Wesley Waggoner was born in 1927 [Annotator’s Note: May 1927 in Watonga, Oklahoma]. His family was composed of 14 members. They were poor sharecroppers. Times were harsh [Annotator's Note: during the Great Depression which was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. The mortality rate was high. Only four boys and six girls reached maturity. The family had three sets of twins which added siblings quickly. Waggoner was one of the twins. All four of the brothers served their country simultaneously during World War Two. The impact of the war reached even the remote area where Waggoner’s family resided. The closest neighbor was half of a mile away. They had five boys in the Army at the same time. A Black sharecropper who lived a bit further away had seven boys in the military at the same time. That father was so proud of his pennant in the window that had seven stars on it [Annotator’s Note: each family with members serving in the military posted a blue star for each one of them on a pennant in an exterior window. Should one of the members die while serving, a golden star replaced the blue star recognizing the loss]. Waggoner’s oldest brother joined the Army before the start of the war and served 12 years. He was a drill instructor and heavy weight boxer traveling with USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations, Inc.] shows. That brother inspired his younger siblings. He would see action in Germany during the war. The next younger brother was drafted out of high school at the age of 18. Serving in the Navy, that brother survived five major battles against the Japanese fleet including a suicide bomber attack on his aircraft carrier. There were 350 men lost as a result of that kamikaze attack. Three of the Waggoner brothers were starters on the same high school football team. That lent itself to some confusion on the roster. Rationing during the war was acute for food, fuel and even candy bars. Waggoner’s mother collected grease drippings and turned them into the butcher for meat rations. The grease was used for making munitions in the defense industry. Everyone was involved in the war effort. Women’s clubs made bandages. Labor was short as inhabitants of small towns went to defense industries in larger towns. Women and young people worked to replace those who had left. Waggoner and his brother worked in an all-night service station without adult supervision. They were starstruck as they observed military convoys passing. They decided to not be drafted at the age of 18, but rather to enlist. Waggoner wanted to join the Coast Guard. His brother signed up for the Merchant Marine. Instead, Waggoner and his brother went on to jointly sign up with the Navy because they did not want to be separated. They became sailors together. It was an eerie feeling to go to war with his brother at his side. The Navy, however, sought to separate them as a result of five Sullivan brothers being lost on the cruiser they served on together [Annotator’s Note: the five Sullivan brothers along with over 600 other men were lost at sea when the USS Juneau (CL-52) was sunk off Guadalcanal in November 1942). The Navy would not authorize the Waggoners to go to sea together on the same ship, but they could serve together in another capacity [Annotator’s Note: they would be assigned to the 61st Construction Battalion in the Philippines].

Wesley Waggoner had a recommendation to join the Navy SeaBees or Construction Battalion [Annotator’s Note: Waggoner and his twin brother had wanted to go to sea, but were not allowed to serve on the same ship. This was the result of the five Sullivan brothers along with over 600 other men being lost at sea when the USS Juneau (CL-52) was sunk off Guadalcanal in November 1942. Because they could not go to sea, their recruiter recommended that they join the Navy SeaBees so that they would not be separated]. The two brothers were first assigned to one of the 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines. It was the backward island of Samar which had no infrastructure at all. It was the third largest of the Philippine Islands. Near the end of the 17-day voyage to reach Samar, they could smell the deep, musky odor of the island from a distance 40 miles over the horizon and beyond view. Shortly afterward, they observed a flotilla of local fisherman far from their home island. The troopship sailed to a point seven miles out to sea rather than through a shallow bay to a harbor. The men went over the sides of the ship on cargo nets and went to the island via landing craft. The Japanese had occupied the islands previously, but it was 60 percent secure when Waggoner landed. The natives had been enslaved by the Japanese prior to their captors escaping to the far end of the island. The enemy hid in the mountains. Occasionally, the Japanese would sneak into the American camp to steal food or snipe at troops. The locals watched over the American camp to prevent Japanese intrusion. The friendly locals were armed with huge bolo knives. The young troops were surprised to get to Samar. They shared their quarters with skilled older men who were brought into the SeaBees because of their experience in the trades. There were pipe fitters, welders, carpenters and other construction people as old as 65 years old. Waggoner bunked next to an older man who reminded him of his grandfather. The older fellows were highly trained professionals that the SeaBees built the core of their organization around. Those individuals had a “can-do” attitude and knew how to do a job in a hurry. That was what made the SeaBees so effective in the war. The friendly islanders lived in deep poverty and with terrible diseases. Their available water was fouled, and snakes, insects and monkeys were in the jungles. Occasionally, there were enemy snipers. When the mission was completed, Waggoner departed Samar as several hundred of the inhabitants waved small American flags and sang God Bless America. Some were crying and a lump came in his throat and his eyes moistened when he heard them voice their thanks to the departing troops. His next assignment was on the island of Guam [Annotator’s Note: Guam, Mariana Islands]. It was the site of a major battle to retake the island [Annotator’s Note: the Battle of Guam, 21 July to 10 August 1944]. Guam became a major supply base for the western Pacific. It was also a staging area for the occupation of Japan. The island’s jungles were foul smelling. There were caves which the Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] had used as gun emplacements. A few renegade Japs were still left to harass the Americans. Waggoner guarded enemy prisoners and performed shore patrol duty for the large Navy base. That completed his service in World War Two.

