John S. LeBure was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in February 1919. Having experienced the Great Depression, he learned early about survival of the fittest. A person must try to do any and everything to make a wage. Work was constant for LeBure. He toiled from early morning to late at night in order to put food on the table. As a young boy, he learned to take that in stride. It was just a regular life to him. A nickel was a lot of money in those days when rent was eight dollars per month. LeBure's father died when he was three. That left LeBure with just his mother. He had to quit school in the fourth grade in order to bring in an income to provide for him and his mother. LeBure shined shoes at eight and nine years of age. He worked from eight in the morning to ten at night. The pennies, nickels and dimes he earned helped purchase food for their meals. His mother would be waiting for him in the evening. It was hard times, but he did not mind. He was just a child but tried his best to get by. His mother had attended school until the fourth grade. She was a very good woman who raised her son well. As life progressed, LeBure's work opportunities improved. His mother married a man who had a college education and was a World War 1 veteran. He still had difficulties obtaining work. He had to save his money in order to ride the streetcar so he could search for work. Sometimes he would walk the several miles to town to save the few cents the streetcar would have cost. That was emblematic of the difficulties of the Depression times. Things were tough. If a person learned to work with their hands, they could get by. LeBure personally experienced that and conveyed that practical message to his grandson. LeBure has sufficient property that he can grow a garden with vegetables and trees with fruit. The river is nearby. There are three things God gave all of us. That is land, water and air. A person can survive with those three elements if they know how.

John LeBure went to work at Higgins Industries after his uncle suggested that he apply there. His uncle was a policeman on the New Orleans Police force and had heard about Higgins on City Park Avenue hiring workers. They were planning to build boats for the war effort. LeBure's uncle loaned him a few tools. LeBure went to apply at Higgins in his 1930 Model A Ford that he had bought for 125 dollars. Gasoline was only 12 cents a gallon at the time. LeBure walked up to the interviewer and put down his box of tools. The man asked LeBure for his planer which he handed to him. The man must have thought that LeBure not only knew which tool it was but how to use it. LeBure was hired. It was 1940 [Annotator's Note: later in the interview, LeBure indicates it was about Christmas time in 1940]. The job was not only enjoyable but represented a big improvement in his life. He learned a lot on the job. It represented the start of his life. He was 20 years old at the time. The line was started for the factory. It was hit or miss with all the different workers plus variations in both materials and suppliers. It was a big job to coordinate it all. It hummed after a while. About 3,000 men worked there. The federal government provided some of the machinery. The contracts were time and material for him [Annotator's Note: Andrew Jackson Higgins] to make money. LeBure started as a carpenter and shipbuilder. He had no experience in either position. He learned quickly on the job and grew to like the work. He, like the other boys working there, put in considerable effort to do a good job. The workforce came from all the surrounding areas including the swamps and bayous nearby in Lafitte and even as far as Biloxi. Many had worked with their fathers when they were younger. Their fathers had been oyster and shrimp fishermen. The boys had been around boats and other crafts all their lives. They managed to keep the factory humming 24 hours a day for a long time. They were good workers. They had to work to survive. Many were lucky if they had attended any school at all. Some did not even have shoes. The Depression was a tough time. LeBure was called a carpenter at first, but he was just a plain old country boy starting his job. He worked with wood because most of the boats being built were almost totally wood. He worked on frames that were built to install on the platform that began the boat. Next, the sides, bottom, bow and stern would be joined. Completing that, the boat would be turned upside down and brought to the next span for the next procedures required to continue the boat construction. The production line was four abreast and ran about two or three blocks long. The line traveled until it reached the point where the train was located. The trains would pick up the boats so that they could be transported to Bayou St. John. At the Bayou, the boats would be picked up and placed in the water for some final touches. Completing that, the boats would be turned over to the Marines so