Larry Engmann was born in February 1925 and grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of six children. However, he lost one of his brothers to scarlet fever around 1930. In June 1943, Engmann was drafted and ordered to report for his medical physical. He was given a physical exam for the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps and ended up being sent into the Navy. Engmann’s surviving brother was also drafted into the Navy. He had attended a training high school where he had learned to cook. After being inducted into the Navy, Engmann’s brother was assigned as a cook at a naval base in Bainbridge, Maryland where he spent the duration of the war. 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], Engmann’s father worked as a sheet metal worker and was able to work most of the time. Life was very tough sometimes and they were on government relief. His father died in April 1945 and missed the postwar economic boom. After the war, Engmann helped his mother until he married at 28 years old. He was with his friends when he first heard the news about Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He did not think he would take part because he was too young for the draft, and everyone thought the war would be over in six months. He was drafted in 1943 with his friend, who ended up fighting in Sicily. Engmann finished high school and shortly after he received his draft notice. He never gave serious thought to enlisting, but had several friends that did. Engmann wanted to join the Marine Corps initially because they thought they were the best and always looked up to them.

Larry Engmann received his draft notice and reported to a warehouse in Chicago [Annotator’s Note: Chicago, Illinois] for a medical physical in June 1943. He initially thought, “Let’s go and get this over with.” He was given 10 days and then was ordered to report to Great Lakes Naval Training Center [Annotator’s Note: Illinois] for boot camp. He learned really quickly that the drill instructor was his boss and he had to do everything he said, or there would be physical consequences. Going to bootc amp was his first time away from home. Half of the guys in his class were from Chicago and the other half were from Pennsylvania. There was a small group from Georgia that were ragged on often. He received great training during boot camp. He was on a destroyer ship, but was given a five-day leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. He was walking around town and failed to salute some officers, so he was put on report and the executive officer of his ship laughed it off. Engmann loved being a sailor and going to sea. After boot camp, he boarded a train and headed to Norfolk, Virginia where he was assigned to the USS Leonard Wood (APA-12). He served aboard the Leonard Wood during its voyage from Virginia to the Panama Canal [Annotator's Note: manmade canal in the country of Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in between North and South America]. There was an announcement over the speaker to not get sunburned or else your pay would be docked for every day you were in the sick bay. Engmann walked in a room and saw some really tough sailors and soon found out that they were part of the Under Water Demolition team who later become the Navy Seals. After transiting through the Panama Canal, Engmann was surprised to hear his name called out. He was told to pack his things and that he was being put ashore in Panama City [Annotator’s Note: Panama City, Panama]. Engmann left the Leonard Wood and reported aboard his new ship, the old four stack destroyer USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156). Engmann and the J. Fred Talbott spent many months conducting antisubmarine warfare exercises in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Panama.

[Annotator’s Note: Interviewee plays with paper throughout this segment.] Larry Engmann served as a seaman in the Navy and was assigned to the USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156) at Panama City [Annotator’s Note: Panama City, Panama]. Engmann and the J. Fred Talbott spent many months conducting antisubmarine warfare exercises in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Panama. As far as Engmann knows, they never located an enemy submarine. One time, there was a report of an American bomber that had crashed in the water and his ship was sent out to find it. His ship stopped in Costa Rica and Engmann was able to visit the island for a few days. The local people gifted the sailors with produce and livestock. In November or December 1944, the J. Fred Talbott steamed to Charleston [Annotator’s Note: Charleston, South Carolina] and the scuttlebutt [Annotator's Note: a period slang term for a rumor] was that the ship was being outfitted for the invasion of Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. Engmann lived in barracks and reported to the ship to do maintenance and repairs. They had the best Christmas meal in the mess hall. He was given candy and cigars as well. One night, a new crew took over his ship and Engmann boarded a train and headed south to Miami [Annotator’s Note: Miami, Florida]. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 0:36.40.000. Video and sound become out of sync.] Most of his duties were cleaning and sweeping the ship. His general quarter station was on a K-gun that fired depth charges [Annotator's Note: also called a depth bomb; an anti-submarine explosive munition resembling a metal barrel or drum]. When he left theTalbott, he felt he was leaving friends. He later attended the reunions for the Talbott. He talks about a friend who left the ship and was assigned to a destroyer that was sunk during D-Day.

Larry Engmann served as a seaman and deck hand in the Navy and was assigned to the USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156). His living accommodations were very tight and he slept on a bunk. There was no special place to eat. Most of his watches were lookout watches spent staring through binoculars searching for the enemy, but he never spotted anything. Most of his days were spent chipping paint and repainting the ship. He became close with a few sailors while on board the J. Fred Talbott. Engmann was transferred from the USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156) to the Submarine Chaser Training Center in Miami, Florida. When he reported in, Engmann learned that the commanding officer of the training center had served aboard a cruiser in the North Atlantic and had vowed to train the sub chaser crews as thoroughly as they could be trained. It was tough duty. Fortunately for Engmann, the executive officer of the training center had been transferred from J. Fred Talbott at the same time as Engmann. The executive officer was able to secure a transfer for Engmann to the patrol craft USS PC-1193, which was also a training ship. Engmann spent the remainder of his time in the Navy aboard the USS PC-1193. He was promoted to signalman. He thought this was a great duty and was so appreciative of serving on this ship. His last ride on the ship was on Navy Day in Panama City [Annotator’s Note: Panama City, Florida]. He was at sea aboard the vessel when he learned that the war was over. Engmann was discharged from the Navy in November 1945 as a signalman third class. [Annotator’s Note: Video break at 0:59:18.000.] Engmann and some of his friends became friendly with a family who owned a restaurant near the water. They would help the family clean up the restaurant and then they would be taken to their house to sleep over. The couple would take them to the movies too. After he was discharged, he went home.

Larry Engmann was on the USS PC-1193 when he heard about the end of the war in Europe [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945] and there was a big celebration in Miami. On VJ-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945], the celebrations were even bigger. He remembered hearing about Roosevelt dying [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, who died 12 April 1945] because his father had died around the same time. He received leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] and travelled home for the funeral. He was asked to stay in the service after the war, but he wanted to go home and was discharged in November 1945. After leaving the service, 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] and completed his high school education. He later went to college and earned his degree at the age of 46. He did not have any trouble transferring from military life to civilian life.

[Annotator’s Note: The sound and video not synced throughout this segment.] Larry Engmann’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was when the captain of the USS PC-1193 had a membership to a hotel where he was staying with his wife. [Annotator’s Note: phone rings at 1:13:49.000.] The captain forgot to give his wife the keys to their room, so the quartermaster came up with a plan to deliver the keys to his wife which involved Engmann rowing a boat to the beach. Engmann served in the war because it was his duty. He believes his service made him a better person. He is a 46-year member of the American Legion. He is grateful that he did not go into the Marine Corps as he initially planned. Engmann believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations.