Russell Mayeur was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in September 1927. His family had a tough time during the Depression. His father held two jobs. Mayeur held jobs during his school years to help with expenses. His mother maintained the home. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Mayeur was watching a ballgame. News of the bombing broke up the game. One of the players would eventually be killed on Saipan. A crowd formed at the Japanese embassy after the attack. Within a few weeks, many of the young men had either enlisted or were drafted into the service. Although he did not participate in many activities at school because of his work after hours, he did participate in aluminum scrap drives. Mayeur contributed his mother's aluminum pots to the drive. He participated in dancing at naval stations on weekends. People rationed and grew victory gardens. Mayeur's brother worked on the river and was drafted into the Marines. He was sent to Camp Pendleton in California for his training. Mayeur's brother had been in the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, prior to his induction. His mother was happy his brother was selected for the Marines. Meanwhile, Mayeur followed the events of the war. Mayeur decided to join the Merchant Marine while he was still in school. It was about the time of the Normandy invasion in June [Annotator's Note: June 1944]. He and his mother agreed that he could join so that he did not miss the action. With his 16 years of age at the time, he was only allowed to join the Merchant Marine. He signed up and two weeks later headed to St. Petersburg, Florida. He was excited. He loved the idea of having a uniform like the military personnel in New Orleans at Camp Plauche. He delivered beer to the soldiers there.

Russell Mayeur left New Orleans for St. Petersburg, Florida to train for the Merchant Marine. He had no problem with military discipline because of his past life experiences. As a Boy Scout, he could take criticism and understood discipline. Basic training involved various types of jobs required in seamanship. He had no problem with swimming. There was specific training related to surviving enemy attack on a ship. Some men washed out during the process. Many were homesick just like Mayeur. After eight weeks of training, he was shipped out to Norfolk, Virginia and assigned to the coastal ship Michael Tracey [Annotator's Note: vessel name not confirmed]. Despite being trained in boiler operation as a fireman and water tender, his first ship burned coal. He had to shovel coal on the Tracey during the voyage. He immediately sought to move to another ship but was not allowed to do so until 30 days after signing on. When he reached Boston, he left the ship and took five trains to return home [Annotator's Note: to New Orleans, Louisiana].

Russell Mayeur sailed on the Reaper [Annotator's Note: vessel name not verified] bound for South America with ports between before its return to New Orleans. The Merchant Marine allowed a sailor one day leave for every day he was at sea. Mayeur's third ship was the David Lubin [Annotator's Note: vessel name not verified]. The Reaper's cargo was unknown to Mayeur. The Lubin was a Victory ship that carried military cargo and troops. It traveled in convoy from New Orleans to North Africa by way of Algiers, Algeria, ultimately docking at Tunis, Tunisia. Its maximun speed was 15 knots. While Mayeur was on watch, the order was passed to wear life jackets because of the threat of mines. One ship was lost with all aboard. The Lubin made it safely to its destination. While en route through the North Atlantic, Mayeur experienced a severe case of seasickness for two or three days. The Navy provided 15 sailors as an armed guard for the Lubin. They manned the five inch and three inch guns mounted on opposite ends of the ship. The sailors also manned the four 20mm guns around the ship's bridge. The watch for the Merchant Mariners was four hours on and then eight hours off. During the off time, the ship's company trained on the guns with the Navy gunners. That was to provide back-up for the Navy gun crews in case they were injured and unable to continue their duty. It was a great experience for Mayeur. His favorite place on the ship was the galley. That was where he ate. [Annotator's Note: Mayeur laughs.] The food was great and the cooks were good. The cooks were multi-national and racially diverse. He sailed on a happy ship with a great deal of camaraderie. The crewmen joked with each other. The crew even made some terrible white lightning. Mayeur never worried about being torpedoed even though a friend's ship had gone down after sinking. His friend had stayed in a lifeboat for days before being rescued. After returning to port, the individual returned right back to sea. Mayeur and his friend would eventually sail together.

