James "Jim" Geisler was born and raised in Pittsburgh [Annotator's Note: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]. He was 18 years old when he was drafted. He went through basic training on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City [Annotator's Note: Atlantic City, New Jersey]. He went on to Wake Forest College [Annotator's Note: now Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina] for three months to be instructed in financial disbursement for the Army. He learned how to keep books for the government and how to pay troops. After that education, he was shipped to Europe landing in Scotland and England first. He went on to France then Belgium and afterward to Germany. He was in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. At that time, he was issued a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] with only 30 bullets. He did not know what he was to do after they had been fired. Fortunately, he never had to use the weapon. He was in Germany as the war ended. He was shipped back to France where he was then transported to Luzon, Philippines. Six months later, he was sent back to the United States. He received three battle stars for his service in Europe. Geisler was born in May 1926. His father died when he was very young so his mother went to work for the United States Department of Agriculture to support Geisler and his four brothers and sisters. Geisler's grandmother raised the children while their mother worked. The family got by on their mother's wages. Geisler and his brother even managed to have second hand bicycles. They never realized that they did not have many material things. After the service, Geisler moved a number of times but his family adjusted to those moves. He lost his wife 40 years prior to his interview. He is pleased with his current living conditions as he no longer has to shovel snow. Geisler was at home in Pittsburgh when Pearl Harbor was attacked [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was the first of the family boys to go into the service. He was in the Army six months before transfer to Europe. He had his basic training in Atlantic City and then provided with disbursement instructions through the Specialized Training Program [Annotator's Note: Army Specialized Training Program or ASTP] prior to shipping out. When he received his draft notice, it did not surprise him. Many of his friends had already been called up. When he left home, it was the first time he had been away overnight. As a child of the Great Depression, he had always slept with his brother which was not unusual for the times. In the Army, he slept by himself for the first time. He had three meals a day but they were not as good as his grandmother's meals. [Annotator's Note: Geisler laughs.] He was drafted in January 1943.

James "Jim" Geisler was inducted in Virginia and then transferred to Atlantic City [Annotator's Note: Atlantic City, New Jersey] where he received his basic training. He was billeted in a fancy hotel during that time. Afterward, he was sent to Wake Forest College [Annotator’s Note: now Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina] after taking several examinations. He became part of the ASTP, or Army Specialized Training Program. His knowledge of typing could have been a factor in his selection for the program. His basic training largely involved marching with wooden guns and playing games. He spent about three months at Wake Forest. He went to the Army Specialized Training Program at the Citadel in South Carolina [Annotator's Note: The Military College of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina]. After six months there, the program was closed out. He was sent to Fort Harrison, Indiana prior to being shipping out overseas. His training in finance school resulted in him not being transferred to an infantry unit. He had no prior college training because he was drafted immediately after graduating from high school. His Catholic school education must have helped him successfully pass the aptitude tests he took after induction. The finance school had good instructors consequently Geisler managed to pass all the requirements. The accounting work was very interesting to him. Following ASTP, Geisler was assigned to the 143rd Finance Disbursing Section. Later, while serving in the Pacific, he was attached to the 174th Finance Disbursing Section. There were about 14 members of the section including officers. They worked to provide pay to the troops assigned to them. From Fort Harrison, the outfit traveled to Boston [Annotator's Note: Boston, Massachusetts] where they sailed to Europe on the New Amsterdam which was a plush boat. The ship sailed fast enough to not have to travel in convoy. It sailed alone and only took four days to reach Scotland from Boston. Every time Geisler sailed he was subject to being seasick. He subsequently avoided being on a ship. The New Amsterdam carried a large number of troops. Geisler was in a stateroom intended for one person that had been fitted with eight bunks in it. The swimming pool was even used to carry troops. He crossed the Atlantic [Annotator's Note: Atlantic Ocean] in November 1944 which likely explained why it was a rough trip.

