Michael Wilford Boos was born in May 1922 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was one of five children. During the Great Depression, his father worked at the Arabi Packing Company. He remembers that he was not rich, but everyone pitched in and they made it through. At age 17, his brother got him a job working in a dental lab. His brother was in the field of dentistry. Boos was at his sisters home when he heard the news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. At the time, he had never heard of Pearl Harbor and was not sure what it all meant. One day in January or February [Annotator's Note: January or February 1942], after work, he and a co-worker went to have a drink. They decided that they wanted to join the Air Corps, so they went to the Old Customs House on Saint Charles [Annotator's Note: Saint Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana] and filled out the paperwork for enlistment. Boos was accepted into the Army, but his friend was too old and was rejected. In October, he received his letter to report for a physical. When he passed, the Army was ready to send him that day. Boos didn't realize that it would be so immediate. He had his mom and sister come down to the office to bring him some clothes. He was sent to Camp Barkley [Annotator's Note: located 11 miles southwest of Abilene, Texas] and stayed there for a couple of months. Then they sent him to Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington for his basic training. He was assigned as part of the medical unit for the 74th Station Hospital under Colonel Lawton. Boos was placed on a troop transport from Norfolk, Virginia.

Michael Wilford Boos remembered how awful the trip across the Atlantic Ocean was on the troop transport. The convoy would move through the waters in a zig-zag motion [Annotator's Note: an anti-submarine naval maneuver] causing many of the troops to get seasick. The ship had stopped midway through the journey because water got into the fuel line. When the ship started to move again, the captain steered the ship in a straight line. On the transport ship, Boos remembered that no one was allowed on deck after dark. The stench was bad because no one wanted to take a bath in saltwater. His transport ship docked in Oran, North Africa and six weeks later he was sent to Tunisia, North Africa. He remembers during the Invasion of Sicily; gliders would go over the fleet and the enemy would shoot them down. He recalls massive casualties. Almost every night there would be an air raid in Tunisia. Overall, Boos remembers unwelcoming feelings from the Tunisian civilians, however, he and some other Americans were invited to a Sheik's house for dinner. He remembers sitting in a circle and eating with his hands. Boos was then put on a submarine from North Africa to the invasion of Naples, Italy. He remembers that the Germans had sunk their ships in the harbor. When he got off the submarine, he had to descended on a rope ladder with all his equipment and jump into the water.

Michael Wilford Boos' unit, the 74th Station Hospital, set up on the outskirts of the Abbey of Monte Cassino, Italy. Their station was there for 11 months. Boos remembers the devastation during the Battle of Monte Cassino. He also recalls a German plane dropping bombs over an evacuation hospital, killing nurses and men. The pilot claimed that it was an accident. Boos worked mainly in the dental lab, but also did detached services like setting up telephone lines. Boos remembered when the Allies finally received permission to bomb the abbey. They bombed it for 12 hours straight. Boos' unit participated in the Battle of Anzio, and from there went to Bologna, Italy and into the Apennine Mountains. While visiting Rome, someone asked him and some of his friends if they would like to meet the Pope. Boos stood outside the Vatican and was told not to shake the Pope's hand, but to kiss his ring. When the Pope came over to Boos and his friends, the Pope blessed them and hoped for their safety. Boos generally felt that the Italians did not care for the Americans. Boos' unit reached to Po Valley, and while they were in Marina, Pisa, they were told to chuck their equipment into the harbor. The Germans had broken through.

Michael Wilford Boos had been with the 74th Station Hospital for three years and when they reached Marina, Pisa in Italy, the fighting in the European Theater finally ended. However, Boos and his unit soon found out that the Army would be forming a new cadre to go to Okinawa. Boos was livid, but nevertheless, he was put on a ship set for the Pacific Theater. As the ship was traveling through the Suez Canal, the captain made an announcement that Japan had surrendered. The captain decided to return the ship back to America. The ship docked in Boston, Massachusetts. Since they had no orders at the time, Boos' superiors sent him home and told him to report to Camp Beauregard [Annotator's Note: in Pineville, Louisiana] in 30 days. Boos and his friends had put their money together and got a bus to bring them home. Boos eventually received his discharge papers when he reported 30 days later. Boos reflected on the personality difference between General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] and General Mark Clark [Annotator's Note: US Army General Mark W. Clark]. He also recalled when he flew in a Spitfire, and remarked on a negative experience with the Red Cross.