William Jennings Bryan Harrison, Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in December 1926. He was named after his father and famous "Golden Orator" William Jennings Bryan [Annotator's Note: William Jennings Bryan; American orator and politician]. His family moved to Greenwood, Louisiana so his father could work in the oil fields during the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression, a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1945] and Prohibition days [Annotator's Note: nationwide constitutional ban on production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States, 1920 to 1933]. His family moved to various counties in Louisiana and Texas so his father could continue to work in the oil fields. His father did not serve in World War 1, but his grandfather served in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War [Annotator's Note: Spanish-American War, 21 April to 13 August 1898]. He was wounded in the leg and permanently walked with a limp. His family had plenty of food. They lived outside of the city so they could have a home garden, chickens, and pork. He often walked to a bus route to take him to school. [Annotator's Note: A train horn can be heard in the background at 07:50.000.] Harrison was not far from New London School [Annotator's Note: New London, Texas], the one that had an explosion in 1937 [Annotator's Note: The New London School explosion; 18 March 1937]. His school is no longer open, but they still have reunions. A way to pass the time was listening to the radio. He was a freshman in high school when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. Harrison was in study hall when he first learned about the event. He did not know where Pearl Harbor was at the time. In 1944, at the age of 17, Harrison wanted to join the Navy so he would not be drafted, but his mother would not give him permission. She did give him permission to join the Merchant Marines because Harrison had a cousin who was one. He was sent to New Orleans [Annotator's Note: New Orleans, Louisiana] for his physical. He returned home, but only a few days later he received orders to report to Saint Petersburg, Florida for basic training. He trained on a ship called the American Sailor [Annotator's Note: SS American Sailor]. He cruised around in the Gulf of Mexico learning how to be a seaman. He docked in New Orleans one time and saw some of the sights. He went to a movie theater on Canal Street. After his training on the American Sailor, he was assigned to a tugboat in the Tampa Bay [Annotator's Note: Tampa Bay, Florida].

After completing his Merchant Marine training, William Jennings Bryan Harrison, Jr. was sent to Miami, Florida. He then flew to the Panama Canal [Annotator's Note: Panama Canal, Panama]. He was assigned to the SS Salmon Chase, a Liberty ship [Annotator's Note: a class of quickly produced cargo ship], as a seaman. The ship left Panama for Honolulu, Hawaii. It took them days to get to the port because the ship's speed only got up to nine knots. When they finally made it to port, Harrison had some time to see the sights of the city. When the ship embarked again, it past Midway [Annotator's Note: Midway Atoll, Territory of the United States] and Ulithi [Annotator's Note: Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands]. He saw that the Navy was practicing rocket firing and dive bombing. His ship continued its way, soon passing Palau and Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands]. They disembarked at Leyte Gulf [Annotator's Note: Leyte, Philippines] and unloaded their cargo to the Seabees [Annotator's Note: members of US naval construction battalions]. Harrison's ship's job was to bring loads of cargo to various islands in the Pacific Theater. Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] died [Annotator's Note: 12 April 1945] while he was in the Philippines. The ship had a full-dress uniform to commemorate his passing. Truman [Annotator's Note: Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States] took FDR's [Annotator's Note: Roosevelt's] place in office. Not long after, the United States dropped atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on 6 August 1945 and Nagasaki, Japan on 9 August 1945] on Japan. While they were at Ulithi picking up mail, he saw Task Force 38 [Annotator's Note: Fast Carrier Task Force 38, 3rd Fleet]. He had never seen so many ships in his life. He knew they were preparing for the invasion of Japan. After the war was over, his ship returned to the United States to Portland, Oregon. He was given leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. He rode a train for three days until he arrived in Dallas [Annotator's Note: Dallas, Texas] and made it home. After a long stay, he returned to Houston [Annotator's Note: Houston, Texas] but found out, he was no longer needed. He found a job in the oil fields. He eventually grew tired of working in the oil fields and wanted to see the world.