that they could test run them and train in their operation. The boat was 37 feet long and had a powerful eight cylinder engine in it. Those boats were used to take the boys to the invasion beaches. Later on, a modified bow with a ramp was installed on the boats so that they could deploy the troops quicker rather than them having to jump off the bow into harm's way. [Annotator's Note: The Higgins LCP(l) or Landing Craft Personnel (large) was the first version of landing craft procured by the military. It was superseded by the LCVP or Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel with the ramp.] The changes in design were made overnight. Troops would run out of the front of the boat which would then back up and return to pick up more troops. LeBure worked at every level and position on the boat. He even went on the train to deliver the boats to the Bayou and put them in the water. He loved the work. He learned more because he was willing to do more. There were about 12 different positions in the moving assembly line. Cranes would move the work from one position to the next. The size of LeBure's work crew depended upon the individuals and the amount of output they were capable of producing. The work was at a brisk pace 24 hours a day. In the beginning, LeBure worked an eight hour shift. That would later be increased to 12 hours a day. The factory had no air conditioning so the weather was hot on the workers. Sweat would run out of a person's shoes. Clothes would be stripped to bare necessities. They worked hard in the dangerous environment. People would be seriously injured, but there were few deaths that LeBure witnessed. People who were inexperienced were particularly susceptible to personal injury in using unfamiliar tools or processes. First Aid and ambulance service was available. The job had to be done. A war was on. LeBure worked there most of the time before going to the Industrial Canal. He worked there for about five years before the war effort slowed down. About 29,000 boats had been made, and there was less demand for new ones in the war zones. When production was slowed down, LeBure decided to go to war and he joined the service. LeBure held multiple positions for Higgins Industries. He went from being a carpenter to a leaderman. The leaderman led the efforts of others. He and one of his buddies had as many as 50 to 100 men under them at one time. He taught the new men the shortcuts and how to do things. It took about a year for him to move up to leaderman. As he moved from Hull Department to other lines like the train, he learned more. He covered the whole spectrum. He was liked and could do the work. He was recognized for it. It made him feel good about himself that he could do a good job and be recognized for it.

John LeBure worked on the PT [Annotator's Note: Patrol Torpedo] boats that were constructed by Higgins Industries. They were 75 foot boats powered by three 12 cylinder Chrysler engines. They were required to run at 75 miles per hour with two torpedoes. He would work at one plant and then go on to work another four hours at the PT boat plant. He made templates [Annotator's Note: wooden forms used in constructing the vessel's structural components] in order to get the PT boat built. Streets in New Orleans had to be blocked off so that the boat could be constructed. That went on until the first boat was completed and shipped to Connecticut. When the first boat did not achieve the requisite specified speed, the boss, Mr. Higgins [Annotator's Note: Andrew Jackson Higgins], came back and raised hell. The boat only reached 72 not the needed 75 miles per hour. The boss was hot. He liked his "tea" but his drinking went on to kill him. Higgins had two sons who were also wild. LeBure went home after his shift but was called by Higgins and told that he was immediately needed at the plant. LeBure and his buddy rushed over to the worksite. Higgins directed LeBure to alter the declivity of the windshield by a few degrees. The work was done in one night. The modification resulted in a successful run at 75 miles per hour. The order was placed with Higgins and they kept on building the PT boats at the Industrial Canal. The secret to the success was cutting the wind resistance on the windshield. The engines were three 12 cylinder Chryslers or, more likely, Packards. The engines made too much noise while approaching the enemy to drop the torpedoes. A fix was devised. The exhaust was routed underwater so that the noise was muffled. President Kennedy [Annotator's Note: John F. Kennedy] drove a PT boat when he was in the Navy. Some testing of the Higgins PT boats before shipment to Connecticut may have been done in the Lake [Annotator's Note: Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans]. There was extensive use of aluminum on the boat so that radar could not detect them. Although there were many additional important factors, the PT boats played a large role in the successful outcome of the war.

