Thomas Edward Pugh was born in June 1924 in Dallas, Texas, but grew up in Denton [Annotator's Note: Denton, Texas]. His father worked as a farmer and also worked for a chili factory in town. He gathered cows that had been killed for the chili and served as the foreman. Pugh did not have much to do at the time. He started school in 1930. When the family moved, Pugh was transferred to a different school. After moving into the country, the family lived in a farm. His father had a team of horses. During the summer, Pugh worked with the horses in hay fields. In the winter he attended school. In 1936, some kids came over to play and one of Pugh's brothers drowned in a city swimming pool. His sister was three years old at the time. His parents divorced that year, leaving Pugh as the head of the house. Pugh started working for a local cafe before school. He baked pies and bread. After school, he returned to work to wash dishes. Pugh then started working at a grocery store. In the summer of 1941, Pugh went to Dallas to stay with some family and work in an iron shop. He turned 17 years old and started hearing about war over the radio. He did not want to be in the Army, so he enlisted in the Marine Corps. Because he was not 18 year old, his mother had to sign papers for him. He was sworn in and shipped out to California. It was not hard to convince his mother to sign the papers. She knew what was happening around the world. He enlisted in August 1941. The Army did not appeal to him and he did not want to be in the Navy.

Thomas Edward Pugh was sent to the Marine Recruit Depot for boot camp in San Diego, California. He was woken up early in the morning and went to sleep late at night. He learned how to march, hand-to-hand combat with knives, bayonets, rifles, and pistols. He trained in a gas chamber and did calisthenics. He had to run four miles every day. Those that could not keep up were kicked out. Pugh enjoyed his eight weeks in boot camp. When he was not doing close drill, he did two weeks of training on the rifle range. When he returned to the base, he went on a three day march with all of his equipment. He walked through dry ditches, creeks, roads, and anything else that got in his way. Pugh was told he would not be considered a Marine until the commanding general addressed him as one. The day of the graduation was when he became a Marine. His unit drilled on the parade ground and was dismissed for the day. Some men were given a furlough [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time], but Pugh waited until Christmas to go on leave. In the meantime, he was sent to Camp Elliot [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California], where he joined the 2nd Battalion, 18th Marine Regiment. He served as an engineer in the camouflage section. He learned how to hide equipment. On 7 December 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii]. This caused Pugh's unit to pack its gear. In mid-December, Pugh was in the first convoy to leave the United States heading towards Hawaii. On Christmas Day, he landed at Pearl Harbor. It was a rainy day and the USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations] set up a tent near the dock. Pugh was told to go through the tent and pick up a red bag. He was put on a truck that took him halfway between Pearl Harbor and Honolulu [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii]. Pugh helped build a camp for the unit to stay in. He camouflage the buildings with paint. One day, he dropped a paint can and fell off the ladder. He broke his wrist in the fall. A corpsman [Annotator's Note: naval equivalent of a medic] found him and brought him to the sick bay where he was given a splint, sling, and liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. Pugh went to Honolulu, bought a camera, and took pictures of everything he saw. After the camp was built, Pugh's unit was sent back to San Diego then Hollywood [Annotator's Note: Hollywood, California], where he learned how to hide things. While he was there, he watched two movies being filmed. He thought the process was interesting. After training there, Pugh was sent to scout sniper school in San Diego, where he learned how to dig and camouflage holes called spider traps. He was then transferred to the 3rd Battalion, 19th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. He loaded onto a Dutch ship called the Bloemfontein in February 1942. The ship was Dutch and crewed by Dutch and Indians. There was no hot water on the ship. Pugh crossed the Equator and became a Shellback [Annotator's Note: name given to people who cross the Equator for the first time by ship].

