Leo Porteau was born on 14 September 1921 in Reeves, Louisiana. During the Great Depression, his family moved around the state of Louisiana wherever his father found work. Porteau graduated from high school in Oakdale, Louisiana in 1940 then was drafted into the Army in 1941. He went to Camp Howze in Gainesville, Texas for six weeks of boot camp and became a squad leader, in charge of a group of men in combat, cover and concealment. Porteau was then deployed to the Philippines.

A participant in the invasion of Tacloban, Leyte, Leo Porteau contends the armed forces were preparing to "hit Tokyo from four sides." Jumping ahead, Porteau described how the death of Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States], the succession by Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States], and the dropping of the atomic bombs brought the war to a close. But Porteau lacked enough points for discharge, so he was sent to Daegu, Korea. There he stayed in a Japanese barracks and exercised in a gym. He was in Korea for about six months, but had spent the prior 13 months in the Philippines. He described Tacloban on Leyte as a straw village, and said he would not eat the native foods. Porteau saw combat on Leyte. In combat he carried a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine]. The 12 men in his squadron carried M1s [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also referred to as the M1 Garand], and his corporal carried a BAR [Annotator's Note: Browning Automatic Rifle]. Battle was all uphill, Porteau said, and the enemy had the advantage. He noted that the Japanese rifles were not "worth a crap," but they could "put a mortar shell in the foxhole with you." He described the squad's tactics, and said sometimes in battle their decisions "wasn't soldier-like". Nevertheless, they took the island.

Leo Porteau's squad [Annotator's Note: Porteau was a squad leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division] was moving by troop ship when they witnessed the signing of the peace treaty with Japan. They continued on to Daegu, Korea for occupation duty. There, he participated in intramural sports, and was one of 12 men chosen to fly to Seoul, Korea for a military basketball tournament. Porteau described the inventive fabrication of gym shoes from combat boots. Victorious in Seoul, the team went on to play the 101st Airborne Division in Tokyo. While flying there he saw the destruction and "burnt clay earth" of Nagasaki, and experienced turbulence when they passed over Mount Fujiyama. The teammates stayed together, taking in the local entertainments, including jitterbugging [Annotator's Note: the Jitterbug was a popular dance of the time] with Japanese girls. His athletic endeavors delayed his discharge by a month.

Prone to seasickness, Leo Porteau was glad the 14 day return trip didn't include the evasive zig-zagging [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] that was required during the 31 day voyage to the Philippines. After discharge he went to work for the railroad for about eight months. Then he worked for City Service for seven years, after which he worked the rodeo circuit and trained horses. He later worked in the oilfield and raised cattle. He never really retired from a job, but stopped working after he was past 65 years old. Porteau said was offered a scholarship if he stayed in the Army, but he missed his family, especially his mother, and declined the offer. He was glad to be home where there was plenty to eat, and never used the G.I. Bill.

During the war he fought for freedom and peace, Porteau asserted. He wanted to defend our nation against people who dropped bombs on our bases. He said the Americans had a reason for killing. At the time he went to war, all his friends were doing likewise. His message to future generations studying the actions of his unit [Annotator's Note: Company B, 1st Battalion, 185th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division] during World War 2 is that in war everyone did what was required. But there were men in his squad that did not make it, and that made him want to return to a peaceful society.