Bill Norberg was born in November 1922 in Lemington, Wisconsin. When Norberg was five or six years old, his family moved to Hubbardston, Massachusetts. Early on, he lived on a farm in Lemington with six siblings. Norberg was the youngest. His father was a carpenter. The family had the largest house in town so townspeople would congregate there for important gatherings. The Norbergs had a crystal radio that could pick up Chicago [Annotator's Note: Chicago, Illinois] when the weather was just right. The Norbergs had a deep faith which they practiced by attending church several times a week. Norberg's mother was very active as a Sunday school superintendent. He learned to behave himself due to his disciplined mother. Norberg had a happy childhood at Lemington. He and his brother, Ken, would play together until they got mad at each other. With the passage of a little time, all was forgiven, and the play resumed. Norberg had a traumatic experience with the death of his dog, Buster. The dog protected Norberg from an attacking bull once.Buster was killed when he ran too close to a train. In 1923, a cyclone came through Wisconsin which affected a female neighbor. The Polish woman came into the family home nude and grabbed a butcher knife. Norberg's father and some other men had to subdue her. The cyclone picked up a baby on a sofa and tossed them both a good distance from the point of origination. At a family reunion 80 years later, the family home location was discovered when they found the stump of an elm tree Norberg's father had planted in 1919. In 1928, Norberg's mother was sent to a sanitarium [Annotator's Note: an establishment for the medical treatment of people who are convalescing or have a chronic illness] because she contracted tuberculosis [Annotator's Note: bacterial disease of the lungs]. The siblings had to be separated as a result. Some of the older children went out on their own. Norberg and his brother Ken lived with some church members. When his father gathered the children back together, they stayed at the home for a year or so. Norberg's brother, Ken, was hit by a baseball and suffered from the aftereffects throughout the rest of his life. When his mother was in the sanitarium, Norberg had his sister go with him to collect a Christmas gift being offered to children accompanied by their mother. He was refused the gift because he was not with his mother. He went to the curb and cried. A policeman rectified the situation. Norberg lost faith in Santa Claus. [Annotator's Note: Norberg laughs.] As a youngster, Norberg took a liking to martial [Annotator's Note: military] music played by World War 1 veterans. He grew to appreciate the military very much.

In 1929, Bill Norberg's father lost his job due to the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945]. He had been a maintenance man at Wrigley Field in Chicago [Annotator's Note: Chicago, Illinois]. When Norberg's sister, Millie, decided to marry, Norberg and his brother were sent to the Covenant Children's Home in Princeton, Illinois. The boys remained there from 1929 to 1934. A friend named Art Carlson [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] taught Norberg how to remember when Lindbergh Annotator's Note: Charles Augustus Lindbergh, American aviator] crossed the Atlantic Ocean [Annotator's Note: Charles Lindbergh was the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic, 21 May 1927]. It was five years later in 1927 [Annotator's Note: Norberg was born in 1922]. Carlson got a new bicycle and that was something. Norberg attended Douglas Elementary School. Another school was called Lincoln, and it had black players on its team. Norberg's team lost badly to Lincoln. Norberg had a schoolmate who did not smell very good, but he had a horse and buggy, so Norberg took the opportunity to ride with him to school. Kenneth Nelson [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] was Norberg's best friend at school. Nelson's father was a doctor who took care of children. When invited to Sunday dinner, the Nelson family would ride in their automobile and include Norberg with them. Nelson later became a doctor in the Navy. Another individual named Roy Buckus [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] was the only person of Norberg's youth who made the news after he became a football player. Norberg and his brother were sent from the Home for Chicago and attended the World's Fair in July 1934. It was a thrill. They next headed to Worcester, Massachusetts to reunite with their father. Norberg had motion sickness on the bus during the journey. It was a rough ride. They were picked up by their father's friend and neighbor and taken to a farm in Hubbardston [Annotator's Note: Hubbardston, Massachusetts]. The three Norbergs worked from sunup to sundown and made the farm very workable. The boys picked berries throughout the year and made money for themselves. In 1937, Norberg's father bought property in town. He raised chickens and a small garden there. In 1938, Norberg's father introduced the boys to a stepmother who was devoid of any sense of humor. Norberg moved away in 1948 to Asheville, North Carolina. He lived with his widowed sister who worked for the General Accounting Office [Annotator's Note: United States Government Accountability Office]. Norberg got a job there also. He met his future wife, Opal, there. They had a son, Jack, born in 1951 and a second boy, Gary, born in 1953. In 1953, Norberg and his family went to Hubbardston to visit his father and stepmother. Again, his stepmother displayed her lack of humor. Returning to North Carolina, the third child, Janice, was born and Norberg's family was complete.

