer] at Wheeler Field [Annotator's Note: Wheeler Army Airfield, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] with the 14th Pursuit Wing.

While stationed on Wheeler Field [Annotator's Note: Wheeler Army Airfield, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] with the 14th Pursuit Wing, Edward E. Boyles' job was to establish a security protocol. He worked to secure various ethnic groups, such as Japanese, Koreans and Filipinos, on the island. He was able to establish a clearance program as a first start for security. Boyles also assisted with administration work for the field agent at Wheeler Field.

The day before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Edward E. Boyles was ordered by Colonel Flood [Annotator's Note: Army Colonel, later Brigadier General, William J. Flood, post commander of Wheeler Field at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor] to send a TWX [Annotator’s Notes: According to Miriam Webster Dictionary, TWX or Telex is a communications system consisting of teletypewriters connected to a telephonic network to send and receive signals] to the Signal Corps to let them know that Flood had removed the aircraft from the tarmac and put them in the bunkers. A TWX was sent back which disapproved of Flood's decision and ordered that the aircraft be returned to the tarmac and guards posted around them. With great hesitation from Flood, he ordered Boyles to tell operations to see to that order. Flood went home for the day and Boyles was left with a copy of the confidential message and did not have access to the safe, so he locked it in his footlocker. After war broke out, Flood was called to the commission to answer questions regarding what took place during Pearl Harbor. Boyles was able to supply him with the message he kept in his footlocker, but it did not help Flood with the commission. The morning of the attack, Boyles was mowing his lawn when he heard noises and saw smoke coming from Wheeler Field. He ran down to the headquarters of Wheeler Field and saw people lying in the culverts. He was wondering what they were doing until he saw a Japanese plane coming towards him. Boyles jumped into the culvert as the plane fired in his direction. After the attack of Pearl Harbor, Boyles slept at the headquarters because he was working 24 hours a day. Many of the dependents of military men left Hawaii for security reasons, but Boyles explained that some women did stay on to help with the war effort.

Edward E. Boyles remembered that there was always pranks going on between the Army and the Navy. Boyles remembered one early Sunday morning, while he was stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Navy airplanes flew low over the Army community and woke everyone up. Many of the young Army service men wanted to get back at the Navy, so Boyles suggested to pack flour and horse manure in paper bags and drop them over the Navy community. It was a success. Boyles mentioned there were several ongoing pranks between the Navy and Army.

While stationed at Wheeler Field [Annotator's Notes: Wheeler Army Airfield, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] with the 14th Pursuit Wing, Edward E. Boyles moved up in ranks to a Technical Sergeant on the Master Sergeant List. He was asked to apply to Officer Candidate School [Annotator's Note: often referred to simply as OCS]. Boyles was working seven days a week. He would go out on ships and look for the florescent trails of enemy submarines in addition to his other work. He also did this during the Midway conflict [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942]. Boyles was hesitant about signing up for OCS since he was already working too much, but the recruiter informed him that his name was on a list to be shipped out to the Pacific, so Boyles signed up for OCS.

Edward E. Boyles recalled his various sleeping quarters when traveling overseas. When he was shipped out to Hawaii for his first deployment, the chaplain gave him the job of running the newspaper on the ship. Due to the job, Boyles was able to live in a state room. However, another time, after he went through Officer Candidate School [Annotator's Note: often referred to simply as OCS] he was in the Aleutian Islands on the old "Bell" Liberty Ship [Annotator's Note: unable to verify ship name]. He was supposed to receive a fancy cabin due to his rank, but he ended up being assigned to the brig because Merchant Marines were given the fancy cabins.

After graduating from Officer Candidate School, Edward E. Boyles arrived on Adak, Aleutian Islands waiting for his platoon [Annotator's Note: Boyles was a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] to arrive from Attu, Aleutian Islands. He was introduced to his platoon and they began preparing for Kiska, Aleutian Islands. Boyles earned the troops' respect with his knowledge on how to dress and take care of feet in cold, wet weather. After Kiska, on there return to Hawaii on the Old Bell [Annotator's Note: cannot verify ship name], Boyles recalled trying to see the engine room, helping his troops, and a typhoon that separated the convoy.