James "Jim" Geisler reached England [Annotator's Note: in November 1944] and then spent time in France, Belgium and Germany. He liked his time in Germany the best. He had grandparents who were born in Germany. He found the country more likeable than either France or Belgium. Geisler spent about a month in England before crossing the English Channel. He was in a poor suburb of London [Annotator's Note: London, England]. With the shortage of toilet paper, guards had to watch the supply. It was Geisler's first job to guard the toilet paper. It surprised the English children to see so many Americans wearing glasses. Most of Geisler's finance unit [Annotator's Note: 143rd Finance Disbursing Section] wore eyeglasses. While in Belgium, Geisler lived with a local family. After the war, the woman in the family came to the United States to visit him. The locals in France near Geisler did not speak English. He liked Belgium and some of the sites he visited there. The woman they were billeted with in Belgium felt the statue of the boy urinating was vile [Annotator's Note: Manneken Pis or the "little pissing man" is a landmark in Brussels, Belgium]. Geisler and his unit issued money to the troops for their pay. Geisler remembers little of the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945]. He managed to go to Paris [Annotator's Note: Paris, France] on leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. It was a lovely experience and very neat. It improved his viewpoint toward France. Christmas 1944 was highlighted by care packages from home with candy and cookies. He shared with his buddies. Entering Germany, the citizens were not hostile to Geisler and his unit. They were just regular people. The people of Belgium were similar. Geisler spent about six months in Germany. There was no leave allowed to visit any local sites. He enjoyed the food in Belgium and Germany best of all; however, it was not like being on a cruise or going to a restaurant. He was in Belgium when the war in Europe ended. He spent time in Germany before going to Marseilles [Annotator's Note: Marseilles, France] to ship out to the United States.

James "Jim" Geisler was in the Panama Canal when he learned of the Japanese surrender [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. He had been in Europe for the surrender of Germany but knew he could alter his assignment to serve in the fight against the Japanese. The ship continued on its course to Luzon, Philippines. He dreaded being on a ship because he was subject to seasickness. He was assigned to Baguio [Annotator's Note: Baguio, Luzon, Philippines] which was the winter capital of the Philippines. There was snow in the mountains there. He spent six months in the Philippines working in the finance office [Annotator's Note: with the 174th Finance Disbursing Section]. Work days were short and time was available to go to the beach and relax. Nevertheless, he was anxious to get home. He needed 85 points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] to get home based on his service experience. It took six months for him to get home. He had contact with a few Filipinos in the finance office. Geisler saw little destruction in the area where he was based. There was very little change for him after the end of the war. He returned home to San Francisco [Annotator's Note: San Francisco, California] in March 1946. He returned on a ship and was seasick for his last voyage in the service. He was happy to see the Golden Gate Bridge. His welcome home dinner was a fine steak dinner. He received his discharge in March 1946 as a Tech 3 [Annotator's Note: US Army Technician Third Grade or T3; equivalent pay grade as a Staff Sergeant] at Fort Knox [Annotator's Note: Fort Knox, Kentucky]. He took advantage of the G.I. Bill after his discharge. He married his fiancée that he had corresponded with during his deployment. He looked forward to the mail he received from her. He missed her the most while he was overseas. They would go on to have a boy and two girls. He cannot get a veteran's identification card because of the amount of money he makes. He never missed anything from overseas after his return home. Traveling and vacations were rare for Great Depression era citizens so going overseas was an adventure for him. Geisler never missed a paycheck after his discharge. He had no transition issues in adjusting to civilian life. He was happy to be a civilian after leaving the military.

James "Jim" Geisler remembers his three days in Paris, France as his most memorable event of the war. He remembers seeing Notre Dame and another church on a hill [Annotator's Note: while on leave]. He served in World War 2 because of being drafted. He was lucky with his assignments [Annotator's Note: with the 143rd Finance Disbursing Section in Europe]. Sanitary facilities in Europe were quite different from what he had previously experienced. The war changed his life by allowing him to have a good job after he was discharged. It was a good experience for him. He used the G.I. Bill but never had to use any of the other benefits. He was glad to get out of the service and not have any contact with the government. Most people have forgotten the war and remember instead Vietnam or Korea. The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] is important to remind young people of what went on during the war.