James Deal was born in Woodleaf, North Carolina in November 1922. He was raised on a farm. There were 12 in the family with Deal being the youngest. He attended high school in Woodleaf but did not graduate. He worked on the farm until he was old enough to get a job in the nearby cotton mill. He worked there until he was drafted into the Army. He has little recollection of his whereabouts when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He did know that bad things were on the way. He was soon drafted into the Army when he was 18 years of age. He accepted being drafted except for the uncertainty of where he would be going. His parents did not like the idea of him being drafted but went along with it as long as that was his desire.

James Deal was inducted into the Army and sent to Fort Lewis, Washington. A tank battalion was formed out of the new recruits. The young enlisted men did not look too good to their new commander. Basic training went well. The officers were good and the enlisted men go along with them. Maneuvers were held in the deserts of Oregon. The weather varied wildly between day and night. Some men dug trenches in the hot sand to help with the cold but it did not work. They returned to Fort Lewis in Washington for firing range practice. They fired all the different types of weapons they would be issued. Next was a transfer to Boston, Massachusetts where the weather was very cold while the men performed calisthenics on a frozen pond. They were then sent to England on a converted freighter. As ships converged into a convoy, the freighter's engine developed problems. A large armed Coast Guard ship protected the disabled vessel from German submarines until the engine problems could be repaired. The trip to England was continued. The seas were rough. The men were glad to reach the destination. While in training, Deal developed a good friendship with another individual. They joined the maintenance crew but the work did not suit them. The two men got into a tank crew. Deal became a gunner in the tank. Deal arrived in England about three months prior to D-Day [Annotator's Note: the D-Day invasion of Normandy was 6 June 1944]. He was assigned to a tank with a 105mm gun in it. He was glad to have such firepower. In England, Deal enjoyed the pubs and the young women near the base. Transport into and back from town was by G.I. trucks. Deal missed the ride on occasion because he was having a good time. The fish and chips were the main thing to eat. The beer was alright. As the invasion time neared, the crews were told that they would have to waterproof their tanks. The crews thought that it was a joke. Their efforts were not proving too successful. Ultimately, the crews were told to stand-down on the direction. The relieved tanker went into town to celebrate the good news. [Annotator's Note: Deal laughs.]

James Deal and his tank battalion [Annotator's Note: 737th Tank Battalion] crossed the English Channel to land in Normandy. The skies were full of B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] bombers. The soldiers hoped the bombers destroyed the enemy positions. As Deal crossed the Channel, he was preparing to run his tank onto land. His tank was loaded into an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank]. The ship could carry four or five tanks. They were coming into France six days after the start of the landings. [Annotator's Note: The Normandy D-Day invasion commenced on 6 June 1944. Deal's unit began landing on 12 June 1944.] The LST arrived at high tide. When the tide receded, the tanks could be driven off easily. The tankers had been forewarned about the hedgerows and the difficulties after exiting the beaches. Defensive positions had been prepared in advance of the landings. Scrap metal from the beaches was welded to the front of the tanks to uproot the dense, deeply rooted hedgerows. That started the progress forward. Advanced bombing missions had not been too successful. Snipers were firing on the Allied troops. The tanks learned to fan out and work with other outfits. The five tanks off the LST with Deal were made into an assault platoon. Deal's 105mm gun was particularly useful. The tanks worked with the field artillery which was armed with 105mm guns. The artillery welcomed the tanks because the armored vehicles could move fast. They stayed together most of the war. They performed indirect fire missions for the most part. The first day up on the front line was in support of bogged down infantry. There was extensive small arms fire. The tank crew was protected compared to the exposed infantry around them. Suddenly, an explosion hit the tank. Everything went black for Deal. He came back to his senses and saw he was not hurt but his periscope was disabled. Deal told the driver to withdraw out of the small arms fire. Before the periscope could be replaced, the word came that the American infantry had pushed the Germans back and the tanks were no longer needed. They could pull back to the rear. That was Deal's first combat encounter. He felt lucky. They returned to the field artillery position and worked with them and an airplane observer who directed their fire on the enemy. Any tanks up on the front with infantry fought German Tiger tanks [Annotator's Note: German Mark VI heavy tank, also referred to as the Tiger]. It sometimes took four or five American tanks to surround the Tiger and disable it. It often took firing an HE [Annotator's Note: high explosive] shell into the engine compartment to knock the Tiger out.