Coming from military intelligence background, Edward E. Boyles was ordered to prepare some of his troops [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] for a patrol mission to seek out and locate the enemy on Kiska, Aleutian Islands. Boyles ordered his men to lose most of their equipment, especially the things that make noise. He taught them signals using so they could communicate without talking. He also taught them how to function in the dark. [Annotator's Note: Boyles asks to take a break]. They located a telephone line and followed it down to the harbor, but they did not locate any Japanese activity. Boyles recalled that the 10th Mountain Division was on Kiska island as well. His troops were there the support them, but communication between the two groups was minimal.

When Edward E. Boyles and his platoon [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] reached Adak, Aleutian Islands it was mostly occupied by the Navy and Air Force. Boyles and his platoon did a lot of training on Adak to prepare for fighting in Marshall Islands, particularly for Kwajalein. He became the primary training instructor for the firing range because he had so much experience from his youth. Boyles recalled one mishap where they had laid out smoke rounds on a hill but came to find out they were white phosphorus munitions. The hillside caught on fire so they had to hurry to put the fire out. They found out the symbols on the containers had been rubbed off.

Edward E. Boyles remembered that before they set off for Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, there was a big meeting with all the platoon sergeants and leaders of the 7th Infantry Division [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] for special training on amphibious watercraft with the Navy. They wanted to avoid another Tarawa fiasco. Boyles' platoon was supposed to be landed last but ended up being the first on the beach at Kwajalein. The tread on the tanks got stuck in coral, so Boyles' platoon had to secure the beach first until the tanks could get up onto the beach. Boyles recalled on their first day, as they headed inland, they came across some friendly fire. Boyles had to radio in to cease the fire. As they moved inland, they trapped the enemy in bunkers with ventilation holes. Once the bunkers were sealed shut, they would drop white phosphorus grenades into the ventilation holes. Then later the engineers came by and lit dynamite on top of the bunkers to blow them down. By night fall, Boyles and his platoon ended up a short distance from the airstrip. The enemy was about 50 yards away, so Boyles requested the Navy to fire a missile in that area every 15 minutes. At dawn, Boyles requested a salvo from the artillery observer, but then he saw a white flag, and told them to hold their fire. The artillery observer said it was too late, firing had commenced. Just then, Boyles saw the Japanese drop the flag and began to attack. They didn't get too far before the salvo hit. The Americans were able to take over the island shortly after. Boyles shared a few anecdotal stories. He had his bazooka man blow up a shack that was on a wharf and joked with some of his men that the shack was an outhouse. Boyles' platoon sergeant was fatally wounded during the battle, and Boyles regrets not going to see the body to physically confirm his death to sergeant's mother.

After a successful operation on Kwajalein [Annotator's Note: Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands], Edward E. Boyles remembered they had a celebration parade in Hawaii when they returned, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was present. Boyles gave his troops [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] three days of liberty. They soon had to prepare for Yap [Annotator's Note: Yap Island, Caroline Islands, part of the Federated States of Micronesia] but after they boarded the ship, they were told that they were heading to Manus [Annotator's Note: Manus Island, Papua New Guinea] to re-stage for the Philippines. Many of the troops were very ill on the voyage from Hawaii to Manus to the Philippines due to a combination of beer drinking and the effects of the vaccinations.

Edward E. Boyles was on a landing craft with his platoon [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] as they neared Leyte [Annotator's Note: Leyte, Philippines]. He could see a flotilla that spanned as far as the eye could see. As they pulled into the harbor the following morning, they were eating their meal and could hear firing starting. Enemy aircraft were firing on the flotilla. Boyles remembered landing on the beaches of Dulag, Leyte around noon [Annotator's Note: on 20 October 1944]. He was trying to organize his platoon when he saw General Douglas MacArthur walk past him with his entourage. During the first day of battle, Boyles commented on many natives being caught in the crossfire because they were not given much warning. By the end of the day, Dulag was in rubble. That evening, Boyles ordered his men to dig their foxholes. He always had his men set up as a buddy system of two people per fox hole. Boyles shared an anecdotal story that described how Colonel Hartle [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Russell P. Hartle] seemed to be the butt of jokes, but it kept a good morale amongst the men.

