James Shelton Scales was born in April 1917 in Sandy Ridge, North Carolina. It was a farming community in Stokes County [Annotator's Note: Stokes County, North Carolina]. His father did not get married until he was 64 years old. His mother was 32 years younger than his father. His father was born in 1847 and was 13 years old when the Civil War [Annotator's Note: American Civil War, 1861 to 1865] stared. Scales' uncles fought for the Confederate Army. There were no public schools at the time, but Scales' aunt was able to get an education. His father would attend school when he could, usually when he could not work due to weather. Altogether, Scales' father received three years of education. His grandmother was born in 1806, just seven years after George Washington [Annotator's Note: George Washington, 1st President of the United States of America] died. His grandmother was a few years older than Robert E. Lee [Annotator's Note: General Robert Edward Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War] and Abraham Lincoln [Annotator's Note: Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America]. Scales was born when his father was almost 70 years old. Scales had a sister and a brother. His mother was a teacher. Scales' sister graduated from Duke [Annotator's Note: Duke University, Durham, North Carolina]. Scales graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill [Annotator's Note: Chapel Hill, North Carolina]. Scales lived on the farm. There was no electricity, plumbing, or paved roads. They used fire for warmth, and a kerosene lamp for light. He went to school 17 miles away from the farm. When he graduated in 1934, he was not prepared to go to college. It was the middle of the Depression [Annotator's Note: Great Depression; a global economic depression that lasted through the 1930s]. In his junior year of high school, his teacher got sick and never came back. After graduating from college, Scales returned home, but had no occupation. By mid-October 1940, all men had to register for the draft. Scales did not like the idea of being drafted. He heard about the Marine Officer Training at Quantico, Virginia, so he signed up for the Marine Corps in Raleigh [Annotator's Note: Raleigh, North Carolina]. He was to report to Quantico in November 1940. The training took 13 weeks. Two days before he was commissioned, Scales was asked if he would accept a commission in the regular Marine Corps. He knew he would have to wait two years to get married, so he decided to think it over. He turned it down because he was already engaged. After graduating, Scales did three months of ROTC [Annotator's Note: Reserve Officer Training Corps]. After six months of further education, he was to serve in an actual Marine unit. Scales was sent back to train new recruits. He remained there from June 1941 to July 1943. On 7 August 1942, Scales was promoted to captain and given a company to command. As company commander, he trained troops that came from Parris Island [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Recruit Corps Parris Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina] where they learned how to drill and shoot. Scales would then teach the new Marines everything else they needed to learn.

James Shelton Scales trained recruits until the middle of 1943, when he received orders to report to Camp Pendleton, California. He drove with a friend of his across the country. They both had several ration cards for gasoline. One day, some of the Marines went to Tijuana [Annotator's Note: Tijuana, Mexico] to see a bull fight, which Scales did not enjoy. Scales was in command of A Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines [Annotator's Note: Company A, 1st Battalion, 23 Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division]. They trained in amphibious landings. The unit was well trained when it left the United States in January 1944. His first stop was in the Marshall Islands, at two islands in the Kwajalein Atoll. One of the islands had an airfield the Marines wanted to take, and the other island had a bridge connecting the two. On 1 February 1944, Scales' unit landed and took the left flank along the beach [Annotator's Note: Battle of Kwajalein, 31 January through 3 February 1944]. The Japanese expected the Marines to land elsewhere on the island, leading to a surprise attack by the Americans. Scales' island was taken on the first day, but the other island took three days to capture. Apparently, some Japanese tried to hide in an underground cave, but it was blown up, along with the ammunition in it. After the battle, Scales was sent back to Maui [Annotator's Note: Maui, Hawaii], where his base camp was located. He felt grateful his base was somewhere civilized. Scales never forgot his first day on Maui. His unit was the first off of the troopship. His base was 18 miles from the dock. It was a lovely day. He passed sugar cane and pineapple plantations. The unit did not need replacements and started training. Scales only lost two men in that battle, which he thought was easy compared to the Battle of Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima, 19 February through 26 March 1945, Iwo Jima, Japan]. Scales trained until the end of May 1944 and was promoted to the rank of major.

