Peter Hebert was born in 1927 in Algiers, Louisiana. He attended Catholic school. His father worked and his mother stayed home with seven children. 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], his family had no money. News of the wars around the world had his attention throughout his childhood. When war broke out, he was very eager to join the service and enlisted when he was 17 years old with the permission of his parents. As a boy, Hebert was a paperboy who sold papers on the Naval base in Algiers. He credits this exposure to Naval personnel as the reason he would eventually join. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], Hebert and all of his friends were determined to enlist as soon as possible. There was a massive show of support for the armed forces during the war. For VE Day [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945], Hebert crossed the Mississippi River from Algiers to celebrate on Canal Street in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana].

In July 1945, Peter Hebert enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and was sent to San Diego [Annotator’s Note: San Diego, California] by train to begin his training. It took three days to travel across the country. Though it was tough to leave his family, he and many others on the train were gung-ho to get into the Navy and do their part. During basic training, he felt that he was guided and trained well. There was so much patriotism all around him. Training was very strict and extremely tough. After completing basic training, he was selected to attended corpsman school and was assigned to a Naval hospital in San Diego. After some obstacles with his name repeatedly scratched off the list, he was assigned overseas. He wanted to be a medic because wanted to make the injured troops feel better. He boarded a ship with 3,000 Marines and headed to Japan. However, the ship stopped in the Philippines and Hebert received orders to disembark from the ship. He was assigned to a hospital in the Philippines on tiny Manicani Island [Annotator’s Note: Manicani Island, Leyte, the Philippines]. There, he was placed in charge of the emergency room and was tasked with treating men with various injuries or admitting them to the hospital for further care. Hebert learned to sew sutures and was soon given the role of surgeon’s assistant.

Peter Hebert served on Manicani Island [Annotator’s Note: Manicani Island, Leyte, the Philippines] after the war where he oversaw operations at the Navy hospital there. He also assisted surgeons with surgeries and became very proficient. The weather conditions were very hot, and there was no air conditioning in the hospital. Japanese soldiers were being captured on the island after the war had ended, some of whom were unaware of their own country’s surrender [Annotator’s Note: announced 15 Augut 1945]. Because of this threat, Hebert always carried a rifle and pistol on him while in the Philippines. There was a close call where a bullet almost hit the side of his face. While treating some wounded Japanese, he had to force himself to not think of them as the enemy and focus solely on caring for them. The naval hospital’s role was as an emergency humanitarian hospital due to the unrest in the Philippines in the immediate postwar years. He never went out at night because the hospital was surrounded by jungle. During his free time, he just stayed on base and in his Quonset hut [Annotator's Note: prefabricated metal building]. He interacted with Filipino people and used one Filipino as an interpreter. He was also allowed to treat the native people.

Upon turning 21, Peter Hebert‘s enlistment was up, and he tried to reenlist while he was still in the Philippines because he liked what he was doing. However, he was sent home to the United States, and was discharged with the rating of medic third class in late 1948. He readjusted to civilian life very easily and was glad to be reunited with his parents. He found a job and began working in the medical field. He then worked for Louisiana Power and Light.

Peter Hebert’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was wanting to join the Navy and the patriotism of the country. He served because he wanted to do his part and support America. He especially wanted to fight in the Pacific Theater. Being part of the military and treating the wounded opened his eyes and he felt compelled to help. He looks at his service as a great experience. He thinks there is very little interest in World War 2 by today’s Americans. Hebert believes there should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and that we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations so that history does not repeat itself.