As Edward E. Boyles and his platoon [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] marched inland of Leyte, Philippines they came across many dead bodies, some very revolting to look at. They made it to the Marabong River and were marching through sawgrass. Boyles gave a lesson to his platoon on how to use a machete and cut the grass. During their journey they come across a couple of buildings. One had a fermented coconut drink called "Tuber" that Boyles warned his troops not to consume, and another time they came across a shack where an old lady was living. They also experienced friendly fire from the Marine Corps which wounded a couple of troops.

As a few days had past, Edward E. Boyles and his platoon [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] marched inland on Leyte. His troops would get themselves in trouble like drinking unknown liquid in bottles they found in a building. Some days they did not get direct fire, but they could hear fighting around them. He also recalled instances where the natives would trick them and lead them into harms way. Boyles recalled on the 26th [Annotator's Note: 26 October 1944], he was on the front line and was ordered to take the high ground by some rice paddy fields. They were under heavy fire and many of the platoon leaders were injured during this push. The following day, Boyles was assigned to the 1st Platoon, while his platoon sergeant would lead Boyles' platoon. He remembered that the enemy would hide in covered foxholes, then jump out. Boyles ordered canon support because the tanks were too bogged down. At one point in the fight, Boyles was almost decapitated, but one of his troops was able to stop it before it happened. At the end of the day, he and his troops were exhausted. He found out that his platoon sergeant had been killed.

Edward E. Boyles and his platoon's [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] next mission on Leyte was to connect with the 24th Infantry Division in the province of Dagami. Boyles soon spotted them across a rice paddy field but was told to hold his position. Boyles recalled being worried about one of his men's mental health. He seemed to have great fear and Boyles was not sure if he would harm anyone in the troop or himself. Boyles finally met up with the 24th Division and felt his job was over. He relayed to the commander where the enemy was located. As Boyles returned through the rice fields, he was hit with shrapnel, but his injuries were minor.

In early November 1944, Edward E. Boyles was instructed to take a few volunteer troops [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] and Filipino scouts to locate the enemy on top of a mountain. When they reached the top of the mountain a typhoon came through. Boyles and his men were stuck on the mountain for days. There was an attempt to drop supplies to them, but the mission failed. The scouts that were with them lived off the land, so they were able to get them meat, and they lived off bananas and coconut milk until the typhoon ended. When they began their trek back to camp, they had to cross the Marabong river three times by using caribou. When they reached the outskirts of the camp, Boyles shoes had rotted off his feet. He walked two miles barefoot until they reached a road, and he sat and waited until someone picked him up in a jeep. Boyles was able to confirm Japanese locations to his superior officer.

One morning, shortly after Thanksgiving [Annotator's Note: 23 November 1944], Edward E. Boyles could not get up from his bed. He had no movement in his body. A day later he was sent to the aid station. He stayed there for a few days but made no progress. He was then sent to a field hospital in Dulag, Leyte, Philippines where they diagnosed him with Polio. He was going to be shipped home.

Edward E. Boyles remembered very little resistance in the beginning of fighting on Leyte, Philippines, but his company [Annotator's Note: at the time, Boyles was serving as a platoon leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division] was in reserve. There may have been some mortar fire, but no direct fire. Boyles did recall fire each night as they moved inland. When they dug in for the night, they would put wire up along the perimeter and tie noisemakers to it. They would also lay out booby traps and dig false foxholes so they would not give away their actual positions.

Edward E. Boyles received many awards and citations for his service in World War 2. He received the Presidential Unit Citation, which is a very highly honored award. He was also awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, which was given to him in his hospital bed. After the war, Boyles requested a ceremony for his awards, which he received.