James Shelton Scales landed on Saipan [Annotator's Note: Battle of Saipan, 15 June to 9 July 1944, Saipan, Mariana Islands] on 15 June 1944. Two Marine divisions and an Army division were used for the battle. Once the Marines had secured part of the island, the 27th Division [Annotator's Note: 27th Infantry Division] was sent in. Scales thinks it was the sorriest unit he saw in World War 2. The 27th Division was put between two Marine Divisions. The Marine Divisions quickly got ahead of the Army, which caused difficulties. General Holland Smith [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps General Holland McTyiere "Howlin' Mad" Smith], who Scales met briefly at Quantico [Annotator's Note: Quantico, Virginia], relieved Army General Ralph Smith [Annotator's Note: US Army Major General Ralph Corbett Smith], which became a scandal. Admirals Spruance [Annotator's Note: US Navy Admiral Raymond A. Spruance] and Kelly [Annotator's Note: US Navy Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner] agreed with Holland Smith, but the replacement general was not much better. It took three weeks to take Saipan. After the island was declared secure, Scales and his unit [Annotator's Note: 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] were moved to the center of Saipan to prepare for the invasion of Tinian [Annotator's Note: Battle of Tinian, 24 July to 1 August 1944, Tinian, Mariana Islands]. Scales came down with a case of dengue fever [Annotator's Note: mosquito-borne tropical disease]. One night, he almost passed out while trying to use the bathroom. The next day, he was given sulfa tablets [Annotator's Note: group of synthetic drugs used to treat bacterial infections] for the fever. He decided to take part in the invasion. It took ten days to capture Tinian. A popular ration was the ten to one ration [Annotator's Note: 10-in-1 food parcel, or 10-in-1 ration], which could feed ten men for one day. When the island was being secured, the Americans would go on patrol. Some men would go to the dock to pick up water and other supplies. The men would collect can openers, then sell them to sailors looking for souvenirs. The ship Scales boarded was from the Merchant Marine. One night, Scales was in the wardroom and a sailor told some stories about three ships that sank while he was on them. The men went on deck for air. It was completely dark outside. The ships were zig-zagging [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver]. Scales could see a ship next to them get very close to his ship. Suddenly, his ship's lights went on and Scales could hear someone call for the lights to be turned off. A sergeant accidentally flipped the lights on. Scales thinks a Japanese submarine could have caused serious damage had it been in the area. Back on Maui [Annotator's Note: Maui, Hawaii], the Marines started training again. Scales was given command of the 3rd Battalion [Annotator's Note: 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division]. Scales called a meeting with all the officers and NCOs [Annotator's Note: non-commissioned officers] of the battalion and let them know he was the new commanding officer.

James Shelton Scales boarded a troop ship on New Year's Eve, 1944. He boarded APA-154, the Lowndes [Annotator's Note: USS Lowndes (APA-154)], which was named for a county in Georgia. Scales commanded roughly 1,500 men by this time. He boarded the ship with a large folder with top secret landing information in it. He was given a stateroom in the ship, which had a safe in it. He could not get the safe open, so he went to dinner with the secret information under his arm. Eventually, a Marine who had worked for a lock smith opened the safe. When Scales joined the Marine Corps, he had already graduated from college. The Marines did not have enough men to fill two divisions. Scales spoke with a state representative, who convinced him to join the Marine Corps. At the time, he was supposed to register for the draft, but he did not have to because he had already enlisted. He went to the draft board to tell them he had already enlisted, but they registered him anyway. While at Quantico [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia], Scales received a letter saying he had been drafted. Scales believes the Marine Corps has a great legacy and the Marines have a good record they do not want to tarnish. Scales received thorough training. At Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 26 March 1945, Iwo Jima, Japan], Scales' battalion [Annotator's Note: 3rd Battalion, 23 Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] was held in reserve. Two battalions went ashore around nine in the morning. Around one in the afternoon, Scales was told to land his battalion. Scales alerted his men, who were already in their landing craft. He landed in the last wave of the assault. The Japanese on Mount Suribachi [Annotator's Note: Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima] could see the Marines coming ashore and started firing artillery in the area. Scales heard the Marines suffered more casualties on D-Day [Annotator's Note: the day on which an operation or invasion takes effect] on Iwo Jima than the Allies suffered on D-Day in Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. There were several new men in his unit that had never seen combat before. Many of them were scared because they were seeing their friends dying around them. Scales and his officers had to motivate the men to get off the beach. Shells were landing all around Scales, but he does not know why he was not hit. By night, Scales was just short of his first day's objective. The Marines figured the Japanese would make a massive strike against them. Star shells would light up the area for a few seconds. The Japanese never attacked them that night. The Japanese commander made his men stay in the cave systems. They were well camouflaged. When he landed, Scales had 38 officers, by that night, seven were dead and most of the others were wounded.

