Richard Audler was born in New Orleans [Annotator's Notes: New Orleans, Louisiana] in December 1925. He had one younger brother and his family grew up in the Bienville Housing Projects. His father worked for the Works Progress Administration [Annotator's Note: the Works Progress Administration or WPA was a New Deal program instituted to put unemployed Americans back to work] and then worked in the shipyards during the war, along with Audler's mother who was the first woman welder at Delta Shipyards. Growing up during the Great Depression was difficult for his family. Aufler was holding a radio and listening to basketball scores when a news flash came on saying that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. He admitted that going to war was the best thing to happen to him because he was able to leave and get out of living in poverty. He convinced his parents to sign for him to enlist at the age of 17 and on 6 May 1943 he joined the Navy. Audler was shipped to San Diego [Annotator's Notes: San Diego, California] for boot camp. He had a problem wetting the bed with the help of his sergeant [Annotator's Note: petty officer] and fellow comrades, he was able to overcome this problem for good. He enjoyed boot camp because it came easy for him. He met many people from all over the country and he enjoyed all the food the Navy fed him. Because he was good with his hands, he was assigned to CASU(F)-13 [Annotator's Notes: Carrier Aircraft Service Unit (Forward) 13] and trained in Santa Rosa, California. He was trained as an aviation electrician's mate and worked on F6F [Annotator's Notes: Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter aircraft], F4F [Annotator's Notes: Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter aircraft], SBD [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomebr]and the Avenger [Annotator's Notes: Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger] which was Bush's [Annotator's Note: US Navy Lieutenant (j.g.) George Herbert Walker Bush, 41st President of the United States] plane.

Richard Audler shipped out of the United States and steamed for to the island of Ponam, located off Manus Island [Annotator's Notes: in Papua New Guinea]. They did a lot of training on the island, and they prepared pilots in taking off and landing with cargo. He and his unit [Annnotator's Notes: CASU(F)-13 or Carrier Aircraft Service Unit (Forward) 13] shipped out from Oakland, California. They were about four days out when the ship broke down. All of the passengers and cargo were removed from the vessel and transferred to the Dutch ship Bluementhal [Annnotator's Notes: cannot verify ship name]. Audler recalled that the island was infested with fleas and they had a problem with the spread a typhus. Audler witnessed 30 or 40 miles away the explosion of the USS Mount Hood (AE-11) on 10 November 1944. Audler volunteered to go with an outfit to the Philippines. They took a PBY [Annotator's Notes: Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat] patrol bomber. As the PBY flew into the Harbor [Annotator's Notes: Manila, Philippines], the pilot received the green light to land. As he approached to land, however, he was flashed a red light indicating that he was to abort his landing. Since the plane was observing radio silence, the passengers and crew had no idea why they had been waved off. Audler discovered the reason when he looked out of one of the plane's side windows and saw a Japanese aircraft flying right next to them. The enemy plane was so close that Audler could clearly see the Japanese pilot who saluted Audler. Audler returned the enemy pilot's salute then watched as the enemy plane turned away and headed down. It was eventually shot down. Moments later, Audler saw a second enemy plane. That aircraft managed to evade the antiaircraft fire and successfully slammed into an ammunition ship down in the harbor.

Richard Audler's unit [Annotator's Notes: Carrier Aircraft Service Unit (Forward) 13 or CASU(F)-13] was stationed on island of Ponam, located off Manus Island [Annotator's Notes: in Papua New Guinea]. For fun, they would go swimming near the coral even though they were told not to by their superior officer. One day, Audler skinned his knees and got coral poison. He was in the hospital for nine days to treat his knees with Sulfa crystals. He recalled when a USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations] show came to Ponam and Bob Hope and other entertainers performed. He enjoyed the shows and he believed it helped the morale of the servicemen. Audler did not have any interaction with the local people on Ponam but did interacted with the local people in the Philippines, teaching them American curse words. Audler and his outfit later moved to Mindoro in the Philippines. He would fix up planes on Mindoro that flew from Leyte to bomb Manila where Japanese had a strong hold. He met one pilot that went to the same high school as him. While on Mindoro, Audler experienced Japanese air raids. Some of the air raids would cause a lot of damage to their aircraft.

Richard Audler's unit [Annotator's Notes: Carrier Aircraft Service Unit (Forward) 13 or CASU(F)-13] was stationed on Mindoro, Philippines. Audler worked on aircraft and strictly worked on the ground, but one time he was able to fly on a strike to replace a guy who was sick. He flew on an SBD [Annotator's Notes: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber]. He witnessed a ferocious dogfight between an American and Japanese aircraft. After the Japanese tried a failed kamikaze attack, the American plane was able to land and produce verifiable images. Audler had served his 14 months and the Navy sent him home in April 1945 by way of a ship. As the ship neared the California coast, Audler prepared himself for the celebratory greeting he expected they would receive. A day out of port, however, the ship got word the President Franklin D. Roosevelt had just passed away. When the ship pulled into port on 13 April 1945, there was no reception committee. The country was in mourning. After going ashore, Audler was sent to Corpus Christi [Annotator's Notes: NAS Corpus Christi, Texas]. While stationed there, Audler's wife became ill, so he just left to be with her. He did this multiple times while his wife was sick. When the war ended in August 1945, he remembered there was a lot of celebration. Since he was on a minority cruise from 17 years old to 21 years old, Audler had to serve 16 more months after the war ended. The Navy sent him to Saint Louis, Missouri and set up an Assemby and Repair Shop, charged batteries, and work on planes. He was then sent to Pensecola, Florida doing the same thing. In December 1946, just after he turned 21, Audler was discharged from the Navy as an Aviation Electrician's Mate 2nd Class. After he was discharged, Audler signed up for the Navy Reserves. His unit was activated to fight in Korea, but he did not go.

After the war ended, Richard Audler was discharged from the Navy as an Aviation Electrician's Mate 2nd Class. He did not take advantage of any G.I. Bill benefits because he took a job as the Chief Electrician with United Fruit Company on the Banana Warf. Audler's most memorable experience was when he saw two Japanese pilots near him while flying. [Annotator's notes: Audler brought artifacts to show during his interview. At 1:00:49.000 the tape is changed.] Audler served in World War 2 to get away from home. He lived in the projects and he knew if he stayed, he would get in trouble. The war changed his life because he was able to have a marriage of 70 years with four children, a home all paid for and money in the bank. He went from being a bum to something else. His service in World War 2 means everything to him today. Audler believes that America has the greatest freedom in the world. He thinks it's important that The National WWII Museum exists so another war like this won't happen again.