John Earles was born in April 1926 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His father was a section foreman on the GM&O Railroad [Annotator's Note: Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad], and the family lived near the Industrial Canal. He played sports in the neighborhood, and was active in Baptist Church work. On the Sunday that Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese [Annotator's Note: Sunday, 7 December 1941], the family had just come home from church when they heard the announcement on the radio. Earles said the news shocked everybody as they gathered around to listen. Two weeks before he turned 18 in 1944, and while Earles was still in high school, he volunteered for service in the Navy. Two days later he left New Orleans for boot camp in San Diego, California. After basic training, and without leave, he was sent to an amphibious training base in Coronado, California. Never having operated a boat before he went into the Navy, he was made an instructor on the Higgins LCVP [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel] landing craft for about a year.

In May 1945, John Earles deployed to a tent city in Hawaii, and from there he was sent to Guam. At the time, the island was the site of an amphibious headquarters, AdComPhibPac, with about 75 enlisted men. Earles was coxswain, a training instructor, with a rank of third class petty officer, and was stationed there until Japan surrendered. On VJ-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945] there was a great celebration and it was the first time Earles got drunk. He came back to the United States on an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank] that was slated for decommissioning. The ship was in bad shape, and falling apart on the journey. Earles said he thought war was sad, but he never regretted his military service. Commenting on his role as an LCVP [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel] instructor, Earles said it was a rugged, well-constructed craft, and he would teach sailors how to handle the boat. He was training young men of his own age, preparing them to go into combat. He had the good fortune of learning from a couple of his students that they had put his tutelage to use in successful invasion operations. When under his supervision, even newly commissioned officers had to submit to his orders.

When he was at the Coronado, California base, John Earles said he experienced a lot of good USO [Annotator's Note: United Services Organization] performances. The Navy men had a routine: early morning rise, exercise, chow, and training classes. There were pontoon docks where the boats lined up, and a shallow water channel in which to practice maneuvers. During a Liberty run one night, something happened to affect their compasses, and several boats were stranded on the flats until daybreak and the turning of the tide. Earles had quarters on that base, and there wasn't a lot to do during their free time. At one point his family came to stay across the bay in San Diego, and Earles enjoyed the visit. He mentioned that he saw his first professional football game in San Diego. Earles had never been outside his hometown [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana], and found it exciting to see new places. He was content with military life and his role and recognition by the Navy but he did not re-enlist when he had the opportunity.

John Earles said his tenure with AdComPhibPac, the amphibious staff headquarters on Guam, was more or less security work. There were many high-ranking officers based there, and Earles carried out a four-day guard duty rotation. He remembers the facility being dark at night, and hearing strange animal sounds. He does remember seeing some of the native people of Guam. Off duty hours were spent playing cards and other games, and Earles remembers the personnel all ate well. The commissary food was so good that officers from other bases would come there for Sunday dinner. Even though the island was secured, there were still some of the enemy holding out in the mountains, and sometimes they would come down and try to steal supplies from the base. Although it was Earles' duty to guard against such theft, he never saw any Japanese attempt it. When he reflected back on his short stop in Hawaii on his way to Guam, he remembers being moved to laughter on seeing the narrow gauge trains that transported produce across the fields that were filled with soldiers hanging out of the windows as they took a ride. He observed that Hawaii in 1945, even given the devastation that was experienced during the attack on Pearl Harbor, was rather more technologically advanced than his hometown [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. He didn't get to see the harbor, except in passing on his way to Guam.

After two years, two months and seven days of service in the Navy, John Earles was discharged in the summer of 1946 at the Naval Air Station in New Orleans, Louisiana. Although he had never before heard of Higgins Industries in New Orleans, he said his experience in the Navy with the well-built and effective Higgins boats [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP] made him proud of his hometown production. He feels we should never forget the greatness of the country and the sacrifices that Americans have made in the past to secure it. He said the benefits and privileges that today's citizens enjoy are being taken for granted. He has strong Christian beliefs, and contends that the United States was founded on Christian principles that should never be ignored. He thinks people should give moral, financial and physical support this country and stay faithful to the people who made it that way. Earles believes that World War 2 melded this country into a solid, unified nation, and an industrial giant that gave needed help to its allies. He sees the value of The National WWII Museum and thinks everyone who was in the war should make the effort to see it.