Laughlin proud of wartime service
Bud Laughlin in 1944

By TESS GRUBER NELSON, Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 9:20 AM CDT
Michael (Bud) Laughlin of Imogene doesn’t regret his time in the Army Air Corps, but certainly wouldn’t want to be subjected to life in the military again.

Laughlin was drafted in June 1944 and served overseas in Italy and Japan.

“I wouldn’t trade anything for the experience, but it’s not something I’d like to do again,” said Laughlin.

Laughlin grew up on a farm near Imogene and graduated in May 1944 from St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Imogene. By the end of June, he received his draft notice.

“We reported the second week of July 1944 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. We were processed in, given tests, medical physicals and lots of shots,” he said. “Then they interviewed us and put me in the Air Corps. I had signed up for the Navy or Marines, but they put you where they wanted you.”

Basic training was completed at Lowry Field in Denver. Laughlin was then assigned to Radio Merchants School in Madison, Wisc.

“We got to Truax Field the last of September and waited for the class to start. We went to class until early December when a notice came on the bulletin board. It said whoever wanted to go home for Christmas could sign up to go overseas, so a few of us did,” said Laughlin. “By this time we were so homesick. We all had never been away from home before.”

After two weeks furlough for Christmas, Laughlin was sent to Greensboro, N.C. where he was processed to go overseas. This included more shots and a change of clothes.

“We just waited until all the ships were loaded with hundreds of Army and Navy people,” he said. “Finally in February we got orders to sail on the USS Black from North Carolina to Naples. We were in a big convoy with big troop ships, battleships, destroyers, tankers with fuel and submarines.”

It took 13 days to reach Italy. Once at port, Laughlin said they took all the Air Corps soldiers and Quarter Masters and placed them in the infantry for training.

“They needed more infantry soldiers up at the front going into Germany because they were losing quite a few,” he said. “After two or three weeks in Naples, they sent us to a training camp south of Rome.”

Training by combat soldiers began in mid-March 1945 and lasted until Germany surrendered.

“I’m so lucky we didn’t have to go up to the front.”

By June 1945, Laughlin was transferred as a replacement. He was placed with the 106 Station Hospital Medics, headed to the invasion of Japan.

“We packed everything in crates and loaded it on the ship. Our job behind enemy lines would be to treat the wounded.”

The first stop for the USS Sea Star was Panama, where they were pulled through the Panama Canal. Laughlin said it took 14 days to get from Italy to Panama.

“We landed in Leyte (Philippines) for supplies and a destroyer and battleship joined our convoy.”

While in Leyte, Laughlin said they were alerted to a Japanese submarine in the area that had surfaced. Troops were told to put on their lifejackets.

The Japanese sub surfaced again six hours later and went back down under water, but this time the battleships let go with three heavy firings, torpedoes and department charges.

Everyone aboard received a Bronze Star for being in combat.

The ship landed in Okinawa in August. Laughlin said they set up their camp on Kinawa.

He said the island was hilly and rough.

“The island was full of troops for the invasion. At night they had soldiers trying to find caves where the Japanese lived. We could see the soldiers using the flamethrower after dark in the high hills.”

Laughlin said he didn’t do much besides pull guard duty.

By early November, they landed in Sasebo but left a few days later.

“Then we landed in Kura, Japan. We had to go real slow because of mines in the water.”

Once off ship, the set up camp for two weeks and then moved farther north to Hiroshima.

“It was really leveled and burned to ashes.”

In March 1946 Laughlin was transferred to Kobe, Japan where he worked with two Japanese women and three Japanese men doing janitorial work.

“They were really good help. We got along fine.”

Laughlin said they moved to Osaka in late April.

“I remember one time they had a crew of Japanese cleaning an area and a small ammunition dump blew up and burned several Japanese. I was told to help haul people to the hospital. I loaded them on a truck and was told to take them to Kyoto, another town that had a hospital setup. They explained direction and each of us took off with a load on our own. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to find it.”

The town of Kyoto impressed Laughlin. He said it had never been bombed and was beautiful.

Around Christmas, word came down the 165 Station Hospital was breaking up. Thirty-nine men were kept back to help pack everything and then sent to different outfits where they could be utilized.

“Around June 1 I got orders to report to Yokohama replacement center. I was on a truck with my duffle bag when I was called off and told I was being sent back to the states.”

Aboard the ship Cape Clear, Laughlin left for the United States on June 8.

“I was excited all the way back home. The trip seemed so long.”

Once processed in Washington, Laughlin was given orders to report to Fort Leavenworth, where he was discharged July 15, 1946.

“When I got home, I didn’t know any of the kids (siblings). They had grown older. So had mom and dad.”

Laughlin married Margaret Knott in 1949. The couple farmed and raised their children, Margine, Thomas, Duane and Paul in rural Imogene. Laughlin also has six grandchildren.

Ellie