John LeBure began working with the Higgins company while the 37 foot boats with a bow [Annotator’s Note: the Higgins LCP(l) or Landing Craft Personnel (large) was the first version of landing craft procured by the military from Higgins Industries in New Orleans] were in production. There was no gate on the landing craft. An example of that boat is at the Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana has both variations of the Higgins landing craft]. The model with the gate was a later model [Annotator's Note: the LCVP or Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel]. The model at the Museum is a little different from the one worked on by LeBure. He could tell when he first saw it. Volunteers built the replica rather than mechanics from World War 2. The replica was built from plans from Higgins. LeBure was asked if he wanted to assist in the construction but he declined. The PT [Annotator's Note: Patrol Torpedo] boat is being renovated by the Museum. [Annotator's Note: LeBure is referring to PT-305.] It will be put on display. [Annotator's Note: LeBure mentions several inaudible names of those involved in boat related activities for The National WWII Museum.] LeBure attended the Museum on its opening. He has not returned since then but plans to. Other models of the landing craft and other vessels were built at the Industrial Canal. After the war, other vessels were made for the oil and other companies. Speedboats were also produced. Landing craft continued to be produced at City Park [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans] all the way to the end of the war. LeBure left the company before production ceased. He was not needed so he went to war. When the boats were run through a trial program on the lake [Annotator's Note: Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans and Higgins Industries], deficiencies would arise or repairs would be needed after the Marines tore them up while running up the seawall. LeBure would go to the Lake to work on the boats to correct the issues. He had a crew to work with him. He would use materials from the City Park Plant to fix the boats. He would load his tools in his car and head out to patch the boats. He learned to operate the crane to repair the vessels through on the job training. He learned new things every day the best that he could. He had to perform to hold the job and feed his family. That was his job. He had six guys to assist him in his work. He had a lot of responsibility as a young man. He would tackle anything at that point. He was a leaderman because he could learn the work and then teach others. Some of his crew learned better than him and passed him by. That was the way it worked. There were some issues with labor unions but old man Higgins [Annotator's Note: Andrew Jackson Higgins] took care of that. LeBure was working on the Industrial Canal when that occurred. The unions were not successful in their attempt at entry. There was a strike so LeBure thought he had to leave his work. He was called to come back to work. Despite leaving his job for the strike, he was reinstated. He had been working in the interim at the gambling house dealing black jack. This happened before the end of the war. LeBure was a member of the union at the time. It was a money making outfit. Unions are good if they work right. Like life, there will be changes over time. One has to hustle or life passes you by. Things are changing fast today. It is a wicked world and education can give you an edge on it. Not being educated makes life hard. There was only one big strike, but the working atmosphere was not bad except from a health standpoint. Some of LeBure's coworkers later grew ill as a result of unsafe conditions in the plant. When he was tasked to work on some pleasure boats on the Industrial Canal, he took a look at the onboard conditions and knew it was not the job for him. It was hot, dusty, and dirty. He refused the assignment. His buddy stayed and probably contracted disease as a result. That man was a friend and a good mechanic. The two of them gained a lot of shipbuilding knowledge together. There were a few minorities and women working at the Industrial Canal in the metal work department. About five percent of the workforce was minorities and women. They did good jobs. There were no problems with the interactions. The women and minorities worked hard and were nice people. LeBure put in six years there. The morale was good until the work slowed up. People worried about the future when that happened. LeBure was there when there were 3,000 workers. The workforce dropped to ten, and he knew it was time to leave. He was being kept only for his experience. He did not care for that. He left as a leaderman. His foreman was an old guy from Biloxi who has since passed. There were a lot of responsibilities as a leaderman. He was evaluated as to how good he was and how much work he would perform. After he had a favorable assessment, he was given a different color hat and a little more money as a leaderman. From his perspective, LeBure felt the danger in the shipyard was the most serious issue. Anything could happen at any time in that environment. Men could be crippled or even killed. A person might be hurt for life. The places dealing with steel are worse. Working with wood was preferable to LeBure. In addition, there are different breeds of men. Some are hard workers and some goof off. They do not do it on purpose. It is just life and to be expected. Any factory can have worksite accidents. LeBure joined Higgins around Christmas time in 1940. He stayed for about five years. Later, he would return and work with the PT boats. At the end, he was there with five or six other workers. They were fixing the crafts just to be taken out of the shop. He figured that was the end of the work so he left the company.