James Shelton Scales did not have to make the initial landing [Annotator's Note: on Iwo Jima, Japan]. He and his Marines [Annotator's Note: 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] circled around and ate Navy food. On the third day, in the afternoon, Scales was told to move his unit halfway across the island and it got dark. Scales was worried about walking into a minefield. They made it to their area without any casualties. Halfway across the island, Scales and a runner [Annotator's Note: message runner] had to get to a company command post. They moved along a crevasse and saw a dead Marine in the hole. He thought the man was very handsome and thought he was somebody's son, husband, or father. Some Marines managed to make a Japanese tank work and started driving it across the island. Scales believed many troubled men ended up in the service and did just fine. The Japanese sent Korean and Japanese coal miners to the island to dig tunnels under the ground. By February 1945, there were about 20 miles of tunnels and caves. The Japanese remained underground while the Marines were on top of the island. Scales was on the island for 36 days and only saw five live Japanese troops. His battalion captured the first live Japanese person on the island. Scales was able to see the man's brain due to a head injury. The man was sent to be interrogated but died as he arrived at headquarters. On the way back to Maui [Annotator's Note: Maui, Hawaii], a magazine reported a Marine from another division captured the first Japanese prisoner three days after that incident occurred. From Saipan [Annotator's Note: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands], it was 1,500 miles to Tokyo [Annotator's Note: Tokyo, Japan], and Iwo Jima was directly in the middle of the path. Many of the planes would be damaged and had to land in the ocean, sometimes losing all crew. There needed to be an emergency base. Some people thought the operation was not necessary, but Scales does not think that. He later found out the command, including Nimitz [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Sr., Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet], recommended gassing the island. Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] decided not to allow the use of poison gas. The battle was the bloodiest in Marine Corps history. Marines were not allowed to hide and cry, they had to fight. Scales does not believe people give their lives in war; their lives are taken from them in gruesome ways. He does not like that humans can be so advanced, yet still go to war and kill each other. He believes capturing the island was worth it. He watched the first B-29 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber] land. The next day, the Marines inspected the plane. Eventually, a squadron of P-51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] landed on the island. When the pilots would take off, they would do acrobatics before going on their missions.

James Shelton Scales was in the Marine Corps when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. His fiancé had been at school with Scales. They would visit each other near Quantico [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia] on the weekends. They went to the movies one Sunday and then ran into a cousin. His cousin told him about the attack at Pearl Harbor, but Scales did not know where that was. They listened to the radio in the car, where he heard he had to return to his base, but he decided not to go back. The base was wild. Usually guards did not have ammunition in their rifles, but after the attack, guards carried loaded guns. Scales married his fiancé in January 1942. He received officer's quarters, which was an apartment. He was assigned an apartment on the ground floor. Training was six days a week. Scales had orders to pass 80 percent of his classes. He regretted passing some of those men when he served with them overseas. Scales returned from the war in November 1945. The Japanese emperor [Annotator's Note: Emperor Hirohito, also called Emperor Showa, Emperor of Japan] surrendered on 15 August 1945. Men were then chosen to go home based on the points system [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. The officers drew straws to see who would go home. Scales drew the longest straw, so he stayed the longest. A medium sized carrier arrived to take the Marines home. The hanger deck was covered in cots they would sleep in. It was the happiest voyage Scales experienced. There were no behavior issues, and the men were given plenty of playing cards. The officers would play poker. Scales and another officer made a list of the original 37 officers in the 1st Battalion [Annotator's Note: 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division]. Only Scales and one other man made it without being wounded or killed.

