John Edmund Murman was born in March 1926 in Brooklyn, New York as an only child. His father served in the Marines during World War 1 in France. He had many ancestors that were in various wars that involved the United States. Murman attended public school in his youth. At the age of fifteen, Murman dropped out of high school and worked various jobs until he enlisted into the Navy at age 17 with the permission of his father. His father worked as a machinist in civilian life. Murman’s mother worked as a cashier at a theater for a short time. During the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States], his father got involved in politics and became a local captain of an election district. When his father was in the American Legion, he was able to help Murman’s military direction to his ship during World War 2. Murman was in the New York Times building reading the London Times with a friend when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Murman did not finish high school before he joined the Navy, finishing his high school career after he left the Navy. Murman wanted to join the Navy because he thought he had a better chance of survival than joining the Marines like his father. He also joined at age 17 because he was ready to get into combat. He did not want to miss doing his part in the war effort. After the war, Murman got his pilot’s license and worked on a Grumman lunar module.

After John Edmund Murman joined the Navy, he attended boot camp and advanced training for fire control in Newport, Rhode Island. [Annotator’s Note: Clock dings at 0:14:52.000.] He was miserable in boot camp and could not wait for it to be over. He preferred advanced training because the living conditions were much better. Murman was given liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] between his bootcamp and advanced training, and then again after he graduated from advanced training. At some point during his training, he contracted German measles which delayed his graduation. His father had some influence over what ship Murman was assigned to because he new the Navy Chief at the Washington D.C. shipyard. He was assigned to the USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103) as a fire control man and met the ship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when it was commissioned in July 1944. Murman was thrilled to be part of the commission of the Wilkes-Barre. He took part in the shakedown [Annotator's Note: a cruise to evaluate the performance of a naval vessel and its crew] cruise to Trinidad. The ship’s crew practiced various maneuvers. They returned to Philadelphia for repairs and maintenance before heading to the Pacific. His ship left port and went through the Panama Canal, arriving in San Diego [Annotator’s Note: San Diego, California] to pick up troops and supplies. Then the Wilkes-Barre headed to Hawaii. When they arrived, the crew had some liberty and his friends tried to convince him to get a tattoo. Murman explains that he gave some of his shipmates piercings in their ears and described his method of performing it. Today, the Wilkes-Barre lies on the ocean floor near the Florida Keys and is a popular deep diver site.

John Edmund Murman, assigned to the USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103), left Pearl Harbor [Annotator’s Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] for escort duties. His most memorable experience was when his ship helped to rescue survivors from the USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) after two kamikaze pilots crashed into it [Annotator’s Note: during the battle of Okinawa, Japan; 1 April to 22 June 1945]. Some of the men they rescued did not survive. The sleeping quarters were divided between officers and the rest of the crew. The crew slept in hammocks. He was stationed on the topside of the ship. They were always watching out for kamikazes. The food on the Wilkes-Barre was excellent. His ship was near the coast of Japan preparing for the mainland invasion when he heard the news that the United States dropped atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. The Wilkes-Barre was in Tokyo Bay [Annotator’s Note: Tokyo Bay, Japan] during the surrender signing. After the end of the war, Murman participated in the occupation of Japan until his discharge. He received liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] in Japan and was able to interact with the Japanese. He also went to Korea for a short trip before heading to China. He was able to take liberty in China and toured areas of the country.

John Edmund Murman returned to the United States after occupation duty on the USS Wilkes-Barre (CL-103) and was discharged in March 1946. He found a job working for The Western Electric Company. Murman finished high school and used 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 attend Brooklyn Polytechnic College [Annotator’s Note: known today as The New York University Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn, New York] for mechanical engineering. He eventually got married and had children. He loved being in the Navy and enjoyed his experience overall. Murman believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations. He appreciates all the people he knew and all his family. He tried to do the best he could and learn as much as he could. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 1:00:06.000.]