Edward E. Boyles was sent to Barnes General Hospital near Springdale, Washington after being in field hospitals for over two months. He was initially quarantined for about 60 days. His wife at the time decided to divorce him and Boyles had no objections. He was then sent to the Army and Navy Hospital in Hot Springs [Annotator's Note: Hot Springs, Arkansas] for healing. Since he weighed under 100 pounds, the nurse in charge of health made Boyles eat with the Prisoner of War patients. She gave him permission to eat anything at any time. By the spring of 1946 Boyles was ready for therapy. On his first day of therapy, the nurse gave him a penny and told him to hold it between his butt cheeks. Sometime in March, Boyles' doctor and the board decided that he reached his maximum recovery and should be sent to Veterans Affairs. Boyles did not like this plan, and reached out to a friend that helped him get transferred to Letterman Army Hospital [Annotator's Note: located at the Presidio of San Francisco, California]. During his time at the Army and Navy Hospital, he had met his future wife. They married on 1 June 1946. After their honeymoon, Boyles transferred to Letterman Army Hospital to continue his therapy.

After three weeks in therapy at Letterman Army Hospital [Annotator's Note: located at the Presidio of San Francisco, California], Edward E. Boyles needed to do something else to take up his day. He went to G-2 [Annotator's Note: intelligence officer] of 6th Army and asked if he could be a special agent, but he was still using crutches to get around. The colonel decided to give him a job where he could sit at a desk. [Annotator's Note: The tape is stopped and restarted at 4:02:10.000.] One day, Boyles heard an agent having a hard time with one of his cases. The soldier was not being cooperative. Boyles decided to visit the soldier himself. He was able to have a conversation with the man and extract some information. From this point on, Boyles was given cases to talk to servicemen and extract information about their war experiences so they could get intel about war crimes. Boyles was then selected to oversee the field office in Southern California and the State of Arizona, however, he was later transferred to Salt Lake City after butting heads with the Commander of 115th MI [Annotator's Note: Military Intelligence] Detachment, a Counter Intelligence Detachment. In 1949, Boyles applied for a regular Army commission, but was denied by the surgeon general due to his residual polio. He finished out his active duty in 1958.

During the Battle of Midway, Edward E. Boyles spent a lot of his time typing because his superior officer, Lieutenant Earl, could not type. [Annotator's Note: At the time, Boyles was a member of the 14th Pursuit Wing based at Wheeler Field, Hawaii.] Boyles would type up reports while Earl did the investigating. Boyles would send the reports to the intelligence office at the Hawaii department. He was also the chief of intelligence security for the post and set up security measures. Boyles remarked on the various occurrences of working with individuals in the Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) throughout his military career.

Edward E. Boyles remarked that about 90 percent of the Japanese soldiers would rather die than bring embarrassment to their families. This was the force behind their hard fighting. Boyles recalled having a hatred towards the Japanese while he was in the Marshall Islands, but then a Japanese propaganda post card of Pearl Harbor surfaced among his troops. He realized that hate could tear a person up. He changed his feelings about the Japanese. Boyles does not know anyone who had post traumatic stress disorder. He had a close friend that, as he developed dementia in his old age, would recall bad events from World War 2. Boyles admits he never had nightmares, but a sudden noise will make him jump. He also remarked how sometimes when he sits to watch the sun rise, it reminds him of dawn attacks in the Philippines. Boyles reminisced about his time in Korea with his wife and kids. At one point, right after the Korean War was declared, there was a typhoon and Boyles and his family had to wade through water to get to Headquarters. His wife was on a board at a museum and she received the Molly Pitcher award.

World War 2 changed Edward E. Boyles' life by making him understand the meaning of liberty, victory and freedom in the United States. He believes that freedom is not definable by any dictionary. Boyles grew up with pioneer values and he knew the difference between needs and wants. He is worried for the youth today because they cannot tell the difference. [Annotator's Note: The tape stops and restarts at 4:45:08.] World War 2 was like no other war our nations has experienced. It mobilized an entire population. He had respect for World War 1 soldiers, especially those he served with him at the beginning of his service. Boyles commented that World War 2 should reinforce in people that the guys who fought were right. Having The National WWII Museum is a valuable thing. Museums remind us where we come from.