Wilford E. Hastings was born in Braggadocio, Missouri in July 1923. He grew up in the area. Family life was tough for Hastings. He had two older brothers who died before he was born and had younger sisters. He grew up on a farm that supported the family during the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945]. He would go to school then come home and help his father on the farm. Then, when he was 17 years old, his father died. After that, Hastings and his mother each received a small pension amounting to less than 40 dollars per month. To have something to do and stay out of trouble, Hastings enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps [Annotator's Note: also referred to as the CCC]. In early 1941, just shy of his 18th birthday, he was accepted into the program and was given an assignment as a truck driver. He also did construction work building fences and other structures. He was in the CCC when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. In February 1943, Hastings received his draft notice. He was sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee for induction then on to Camp Stewart, Georgia [Annotator's Note: now Fort Stewart, Georgia] for basic training with an antiaircraft artillery unit. From Camp Stewart he was sent to Camp Robinson, Arkansas [Annotator's Note: in North Little Rock, Arkansas] for additional training in heavy artillery. Hastings was assigned as a corporal and given a gun crew. Hastings had not been trained to operate field artillery and knew he was going to have trouble when his crew was on the firing line for the first time. The range officer yelled out instructions to the gun crews and Hastings did not understand a word he said. Luckily, the gunners under his command knew what they were doing, and Hastings was able to get through the training course.

Wilford E. Hastings was sent overseas with an artillery unit [Annotator's Note: 284th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (AW)] and landed in Le Havre, France. He stayed there in barracks for about three months. He was given various, but dangerous tasks, for example, working with explosives, and finding German landmines and pulling them out of the ground without detonating them. He would mostly find Bouncing Betty mines [Annotator's Note: German S-mine] and use a rope to extract them from the ground. His unit was sent to Bonn, Germany where they stayed in a large building. They found a safe and blew it open but to their disappointment, did not find anything in it. He was given orders to go to Belgium and pick-up parts of a howitzer [Annotator's Note: a large, ranged weapon between an artillery gun and a mortar]. When he arrived, German POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] loaded the equipment in the truck. Hastings recalled crossing the Rhine River [Annotator's Note: in Germany] on pontoon bridges. He was concerned about the weight of his truck, but they made it safely across. Another time, he had orders to go to Belgium to pick up parts of a tank to bring them to a mechanic for repair. He did these types of errands until the end of war in Europe. He was transferred to France after spending some time with Patton's [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] Army. He was given duty to clean up a ship. The Japanese surrendered before they left. Hastings found out that they were headed to the Pacific, but their new orders were to Newport News, Virginia. He was very happy to know he was heading back to the United States.

After the conclusion of World War 2, Wilford E. Hastings decided to re-enlist for the Army for one more year and was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas [Annotator's Note: Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas]. He took a train from Virginia to Texas and found his unit at the base. His sergeant liked to give him a hard time. Hastings did not knock on his sergeant's door and was not wearing the proper insignia on his hat. The sergeant reprimanded him on both accounts. The sergeant wanted to him to work at the typewriter, but Hastings asked to work in the motor pool instead. One day, while he was working, a CQ [Annotator's Note: Charge of Quarters] came into the motor pool to tell Hastings he was given orders to march in a field with a M1 rifle [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber M1 semi-automatic rifle, also known as the M1 Garand]. Hastings refused to do it because the weather was hot. He chose to work at a desk for the remainder of his enlistment. He was discharged as a sergeant at William Beaumont General Hospital [Annotator's Note: now William Beaumont Medical Center in El Paso, Texas]. He was there due to some knee problems. Hastings lost his corporal rank while in Europe because he and another guy stopped to have a beer and picked up girls while they were on duty. His rank was knocked down to a Private. While he was in Texas, he was able to work his rank back up and was discharged as a sergeant. During his military career, Hastings did not go into any combat because by the time he went to Europe, Germany was already on the way to surrendering. When he was about to head to Japan, the Japanese surrendered. He figured his mother's prayers were answered. Hastings was 17 when his father died.

