Jules Levin was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1923. His mother and father were immigrants from the area known today as Belarus. His mother and father would always say Russia or Poland. Levin lived in a Jewish community during his upbringing. Most of the Jewish people he knew were all first generation Americans. He knew of discrimination, but he did not let it bother him. Although his mother was a homemaker, he recalled that she managed all the finances for the household. His father worked at a factory that made caps and hats. He had one younger sister and younger brother. He went to school about six blocks away from his home. He recalled his parents talking about the Pogroms in Europe.

Jules Levin remembered he knew he would be drafted once the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. He received his draft letter and reported to Fort Snelling, Minnesota and then went to Camp Callan in San Diego, California. He did well in basic training, so was sent to Eugene, Oregon and passed the test for the Army Specialized Training Program [Annotator's Note: also referred to simply as the ASTP). Next, he was assigned to Company B of the 11th Armored Division [Annotator's Note: Company B, 41st Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division] and trained in tanks. He learned all the positions of the tank.

Jules Levin left for overseas deployment from New Jersey. He boarded the Santa Maria. It took about two weeks to sail across the ocean. He remembered the first day he didn't feel so good, but afterwards he was fine. Since he did not like sleeping in hammocks, he spread out his bed roll on the deck and slept there. They arrived in port in September 1944. His unit [Annotator's Note: Company B, 41st Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division] received new tanks and practiced maneuvers. Towards the end of the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945], Levin's unit was shipped across the English Channel to participate in the combat. They started out by going on a 500 mile march, traveling through Paris. Levin recalled all the civilians cheering as they came through the city. When they reached the combat area, he remembered it all to be chaotic. His First Sergeant told them to start shooting towards the woods, which they did. Levin then recalled that his tank commander just took off and he never saw him again. There were several casualties and injuries. Levin's captain was killed in action and one of his best friends was taken prisoner. Lieutenant Williamson [Annotator's Note: cannot verify this individual's identity] took over and led a charge. Williamson was hit in the head and collapsed on Levin, but he survived. Levin became commander until the fighting ceased for the day.

Jules Levin's unit [Annotator's Note: Company B, 41st Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division] was assigned another commander. During combat, they were receiving fire and he was returning fire. The commander was hit and fell onto Levin. Some of the troops helped Levin put the commander on the back of the tank. Artillery shots kept coming in their direction and picking off guys left and right. Levin was one of the few that survived the assault. As they were moving into Austria, he heard the news of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's death. His division also liberated the Mauthausen concentration camp. He remembered giving out rations to many of the prisoners. He saw bodies lined up by a house. His division made the people of the community stack and remove the bodies. The war in Europe ended shortly after that.

Jules Levin recalled the cold winter in Europe. Usually people slept around or under the tank. Levin would take his bed roll and sew in blankets. He would take off his boots and wrap his jacket around them so he could use them as a pillow. Levin's feet did get frost bitten. He would use socks and rags to keep his feet warm. When they came through towns that were occupied, they would sleep in the houses. One time he stayed in a house with a family. He admits that when liberating towns, the troops would often loot items in homes that were abandoned. One time, as they came into a German town, the civilians were waiving white flags. Levin saw two German girls waiving at him, and then suddenly a couple of German soldiers threw grenades at his tank. Levin swung his turret around and fired several cannon shots into the buildings behind the soldiers. Levin was living in a place that looked like a Monastery when the war in Europe ended.

Although the war ended in Europe, America was still fighting the Japanese in the East. Jules Levin was chosen to be part of the invasion of Japan. The Army sent him back to the United States for a long leave before he would need to report for duty again. While he was on the ship returning to the United States, he heard about America dropping two atomic bombs on Japan. He was happy to hear about this because he knew war would be over. When he came home, he was stained at Camp McCoy [Annotator's Notes: now Fort McCoy], Wisconsin until he earned enough points to be discharged. He was discharged on 1 January 1946. Soon after, he went to school at the University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill. He graduated in 1948 in Business Administration and did a year of Law School until he felt like he needed to get a job. He found a job as an accountant. He really enjoyed all his career endeavors.

Jules Levin's most memorable experience in World War 2 was on 5 May 1945 when they were told that war had ended in Europe, although it did not officially end until 7 May. Levin was in the tank shooting the gun up into the air. Although he was drafted, he would have been disappointed if he did not get to fight in World War 2. Being part of the war made a man out of him. He believes that World War 2 still means something to most Americans and its important to have museums like The National WWII Museum so we can learn from our history.