Bill Norberg remembers Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] exerting his power prior to the start of the war. He pushed von Hindenburg [Annotator's Note: Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg, President of Germany from 1925 to 1934] to one side. Hindenburg was forced to agree to Hitler taking over the country. Hitler then went about invading other countries. When Poland was invaded in 1939, other countries decided that was enough. Norberg favored the Allies and was hurt when Dunkirk occurred [Annotator's Note: Battle of Dunkirk, 26 May to 4 June 1940]. It was a miracle that a great number of troops made it back to England. By December of 1941 [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], Norberg was in the Navy. He decided on the Navy after hearing Admiral Richard Byrd [Annotator's Note: US Navy Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd Junior] talk to his high school about his exploration of the South Pole. When Norberg was 18 years old, he was influenced to join the Navy by a friend who was a sailor. Norberg's father gave his permission, and he was sent to Rhode Island for training. He was put aboard the USS Constellation [Annotator's Note: USS Constellation (1854)] for training. Spaces were cramped on the old ship. He slept in a hammock. There was no heating or air conditioning. The situation was unpleasant but worthwhile. In April [Annotator's Note: April 1941], he was assigned to radio communications school. He and his best friend, Russ File [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling], went on a slow train ride across-country. Relatives met him in San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California] when he arrived. The reunion was a thrill. He would visit them when he had liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. Norberg loved the oranges he ate in California. During the training, he set his mind on becoming a yeoman. In order to become a chief yeoman, he taught himself shorthand. Norberg became honor man in the company after his only competitor fell victim to a social disease [Annotator's Note: slang for venereal disease]. Having achieved that status, Norberg was able to join the crew of the Enterprise [Annotator's Note: USS Enterprise (CV-6)].

Bill Norberg boarded USS Enterprise (CV-6) and was amazed by the ship. He could never find the swimming pool. He was a replacement for two members of the captain's staff as part of downsizing of the crew. Prewar cruises were particularly enjoyable with gunnery practice and air operations. The crew was proficient, and the ship was recognized with "E" awards for excellence [Annotator's Note: Army-Navy "E" Award, presented to companies who achieved "Excellence in Production" ("E") of war equipment; also called the Army-Navy Production Award]. On 28 November 1941, 12 fighter planes were loaded aboard the ship. They were for a Marine squadron assigned to Wake Island. Crossing the International Dateline [Annotator's Note: internationally accepted boundary between one calendar day and the next], he was no longer a pollywog [Annotator's Note: Navy sailor who has never crossed the equator]. During the voyage, the ship encountered a terrible typhoon. The small destroyers had a much worse time than the large aircraft carrier. The refueling of the small ships delayed the carrier in reaching its Pearl Harbor destination on the 6 December schedule. The ship was delayed further when the ship received the announcement of the attack on the harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was on 7 December 1941]. Prior to that time, the ship's captain had issued an order approved by Admiral Bull Halsey [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey] who was aboard. The order indicated that the carrier was operating under wartime conditions. It stated that steady nerves and stout hearts would be needed. Any hostile activities would be responded to accordingly. When the Enterprise pulled into Pearl Harbor later in the day of the attack, it was alarming. The confidence in the battleships was shattered. The smell and the gloom were pervasive. Bodies were burned with dead visible everywhere. The carrier expedited its refuel and resupply efforts to get back to sea prior to sunrise when it would be susceptible to submarine attack. The ship looked for the Japanese for the next month and a half. Norberg is glad they did not find the six enemy carriers that had attacked the harbor. The Navy had been reduced in fighting capability significantly. The Enterprise patrolled the waters off Hawaii until the end of January [Annotator's Note: January 1942]. At that point, the Yorktown [Annotator's Note: