Lynward Joseph "Buddy" or "Bud" Adams was born in April 1923 in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. He grew up in New Orleans moving around to different neighborhoods because his dad liked to rent houses. His father was a barber and enjoyed playing baseball. Adams attended school and church as a boy and grew up with an older sister. [Annotator's Note: Interviewer pauses interview to adjust surrounding of room at 0:04:20.000.] After he married, Adams and his wife moved to Metairie [Annotator's Note: Metairie, Louisiana] for a short time, but then missed their old neighborhood in New Orleans and moved to back. Adam's father provided for his family well enough 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], that Adams did not feel as though his family suffered. Adams dropped out of school after two years of high school and began to work. He did various jobs such as a grocery boy, soda jerk, gas service station attendee until World War 2 started. Adams was working at a service station when he heard over the radio about the Japanese attacking Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Adams did not know where Pearl Harbor was located and asked his boss if it was near Pearl River [Annotator's Note: Pearl River, Louisiana]. His boss had to explained to him where the attack was located. Adams and his friend, "Buddy", went to the customs house and applied to the Marines. As they were filling out the application, a Marine came up to them and kicked them out because they were too young. He brought the application home for his mother to sign, but she refused. She agreed to sign papers for him to enlist in the Navy. Adams and two other friends joined the Navy together. His father, mother, grandmother, aunt, and sister saw him off at the train station as he headed to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California] to begin his training.

Lynward Joseph "Buddy" or "Bud" Adams joined the Navy with his two friends, and they were sent to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California] for basic training. They were hoping they would stay together but were eventually separated. After Adams and his friends completed boot camp, they were separated in alphabetical order. Adams received orders to report to Navy Armed Guard school [Annotator's Note: United States Navy Armed Guard] and trained in gunnery. He was told he would be protecting Merchant Marine [Annotator's Note: US Merchant Marine] vessels. Adams was not happy about this order. However, when he arrived on his first ship and went to eat, he was surprised to learn that he was served dinner and did not have to wait in line at the mess hall. He found out that a seaman gunner is served by a Merchant Marine mess boy. He was also assigned to better sleeping accommodations on the Merchant Marine ship than if he was on a carrier. The rules were more relaxed on the Merchant Marine ship too. He did not have to be in uniform and often wore shorts and a baseball cap. His ship transferred supplies around the pacific. The Merchant Marines managed the ship, and Adams and the other Navy Armed Guards manned the guns during times of action. He served for three years on four different ships. His tours lasted between nine and ten months, and then he would have a short leave. When he reported again for duty, he was assigned to a different ship. Adams enjoyed his duty after all. He did not have to go into combat, and he delivered supplies to areas that were mostly secured. There was a couple of instances where they were attacked by torpedoes but were able to maneuver around them. His ship brought him to Australia for the first time in October 1942. He learned an Australian dance, and then also showed the Aussies how to swing dance. His ship took him through the Panama Canal Zone and met with a convoy going up towards the North Atlantic in February 1943. The convoy went through a horrible storm and there were 20-foot swells. Adams did not keep up with the news and had no idea how the war in Europe and Pacific was progressing. He did not know anything beyond what orders his assigned ship was given. He found out later that his cousin was on the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). The relationship between the Navy Guards and the Merchant Marines was friendly. Adams was an avid smoker all through his career as a Navy Guard and did not quit until years later as a gift to his wife.

Lynward Joseph "Buddy" or "Bud" Adams was a Navy Armed Guard and guarded US Merchant Marine ships during World War 2. He eventually earned the rank of Petty Officer. When a Merchant Marine ship arrived at an island to deliver supplies, Adams was the first guardsman off because he wanted to go swimming. He assigned his gunners to different areas of the ship. Four men would be on watch at one time and the duty lasted four hours of watch per day. The duty required the guards' men to look all throughout the horizon and try to spot periscopes. Sometimes one would think they saw a periscope and sound the alarm, but it was often just a shark fin upon further investigation. They also looked for smoke to confirm that it was an Allied ship and not an enemy ship. As Petty Officer, Adams did not do the watch himself, but he supervised the guardsmen. He would make rounds often making sure those on guard were awake and performing their duty properly. Adams enjoyed the food on board the Merchant Marine ships and was friendly with the Merchant Marines. When they were resting in Australia, the Merchant Marines would invite Adams to drink beer with them. Adams and his friends dined at a hotel and enjoyed steak and eggs for 32 cents. He enjoyed interacting with the Australians because they were so nice to them. He was lucky to have this duty, because many of his friends did not make it back. His friend, Buddy, was killed in Saipan [Annotator's Note: Saipan, Mariana Islands]. There was one instance when Adams feared for his life. The ship had to deliver supplies during a bombardment over Halmahera, Morotai near Indonesia. His ship was then escorted out and led to a cove for safety. At another time his ship had a torpedo scare but were able to maneuver around it. Adams is grateful for not being hit by torpedoes because of what he learned about the USS Indianapolis (CA-35). His cousin was on the USS Indianapolis, worked in the engine room, and did not survive the sinking [Annotator's Note: 30 July 1945]. He was not aware of his cousin's death until after the war ended. Adams exchanged letters with his friend, Buddy, until he died in Saipan. While he was in port in San Francisco [Annotator's Note: San Francisco, California], he met a family who took care of him and made him feel welcome.

Lynward Joseph "Buddy" or "Bud" Adams was a Navy Armed Guard and guarded US Merchant Marine ships during World War 2. He was trained to fight against the Japanese, and he knew that they would not surrender. He would learn of news when he came to port state side or talk to troops that came aboard his ship. Adams was near much of the fighting in New Guinea but did not go into combat. The supplies his ship delivered were a variety of items from food to equipment. When he reached port, especially in Australia, he was more concerned about finding the nearest dance hall than knowing what was going on the war. He did not want to think about it. His good friend, Buddy, died in Saipan [Annotator's Note: Saipan, Mariana Islands] as a Marine. He had another friend, George, that died at Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan]. Adams was promoted to a Petty Officer at the end of 1943 and later as a Boatswain Mate.

Lynward Joseph "Buddy" or "Bud" Adams' most memorable experiences of World War 2 was getting aboard ship and his time in Melbourne, Australia. He enjoyed meeting the Australian civilians. A General gave him a shotgun. Although not a hunter, he went out one day with his wife's uncle and shot a sparrow. When his wife found out Adams shot a bird, she became upset with him. Adams enjoyed playing golf more than hunting and fishing. Adams fought in World War 2 because he wanted to fight the enemy and save America. He was young and wanted to go. His service taught him about life and how to work with people. It helped him have more compassion for others. World War 2 does not mean much to Americans today. There should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and they should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations. Adams did not face many of the horrors of war and feels fortunate for his duty. Adams was thrilled when he found out that the atomic bombs were dropped [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945], and the Japanese surrendered. He was sent back to San Francisco [Annotator's Note: San Francisco, California] soon after the war ended. He was given shore duty in California and then was discharged in December 1945. He joined the Navy Reserve, transferred to the Army Reserve, and retired 30 years later.