[Annotator's Note: Henry T. Meyer uses derogatory words to describe people of color throughout clip.] Meyer was born in November 1922 in Highland Park, Michigan. His family moved when he was six and Meyer spent his youth in Dearborn, Michigan. His father worked for the Ford Motor Company and his mother took care of the family. During the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945], his mother started a boy's club for the neighborhood. She also took her sons camping. Meyer understood that they did not eat well but it did not bother him. His family still owned a house, and they were very involved in their community. He played sports, especially basketball. His schools were segregated, and Blacks [Annotator's Note: African-Americans] did not live in Dearborn. Meyer's uncle worked for the police department. They made sure that the Blacks stayed out of Dearborn. His family listened to the radio to learn about the conflicts in Europe. Meyer despised Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler]. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], Meyer wanted to enlist in the Coast Guard. If he were going to die in war, he would prefer to drown. Meyer's three brothers all served in World War 2. His mother had died right before the United States got involved. His high school had a prayer service for her because she was so involved with the community.

After Henry T. Meyer graduated from high school, he enlisted in the service and went to boot camp where he received firearm training. After he completed military training, he was sent to Florida in December 1942. He patrolled the beaches of Daytona [Annotator's Note: Daytona, Florida] and Fort Lauderdale [Annotator's Note: Fort Lauderdale, Florida]. Meyer walked the beaches, ten miles a night armed with a dog, a flashlight and .38 [Annotator's Note: Smith & Wesson Model 10, also called Smith & Wesson Victory Model; six-shot, .38 Special, double-action revolver]. His dog was a Doberman Pinscher. He was required to care for and feed him. He does not recall ever seeing subs [Annotator's Note: submarines] in the sea while he was on duty, but sometimes he would see lights. The beaches would have remnants of water craft that were blown up at sea. They would spend his time off in the city of Daytona socializing with the Army women. Meyer was not restricted very much while he did his military service in Florida. He played for the basketball team and was given lots of freedom. He was quite the sportsman and played baseball and basketball for the Coast Guard. He then played for a baseball team in Miami [Annotator's Note: Miami, Florida]. Meyer was in Miami and he saw the baseball player's uniforms and he liked them. He asked the manager of the baseball team if he could tryout. He made the team and started the next game. When he was not playing sports, he was given jobs in transportation. He drove many vehicles, even trucks to take the sports teams to games.

Henry T. Meyer despised Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] but did not blame the German people because they followed their leader. He also did not like the Japanese, but he thought that the treatment of Japanese-Americans was horrible. Meyer would get his news from newspapers, but he did not keep up too much with what was going on because he was too busy doing his Coast Guard duties. He played baseball and basketball for the Coast Guard in Miami [Annotator's Note: Miami, Florida]. He then requested to go out on a ship and was granted a position on a ship that patrolled up and down Africa, South America, and Cuba. He wanted to do more in the war effort besides playing sports. He had brothers serving in World War 2 and he wanted to do something more like them. There were seven people on the boat, and everyone had different jobs. One of his tasks was to listen to sonar, and if they heard something in their vicinity, they would drop depth charges [Annotator's Note: also called a depth bomb; an anti-submarine explosive munition resembling a metal barrel or drum]. He was able to go ashore in Havana, Cuba.

Henry T. Meyer took boxing lessons under Jack Dempsey [Annotator's Note: William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey; American professional boxer]. Dempsey thought that Meyer had great foot movement. After the war was over, Meyer was still stationed in Miami [Annotator's Note: Miami, Florida]. He was an extra on the film "They Were Expendable" featuring John Wayne [Annotator's Note: Marion Michael Morrison; American actor], who was a very nice person. He sat with him every day asking Meyer about his service and sports. Meyer was ready to get out of the service when he finished the movie. He was discharged as a Seaman 1st Class in 1946. He did not go to college, therefore did not use the G.I. Bill. He played in the Professional Basketball League [Annotator's Note: Professional League of America, 1947 to 1948] and baseball after he was discharged from the military. He played with one of the first Black professional basketball players, Sweetwater Clifton [Annotator's Note: Nathaniel Clifton], who eventually played for the Harlem Globetrotters [Annotator's Note: American exhibition basketball team]. Meyers thought it was horrible that his African-American teammate could not stay in the same hotels as he could nor eat at the same restaurants. The Professional Basketball League folded a year after Meyer got there, so he worked with the NBA [Annotator's Note: National Basketball Association].

After his service in World War 2, Henry T. Meyer went into the police service after a short career in professional basketball. He tested well on the physical exam for the police academy. After a couple of months of police training, he became a police officer. He worked in heavy criminal areas. He was well liked in the community and he enjoyed helping the youth. He also worked with the Syrian community in Dearborn [Annotator's Note: Dearborn, Michigan]. [Annotator's Note: There is lawn mower noise in the background at 1:00:08.000.] Meyer's most memorable experience was when World War 2 was declared over. They had small celebrations. He served in the war because he felt the need to do it. The country was in war and they needed people. The war helped him become smarter and learned a great deal by being in the service. He is very glad that he served. He believes America is proud of the results of the war and it is the greatest thing they have ever done. He was touched when he was in Washington D.C. and there were people on street corners waving American flags at him. He continues to tell his story to future generations. He remarked that when he dropped bombs [Annotator's Note: depth charge; also called a depth bomb; an anti-submarine explosive munition resembling a metal barrel or drum] into the sea, he was nervous that the bombs were not far enough down, and his ship would be affected by the blast. He believes that the greatest thing he ever did was going into service.