Stanley James Thurston was born in Irvington, Alabama in March 1924. The family farmed and raised livestock during the difficult years of the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945]. His father was a carpenter and was active in naming roads in the area after Englishmen. Thurston's father was of English ancestry, while his mother was of German descent. Preservation of food was difficult without electricity, so the family had to innovate means to do so. He learned Pearl Harbor had been hit [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] while listening to the radio as he polished his father's automobile. He was attending the University of Alabama [Annotator's Note: in Tuscaloosa, Alabama] at the time. He transitioned into the Army after a scholarship was offered to him if he enlisted. He studied radio intelligence at the University of Alabama. He had no idea where he was headed at the time. His mother had to sign for him since he was only 18 years of age. It was a confusing point in his life. He did not know where he was going or why.

Stanley James Thurston was not provided basic training. After enlistment, he was sent to a pigeon outfit [Annotator's Note: messenger pigeons were used by the US Army Signal Corps] and then to a radio intelligence group [Annotator's Note: 113th Signal Radio Intelligence Battalion]. As a result, he never learned to fire a weapon or learned any other basic training instructions. He first went to Camp Crowder in Missouri [Annotator's Note: later Fort Crowder in Neosho, Missouri]. After quite a while, he moved over to Europe by ship. It was strange for him. He did not know who his bedfellows would be. He reached Europe and prepared to enter Normandy just six days before D-Day [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. There was a cook on the ship who gambled a lot. When the gambler reached the shore at Normandy, instead of being prepared for combat, he had his shirt stuffed with money and he carried his helmet full of cash instead of his rifle. Thurston landed in Normandy six days after the invasion started. American casualties had been gathered up, but German dead still littered the area. It was important to leave your shoes on because the troops could be called to action at a moment's notice. If there was an empty foxhole, Thurston used it. He ran into a group of German soldiers in good shape. They shared photographs of family back home. Thurston was in supply at the time. He issued what the G.I.s [Annotator's Note: government issue; also, a slang term for an American soldier] needed. He lucked into that duty. The troops in his capacity had the ability to get the best boots and uniforms. At night there was a keg of beer, but it was not permissible to get tight [Annotator's Note: become inebriated]. No one ever abused the luxury by getting drunk. In Belgium, he experienced the buzz bombs [Annotator's Note: V-1 pulse jet flying bomb, German name: Vengeance Weapon 1; Allied names: buzz bomb, doodlebug] flying closely over their heads on a hill. The bombs were en route to London [Annotator's Note: London, England]. Sad things happened with people getting in the way. The bombs were accurately targeted at London. Thurston saw something he wished he had not seen. A damaged plane had its pilot bail out only to be caught on the tail of the aircraft. The unfortunate pilot went down with his plane. Thurston remained in supply throughout the duration of the war. The Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or German Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945] started with his battalion going in the wrong direction. The troops did not know why they were not advancing. The weather was strange with a lot of snow followed by heavy rain. It was horrible. Thurston's mother had a German background, so he did not hate the enemy. Most German troops wanted to surrender. He even captured one and brought him back to camp. The Germans were dragged into the war and did not want it. They were eating their own horses. They were tired of it. German aircraft bombed the area unsuccessfully every night. The enemy pilots were referred to as Bed Check Charlies. They never managed to hit any of the Americans. Thurston crossed the Rhine River into Germany. He went into Saint-Lo [Annotator's Note: Saint-Lô (Saint-Lo), France] and saw soldiers riding tanks. Later, the tanks withdrew with people hanging out that did not make it. While there, he came upon a train that had been wrecked. It was loaded with Limburger cheese [Annotator's Note: type of cheese noted for its strong smell] and had been split open. The smell was very bad. Thurston will never forget that. The people in Saint-Lo, did not want the war and were friendly enough. When they saw what Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] was up to, they were out of it from there.

Stanley James Thurston participated in the liberation of Buchenwald concentration camp [Annotator's Note: Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, Germany; liberated 11 April 1945] which was close to Russia. The Americans stayed away from the Russians. They had some mean women. Buchenwald had not yet been liberated and a large SS [Annotator's Note: Schutzstaffel; German paramilitary organization] guard was still in a tower. The Americans left him alone. In the camp, people were in little blocks about eight-foot square. They had no clothes. After they died, they were brought to a pile of bodies in the back for cremation or disposal. The dead were removed from the barracks every morning. It was a frightening experience to see what the people went through. Inside the camp, there were strange items like wallets and lampshades made from the skin of inmates. Since he had access to the best boots and other items in supply, Thurston would trade them for favors from the people who guarded him. He was invited to a gathering that had banana pudding and women who sang. He did not touch any of the women though. Thurston found out the war was over while in Cologne, Germany [Annotator's Note: Köln, Germany] preparing to go to the Pacific. He saw the streets filled with masses of celebrating people. When word that the bomb had been dropped [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945], that finished it off. No one wanted to go to the Pacific. All the men heard were bad stories about the situation there. Thurston maintained mail contact with his sister back home. He managed to sneak around a lot. The ship voyage back to the United States resulted in him being taken advantage of by another fellow. Limited to one gun brought home as a souvenir, he asked another man to carry his Luger [Annotator's Note: German P08 Luger 9mm semi-automatic pistol] while Thurston carried a smaller caliber pistol. The other man disappeared with the gun he carried, but as it turned out, the officer's pistol Thurston carried was worth more money than the Luger. Thurston returned home with boxes of artifacts. He reached New York Harbor [Annotator's Note: New York Harbor in New York City, New York]. His brother and his wife met him and took him to their home. He stayed with them until it was time to return to duty. Seeing his folks at Irvington [Annotator's Note: Irvington, Alabama, his hometown] was strange. They were not home when he arrived. They were excited to see him. It seemed unbelievable to them to see him. He only took advantage of 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] for a limited time after discharge. He met his wife and decided to get married and that took care of the rest of that.

Stanley James Thurston feels it is important for young people to learn the truth about what happened in the Second World War. In that context, The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana] and other institutions are important to tell the story of what happened. In later years, the truth may not be believed. Thurston had some dreams about his experiences after the war. At times, they were nightmares. The Germans were not as bad as we thought they were. They were worse in the beginning than at the end. Thurston was changed by the war. He was educated in multiple institutions as a result of his service. He believes that all Americans should stand up and be a good and educated American. Find out the truth and do not listen to non-truths. [Annotator's Note: an individual offscreen comments on some stories Thurston has recounted to him. Thurston laughs.] Thurston carried a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] all over Europe for his protection. When he attempted to use it one time, he found that it would not fire. Thurston had access to the best equipment and clothing because he was in supply. A friend took him for rides on his motorcycle. While on a ride, the friend brought him to a creek where many people were bathing in the nude. Thurston refused to join them but enjoyed the motorcycle rides. It was fun to ride all over Europe. That included riding vehicles through the Buchenwald concentration camp [Annotator's Note: Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar, Germany]. The war was over, and it was fun. When troops discovered wine vats, they punched holes in them and drank until they passed out. Nevertheless, the soldiers remained disciplined. Even though a keg of beer was available every night, the men did not abuse the privilege of only having two beers a night. Thurston would not take anything for his experience. It is surprising what people will not believe until he tells them, or they see it in films.