Edward Lalande was born in Moreauville, Louisiana in March 1919. He had three brothers and three sisters. He had a good life. They had everything they needed. It was a country life. He was an elevator operator. He worked in the hotel for 22 years. He managed the mirror room. After that, he went into business for himself. He went to Alexandria [Annotator's Note: Alexandria, Louisiana] to work in a hotel. He volunteered to be in the service. He was in for six or seven months and then he was ready to get out. He was in seven months when Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] broke out. After that, he volunteered for combat service and was sent to Africa. He was stationed in a small town. There was always something to do.

[Annotator's Note: Lalande takes very long pauses before answering many of the questions he is asked.] Edward Lalande put in for his year of service. He was in for about seven months when they [Annotator's Note: the Japanese] bombed Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He went to Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. When he shipped out aboard the Queen Mary, they spent 24 hours on deck and 24 hours below. The Queen Mary was a good-sized ship. He landed in England. It was his first time away from home. He was in the 1st Infantry Division. His commander, an officer named Brown, was an educated man who took good care of them. Lalande volunteered for combat duty. He was in Indiantown Gap when he heard about Pearl Harbor. He was a scout. His duty was to go forward. He was the first person to go forward. He was in a little town in Africa. It was a French town. He remembers Kasserine Pass [Annotator's Note: The Battle of Kasserine Pass was a series of battles of the Tunisia Campaign that took place in February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, Tunisia] was hard. They had never seen combat before then. The fighting was rugged at first because they did not have all the equipment they needed. They did not have guns, ammunition, or transportation. They had to make do with what they had. They rode bikes. He had an M1 [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand]. The battleship Rodney [Annotator's Note: HMS Rodney] bombed at Kasserine Pass and led their way through. They wanted the high ground so they could see everything.

Edward Lalande was scared during combat but did what he had to. Oran [Annotator’s Note: Oran, Algeria, Africa] was a small town. They had to fight the French off before they could do anything. They worked with them. The Germans were very good soldiers and they were tough. They worked hard. The fighting was easier once they got better equipment. Every man had to carry a mortar round. They took some German prisoners. They worked in the camps. Some of them spoke English. Lalande's assignment was to move in, take prisoners, and take them to the camps. He made friends with some of them. It was not hard to take prisoners. The commander was the boss. They depended on him only. Lalande would get up in the morning and get assigned a job. He took prisoners out to work. He was wounded in Kasserine Pass [Annotator’s Note: The Battle of Kasserine Pass was a series of battles of the Tunisia Campaign that took place in February 1943 at Kasserine Pass, Tunisia]. He was hit by a bomb. It was a shrapnel wound to his leg and gut. He was wounded in Italy as well. He was hit by shrapnel again. In Africa, they had more to offer to them but they were better equipped and had better training in Italy.

Edward Lalande returned to the States [Annotator's Note: United States] in a convoy. He had been in Oran [Annotator's Note: Oran, Algeria, Africa]. He had volunteered for a year and had been in for six months when war was declared. He was looking to get out when they bombed Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. The commanding general was General Brown [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to identify] who was from Battlecreek, Michigan. He was a good commander. Lalande was discharged in 1944. He was in camp and worked with prisoners. He thinks it is important to study World War 2. During the war, they had to fight and be ready. Studying World War 2 will prepare young people for what comes later in life. He kept in touch with his Army friends. He went to reunions. He thinks the war brought them forward more. They had more. They depended on one man, their commander. Lalande would want people to know why they went through the war and ways to avoid war. He went back to work at the Bentley Hotel [Annotator's Note: in Alexandria, Louisiana] when he returned home. He worked there for about 20 years. He does not want to go through war again.