Russell Mayeur returned home between his second and third voyages as a Merchant Mariner. He and his fiancée were married on 3 June 1945. Not being 18 years of age, he was not yet threatened by the draft. Consequently, he did not immediately return to sea but took a job and began his married life. When he turned 18 and signed up for the draft, he was advised to take the next ship. Otherwise, he might be drafted. Following that advice, Mayeur boarded the David Lubin [Annotator's Note: vessel name name verified]. His brother, Eddie, had previously been wounded in late February 1945 on Iwo Jima. Since Eddie was not killed, Mayeur's mother took the news fairly well. His brother's injuries affected him through the rest of his life. Mayeur's church wedding was followed by a reception. Liquor and beer was hard to get, but Mayeur's father-in-law managed to find some. The bride's bag for her dance was filled with ration stamps for gasoline so that they could go on their honeymoon which was at Gulfport, Mississippi. The bride's dress was made by her mother. It has been passed down to the couple's daughters for their weddings. Mayeur's wedding had 42 people in attendance. Some of the males at the wedding would eventually be called to serve in the military. The war had ended in Europe just before the wedding and everyone knew the end of the world conflict was near. Mayeur was at home on liberty when the announcement was made of the Japanese surrender. Knowing the dreadful casualty numbers projected for an American invasion of Tokyo, it was a good decision on Truman's [Annotator's Note: President Harry S. Truman] part to drop the atomic bombs. It saved the lives of many people. The war's end brought on a big party on Canal Street in New Orleans. The crowds were huge.

Russell Mayeur and his wife, Eloise, had a child in March 1946. Mayeur was in Boston at the time. The war had ended. When he talked to the draft board in Boston, he showed them he was a new father. After returning home, he confirmed with the board in New Orleans that he had a child. As a result, Mayeur was given a discharge from service in the Merchant Marine. He was disappointed to later learn that he was not given credit for military service as a Merchant Mariner. He was told he was working as a civilian during that time. He was not allotted the benefits of the G.I. Bill as a consequence. In 1988, Congress approved legislation which afforded the World War 2 Merchant Marine veterans the same benefits of other branches of the armed forces. Documentation and financial benefits were forwarded to Mayeur after that acknowledgement. It pleased him but came too late. The Merchant Mariners had been formerly compared to homefront shipyard workers. That had restricted their recognition for their service.

Russell Mayeur worked for his father-in-law after his discharge from the Merchant Marine following the war. The intent was for Mayeur to learn the business. Mayeur coincidentally learned of the National Guard from a friend. When he discovered that he could further supplement his income with that pay, he elected to join the Guard and became a member of an air defense battalion. He was trained on 40mm then 90mm artillery at Fort Bliss. His Merchant Marine experience had partially prepared him to maintain the weapons. Promotions came along. By the time Korea broke out, Louisiana National Guard units were volunteered for duty. Most of those selected for active duty were Air National Guard. Mayeur's unit was not chosen. He was a master sergeant after two years in the Guard. Mayeur was not hesitant about going back to war. He talked to his commander, and after many examinations, was promoted to second lieutenant. By then, the Korean War had ended. After a period of peace, Vietnam came along. The Louisiana National Guard was not mobilized for that conflict. Prior to the war on terrorism, Mayeur had retired his commission. His former unit was called up for duty in Iraq. They have done a respectable job overseas.

Russell Mayeur's son joined the National Guard while he was in high school. His basic training was at Fort Polk after he graduated from high school. He attended OCS, Officer Candidate School, and became a second lieutenant in 1965. Mayeur was proud of his achievement. His son next trained 12 weeks at Fort Sill in OBC, Officer's Basic Training. He decided he wanted to go on active duty. His father wanted him to reconsider because of the Vietnam conflict. His son decided not to go active. He would later get into trouble with his battery commander. He decided to resign his commission as a major. His father recommended a transfer to the Army Reserve at the Lakefront [Annotator's Note: near Lake Pontchartrain]. His son's reserve unit was mobilized for Desert Storm. He was sent to Iraq for nearly a year and a half. He performed staff work for a commanding officer who excelled in logistical support of the troops. After returning home, he retired as a lieutenant colonel. Mayeur wanted to return to active service but was cautioned about losing his retirement. Instead, he was given a contract to maintain armories and find ways to reduce the costs of operation. He helped save the state quite a bit of money. He was awarded the Army Commendation medal for his efforts.

Russell Mayeur feels that every male should have mandatory military training. Women are a significant part of today's military. The National WWII Museum is important to teach people what happened during those critical years of the Second World War. Mayeur feels his generation was a great generation because of its full support of the military. It made the country what it is today. Mayeur would not hesitate to go to war again if he was a younger man.