John LeBure had limited interaction with Andrew Higgins because the boss was busy with many other things. Additionally, Higgins and President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin D. Roosevelt] liked to ride around the plant in his car. That would shut the plant down for a few minutes while they made their tour. Higgins would get his liquor and then he was in good shape. He was a tough leader. He had what it takes to succeed. He took chances and communicated well with Washington. He made money in the process. Higgins lived near LeBure's location. The boss' two sons were hellcats. LeBure liked Andrew Higgins' style. He was a regular guy. LeBure was in the plant when Roosevelt came through with the top down on his car. The machines in the plant had to be stopped so the intense noise would subside. It took a number of minutes for all the noise to stop. Roosevelt would tour after the noise stopped. The tour was in about 1942. Although LeBure was not close to Roosevelt, he could see him from the top of one of the boats. He did not stop to talk. He rode through the plant and waved his hand as he went by the workers. There was no speech. Only Higgins gave speeches to the workers. The President arrived without much fanfare because the workers were too busy doing their jobs.

John LeBure knew that work was being reduced so he left the company [Annotator's Note: Higgins Industries in New Orleans] before he was laid off. He had a wife and two children at the time. He had received three or four deferments at six months each prior to that point. His critical position within Higgins allowed him to remain on the company's workforce as opposed to being drafted. He dropped his deferment and went into the service. His infantry training was in Camp Robinson, Arkansas. He was there for 17 months. His wife had a baby and with the difficulty she had, he went back for an additional 17 months. His company commander allowed him to return home because of the critical natural of the situation. He had a three day leave during the birth of the baby. He stayed to see the baby being born and had one more day before he had to return to camp. LeBure's mother was with his wife to help her through the dangerous times. After he returned to camp, he went through training again. He was lucky. The men he had trained with initially were sent to the Battle of the Bulge. They suffered many casualties. Sometimes a person has good and sometimes bad breaks in life. That is the way it goes. LeBure would go on to spend about 20 months in Japan. Although trained as an infantryman, it was learned that LeBure could do things with his hands. Consequently, he was attached to the engineers. He enjoyed volunteering for the engineering work that had to be done. He learned a lot in the process. LeBure was kept four months after everybody was leaving because his commander knew that his subordinate could assist him. LeBure was told he had to wait for the next troop movement. LeBure threatened to take off on his own. He got his papers by taking a chance. He could have been hurt in the dangerous situation with all the Japs [Annotator's Note: derogatory slang for Japanese] around during the end of the war. He was originally in [Annotator's Note: city inaudible], Japan and then went to Ōsaka. He traveled to Tokyo and all over the island. There were bombs going off all during the day and night. Japanese ordnance and defensive emplacements were being destroyed by the Americans. Truman [Annotator's Note: President Harry S. Truman] saved LeBure's life by deciding to drop the bombs [Annotator's Note: the atomic bombs]. Otherwise, there would have been a massacre of troops. During his occupation duty, LeBure and the company commander would inspect the engineering activities to assure that everything was organized. The commander would do all the business side and LeBure would assist him in whatever way he could. Prior to the destruction of the Japanese defense installations, the women and children of the civilian population were using those locations for their homes. They lived underground. The populace was poor and disease ridden. Those who were inoculated to prevent malaria caused by the mosquitoes had their bodies turned orange. LeBure refused to take the injections. He survived by creating a mosquito net for his bunk. He would run all the pests out prior to going to sleep. The war was bad. There was nothing worse than the war and the Depression except death. The situation in Japan was so bad that some individuals would go through the sewers at night and steal things off the base. They brought back what they found in order to feed their children. It was horrible. They even came in the huts while the troops were sleeping. LeBure slept with his rifle nearby. He had an alarm system set up on the door. He was determined to be prepared if someone entered his hut. He never knew when they would come in and kill him. There was a low percentage of violence, but LeBure stayed prepared. When he had guard duty, he would have four hours on and four hours off. It was so quiet that he could hear his heart in his ears. There was shrubbery all around him. It was Christmas night and he wanted to be with his family. He did not shoulder his weapon while standing watch but kept it at the ready. He would waste no time if he needed his rifle for self-defense. He managed to survive as a result. None of the guards were hurt on watch, but the poor women would try to find something