USS Yorktown (CV-5)] accompanied the Enterprise with a large contingent of Marines to reinforce the garrison in Samoa [Annotator's Note: Independent State of Samoa, Oceania]. After that mission, the Yorktown headed toward the Gilbert Islands and the Enterprise voyaged to the Marshall Islands to attack enemy forces there. The carrier aircraft attacked Roi [Annotator's Note: Roi-Namur, Marshall Islands] and Taroa [Annotator's Note: Taroa, Marshall Islands] and cleaned house. Kwajalein [Annotator's Note: Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands] became the next target. Several ships and planes were destroyed there. The Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] retaliated with two flights of attacking aircraft. Many were shot down, but one nearly hit the Enterprise from the stern on the portside. The enemy pilot looked like a little boy as he peered out the side of his canopy. He appeared to be attempting a kamikaze [Annotator's Note: Japanese Special Attack Units, also called shimbu-tai, who flew suicide missions in aircraft] attack on the carrier. The ship's captain avoided the incoming plane, but an aviation machinist mate named Bruno Guido [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] manned the .50 caliber gun [Annotator's Note: Browning ANM2 .50 caliber machine gun] on an SBD [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber] and followed the plane until it went down. He stood his ground even though the attacker sheared off the tail of Guido's plane. Admiral Bull Halsey was a gruff man. Nevertheless, he promoted Guido in recognition of his efforts. Norberg found Halsey to actually be a wonderful pussycat. That ended the Marshall and Gilbert Islands raids [Annotator's Note: Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, November 1943 to February 1944, Gilbert Islands and Marshall Islands] which were the first organized attacks mounted against the enemy in World War 2.

Bill Norberg [Annotator's Note: aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] arrived in Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] on 5 February [Annotator's Note: 5 February 1942]. The welcome by those at and surrounding the harbor was memorable. It was as if the carrier had won the war. The ship's crew responded to the welcome enthusiastically. The bosun's mate, Londeree [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] had a megaphone to lead the crew cheering back at those ashore. After the main channel was traversed, there were rousing cheers from those on Ford Island where the damaged battleships were located. Prior to that, torpedo squadron commander Hopping was lost at Kwajalein [Annotator's Note: US Navy Lieutenant Commander Hallsted Lubeck Hopping]. The next event was the surprise given to Japan in April [Annotator's Note: the Doolittle Raid; a bombing attack on the Japanese mainland on 18 April 1942 carried out by 16 North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) and named for the raid's commander, then US Army Air Forces Colonel, later US Air Force General, James H. Doolittle]. When the Enterprise crewmen observed the Hornet [Annotator's Note: USS Hornet (CV-8)] with B-25s [Annotator's Note: North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers] loaded aboard, they were soon happy to hear that the bombers target would be Tokyo [Annotator's Note: Tokyo, Japan]. Then the question arose of the ability of those large planes to takeoff from the carrier deck. The seas were stormy and the weather bad as they watched 16 of the B-25s takeoff. Beforehand, Jimmy Doolittle [Annotator's Note: US Air Force General, James H. Doolittle] warned his men that they had been spotted by the enemy and had to takeoff 200 miles further from the objective. Nevertheless, no one failed to fly the mission. Doolittle took off first and had no issues, but the second plane dipped low near the sea before reaching safe altitude. Only one other plane had difficulty during liftoff. All the planes made it. Two hours later, the announcement reached the crew that the raiders had successfully hit Tokyo. It was thrilling to hear that news. The Japanese were significantly surprised. The next major battle was Coral Sea [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Coral Sea, 4 to 8 May 1942, Coral Sea Islands]. The Yorktown [Annotator's Note: USS Yorktown (CV-5)] and the Lexington [Annotator's Note: USS Lexington (CV-2)] participated but the Enterprise ran a day late getting there. The Lexington was sunk, and the Yorktown was badly damaged. The Yorktown was patched at Pearl Harbor in time to help at the battle of Midway [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942, Midway Atoll].