Wilford E. Hastings drafted into the Army in 1943 and was sent to Chattanooga, Tennessee for induction. He was then sent to his basic training at Camp Stewart, Georgia [Annotator's Note: now Fort Stewart, Georgia]. He did a lot of marching and went through the obstacle courses. He was then transferred to Camp Davis, North Carolina [Annotator's Note: now Marine Corps Outlying Field Camp Davis in Onslow County, North Carolina] for a brief time. While training in antiaircraft, he practiced at the shooting range hitting moving targets. Once he completed his basic training, he was sent to Camp Robinson, Arkansas [Annotator's Note: in North Little Rock, Arkansas] to train in heavy artillery. He had a difficult time adjusting because he received no prior training on it. During his time training, he received receive a short leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. When his outfit [Annotator's Note: 284th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion (AW)] deployed overseas, they shipped out from Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and headed to Le Havre, France. It took several days to travel to France. He enjoyed the food on the ship. They would have drills and watch for German submarines. Hastings and others hit the deck when he heard the anchor drop in the Le Havre harbor because it was so loud. Le Havre was somewhat demolished, but lots of people were walking around and going about their lives. The French were very friendly. Later in life, he was stationed in France for a few months for work, and he revisited Le Havre with his wife to show her around.

Wilford E. Hastings received training to handle mines while in Germany. He would pull the mines out of the ground with a rope and then make a small stack. They would wrap a primer cord around it and set it off. Everything went smoothly. Hastings enjoyed being near Bonn, Germany because there were acres of black cherry orchids. Hastings did not stay with the same unit during his time in Europe. He was transferred to different units as the Army saw fit. He never drove a tank but did drive a half-track [Annotator's Note: M3 half-track; a vehicle with front wheels and rear tracks] for a while. Hastings went to the chaplain once because he wanted cigarettes. The chaplain spoke with General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.], and he told the chaplain that they would have cigarettes the next day. The next day, Hastings received a whole carton of cigarettes. He did not interact with the Germans except when he had POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoners of war] load his truck one day. Hastings did not have any leave time [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] when they were about to head overseas, because he was busy cleaning and preparing the ship for departure to Japan. After the war, Hastings took advantage of the G.I. Bill and attended school. After he left the service, he found a job in a factory in Saint Louis [Annotator's Note: Saint Louis, Missouri] making shingles. He was laid off after a year but found a job in an electric company. He soon went to work for McDonnell Aircraft Corporation [Annotator's Note: American aerospace manufacturer from 1939 to 1967]. [Annotator's Note: A telephone rings at 0:58:36.000.] Several years later, he worked for Lockheed Martin Corporation [Annotator's Note: American aerospace manufacturer] in Georgia as a flight line mechanic. He was eventually made supervisor. Hastings did not have issues transitioning from military life to civilian life.

Wilford E. Hastings was very fortunate to not be in combat during the war. His most memorable experience during World War 2 was staying in Bonn [Annotator's Note: Bonn, Germany] because he enjoyed working on trucks. After the end of the war in Europe, he was concerned about going to the Pacific. A lieutenant told him the war with Japan would be over soon. Hastings was aboard a ship heading to the Pacific when he found out Japan surrendered. They had a small celebration. He was relieved the war was over and was heading back to the United States. He spent 25 years working with Lockheed [Annotator's Note: Lockheed Martin Corporation, Georgia, American aerospace manufacturer]. He eventually became a supervisor. He took a trip to Japan for work and was treated very well. Hastings served in World War 2 because he did not have a choice. His mother was upset about it. The war changed his life spiritually and he was grateful that he did not serve in combat. He learned a lot about mechanics which helped him in his career after he was discharged. He would not have been able to go to school or begin work if it were not for the G.I. Bill. Hastings wonders if kids today really understand the experiences of World War 2 veterans. He thinks it is important for there to be institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] and to continue to teach to future generations.