for their children to eat by passing through the sewer to the military garbage sites. It was a terribly sad thing. People would be dying in the streets with flies everywhere. War is hell. The hospitals there were schools that had been converted. LeBure spent 70 days in the hospital after his foot was smashed. He had been driving a weapons carrier with Japs on it. They called them gooks. They dropped a big, iron stove on LeBure's foot. If the ground would have been concrete instead of mud, his foot would have been cut off. LeBure does not have toenails on that foot as a result. It was all broken up and the nails had to be cut out. Someone with a knife and bucket did the job. There was no antiseptic to do the cutting. The bucket collected a lot of blood. The open wound was then covered with just gauze. They had nothing else. It took 70 days without anything other than the gauze to cover the damage. It was painful without anything to lessen the hurt. LeBure sent his wife a picture to remember him by in case he did not return. [Annotator's Note: LeBure chuckles.] Prior to landing in Japan, the ship transporting LeBure went through a typhoon. That was a tough experience as the wheels [Annotator's Note: the propellers] came out of the water and made a serious whirring sound. The passengers were sick and vomit was all over the place. The bunks were four or five tiers and LeBure had to tie himself in so he would not tumble out with the roll of the ship. A person could not eat. There was vomit everywhere. When the ship reached Japan, some passengers were taken off on litters but not LeBure. He was alright. He was a lucky man because he knew how to get around. He always did in his life. That saved his life. He entered a dinky streetcar and reached a stable and was given a cot to sleep on. That was how he landed. Food would come in via boat. There might be a boatload of weenies and sauerkraut. That was the meal continuously until another boatload of other food arrived. It was something. [Annotator's Note: LeBure chuckles.] After LeBure was immunized for typhus, he walked a short distance and it hit him. He thought he was going to die. It brought him to his knees. He had to shake his spinning head to keep going. It was a triple typhus shot from Manila, but it was too strong for many. Some died from the inoculation, others were seriously immobilized. LeBure had to help some of the troops who could not get around after the shot. The whole island of Japan was filthy. People suffered there. They did not eat right or sleep right. Food was scarce. When the military personnel left the mess hall and put their leftovers in a barrel, civilians would be waiting to scoop it up to get a little something to eat. It was sad. That was war. LeBure left Japan in June of 1946, 1947 or 1948. He was to return home after his discharge. LeBure boarded a train in San Antonio after requesting that the engineer slow down at a specific location near his home in New Orleans. His family would be waiting for him there. When the train neared the spot, it slowed and LeBure threw his bags off and jumped off to meet his family. He waved at the engineer who tooted his whistle at the discharged soldier. [Annotator's Note: LeBure smiles.] That was the way LeBure came out of the service. It had been a long train ride from San Antonio with no air conditioning. The train was a coal burner so that a soldier's uniform would be blackened by the soot. That was back in 1943 or 1944. Those were some days that passed quickly.

John LeBure was always a responsible person even before the war. He had to work to bring home money to support his family. He always knew that family love was very important. A person should treat others just as he would want to be treated. Love and dedication were the secrets of LeBure's life. He and his wife were together for 71 years. She never had to work. She raised their children and managed the home. She did not even drive because LeBure felt she would be safer with him. He took care of her as well as her mother and sister. All three died at advanced age right in the LeBure family home. Life goes on. LeBure did not see much change in America as a consequence of the war. The important thing is how a person handles life. Work and effort will put a person ahead. Without much education, LeBure has made a very comfortable life for himself. If he managed to do it, anyone can. He has property, possessions and does not have to work. He even has two dogs and a parrot. Life is beautiful except he lost his wife. It was the hardest thing for him. He misses her so much. He still sees her around him constantly. The war changed the world because things he sees on television are so disgusting. Humans create their own troubles. People need to love one another and live the life they should be living. Drugs, abortions and other problems are hard to accept. A human should treat others as you would like to be treated. Avoid danger and do the best you can with what you have. Take care of those needing to be cared for. There is nothing better than feeling safe and good about yourself. LeBure does not have any major things wrong with him. It is important that The National WWII Museum educates people about what happened. It illustrates what life is all about even to those yet to be born. The Museum shows what the United States does for others and what we are capable of doing. The country is still the strongest in the world. Something must have been done right.