When the ship he returned home aboard was approaching San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California], James Shelton Scales was in the combat information station [Annotator's Note: combat information center or CIC]. He saw some of the islands off the coast on the radar screen. When the ship docked, Scales was told to report to another part of the ship. He had to quickly change into uniform to meet a general on the dock. The general told him to go to Pendleton [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California] and the Marines would be marching in a parade in the city. He was also told they would not have liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. Scales could not believe he was given those orders. Scales traveled to Camp Pendleton with a friend but did not think he could enforce the no liberty order. Scales decided to let the men have liberty, but required they be back on base in the morning so they could make it to Los Angeles [Annotator's Note: Los Angeles, California]. The men did as they were supposed to and the general never found out. Scales believes the older he gets the more people try to make him a hero. He thinks he did his job and tried not to get wounded. Scales attended a reunion for Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima, Japan] veterans in D.C. [Annotator's Note: Washington D.C.]. He also visited a Marine museum in Quantico [Annotator's Note: Quantico, Virginia]. Scales spoke at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. He spoke about the beach and seeing the flag rise on Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: United States flag raised on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan, 23 February 1943]. During that time, Scales was in a foxhole with his runner when they saw the flag being raised. He told the crowd it was the second most beautiful sight he had ever seen. The first was his wife on their wedding day. Scales remained at Pendleton until another unit arrived. His wife decided to join him there. He was sent home on inactive duty. His daughter was two and did not know who he was.

The Korean War [Annotator's Note: 1950 through 1953] broke out in June 1950 and James Shelton Scales did not realize he would be called back to active duty. In July, the newspaper announced all Marine Reservists would be going to war. Scales had a friend in the Pentagon [Annotator's Note: government building housing the Department of Defense, Washington D.C.] to find out if he would be called up for service. A few days later, Scales was told he would not be called. Six months later, he received his order, which included a promotion to lieutenant colonel. In the fall of 1957, Scales received another letter asking him if he would be remaining in the service or not. Scales chose to be on the retired reserve list. Sometime later, he received a certificate of his retirement, along with a promotion to colonel.

When James Shelton Scales was promoted to captain and given his own company [Annotator's Note: Company A, 1st Battalion, 23 Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division], he started trying to get to know the men and their training session. When he met the unit, it was in the middle of combat swim training. They had to jump from a high height to simulate abandoning ship. Scales had to set an example by doing the exercise. Some of the men were afraid of the height. Scales did not like making night jumps because he did not know what would be under him. He never encountered a submarine. The night before the invasion of Saipan [Annotator's Note: Battle of Saipan, 15 June to 9 July 1944, Saipan, Mariana Islands], Scales heard depth charges [Annotator's Note: also called a depth bomb; an anti-submarine explosive munition resembling a metal barrel or drum] in the distance. He had to prepare his men to go over the side of a ship and then reorganize on land. He knew people would be killed and had to resolve himself to do his best. Quitting was not an option. Scales thinks it is a miracle that he was never seriously wounded. He skinned his knee on Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan] while trying to avoid a sniper. Scales would not have worn a Purple Heart [Annotator's Note: the Purple Heart Medal is award bestowed upon a United States service member who has been wounded as a result of combat actions against an armed enemy] for that while his men were being killed and wounded. He thinks some men received medals when they did not deserve them, and others did not receive medals that deserved them. When he boarded the transport for Iwo Jima, he asked his executive officer [Annotator's Note: second in command of a ship or unit; often referred to as XO] to interview his men for what medals they were to receive. Scales was told about a man who should have received a Navy Cross [Annotator's Note: the Navy Cross is the second-highest award a United States sailor or Marine can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy]. He thought it would be scaled down to a Silver Star [Annotator's Note: the Silver Star Medal is the third-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy], but the man ended up being recommended for two Navy Crosses for the same action. The man was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor [Annotator's Note: the Medal of Honor is the highest award a United States service member can receive who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor], which was presented to him by Harry Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States]. The man's name was PFC [Annotator's Note: private first class] Jacobs [Annotator's Note: later US Marine Corps Major Major Douglas Thomas Jacobson]. He knocked out several Japanese emplacements with a bazooka [Annotator's Note: man-portable recoilless anti-tank weapon]. Scales read the records of each Marine in his unit. He was able to call men by their name on his first inspection. His executive officer was good and had been the company commander before Scales arrived. Scales got along well with his other platoon leaders. One of his sergeants was promoted to captain and led a company on Saipan and Tinian [Annotator's Note: Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands]. On Iwo Jima, he was killed trying to get a wounded Marine to safety. The CO [Annotator's Note: commanding officer] of that unit and some other men were killed that night. Several company commanders were killed on that island. The unit started with 24 company commanders. Five were killed and 14 of the remaining 19 were wounded. The odds of surviving battle were not very good for the officers.

