In the fall of 1941, Leslie Walters and three of his high school friends saw a poster in Parsons, Kansas. The poster read: “See the world. Join the Marines.” They all knew what was happening in Europe and knew it was wrong. They decided as a group to join the Marines, even though they were all still in high school, to do their part. Leslie’s parents had to sign their permission for him to join since he was underage.
On Nov. 25, 1941, Leslie left for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and then for Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. After basic training, Leslie continued his schooling at Camp Lejeune as an anti-aircraft gunner. He qualified on both 20 mm and .50-caliber anti-aircraft guns. He and other gunners were part of the Third Recruit Training Battalion heading for San Diego, California. Once they arrived in San Diego, they became part of the Machine Group, 6th Defense Battalion, Fleet Marine Force.
He left for Pearl Harbor on the USS Harris, then on to the Midway Islands to support and relieve the forces there after the Battle of Midway. That May, he turned 18 — a Marine helping the U.S. hold onto the area it had acquired in the Pacific from the Japanese.
The 6th Defense Battalion returned to Pearl Harbor and then on to Camp Elliott in San Diego, California, in September 1943. Leslie returned to Parsons, Kansas, to see his family for a short furlough, then went back to Camp Lejeune to join the forces gearing up to invade the island of Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima was crucial for bombing missions and emergency landings, an important key to winning the war in the Pacific theater.
The Marines invaded Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945. Leslie and other gunners like him manned the artillery to provide cover for the Marines landing on the beaches. The battle raged on until March 26. Close to 7,000 Marines died securing the island in those five weeks, and almost 22,000 Japanese soldiers who had dug into bunkers and tunnels throughout the island were killed.
Leslie separated from the Marines on Nov. 28, 1945. Two years, 10 months, and five days had passed since he had left Parsons as a teenage boy. He was now returning as a young adult, ready to begin life in a post-war United States.
Leslie married and, with his wife, Anna Margaret, raised six children in Coffeyville, Kansas. He primarily worked for Pepsi-Cola for more than 40 years as a route salesman and account manager. After he retired, he continued to stay busy by volunteering and remaining active in his community.
Even as a centenarian, with the hindsight of more than 78 years since World War II, he told me that once a Marine, always a Marine.
The Chanute Veterans Day Parade will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, through downtown Chanute, on Main Street.
