Richard Hebert, Sr. was born in June 1926 in Jennings, Louisiana with three brothers and three sisters. His brother served on the USS McCawley (APA-4) and was killed during an enemy attack in World War 2. Another brother was in the Air Force, and his last brother was a missionary. His father, a World War 1 veteran, worked as an insurance salesman while his mother stayed at home. Hebert describes Jennings, Louisiana during the Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States] in detail. As a young kid, he enjoyed playing football and other sports with his neighborhood friends and brothers. The town was a very close-knit community, and people walked and rode their bikes everywhere. Hebert finished his last two years of high school at Saint Stanislaus [Annotator’s Note: Saint Stanislaus Catholic High School] in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He was in school when he heard over the loudspeaker that the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] had happened. Hebert did not know where Pearl Harbor was located. His oldest brother volunteered for service, and later died on the USS McCawley. His second oldest brother was a Jesuit priest and was in Shri Lanka on a missionary trip when he was killed by Muslims. His last brother served in the Air Force and was stationed in Nebraska during his time in the service. After completing high school in June 1943, Hebert was drafted into the Army. He reported to the induction center in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] to receive a physical. The next morning, he was shipped off to boot camp at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in Arkansas. He thought basic training was okay, and he followed the orders given to him.

After completing basic training in the Army, Richard Hebert, Sr. was shipped to California and then boarded a troop transport heading for Leyte [Annotator’s Note: Leyte, the Philippines]. There were 800 troops on the ship and it took 49 days to reach the Philippines. Once he arrived, he was assigned to the Ohio National Guard 37th Infantry Division as a medic, even though he never had any medical training. He was chosen as a combat medic and given an extra 10 dollars of pay because they were in desperate need to fill the position. The Japanese liked to kill medics. He was given a litter and joined his group. The scariest moment of his life was invading the Philippines because he sat in a Higgins boat [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP; also known as the Higgins boat] waiting for the ramp to come down, and did not know what he was going to face. Once he made it onto the beaches of Manila [Annotator’s Note: Manila, the Philippines], his unit worked their way inland. Anytime he heard someone scream medic, he ran over to help the wounded soldier. He was armed with a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] while serving in the Philippines. His unit made it to Luzon [Annotator’s Note: Luzon, the Philippines]. While in this area, Herbert was wounded in the neck and hand while tending to another soldier. After being treated in a hospital for seven days, he returned to the front lines. At war’s end, he was shipped home, but then pulled and replaced with POWs [Annotator’s Note: prisoners of war]. He was put in charge of a stockade, until he contracted malaria [Annotator's Note: disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain type of mosquito which feeds on humans] and stayed in treatment for the duration of the war. Hebert was on a mission when he heard about the atomic bomb [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945] and was told the war was over. He was given beer and liquor. He had 34 points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on several factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] which was enough to go home, but not enough to go in ahead of the POWs. When he finally went home, it took him eight days to return to the United States.

After his discharge from the Army in August 1945, Richard Hebert, Sr. came home and attended Springhill College in Mobile, Alabama earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, and then Loyola University for pharmacy school [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] using the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment]. [Annotator’s Note: A voice is audible in the background at 0:23:36.000.] In 1953, Hebert traveled back to Jennings, Louisiana and owned a pharmacy there until it was sold in 1978. He retired in 1990 after twelve years of relief pharmacy work.

Richard Hebert, Sr.’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was during basic training. One of the trainees suffered from kidney stones and he was in terrible pain. He also remembered that during basic training, when they returned from maneuvers, his commander made the cooks prepare a meal for the trainees at three o’clock in the morning. His service taught him a lot of responsibility and to learn to look out for himself and help friends. The service also taught him discipline. He believes that America does not know the meaning of or value the events of World War 2. He does not understand the younger generations today, and why they protest so much. He thinks they are selfish. Herbert enjoyed living in the 1950’s because he married, had children, and had a job. His children and grandchildren respect him for his service. Herbert was satisfied with being assigned to the Army. Herbert 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.