Later on, Thomas Edward Pugh sailed through a storm. He landed in Auckland, New Zealand and was put on a truck that brought him to a small community called Onehunga [Annotator's Note: Onehunga, New Zealand]. He set up camp on the local soccer field. He painted vehicles and did guard duty. Pugh was then sent to Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands]. He arrived when the military declared the island secure. At night, however, the Japanese would attack. One night a Japanese fighter attacked and some Marines shot it down. The plane crashed near Pugh's camp. He was taught how to shoot .50 caliber [Annotator's Note: Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun] and .30 caliber machine guns [Annotator’s Note: Browning M1917 .30 caliber water cooled heavy machine gun]. He learned how to fight in jungles. On Thanksgiving Day 1943, Pugh loaded onto a ship and landed on Bougainville [Annotator's Note: Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea]. He remained there until Christmas. Pugh built corduroy roads in the swamp so men could drive though the area without getting stuck. He also had to guard the roads being built. One day, Pugh heard a sound and when he looked around, he saw a hole in the mud. He looked around and started shooting into the trees. Several more Marines joined in with the firing. A couple days later, he was sleeping under his mosquito nets when he felt an earthquake. The men did not get anymore sleep that night. On Christmas Day 1943, he returned to Guadalcanal. When Bougainville was secured, the remainer of Pugh's unit [Annotator's Note: 3rd Battalion, 19th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division] returned to Guadalcanal. One of his comrades told him the tree he shot was torn down and had over 100 holes in it. Pugh did more shooting practice while on Guadalcanal. A dock was built that could hold three ships. Corporal Pugh was given some men and told to guard the dock. They filled a bucket full of water and made coffee. The men that came off the ship were given some of the coffee. Eventually, Pugh boarded another ship and sailed to Kwajalein Atoll [Annotator's Note: Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands], then Eniwetok Atoll [Annotator's Note: Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands]. He sailed into the Philippine Sea, and did battle with the Japanese fleet then landed on Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Northern Mariana Islands] on 21 July 1944. Pugh landed in the second wave at 8:30 in the morning. He had to wade in the water to reach a coral reef to help get equipment ashore. His outfit crossed the island and camped out in the yard of a church. He remained there until he was sent to Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan]. All of the engineers were put on different ships. Pugh did not go ashore on Iwo Jima. Some of the men were sent ashore and took the airport. Pugh returned to Guam with roughly 65 men who were eligible to return home. The USS Maryland [Annotator's Note: USS Maryland (BB-46)] was hit by a kamikaze at Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Okinawa, Japan]. Pugh returned to the United States on the Maryland.

Thomas Edward Pugh made it to Washington the day Germany surrendered [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945]. Pugh was ashore and saw his first American women in over two years. He was brought to some barracks where he was able to call his family. The following day, he started traveling to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California]. He unloaded his gear, went through the sick bay, and was given a new uniform. While he was in the sick bay, someone broke into the barracks and stole all of the souvenirs the Marines had collected. The Marines were mad, but happy to be home. After a week, Pugh was sent to Dallas, Texas, then Norfolk, Virginia. He was then put into a company at Quantico, Virginia. On 14 August 1945, Pugh was sitting on the steps of the capitol building in Washington D.C. when he heard the Japanese surrendered [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. He partied with some other servicemen. He is not sure how he made it back to Quantico. He was discharged in September 1945. Pugh returned to Washington D.C., then took a train back to Dallas, Texas. He asked how the train would roll into Dallas. He was able to leave the train at Highland Park Station [Annotator's Note: Highland Park, Texas]. The station was six blocks from his house. Pugh walked home. He hopped onto a bus and it took him to his mother's job. A guard took him to her hanger and Pugh managed to surprise her. Her boss let her leave early to spend the day with Pugh. They visited his aunt at her job. When she saw him, she had a fit like his mother. Pugh and his mother visited a tailor so he would have civilian clothes. Three days later, the tailor had made him two suits and did not make him pay for them. Pugh had a few jobs. While working at Sears, a friend of his introduced him to a girl and three months later they got married. After the war, Pugh worked for Sears and Murry Gin Company. One day, he saw an ad for the police department, so he joined the police force. In 1957, he became a pastor, while continuing to be a policeman. In 1986, he retired.

Thomas Edward Pugh sailed into Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] and saw the damage to the ships in the area. He thought many things in that moment. It upset him seeing how badly the ships, planes, and buildings were beat up. He knew there was going to be a war and after the attack, Pugh knew he was at war. All leaves [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] were cancelled. While in Hawaii, Pugh visited Honolulu [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii], Diamond Head [Annotator's Note: Diamond Head Crater outside of Honolulu, Hawaii; now a state park], Waikiki Beach [Annotator's Note: Honolulu, Hawaii], and other parts of the island. He thought it was beautiful. Everyone on the island was jumpy, but happy the military was there. Pugh was treated well. When he was in Hollywood [Annotator's Note: Hollywood, California], Pugh learned how to build artificial trees, rocks, and other things. He saw many fake building fronts. They taught him how to make something out of nothing. In The Black Swan [Annotator's Note: The Black Swan 1942 film], the film crew made a fake ship and a man would sit inside it running various things in it. The ocean was a pond of water and the sky was painted onto a piece of wood at one end of the water. At scout-sniper school, Pugh was taught how to dig spider holes. They were holes in a road with a camouflaged cover on it. When a vehicle went over it, a Marine could plant an explosive on the vehicle. Pugh made tree stumps that could hold a man. He made various things people could use to hide and conduct reconnaissance. He worked with the naval construction battalions or Seabees. Those engineers were not armed, but built and tore done things and did shore duty. Pugh thought they were good people.