Bill Norberg [Annotator's Note: aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] was glad to see the Yorktown [Annotator's Note: USS Yorktown (CV-5)] join with them and the Hornet [Annotator's Note: USS Hornet (CV-8)] off Midway [Annotator's Note: Midway Atoll]. It was 2 June [Annotator's Note: 2 June 1942] when the battle commenced [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942, Midway Atoll]. Battle stations had been announced very early in the morning. The crew stayed at General Quarters all day on the hard steel decks. As young men, they could handle the situation. Action started at mid-morning with the downing of most all the American torpedo planes. Ensign Gay survived [Annotator's Note: US Navy Ensign George Henry Gay Junior]. The Enterprise had only four of its torpedo planes survive. Not long afterward, good news came in with the sinking of enemy carriers. The Enterprise would get credit for sinking two and a half carriers sharing one with Yorktown which sunk another on its own. Three Japanese carriers, Kaga, Akagi, and Sōryū, were sunk or mortally wounded within minutes of each other. The Hiryū would become a victim later. Dick Best [Annotator's Note: US Navy Lieutenant Commander Richard Halsey Best]] was a squadron leader of the bombing division off the Enterprise. He had ingested something on the first sortie and was coughing up blood. The ship's doctor said he could not fly again, but Best went after the Hiryū and landed a bomb on her [Annotator's Note: Best dropped a bomb on the Akagi and destroyed that carrier in the early morning attack prior to going after the Hiryū]. Best contracted tuberculosis [Annotator's Note: bacterial disease of the lungs] from that day but managed to recover after a couple of years. The Battle of Midway was partially a turning point of the war. It was a defensive action that defeated the Japanese Navy but Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal Campaign, 7 August 1942 to 9 February 1943, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] defeated the Japanese Army, so both were vital as turning points. The Battle of Eastern Solomons [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Eastern Solomons, also called Battle of the Stewart Islands, 24 to 25 August 1942, Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands] came next for the Enterprise.

In August 1942, Bill Norberg knew that the Marines had landed on Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] captured Henderson Field Annotator's Note: Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] and were slowly gaining control of the island. He and his shipmates [Annotator's Note: aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] had to prevent Japanese forces based on Rabaul [Annotator's Note: Rabaul, New Britain, Papua New Guinea] from counterattacking the Marines. On 24 August [Annotator's Note: 24 August 1942], after a few days of anticipation, a major carrier battle commenced. It was the Battle of Eastern Solomons [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Eastern Solomons, also called Battle of the Stewart Islands, 24 to 25 August 1942, Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands]. Large flights of enemy aircraft swarmed the carrier, and most were downed by fighters or manually controlled anti-aircraft guns One dropped a 550-pound bomb that penetrated the carrier near the rear elevator. It wiped out a damage control party of 23 crewmen. Norberg had played checkers with a buddy named Paul Miller [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] prior to General Quarters [Annotator's Note: battle stations]. Miller was killed by that bomb. Norberg never played checkers during the war after that. A second bomb exploded in an ammunition locker for the starboard aft 5-inch gun [Annotator's Note: five-inch, .25 caliber naval gun]crew. It incinerated 43 people completely. [Annotator's Note: Norberg pauses as he remembers the carnage.] Max T. Lee [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] was a gun captain lost in that crew. He was a fast friend of Norberg. Lee was a man of serious faith. Norberg had teased him about it earlier. Lee had died before Norberg had a chance to apologize for his comments. It took 58 years to track down Lee's siblings in Toledo, Illinois so that Norberg could apologize to them and share his good memories of their deceased brother in 2001. The third bomb was dropped by a Jap [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] plane. Norberg watched the bomb fall as he took cover behind a steel shield in the pilot house or captain's bridge. The damage was not as severe to the ship, but six or seven crewmen were killed. The Enterprise was wounded with a damaged flight deck requiring repair. Norberg had a battle station on the captain's bridge where he was the communications contact between the captain and the damage control officer down below. He heard somewhat of a play by play of what was happening on the ship until it was hit. The first bomb blew a 12-foot hole in the hull and water poured into the ship. The damage control people sealed the opening to a good extent using anything they could find to temporarily block the flow of water. The engine room was damaged, and a rudder was stuck at an angle causing the ship to circle helplessly. Japanese planes were headed their way. A rainstorm prevented the Japanese flight from discovering the wounded carrier. One of the crewmen was a tinkerer and managed to adjust the breathing devices to allow more time underwater. It took three attempts to solve the problem with the rudder despite the intense heat. The ship was able to sail again. The people who saved the ship were heroes to Norberg. The Enterprise went into Nouméa, New Caledonia.