In July 1945 at Camp Maui [Annotator's Note: Maui Island, Hawaii], James Shelton Scales and his staff [Annotator's Note: at this time, Scales was the commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] were given orders to see the regimental commander. When he entered the residence, he saw folders on the table. That is where Scales was told he would be landing on Wake Island to take the airfield to prepare for the invasion of Japan. Scales figured he would be wounded if he landed in the Japanese home islands. He knew he would die landing on Wake Island. The war ended before he had to invade the island. The regimental commander's tent was near Scales' tent. On 6 August [Annotator's Note: 6 August 1945], the bomb [Annotator's Note: atomic bomb] was dropped on Hiroshima [Annotator's Note: Hiroshima, Japan]. Nagasaki [Annotator's Note: Nagasaki, Japan] was bombed on 9 August [Annotator's Note: 9 August 1945]. On 11 August [Annotator's Note: 11 August 1945], early in the morning, Scales heard the phone ring in his commanding officer's tent. He heard the commander say the war was over, prompting Scales to jump out of his tent and start listening. They heard on the radio that Japan surrendered. The Marines started celebrating but were later told it was a false alarm. Three days later, the Marines were training when word came of the actual surrender. They were trucked back to camp and had a memorial service for the men that died during the war. The Marines trained for another two weeks, despite the war being over. After training was cancelled, they started having competitions to see which units were best at different aspects of soldiering. The men played baseball and participated in various activities to keep them busy.

Kwajalein [Annotator's Note: Battle of Kwajalein, 31 January to 3 February 1944] D-Day [Annotator's Note: military designation for an invasion day] was 31 January 1944. The atoll was the biggest island in its island chain. James Shelton Scales moved onto an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] to get to land. He climbed down the cargo net and there were many swells, making the descent difficult. After boarding the LST, the officers ate and went over the invasion plans. Scales received word that the mess officer was not going to feed some of his men. He started yelling at the mess officer and the men were given food. On the day of the invasion, aircraft were supposed to bomb the landing area. The radios did not work well, so Scales got rid of his after he landed. He could not see any of his men. A messenger found him and told him the men were near a blockhouse [Annotator's Note: a defensive structure]. The men were ahead of where they were supposed to be, and Scales was worried they would be killed during the bombing runs. Another company was sent forward and given credit for taking the island. Scales was yelled at for not following the plan. The tanks did not move forward because they were worried about being destroyed. The Marines moved forward with the tanks, and captured Roi Island [Annotator's Note: Roi Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands]. After being pulled back, Scales was mad because the company moved forward without orders, however they did their job by protecting the tanks. The men remained on Roi for another four days. Scales and his company [Annotator's Note: Company A, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] were the last to leave the island as punishment for moving forward without orders. Scales cringes every time he thinks about that. One of the men in Scales' unit tried to blow up a blockhouse but was killed. Scales knew the man by name, which shocked him. He knew there would be casualties. Before the company made it back to its position, his right-hand man was shot in the chin. On the first day, Scales saw a large explosive. It left a mushroom cloud. While in the transport ship, Scales heard more about the explosion. The ship had anchored at Maui [Annotator's Note: Maui Island, Hawaii], and two miles off the beach, Scales received word that nobody was supposed to leave the ship. Their mission was to pick up more troops. One day after leaving Kwajalein, Scales went to the deck and figured the ship had zig-zagged [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] because he could not see any of the fleet. Eventually, he could only see two small destroyers in the distance. He felt very insecure in the ocean without protection, but he made it back to Hawaii without any problems.

Returning to Maui [Annotator's Note: returning to Maui, Hawaii from Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands] was the first time James Shelton Scales knew where he was going. The forward echelon made the camp weeks before. He was able to go on liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] every week. He went swimming and climbed an extinct volcano. Scales watched the sun rise from the top of the volcano. He thought it was magnificent. The company's [Annotator's Note: Company A, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] new lieutenant liked cameras, so Scales made sure to bring him so there could be pictures. In town, Scales would visit bars and USO [Annotator's Note: United Services Organization] shows. Some of the locals would put on shows for the troops. Scales thought some of the shows were pitiful. Scales did not like drinking much, so he spent time exploring the island. When the war was over, the Marines had to clean up the area of the island where they trained. An executive officer of the regiment made the 3rd Battalion [Annotator's Note: 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] clean five miles of beach. Scales did not like that officer. Scales divided his companies up and got the beaches cleaned in about ten days. Scales liked to sleep in a hammock between two eucalyptus trees. He would check in with his commander, then drive to another part of the island and go swimming. Some of the veterans he knows are developing diseases. [Annotator's Note: Scales talks about one of his friends.] His runner did not have enough 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], so he had to stay in the Marine Corps longer. He had to invade Wake Island and disarm the Japanese garrison. They were malnourished, but well-armed and would have defended the island.

