Roland Lehker was born in December 1925 in San Antonio, Texas. He enjoyed his childhood, being in the middle class. He had everything he wanted and does not recall suffering during the Great Depression. His neighborhood was comfortable. He knew his neighbors, walked to middle school and took a bus to high school. He remembered playing pool with his friends, going to the library and attending church events. Lehker also recalled segregation in San Antonio including separate schools, and separate water fountains. His father worked as a clerk for the government and enjoyed carpentry as a hobby. His mother stayed home raising the kids. Although everyone listened to the radio and read newspapers, Lehker remarked that no one really discussed current affairs within his family. He was aware of the fear and hostility of the country possibly participating in World War 2. He had family in Germany but did not have a lot of contact with them until after the war. Lehker remembered it was a Sunday afternoon, his radio show was interrupted with news of Pearl Harbor. He was only about 16 years old at the time, so he was not thinking about fighting in a war. He was more concerned about school and playing ball with his friends.

While in high school, a Marine recruiter came to Roland Lehker's class. The recruiter convinced Lehker and his friends to sign up for the Marine Corp and in return they would be able to receive 16 months of college education. After graduation, he and his friends took a train on the Southern Pacific Railroad from San Antonio, Texas to Lafayette, Louisiana where they began their 16 month college education at Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning [Annotator's notes: now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette]. Lehker met a lot of men that were different and unique, especially forming relationships with some of the athletes. His experience also included taking general courses, eating a lot of different foods, playing sports, meeting girls, taking holiday breaks and receiving packages from his mother. He remembered being somewhat cut off from the outside world. His association of war came when men returned from fighting, but they did not like to talk about it. Career military men were their superiors and made them do situational exercises. It reminded Lehker of war games or being part of the Reserve Officer Training Corps [Annotator's Note: generally referred to as ROTC]. He enjoyed his time as school. It was an ideal life, compared to his home life.

After 16 months of school at Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning [Annotator's Note: now known as University of Louisiana at Lafayette], Roland Lehker traveled by train, then bus to Parris Island, South Carolina for boot camp training. He remembered that it was tough, but he was fit enough to get through it. After boot camp, he was sent to Camp LeJeune, North Carolina before going to Quantico, Virginia for officer training. He was interested in becoming a Japanese interpreter, but he soon realized that he did not do well with languages. He would visit Washington, D.C. on weekends and go on church trips. After four months of training, he became a commissioned officer. He went home for two weeks before reporting for duty at Camp Pendleton in Los Angeles, California. He eventually became in charge of the Bachelor Officer Quarters. He also tended to the Marines that returned home from fighting and did everything he could to make them comfortable. On the weekends, he would go to the city of Los Angeles. He met and saw many Hollywood stars. He also attended a Presbyterian church where many stars went to as well. When World War 2 ended, he does not recall a celebration. He received orders to go to Corpus Christie, Texas to be discharged from the Marines.

Roland Lehker discharged from the Marine Corp at Corpus Christie at the end of World War 2. Lehker reflected on the controversy of the atomic bombs. At the time, he believed most people did not really think of the morality of the event. They were just relieved that the war was over. Lehker decided to continue with his education rather than remain in the military. He had interest in being a minister for sometime, but then eventually found his passion as an educator. He wanted to go to a school where he could play basketball, and tried to find a scholarship that would accompany his G.I. Bill. He decided on a small college in the town of Naperville, Illinois. While attending school, Lehker washed dishes as a part time job, and played football. He was an athlete and student body president. He also met his wife while attending school. When the Korean War was declared, Lehker was ready to go, but due to a sports injury he was passed up. He married his wife in 1951. After school, he received a letter from Midland, Michigan to teach and coach. He used the G.I. Bill to get his masters and doctorate. He taught for 30 years and became an administrator. His dream job came in 1970, where he became principle of an inner-city school. He retired in 1980 when his wife became ill.

Roland Lehker's grandson introduced him to the internet, and he quickly picked up new interests. He began by posting a list of free events in Washington D.C. on his website. He also had it published on Reddit. He also began to blog and answer questions on Reddit in the "Ask Me Anything" section. Lehker believes people do not understand the unitedness of the world to an apparent evil. World War 2 was an idealistic time. He believed that to serve in World War 2, you truly had to be a patriot. The National WWII Museum is important, and its important to support the variety of agencies and ethnic groups.