In June 1950, William Jennings Bryan Harrison, Jr. was drafted into the Army for the Korean War [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953]. He reported to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and then to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There, he was assigned to an artillery battery in the 426 Field Artillery [Annotator's Note: 426th Field Artillery Battalion]. After he completed training, his unit was sent to Germany, near Stuttgart. His unit was assigned to secure the Czechoslovakian border until the end of the war. After two years of service, he was discharged. He returned to working in the oil fields in Texas but decided to reenlist in the military. This time he joined the Air Force. He reported to Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City [Annotator's Note: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]. In 1960, he was sent to England for two years and then an additional year in France. He then received orders to report to Abilene, Texas to Dyess Air Force Base. He remained there for three years. The Air Force sent him overseas again to the Philippines to Clark Field [Annotator's Note: now Clark Air Base, Luzon, Philippines]. During Vietnam [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975], he volunteered for service, so he was sent to Phan Rang [Annotator's Note: Phan Rang Air Base, also called Thanh Son Air Base, Phan Rang-Thap Cham, Vietnam], Vietnam, then later to Formosa [Annotator's Note: now Taiwan], and lastly to Bangkok, Thailand. He was sent back to the United States. His wife became ill, so he was sent to Webb Air Force Base in Texas [Annotator's Note: in Big Spring, Texas] for a year. In 1969, he did another tour in Vietnam. When he returned to the United States again, he was assigned to a base in Texas and then in California. He then received an assignment in Korea for a year. He retired from the military as a tech sergeant [Annotator's Note: Technical Sergeant; now referred to as Sergeant First Class; E7] on 1 April 1975 at Barksdale Air Force Base [Annotator's Note: in Bossier City, Louisiana]. He was able to travel all over the world, visiting many large cities and small villages. He decided not to continue in the service because he did not want to uproot his family again. He needed to bring some stability to his wife and daughter. He had an adventurous life and was able to see much of the world.

William Jennings Bryan Harrison, Jr. went to Saint Petersburg, Florida for Merchant Marine basic training. It was not difficult because he was physically fit. He spent a lot of time in lifeboats and learned how to be a seaman. He was tested in his capabilities in swimming, along with learning how to do maintenance on the ship and steering of the ship. He was trained how to look out and give reports. He asked to be part of the deck crew because he wanted to always see what was going on. He once saw a mine in the water, almost touching his ship. It got within two or three inches from them, but somehow the ship safely passed by it. In hindsight, Harrison does not understand why he froze staring at the mine. He thinks he should have backed away from the rail and taken cover. Many times, when they saw a mine, they would shoot at them to make them explode. When he was in Samar [Annotator's Note: Samar, Philippines], they asked Filipinos to bring back ears of the Japanese. He thought war was an interesting time. Harrison was given guard duty in various areas of the ship. Another duty was to steer the ship. He was trained to maneuver the ship in a zig-zag [Annotator's Note: a naval anti-submarine maneuver] so the Japanese could not locate them. He also did ship maintenance, which included chipping rust, and painting. He chose to be on the deck crew and not the engine crew because he did not want to be shut in a room all day. Harrison served in the Merchant Marines, Army, and Air Force. His living conditions vastly improved over the years. At the beginning of his service, he lived in a barn-like structure. By the end of his service, the barracks had air conditioning, television, and a full kitchen. The Army had more discipline than the Air Force. Every morning soldiers had to report to formation and roll call in the Army, opposed to the Air Force where he woke up and went to work. He thinks younger people should serve in the Army. Harrison took some college courses on the base in Germany. In the Army, there is not a lot of free time.

William Jennings Bryan Harrison, Jr. has fond and scary memories of his military service. He cannot imagine staying in a small town at a mediocre job for his whole life. He is glad he was able to make the transition to the different military branches and see the world. He knows some people that have never left home, but he has never been that kind of a person. His most memorable experience was in Vietnam [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975], when he took R&R [Annotator's Note: rest and recuperation] in Australia and went to see the Blue Mountains [Annotator's Note: a mountain range in Australia]. He met an elderly man who showed him around and introduced him to many nice folks. They showed him a good time, especially because it was during Christmas. He met a lady and her husband at a cafe. They invited him into their home to visit and stay the night in their spare room. He met other nice local people that showed him different parts of Australia and paid for his return plane to Sydney, Australia. They were the friendliest people he had ever met. He also enjoyed his time in Bangkok [Annotator's Note: Bangkok, Thailand] and Hong Kong [Annotator's Note: Hong Kong, China]. Harrison thinks the younger generation does not comprehend the depth of World War 2. They must travel to Europe and see the military cemeteries and concentration camps. He believes it is important to have institutions like The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] and that we [Annotator's Note: the United States] should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations. They need to understand the atrocities of the war.