James Shelton Scales was the battalion executive officer of the 1st Battalion [Annotator's Note: 1st Battalion, 23 Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division]. His unit was in reserve during the landings [Annotator's Note: Battle of Saipan, 15 June to 9 July 1944, Saipan, Mariana Islands]. He went ashore in the afternoon on D-Day [Annotator's Note: military term for invasion day]. Some of the unit bivouacked in the coconut grove. Japanese artillery landed in the area because there was a Japanese soldier hiding in a tree giving coordinates. Around dusk, there was a meeting of officers. Someone found a storehouse of Japanese whiskey. Just as the meeting was starting, Japanese mortars started falling in the area. Some days later, Scales jumped into a foxhole that had a wine bottle in it, but it was full of brandy, which was a surprise. [Annotator's Note: Scales tells various stories of war souvenir trading.] Saipan was the first time Scales had to deal with many civilians. The civilians hated the Japanese, but they could not go to the American lines because they could have been killed by the Japanese or Americans. Sometimes they hid in caves and it could be difficult to get them out. On the northern end of the island at Marpi Point [Annotator's Note: a terrain feature on Saipan known for its cliffs over the ocean, known as the Suicide Cliffs], the civilians started throwing themselves off the cliffs into the ocean. It was a tragic thing. Scales went to Marpi Point on a reunion tour in the 1990s. He also visited Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan] on the trip. On the reunion trip to Iwo Jima, a pilot flew him around the island, and then Scales took part in a memorial service with the Japanese, including veterans that survived. He went to the landing beaches and it was very quiet. There was a modern day LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] and Scales went aboard for a tour. He wanted to go to the top of Mount Suribachi [Annotator's Note: dormant volcano on Iwo Jima] but was told no. While there, Scales saw Ambassador Walter Mondale [Annotator's Note: Walter Mondale, 42nd Vice President of the United States of America] and told him about the problem with going to the top of Suribachi. He told Scales the same thing. Scales then told a few Marine generals about the problem, and they made sure the veterans were able to go up to the top of Suribachi. It brought back many memories. Scales did not leave the island until late in the evening. It was the 50th anniversary of the battle. On the flight to Saipan from Honolulu [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii], Scales made friends with someone who doubted he was a battalion commander on Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: during the Battle of Iwo Jima Scales was the commanding officer of 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division]. He started asking Scales questions and later told him he passed the test. That man has written several articles about the war and has interviewed Scales many times.

As an executive officer [Annotator's Note: executive officer of 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division], James Shelton Scales would go where he needed to make sure things were working smoothly. If a colonel was killed, Scales would take over. He tried to make sure he knew what was happening. He would have to move the CP [Annotator's Note: command post] sometimes. On the first night on Tinian [Annotator's Note: Tinian, Mariana Islands], many Japanese troops were killed, breaking the back of the resistance. He was told to move the command post forward to a farm. Everyone sat down to eat when two bulls broke lose. One of the bulls pulled some wires, breaking the radio. Scales almost shot the bull with his .45 pistol [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol]. On the first night on Saipan [Annotator's Note: Saipan, Mariana Islands], Scales encountered two civilians. The man wanted the guard to shoot him. They thought the Americans would eat their babies and rape their women. There was a large banzai charge [Annotator's Note: massed suicide charges] on Saipan. The Japanese general got his men drunk and had them charge early in the morning. The Japanese overran the 27th Division [Annotator's Note: US Army 27th Infantry Division] soldiers. A few days later, Scales went to the area and saw large mass graves for the enemy soldiers. Some of the Japanese would come out like they were surrendering but would have grenades ready to explode. Those that actually tried to surrender had a hard time getting into the American lines. The Marines managed to get an English-speaking Japanese soldier and had him interrogated. The Japanese soldier bowed to Scales and they spoke. He told Scales he had been educated in Honolulu [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii], then went to Tokyo [Annotator's Note: Tokyo, Japan] for a college education. He was there when the attack at Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] happened and was forced into service on Saipan. Scales thought the enemy was ruthless. They would torture and mutilate Americans they captured. The Japanese and Americans would yell things at each other at night. The Japanese were indoctrinated from birth to not let themselves get captured. During the end of the Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Okinawa, Japan] campaign, a number of Japanese surrendered. It was rare to capture a Japanese soldier. On Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan], an officer surrendered. He was a newspaper editor in Tokyo [Annotator's Note: Tokyo, Japan] before being sent to the island. He had reported that the aerial bombardment was useless because the Japanese were hiding in caves. Scales helped write the after-action reports after battles.