Wesley Waggoner returned home and continued his military career. He spent time in the Navy reserves and trained with gun crews on two different destroyers. One was out of New Orleans [Annotator’s Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] and the other was out of Seattle [Annotator’s Note: Seattle, Washington]. When he returned home, he joined the local National Guard for extra money. He completed infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia. He became an NCO [Annotator’s Note: noncommissioned officer]. He went to the Ordnance School in Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. He tested various weapons and became a demolition man and instructor. After being activated in the regular Army in Watonga [Annotator’s Note: Watonga, Oklahoma], he served with 30 native Americans in his 80-man unit. They were topnotch warriors in combat. The Guard unit trained in Louisiana and then boarded ships to transit the Panama Canal [Annotator's Note: manmade canal in the country of Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in between North and South America] and reached Japan after a 30-day voyage. During a year of training in Japan, they served as part of the occupation force. Shipping out as a platoon sergeant in an infantry company, Waggoner reached the extremely cold environment of Korea. Dressed to prevent frostbite, trains took the military to within five miles of the front lines at Pusan [Annotator’s Note: Pusan, or Busan, South Korea]. Artillery rounds exploded nearby. It was friendly fire shooting over the heads of the newly arrived troops. Waggoner went to the front near Christmas time. To avoid being hit by the enemy while eating their Christmas dinner, the chow was served the day before. The men ate in snow that was knee deep. Coffee froze shortly after being poured into the canteen cups. Waggoner went out on patrol as a platoon sergeant and served with men who had lived near his home. Waggoner’s older brother was also in Korea near him. They managed to visit when the opportunity arose. His brother saw lots of action and survived the ordeal. The Chinese Army had spies in the American organization. They knew all about Waggoner’s brother. With the opposing forces facing each other, the enemy broadcasted propaganda at Lieutenant Waggoner saying he would die. They dropped leaflets telling the Americans to surrender and that big fat Jews were at home messing with their wives. Waggoner does not want to elaborate on his Korean experience [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. It made a patriot out of him. He admires the flag and felt a part of it while serving in the Army. The National Anthem always gives him chills.

Wesley Waggoner remembers the Pearl Harbor attack [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He was about 14 years of age in a mining town north of Watonga [Annotator’s Note: Watonga, Oklahoma]. The inhabitants could not believe how the world had changed. When deployed with the SeaBees [Annotator’s Note: Construction Battalion], he was a member of the 61st Construction Battalion. After serving on Samar [Annotator’s Note: Samar Island, the Philippines], he moved on to Guam [Annotator’s Note: Guam, Marianas Islands] and security forces there. He guarded prisoners and the perimeter of the huge Navy base. He dressed in green Marine uniforms in the Philippines. He became bronzed and could have passed for an American Indian. Waggoner’s brother served on an aircraft carrier. When they met, Waggoner was so tanned that his brother hardly recognized him. [Annotator’s Note: Waggoner smiles]. Waggoner’s brother was just the opposite because he was in the engine room for most of his time on the ship. Waggoner also had the opportunity to visit with his brother when his aircraft carrier arrived at Guam. Waggoner received combat training in California before his deployment. He was armed with a carbine [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic carbine] and .45 [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol]. The Japanese were all small and like animals. While guarding them, he watched them fish and then eat their catch raw [Annotator’s Note: he laughs]. He was in the Philippines when the war ended. He anticipated participating in the invasion of Japan. He is thankful that Harry Truman was in the White House [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States] and decided to use the A-bomb [Annotator's Note: atomic bombs-- nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. It saved Waggoner’s life. He saw the cities in Japan where the bombs were used. It was dramatic. Waggoner’s time in the service instilled a sense of pride in his life. The discipline started him off on the right foot. He likely would have stayed in his small town otherwise. He ultimately ran a business in Watonga for 50 years. He also graduated from OSU [Annotator’s Note: Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma]. He spent time as a Red Cross [Annotator's Note: Red Cross, an international non-profit humanitarian organization] instructor, an EMT [Annotator’s Note: emergency medical technician], and as a policeman. He has a great life and the military was a big part of it. He is proud to be a veteran. He thinks The National World War Two Museum in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana] is necessary. It is good that it is in a central part of the United States rather than in Washington [Annotator’s Note: Washington, D.C.]. There is already too much to see in Washington.