Thomas Lusco Sr. was born in Rita, Louisiana. He was raised with 14 kids in his family. He went to a Catholic school until the fifth grade, then he went to the public school in Lockport [Annotator’s Note: Lockport, Louisiana]. He found out the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He went to live with his sister in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana]. He went to welding school so he could work in the shipyard. He worked at Higgins’ Shipyard [Annotator’s Note: Higgins Industries based in New Orleans]. He was 24 years old when he enlisted in the Navy in February [Annotator’s Note: year unspecified]. He was put on a train to San Diego, California for boot camp. He learned how to work on landing crafts. He was in San Diego for a year, then he went to Albany, California to bring in outgoing materials to be shipped out. President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] died and Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States] took his place. He was told he would be starting training for the invasion of Japan. He was put on a troop ship with 1,200 other men. They were on the way to invade Okinawa [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945; Okinawa, Japan]. He was sent to Pearl Harbor waiting for the main convoy, but it never showed up. Then they went to Eniwetok [Annotator's Note: Eniwetok or Enewetok Atoll, Marshall Islands] and waited for the convoy. Next, they headed on to Okinawa without the convoy. They were being followed by an enemy submarine. By the time they made it to Okinawa, the beach had already been captured. There were bodies all over the beach. Lusco was in charge of preparing materials for the invasion of mainland Japan. He was on Okinawa for nine months. There was a typhoon around October. He went to hide in a cave and it ended up being a tomb. Truman gave the okay to drop the atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945].

Thomas Lusco Sr. was put on the USS Tucker [Annotator’s Note: USS Henry W. Tucker (DD-875)] in December [Annotator’s Note: presumably of 1944]. He spent a little time in Japan. He was the loader for the anti-aircraft guns. They did not have covers for their ears. He returned to the United States in May 1946 and was discharged on 21 May 1946. He was sent back to New Orleans, Louisiana. He was born in 1926. His father was in the fruit business. He would bring produce to the French Market and sell it. After Lusco left the Navy, he went back to New Orleans. He married a girl from the country in 1948. They had two sons and a daughter. He worked at the American Can Company until he retired in 1968. He participated in several activities. He saw Ernie Pyle's [Annotator's Note: Ernest Taylor Pyle; American journalist and war correspondent] grave on Okinawa [Annotator’s Note: Okinawa, Japan]. He was able and capable of doing his duty as an American citizen. He had an uncle in the Navy. He learned how to operate the LCVPs [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP; also known as the Higgins boat]. They had a compound for the Japanese in San Diego [Annotator’s Note: San Diego, California]. When he went to commando school, he learned how to be a soldier. After landing on Okinawa, he was living in a pup tent [Annotator's Note: small sleep tents often shared by two soldiers]. His job was to bring materials in and store them for the invasion of mainland Japan. He was on Okinawa for nine months. He left for Okinawa in April 1945. He fired at a couple of snipers one day. He traveled the island and went into caves.

Thomas Lusco Sr. remembers that at night, there were dogfights between the P-51s [Annotator's Note: North American P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft] and the Japanese Zeros [Annotator's Note: Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter aircraft, referred to as the Zeke or Zero] on Okinawa [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945; Okinawa, Japan]. Life did not mean anything to the kamikazes [Annotator's Note: Japanese suicide bombers] because they would crash right into the ships. He thought being on a ship was not as dangerous during the invasions. His chances of survival were good. A lot of sailors got killed. He was fortunate they did not get torpedoed. They were a troop transport. Truman gave the okay to drop the atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. Lusco knew this would make Japan surrender. He was picked to go into combat. He went into commando training in San Francisco, California. He went ashore when they went to Japan. He learned he could buy stuff with cigarettes. He went to Tokyo [Annotator’s Note: Tokyo, Japan]. The people bowed and congratulated them. The Japanese killed a lot of innocent people. He returned to the United States after six months on the destroyer. He was discharged in New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana].

Thomas Lusco Sr. had a difficult time returning home. He would shake in bed at night. He slept in a different bed from his wife. He would have to get up and move around. He joined organizations to help him move forward in life. He was involved with the VFW [Annotator’s Note: Veterans of Foreign Wars]. He had help from a doctor for his PTSD [Annotator's Note: post-traumatic stress disorder; a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event either experienced or witnessed]. When he returned home, he got a high school diploma. Then he went to work for the American Can Company [Annotator’s Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana]. When they dropped bombs, he was scared they would get him. He was scared he would get captured and they would kill him. When he was on Okinawa [Annotator’s Note: Okinawa, Japan], he found a rail in a cave with a large gun on it. He saw many people on the island. Working in the shipyard changed his life when the war broke out. He met a lot of people he never would have met without being in the service. Today, the wars are entirely different than World War Two. There is no way he would want to be in the service today. His only duty was in the Pacific. He went to see the monument in Washington, DC. He appreciated that opportunity. In 2001, he had a brick with his name on it at the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana]. He has stayed involved with the museum.