James Shelton Scales did not think about his family much, except that he missed his wife and daughter. His wife wrote him letters and sent pictures. In combat, he just tried to do his duty the best he could to get thought it. One night, a machine gun fired over his head while he hid in a foxhole. One time on Tinian [Annotator's Note: Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands], Scales received word to move the command post. He got into his jeep and moved to a building to check it out. In the living room, Scales found the corpse of a young man in a loin cloth. The man was handsome, but Scales could not figure out how he died. He had Marines bury him in a sugar cane field. When Scales was not in combat, he would write to his wife. She wrote every week while he was overseas. She would read about the battles and wondered if he was alive. She lived near his parents. His father died in 1943, while Scales was in Quantico [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia]. Scales does not look at a corpse when he goes to funerals. Scales does not think people give their lives for their country; their lives are taken from them. When he speaks to classes, he tells them to abolish war because it is terrible. He does not understand why countries cannot just compromise. He is worried about the military industrial complex in the country. He does not think much has been accomplished in the Middle East. He is surprised more innocent people are not killed by accident.

James Shelton Scales was a battalion commander [Annotator's Note: of 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division] and was given intelligence on the enemy, supplies, and other information before embarking for Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan]. He was busy the week before he boarded his transport. Scales was on his ship, the USS Lowndes (APA-154), for 50 days. To keep in shape, the Marines exercised on deck. Scales never got sick on his ship but got close a few times. When the unit prepared for an invasion, the battalion commanders would have meetings with the regimental commander. Claude Duval [Annotator's Note: US Amrine Corps Major Claude Berwick Duval, I] was Scales' executive officer and later became a Louisiana senator. The Sullivan brothers [Annotator's Note: five brothers who died after the sinking of the USS Juneau (CL-52)] were killed on the Juneau. Scales had several family members that fought in the Revolutionary War [Annotator's Note: also called the American Revolution and the War of American Independence, 22 March 1775 through 3 September 1783]. Scales had to make sure he went over all the details of the invasions and he had to keep his men busy. He knew where they were going, but the men did not. They stopped at Eniwetok [Annotator's Note: Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands] for resupply, then steamed to Saipan [Annotator's Note: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands]. Coming back from Kwajalein [Annotator's Note: Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands], Scales' operations officer, a doctor, and Scales shared a room. One night, they talked about the food they would order in a restaurant. Scales had a case of K-Rations [Annotator's Note: individual daily combat food ration consisting of three boxed meals] and the doctor had an apple. The three of them split the food and swore they would have a feast after the war. One of them was badly wounded on Saipan. They never did have that meal. Everywhere Scales looked, he saw ships. Scales' ship anchored four miles from the island. The captain of the ship invited him to eat with him and Scales brought his executive officer with him. They ate well on that ship. The day of the invasion, there was a large bombardment. The executive officer ate breakfast and went on to prepare for the invasion. When Scales went to the captain's quarters for his meal, his stomach was in knots, so he only asked for a cup of coffee and toast. Scales ate a grapefruit and was then served a full breakfast. He was not able to eat all that food.

