Ervin Markwald served with the 77th Division [Annotator's Note: 305th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division] during World War 2, assigned as a replacement in the Philippines. He was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan in November 1925. He was drafted into the Army after high school. His family had a fruit farm in Benton Harbor, and it was great growing up on a farm. The hard work was good for him. He was 16 when he heard on the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], never thinking that he would go into the service. Two years later, however, he was in the service as an 18 year old. He thought the war would be short. He got a letter in the mail telling him to report for a physical examination. Three months later he was in the service. His service ended in February 1944. He was sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois and after a few weeks was assigned to a camp for basic training. In his case, he went to Fort Riley, Kansas for 17 weeks of basic training. From there, he was shipped to Fort Meade, Maryland [Annotator's Note: Fort George G. Meade in in Anne Arundel County, Maryland] and then his orders were changed for Camden, Virginia. He then went back to Fort Riley where he was assigned to the 305th Infantry Regiment and did more training. He then took a seven-day train trip to Camp Stoneman, California. He was only there a few days before they left for Leyte [Annotator's Note: Leyte, Philippines], which took a month. They once had a scare with a Japanese submarine, but a destroyer escort circled the troopship and they were cleared. They arrived in Leyte in June 1945 as replacements, and Markwald was assigned to the 77th Division and began training for the invasion of Japan. He thanks God for the atomic bombing of Japan [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945], because invading would have been a massacre. In September, they headed up to Hokkaido, Japan, the northernmost island, and took over a ski camp. It got very cold there. Markwald had never skied in his life, gave it a shot, and has not tried again since. [Annotator's Note: Markwald laughs.] He remained in Japan until April 1946. He drove trucks in Yokohama, and they would go into Tokyo every once in a while. It was all bombed out except for a single hotel. His returning ship arrived in Seattle, Washington. He was then discharged from Fort McCoy, Wisconsin and returned home [Annotator's Note: to Benton Harbor, Michigan] having spent a little over two years in the service.

Ervin Markwald [Annotator’s Note: drafted into the Army at age 18] did 17 weeks of basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas. They did calisthenics every day, spent time on the rifle range, and drove tanks and half-tracks [Annotator's Note: M3 half-track; a vehicle with front wheels and rear tracks]. They were supposed to be a mechanized cavalry unit. There were still horse troops in those days. Markwald was a gunner and assistant driver on a light tank with a crew of four. He once fired a 75 mm Howitzer on a tank [Annotator’s Note: 75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8]. They lacked advanced technology. They would fire a round and then adjust the trajectory. In Camp Pickett, Virginia, Markwald was assigned to a cavalry unit, and was then shipped back to Kansas. The unit was broken up then sent to Fort Meade, Maryland as replacements for Europe where the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945] was going on at the time. But then the orders were changed, and he was destined for the Pacific. In Sabu [Annotator’s Note: also known as Sawu or Savu, Indonesia] they trained for the invasion of Japan. Markwald was very glad to see the war end and the armistice signed [Annotator’s Note: the document of surrender was signed by the Japanese on 2 September 1945]. On Leyte [Annotator’s Note: Leyte, the Philippines] they were put into a replacement center and were put to work seven days a week, even if it was just picking up trash. Shortly after they left on an LCI [Annotator’s Note: Landing Craft Infantry] for Sabu where the 77th Infantry Division was. Markwald as a replacement troop for the division. He served in the headquarters company and had it pretty good. He saw a lot of Japanese prisoners coming out of the hills on trucks. The war ended while they were on their way to Japan, eventually arriving in Hokkaido [Annotator’s Note: Hokkaido, Japan]. There were still Japanese soldiers there. The Japanese people were very friendly, though troops did not mingle much with the civilian population. Markwald would so patrols, never having to fire his weapon. He was once sent to Sapporo [Annotator’s Note: Sapporo, Japan] where he saw a trailer full of slaughtered horses that he presumed were to be eaten.

Ervin Markwald [Annotator’s Note: serving with Headquarters Company, 305th Infantry Regiment, 77th Infantry Division on occupation duty in Japan] did not encounter any animosity between American troops and Japanese citizens. He tried to sightsee while in Japan, but he was kept pretty busy driving trucks and loading ships, and then he got his orders to go home. He regrets not going to see Hiroshima [Annotator's Note: Hiroshima, Japan]. He has been married 55 years [Annotator's Note: at the time of the interview] and with his wife, has traveled extensively. Markwald's two older brothers saw combat in Europe, and his two younger brothers went into the service later. One served in the Aleutians in Alaska [Annotator's Note: Aleutian Islands, Alaska], and the other was a paratrooper. Coming home on a liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship], he did not think they were going to make it. He thought the boat was going to break in half. The ship was integrated and there was no trouble. They played a lot of cards to pass the time on the long journey home. The Army tried to get Markwald to join the Reserves. He did not, but he should have. It was nice to be home. He was on Leyte [Annotator's Note: Leyte, Philippines] when he learned the Japanese surrendered and they would not have to invade. When he got home, he worked for the Whirlpool Corporation for 41 years. Markwald laments that World War 2 is not taught enough in school. Many people were lost in the war.