William H. Greason was born in September 1924 in Atlanta, Georgia. The middle child of five, Greason credits his parents for teaching him and his siblings “to be who we were” and to show respect regardless of skin color. He attended public school at Booker T. Washington and Liberty High School. His father worked as a laborer and his mother stayed home and raised the children. Neighbors helped each other and no one tried to hurt each other. Greason knew very little of the outside world while growing up because people in power wanted to be sure that African-Americans in the South remained uneducated. Because of this, the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] was a surprise to him. He began to ask questions and find out about the military situation and became gung-ho to join the fight. He was drafted in 1943 and sent to Fort Benning [Annotator's Note: Fort Benning, Georgia] where he was one of nine men to be selected for service with the Marines. Greason was sent to Montford Point [Annotator's Note: Montford Point, North Carolina], a segregated training camp for African-American Marines for basic training. While there, the drill instructor, a black man, made it clear that they were not wanted in the Marine Corps and would have to prove themselves worthy and endure much maltreatment. Following his training at Montford Point, Greason was sent to Camp Pendleton [Annotator's Note: Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, California], California where he was assigned to the 66th Supply Platoon, 34th Marine Depot Company and trained to load and unload equipment from ships. His non-combat role did not bother him, but he did want to engage the enemy in combat. [Annotator’s Note: can hear a train horn at 0:12:37.000.] He lost his two best friends, Duvernay and Wilkes [Annotator’s Note: phonetic spelling of names; unable to identify], on Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Battle of Iwo Jima; 19 February to 26 March 1945; Iwo Jima, Japan]. They shared a close bond. Greason talks repeatedly about the discrimination he faced throughout his time in the military from 1943 to 1946. He was stationed in Nagasaki [Annotator's Note: Nagasaki, Japan] after the war, and was deeply moved by the destruction he saw in the city. After Greason was discharged from the service, he played professional baseball.

William H. Greason faced discrimination throughout his time in the military from 1943 to 1946. Having grown up in the segregated South, he was used to being treated poorly by Whites and never received any thanks or felt any appreciation for the work he did while on Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan]. For him, he was just proud to be a Marine and to do his part in the war. As African-Americans in service, Greason says he and his fellow Marines were representing all Blacks in the United States and were determined to serve honorably. Greason was assigned to the 66th Supply Platoon, 34th Marine Depot Company and trained to load and unload equipment from ships. He again served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953] and was stationed at Montford Point [Annotator's Note: Montford Point, North Carolina]. He was not happy about serving in the Korean War because he was playing professional baseball at the time. He was put on mess hall duty, and had to clean trays and utensils. During World War 2, Greason spent many nights on Iwo Jima sleeping beneath tanks and trucks seeking safety from enemy mortar [Annotator's Note: a short smooth-bore gun which fires explosive shells at high angles] fire. Each time a mortar fell, someone went with it. After the island was secured, Greason’s outfit returned to Hawaii to regroup. He is thankful for his upbringing and how his parents taught him and his siblings to be respectful and love God. His parents were proud of him, and he felt blessed to have his parents. When the war ended, they were sent to Japan for occupation duty.

After World War 2 ended, William H. Greason was sent to Japan for occupation duty. The Japanese people treated him and his fellow Marines like human beings and he became acquainted with many of them. He had dental work done in Japan. He was stationed in Nagasaki [Annotator's Note: Nagasaki, Japan] and was deeply moved by the destruction he saw in the city [Annotator's Note: due to the nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. Many survivors suffered from severe burns to their faces. Upon returning home in 1946, he was discharged with the rank of Private First Class. He was never bothered by Whites while in uniform, but learned to stay away from certain areas of Birmingham [Annotator's Note: Birmingham, Alabama] and Atlanta [Annotator's Note: Atlanta, Georgia]. He was proud to have served in the United States Marines. He did not have any troubles adjusting to civilian life. Greason spent many years playing semi-professional and professional baseball and pitched in the 1948 Negro World Series for the Birmingham Black Barons along with center fielder and friend, Willie Mays [Annotator's Note: Willie Howard Mays Jr. was a former center fielder in Major League Baseball].

William H Greason believed that African-American servicemen helped the Civil Rights Movement. In 1963, Greason was a member of the 16th Street Baptist Church of Birmingham [Annotator's Note: Birmingham, Alabama] when it was bombed by members of the Ku Klux Klan [Annotator's Note: generally referred to by the initials KKK]. Though he was angered by the sight of his destroyed church, he learned to be patient and chose to teach God's word instead of meeting violence with violence. His parents prepared him for the Civil Rights Movement and to fight injustice. He was also persuaded by the words of Dr. King [Annotator's Note: Martin Luther King, Jr.; American Baptist minister and activist and one of the most prominent leaders in the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968]. He also believes in trusting God and studying the bible. Greason fought in World War 2 because he wanted to save his life and he wanted to be a proud individual, and do the right thing.

William H. Greason feels so blessed to be here and to be part his church. He tried to stay humble throughout his life. His most memorable experience of World War 2 was Iwo Jima [Annotator's Note: Iwo Jima, Japan] and the terrain and conditions he experienced. He served twice in the Marines and feels blessed that he made it out without a scratch. The war did not change his life. [Annotator's Note: A train horn can be heard at 1:00:23.000.] He is content with his life and where he is today. He feels blessed that God is still using him. He has never been greedy over money. He is proud to be a veteran. Greason believes there should be institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana], and we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations so people know that God had been with America and it is a free country.