The Japanese were underneath the island [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan] while the Marines were on it. James Shelton Scales only saw a handful of live Japanese the whole time he was on the island. He saw a lot of dead Marines, including one ripped open by an artillery shell. One officer, nicknamed Smiley, had been in Scales' officer's class. In a drill, Scales used that officer and another man, as protection. Those two men were in the battalion Scales commanded [Annotator's Note: 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division]. The men loved Smiley. He tried to help his men and make sure they were well taken care of. The platoon begged Scales to allow Smiley to remain in the platoon after he was promoted. He was killed that night, which upset the whole battalion. Scales' battalion was in reserve and was not put ashore until the early afternoon. When the battalion started landing, the Japanese on Suribachi [Annotator's Note: Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano in Iwo Jima] started increasing their fire. Apparently, someone received word to keep the men from landing in the area because of the rate of enemy fire, but the message was not passed along to the whole battalion. Scales does not know if that that was true. The Japanese were shelling the beach mercilessly. The Japanese used screaming mimi's [Annotator's Note: multiple rocket launcher] against the Marines. They did not know what the weapon was. The rockets landed in random places. Scales could see them when they flew through the air. The battalion was supposed to get to a line near the airfield but was well short of the objective by night fall. The next day, Scales received orders to cross the airfield, which he did not think was a good order. The Marines got across the land, losing men. After crossing the runway, Scales was near a blockhouse. Enemy fire was coming from Suribachi and the blockhouse. By mid-morning, a dog made its way to the blockhouse. Scales called the regimental headquarters to ask about the war dog and was told the American dogs had not landed yet. Scales saw the message collar around the dog's neck, which the Americans used. Scales was ordered to get the collar in case it had Japanese intelligence. A sergeant shot the dog and got the collar. Scales hoped there would be something useful in the collar, but it was empty. Scales wished he would have kept the collar. Two-thirds of the way through the battle, Scales asked for some war dogs, but they did not show up. The next day, Scales went to the rear and saw the dogs and men bandaged because their truck hit a mine and flipped over. Scales thought they were the saddest group he had ever seen.

Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan] only had black sand in the southern part of the island. Iwo Jima means sulfur island. The northern part of the island was made of sandstone, which is why the Japanese were able to tunnel through it. James Shelton Scales was able to walk through one. The Japanese had everything they needed in the tunnels. The battle took 36 days to complete. After the Marines left, some Japanese came out and killed some of the aviators. Scales experienced cold rain a couple of times. At night it got cold. Scales rarely used Navajo Code Talkers [Annotator's Note: Native-American code talkers used their language as code to confuse the Japanese]. He did not see the need to use them because the island was so small. Scales left a few days after the island was secured. He ate very little that day, then boarded a LSM [Annotator's Note: landing Ship, Medium] to make it back to the transport ship. He was still wearing his old, dirty uniform and had to take three showers to get clean. The battle had been very intense. The average was 190 men killed per day. It is the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history. Saipan [Annotator's Note: Saipan, Mariana Islands] was rough in spots, but Iwo Jima was rough all the time. Sometimes, casualties would be worse in the rear then in the front. The hardest day for Scales was the day when the 4th Division [Annotator's Note: 4th Marine Division] cemetery was commemorated. When taps [Annotator's Note: a bugle call signifying lights out; also used for military funerals] was played, everyone cried. Scales lost many friends on the island. One of the men Annotator's Note: later US Marine Corps Major Major Douglas Thomas Jacobson] had been in his company at Quantico [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia] and was awarded the Medal of Honor [Annotator's Note: the Medal of Honor is the highest award a United States service member can receive who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor]. Scales had to write to the families of some of the men that died. It was hard to write about his love and admiration for his friend Smiley Johnson. Smiley was awarded a Silver Star [Annotator's Note: the Silver Star Medal is the third-highest award a United States service member can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy]. Years later, Scales was able to get in touch with his widow and they were able to meet in person. Scales does not know why God lets things like that happen. One day, the surf was up, and it was difficult getting mortar ammunition. Some of the wreckage made it difficult as well. In a few days, the wreckage was cleared. Resupply was never a serious problem.

James Shelton Scales majored in insurance when he was in college. He signed up as an insurance agent after the war. He quickly decided he did not want to be a salesman. He wanted to move near Stoneville [Annotator's Note: Stoneville, North Carolina], but had a hard time finding a place to rent. Scales ended up buying a small house, then built another house in 1955. Scales joined an insurance agency in Martinsville [Annotator's Note: Martinsville, North Carolina]. He remained with that company for 36 years. He is happy to have been in the Marine Corps but would not want to go through war again. He suffered because of his experiences in the war and did not want to talk about his experiences. He eventually worked through it and it seems like a bad dream. He did not have nightmares like other people had. Scales did not know if he would see another sunrise or sunset during the war. It wears a person down. Scales does not think people should go to war. Scales thinks work out how they are supposed to, so it is no use getting worried. He found out he could accomplish many things after he joined the Marine Corps. He does not know what World War 2 means to him. At first, he did not want to think about the war, but eventually started reading about it. He was able to speak to an author about Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 26 March 1945, Iwo Jima, Japan] at a reunion. Scales enjoys making people laugh, which he thinks is an after effect of the war. He likes to be a positive influence. Scales thinks it is important for The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] to exist. [Annotator's Note: Scales recites a poem.]