[Annotator’s Note: Airplanes flying overhead are audible throughout segment.] John R. Eisenach was born in May 1925 on a farm near Culbertson, Nebraska. He was the eldest of three children growing up on a farm in the depths of the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States] and the Dust Bowl [Annotator’s Note: The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s]. Because of these experiences during his childhood, he had no interest in becoming a farmer like his father. After he graduated from high school, Eisenach attended the University of Nebraska [Annotator’s Note: in Lincoln, Nebraska]. He was aware of the hostile uprisings in Germany and Japan while he was in school. He did not feel threatened by it and never thought it would affect him. He was home when he first heard the news of Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] over the radio. He thought that it was necessary for America to go to war against the Japanese. After the war broke out, there were many military sponsored programs. Eisenach was drafted in November 1943 and was inducted in Colorado. He was sent to Camp Berkeley, Texas for medical basic training. When basic training concluded, he attended surgical technician training at Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Denver [Annotator’s Note: Denver, Colorado] for four months. In August 1944, he returned to Camp Barkeley and became a part of the 173rd General Hospital.

John R. Eisenach [Annotator’s Note: assigned as a medic with the 173rd General Hospital] boarded a ship and headed for Europe in November [Annotator’s Note: of 1944] bound for Scotland. [Annotator’s Note: A telephone rings at 13:19.000.] While he was in training, he accidentally got a sunburn and had to hide it from his superiors with the help of his fellow comrades. Eisenach sailed across the Atlantic on the New Amsterdam cruise line. There was nothing luxurious about it. He slept on a hammock on the deck of the ship. He received two meals a day. There was a lot of rough water conditions and a lot of troops got sick. There were also problems with the latrines getting stopped up. The ship crossed the ocean in a zig-zag pattern [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver]. He was excited to see where his adventure would lead him. He had heard about some of the atrocities of his enemies which made him want to go over and win the war. His ship landed at Glasgow [Annotator’s Note: Glasgow, Scotland] where he stayed in a Quonset hut [Annotator's Note: prefabricated metal building] for a few weeks. [Annotator’s Note: A clock dings in background at 0:22:27.000.] The weather was freezing and all they had was one potbelly stove in the middle of the hut. He was transferred to Southampton [Annotator’s Note: Southampton, England] and then crossed the English Channel on an Indian vessel to Le Havre [Annotator’s Note: Le Havre, France.] He was then transferred to Nancy, France. The most impressive site he saw was the destruction of all the French cities as he traveled by train through the country. The French people treated the Americans very well.

[Annotator’s Note: Can hear airplanes flying overhead throughout segment.] From January until July 1945, John R. Eisenach [Annotator’s Note: assigned as a medic with the 173rd General Hospital] was stationed in Nancy, France participating in surgeries on men wounded on the front lines. He gained much respect for these men. He developed a relationship with the Jacquot family who offered him singing lessons. He recalls the friendly demeanor of the French people he encountered and their celebrations on VE Day [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945]. When the war in Europe ended, the 173rd was set to be sent to the CBI [Annotator’s Note: China Burma India Theater], but the Japanese surrendered before they could be deployed. He had to earn 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] to be sent home. The 173rd was disbanded and Eisenach was transferred to the 125th Evacuation Hospital in Passau, Germany. He would often go hunting for deer and give it to some needy family. The hardship of the German people because of the war was evident and the destruction he saw was especially sobering. [Annotator’s Note: clock dings at 0:37:35.000.] He also visited Dachau [Annotator's Note: Dachau concentration camp complex near Dachau, Germany] while he was in Germany.

[Annotator’s Note: Can hear airplanes flying overhead throughout segment.] While in Occupation Germany, John R. Eisenach was transferred once more, this time to the 16th Station Hospital in Amberg [Annotator’s Note: Amberg, Germany]. He was discharged from this outfit on 30 March 1946 as a T/5. He accepted a nine-month civil service position as a surgical tech. The money he earned during this time helped Eisenach pay for medical school. He graduated from medical school in 1953. He took advantage of the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to also help with his education. He found no difficulty returning to civilian life.

[Annotator’s Note: Can hear airplanes flying overhead throughout segment.] John R. Eisenach’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was during basic training and going under active fire. His first scrub in the general hospital was memorable, and then going on trips and sightseeing after the war was over. He served because he was drafted, but he did not object to it. Serving in the war gave him insight into what he wanted to do as a profession. He is glad to have had the experience of serving in the military. He believes Americans feel World War 2 was necessary and our country did what we were supposed to do. Eisenach believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because the school systems have diverted away from history and civics.