Thomas Edward Pugh did not know the Bloemfontein brought American volunteers to China. He did not have duty on this ship. Pugh got seasick the first time he went on the water. In New Zealand, Pugh got along with the locals. They were friendly. All of their men were in the war in Europe, so the locals were happy to have the Americans on the island. While he was in New Zealand, Pugh was promoted to Corporal from PFC [Annotator's Note: Private First Class]. His duty did not change after the promotion. Pugh does not know if he came in contact with enemy soldiers on Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands]. He saw locals and other Marines on the island. He never saw the commander of the 3rd Marine Division. While Pugh was building the camp on Guadalcanal, his colonel wanted his tent buy itself. The Marines built his quarters with a tower and water tank. The colonel told them to rebuild the water tower. During the night, the tower collapsed. During the invasion of Guam [Annotator's Note: Invasion of Guam, Mariana Islands on 21 July 1944], Pugh's unit [Annotator's Note: 3rd Battalion, 19th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division] was held in reserve. If the infantry was in trouble, his unit would go into battle. In the meantime, the unit continued doing its engineering duty. When the fighting was over, a tank company asked for a road to be built through a hill to the main road. A plan was made and because Pugh could read a blueprint, he was put in charge of the project. The road was built and the tanks could navigate around a hill. The captain thought the road was good. He knew the island was an American possession. He also knew the locals spoke Spanish. In high school, Pugh took Spanish classes. He enjoyed his time, but was ready to go home. Pugh did not encounter Japanese troops on Guam. Pugh was bivouacked [Annotator's Note: a temporary camp] near the beach where unexploded ordnance was placed. One day, a bomb went off while being defused, setting off a chain of explosions. The event killed about ten men. At Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan], Pugh was about 1,000 feet from the island. He could see the men moving across the island. Pugh's ship did not take on any casualties. He was happy to find out he could go home, but did not want to leave his friends. One of his friends was from Dallas [Annotator's Note: Dallas, Texas] and returned home when Pugh did. After Iwo Jima, Pugh returned to Guam for a month stay. During that time, he fooled around. Pugh was in a coconut tree when he heard President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] had died. He was cutting fronds off the tree and accidentally cut himself when he heard the news. He did not know what would happen to the war without a president, but did not worry too much afterwards. He did not know who Harry Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States] was.

Thomas Edward Pugh enjoyed returning to the United States, but also enjoyed going overseas. Pugh was surprised when he heard about the atomic bombings. He knew the war would end soon after. He did not like the Japanese. He thinks atomic bombs should be used more often. He thinks it would help stop some of the problems today. Pugh had some trouble readjusting to civilian life. He would duck when he heard sirens. He did not have post traumatic stress disorder. He bought a house in Dallas [Annotator's Note: Dallas, Texas] using the G.I. Bill. He did not think about reenlisting until several years later. He would join the Marine Corps today. The war did not bother him. He did what he needed to do. He knew he would not use the VA [Annotator's Note: Veteran's Administration] hospitals. Some of his friends were happy to have free hospitalization. Pugh wanted to work. Pugh does not know why he did not go to school after the war. He knew the country was going to be in a war and he wanted to do his part. He did not want to be in the Army or Navy. He is glad he served in the Marine Corps. The war helped him mature quickly. It turned him into a man. Pugh belongs to the Marine Corps League, where he serves as a chaplain. He tells people that if the Army had not gone to Europe, people would speak German or Russian and the Marine Corps kept the country from speaking Japanese. Pugh does not understand why World War 2 is not taught in schools. His grandsons graduated from high school and he offered his books on the war. They told him the war is not mentioned in school. He believes schools should teach history and World War 2 history.