Bill Norberg [Annotator's Note: aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] was out of action for some time. In late October 1942, the Enterprise entered action again during the Battle of Santa Cruz [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, also called Battle of Santa Cruz or Third Battle of Solomon Sea, 25 to 26 October 1942, Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands]. The old enemies the Zuikaku [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier] and the Shōkaku [Annotator's Note: Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier] which had plastered Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii] did battle with the Enterprise and the Hornet [Annotator's Note: USS Hornet (CV-8)]. There was a small third Japanese carrier which was sunk, but the Hornet was lost. Between the Eastern Solomons [Annotator's Note: Eastern Solomon Islands] and Santa Cruz, the Saratoga [Annotator's Note: USS Saratoga (CV-3)] was torpedoed and the Wasp [Annotator's Note: USS Wasp (CV-7)] was sunk. That left a very damaged Enterprise as the remaining American carrier. The flight deck had a note placed on it by a crewman that said, "Enterprise versus Japan." After the Hornet was lost, the Enterprise took on some of the survivors. In the middle of November, CV-6 was in Nouméa [Annotator's Note: Nouméa, New Caledonia] being repaired. A mass of Japanese troopships and supports sailed to Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands]. Between the Enterprise squadrons and American planes off Henderson Field [Annotator's Note: Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands], the enemy troopships were decimated. The Japanese could see that they lost Guadalcanal. By February 1943, the enemy gave up on retaking the island. That provided the Enterprise with a rest. She reached Pearl Harbor and trained a new squadron of fighters for a few weeks. Afterward, the carrier headed to Bremerton, Washington. The crew was given leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. Norberg returned to his family in Massachusetts. It was boring at home. None of Norberg's buddies were there. He was recognized for his service at a community meeting, that included him speaking to the crowd even though he was shy. About 300 dollars had been collected and was given to him. Norberg enjoyed being in Seattle [Annotator's Note: Seattle, Washington]. Several crewmen married there. One was a man named George Dunbar [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling] who had been on Admiral Halsey's [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey] staff but remained with ship's company after Halsey departed the Enterprise. Norberg spoke with Dunbar's son years later. The son never heard about his father's earlier wife. She was not the son's mother. Norberg met a woman in Seattle who liked to wrestle with him. Many of the crewmen met girls that developed into solid romances. Norberg had the opportunity to partake of fresh salmon on the Olympic Peninsula across from Seattle. He really enjoyed the fresh fish right out of the sound. Otherwise, there was not much to do but visit bars. The Enterprise sailed back to sea in October 1943.

Bill Norberg [Annotator's Note: aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] paid a visit to the Kwajalein Islands [Annotator's Note: Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands] and left some wonderful calling cards. The island-hopping campaign started about that time. There was great success against the diminished Japanese air forces with their loss of skilled pilots. In 1943, operations were fairly routine but in 1944 things heated up again. Essex-class carriers came online creating a formidable force to attack the Japanese. They were a welcome site. When the Enterprise pulled into Manus Harbor [Annotator's Note: Manus Island, New Guinea], there were 15 large carriers and over one hundred smaller carriers including jeep carriers [Annotator's Note: escort aircraft carriers (CVE)]. Norberg was glad to see the firepower that was available to them. While at the recreational island, he and another sailor from a different ship won a horseshoe throwing contest. The Marianas Turkey Shoot [Annotator's Note: Great Marianas Turkey Shoot; nickname for the aerial battle part of the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 19 to 20 June 1944] happened in the middle of 1944. It ended the Japanese Air Force as an effective fighting force. Norberg and his crewmates were elated to hear the reports of the success and that most of the Enterprise's planes returned to the ship. Previous engagements against the enemy had resulted in large losses of CV-6's aircrews. By mid-1944, the enemy could only field second and third string pilots. Kamikazes [Annotator's Note: Japanese Special Attack Units, also called shimbu-tai, who flew suicide missions in aircraft] had started in 1944 off of Leyte [Annotator's Note: Leyte, Philippines] so the use of those attacks were no surprise at the battle of Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945, Okinawa, Japan]. Iwo Jima was in February 1945 [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima, 19 February to 26 March 1945, Iwo Jima, Japan]. The smell of the island was bad. The Enterprise came close enough to smell it. The Saratoga [Annotator's Note: USS Saratoga (CV-3)] accompanied CV-6 in night operations but she was soon torpedoed and put out of action for a third time. The Enterprise was utilized then as the sole night operations carrier. For 177 straight hours, day and night, she had planes in the air supporting the invasion. Not a single Japanese plane managed to penetrate their protective perimeter. As Iwo Jima ended, Okinawa commenced. Kamikazes were fearsome planes. They came after you with bombs. There were dozens of them in a flight. Until March [Annotator's Note: March 1945], the Enterprise had escaped damage from them. On two successive days, she was damaged by two near misses. Then on 14 May 1945, the carrier suffered a direct hit by a kamikaze. The forward elevator blew 400 feet up in the air and the bomb exploded three decks down making a mess of the officer's quarters. A Marine jumped in the sea and rescued a wounded sailor who was crying for help. It took until 2007 for that Marine to be recognized for his actions in saving the sailor's life. That was the last day of combat for the Enterprise.