James Deal and the 737th Tank Battalion had its baptism to fire in the Ardennes while in France. The fighting resulted in the loss of 12 American tanks. Deal's outfit first crossed the Rhine River tank by tank on a raft. That was the first crossing. The 737th crossed the Rhine River two more times on pontoon bridges. The battalion fought through France, into Belgium, Luxembourg, and then Germany. They fought in the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or Ardennes Counter-Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George Patton] told Eisenhower [Annotator's Note: US Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower] that the tank battalion could relieve the surrounded paratroopers [Annotator's Note: Deal is referring to the members of the 101st Airbborne Division surrounded around Bastogne]. The 737th spearheaded the attack. They fought with indirect fire after a 100 mile trip to help those trapped Americans. It was cold and snowing during that Christmas time. Deal became sick and was sent to the rear for medical treatment in Luxembourg. The aid station was in a personal home. The owner took Deal to a bedroom and put him into a bed with a lot of cover. She gave him whisky to help him recover. Later, she gave him apple pie to assist with his recuperation. Deal improved with her treatment. He had a good Christmas meal the next day and soon returned to his tank crew. Advancing from Luxembourg, the tankers encountered camouflaged German pillboxes. The tanks fired HE, high explosive, rounds against the hardened positions. The concussion stunned the defenders inside and they fled. The tanks then fired indirectly on a retreating convoy. The fire knocked out several vehicles. Deal was glad they were firing indirectly and not having to face enemy firepower. [Annotator's Note: Deal chuckles.]

Before crossing the Moselle River, James Deal received wounds from shrapnel. The location had been cleared of enemy resistance. Deal and his tank driver wanted to sleep outside the tank. They went into the forest to cut a tree to make a lean-to against the tank and they tripped a land mine wire. Deal was hit by shrapnel while his driver, Milton Green, was uninjured. Deal was sent to a field hospital where he remained overnight. While he was there, Deal was surprised at the numbers of wounded being brought into the aid station. He was subsequently flown back to England for admittance to a general hospital. He was glad to return to England. He went through surgery and was told by the doctor that he was lucky. The piece of shrapnel had penetrated both legs and never hit a bone. Deal healed and other than a slight loss of strength in his legs, he had no long-term negative effects. The American nurses in the hospitals were very good. Deal's rehabilitation was difficult but successful. While in the hospital, Deal managed to see his nephew. A Red Cross nurse facilitated them getting together. The nephew was in another hospital and recovered enough to be released and join Deal in his ward. The weather had improved and Deal was allowed outside the building. He and his nephew spent time together in the nice weather outside the ward. Deal ultimately was sent home via ship. The war ended during his ocean voyage while he was in route home. Ships were allowed to light their lights at night because the war was over. It was quite a sight to see all the ships in the convoy illuminated. Everyone felt good with the news.

After returning to the United States, James Deal was sent to a convalescence hospital in Florida to recuperate from his wounds. The men of Deal's outfit [Annotator's Note: the 737th Tank Battalion] returned home about the same time. Eventually, his wounds improved, and he was sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina for discharge. Deal was ready to get back home as quickly as possible. He used the G.I. Bill to attend a radio repair school. He graduated from the school. Jobs were scarce so Deal decided to work with the Southern Railroad. A friend helped him get the job. He was hired as a car inspector. He spent 34 years with the railroad and then retired. He was never bothered by the transition from military to civilian life. He had neighbors who had also served during the war. They forgot about being in the Army. It was best that way. Some did not leave the bad experiences behind and had a rough time as civilians.

James Deal served in World War 2 because his older brother volunteered for the Army. Deal visited him at Camp Shelby, Mississippi while his sibling was in the field artillery. His brother told him not to volunteer. When Deal received his draft notice, he had mixed feelings. He is glad he had the opportunity to serve his country and happy that the Lord took care of him in several different ways during his service. Institutions like The National WWII Museum are important. It is necessary to teach young people the history of what happened in World War 2. The Museum is a good vehicle to teach the details of the war. Deal enjoyed visiting the Museum. It helped him relive what happened to him.