Bill Norberg [Annotator's Note: aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6)] returned to Bremerton, Washington via Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii]. The crew knew the war was coming to an end. The invasion of the Japanese homeland was still a possibility. The idea of fighting against a fearsome foe on their own home islands was disturbing. Based on previous invasions, losses would have been heavy. Planes were stashed away for final kamikaze attacks [Annotator's Note: Japanese Special Attack Units, also called shimbu-tai, who flew suicide missions in aircraft] on the fleet. When the first atomic bomb was dropped [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapon dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, 6 August 1945], Norberg was still on the Enterprise, but he was in Seattle, Washington. He was transferred off the ship on the day the second bomb was dropped [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapon dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, 9 August 1945]. When Norberg heard the news of the bombs, he was elated. The first bomb gave the enemy a scare, but the second bomb indicated a pattern that was developing. On 9 August [Annotator's Note: 9 August 1945], he was transferred to Naval Air Station Boston [Annotator's Note: Naval Air Station South Weymouth, South Weymouth, Massachusetts] but went home and never went to the assignment. Instead, he was ordered to Naval Training Station in Great Lakes, Illinois [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois]. After two months, he was transferred to Naval Air Technical Training Center in Millington, Tennessee. He spent a year there and then went to Naval Station Orange, Texas. He spent three months there and was transferred to the brig in New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana], but he never spent a day there. He instead was assigned to Norfolk, Virginia Naval Station [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia]. During his brief time there, he prepared his own discharge papers effective February 1947. He was a chief yeoman at discharge but received a permanent chief rating after a year. Norberg felt good about his service and particularly his time on the USS Enterprise. He was elated that the Japanese had been defeated. It was peace at last, but not peace to last. He knew better than that.

Bill Norberg 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] and graduated in January 1955 with a Business Administration and Economics degree from Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. His most memorable experience during the war was in August 1942 during an enemy bombing attack. The action of the damage control people gave him confidence that we [Annotator's Note: the United States] were going to make it through the war. It was a wonderful assurance. Norberg fought in World War 2 to prevent Hitler [Annotator's Note: German dictator Adolf Hitler] from taking over the world or being forced to speak Japanese. The war changed Norberg from a boy into a man. He settled down and excelled in his studies instead of playing around as he did in high school. His faith grew very strong as a result of his choice of a mate. The children have been raised in the church and they are faithful. Norberg and his wife have three children, 11 grandchildren, and 28 great-grandchildren. He is proud to have served and paid his dues for the United States of America even though today's political situation makes him have doubts. The Navy is a political entity which he does not like. The Founding Fathers [Annotator's Note: nickname for the politicians who founded the United States] did not have that intention, but Norberg sees no turning back. He does have faith in the United States and is proud to be an American. World War 2 does not mean a whole lot to Americans today. It is considered ancient history. He has been asked if he fought in the Civil War [Annotator's Note: American Civil War, 1861-1865]. Norberg has insisted that his children be patriotic and Christian. It is absolutely important to teach the history of World War 2 and have institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] to learn lessons of the past so as not to repeat previous mistakes.