Lee Carpenter served his country from 1942-1945 in the US Army, 983rd Field Artillery Battalion in the South Pacific.
Lee and his late wife, Martha, lived in Dunkirk for 30 years. Once retired, Lee moved to Bucyrus. At the age of 95, he bought a house in Ada near his daughter and son-in-law, Jane and Rick Crace.
Lee has worked in many areas and traveled the U.S. selling his own invention. He invented a belt-tightener which is used in elevators, on conveyors and other pieces of equipment.
Here's his story in his own words:
By Lee Carpenter
I have a good story for all of you. The man that makes this story great you all know him very well. Only, I know him better! I am going to give you his name right up front. His name is General MacArthur.
I saw him three times and I will tell you where and what was going on it is quite a story. Every word in this story is true or this ol’ veteran would never write it.
The general and I were caught in a bad situation where we had words man to man and face to face. The experience I had with the General still touches my heart at 98 years old.
The first time I saw General MacArthur I was in Camp Roberts, Calif. the largest camp on the west coast. Word was sent out to all camps on the west coast that the General was coming to give a speech and talk to all soldiers in that area. It was estimated that 40- to 50,000 soldiers were there to see him.
Yours truly was there.
Our first landing was New Guinea where we fought with the Australian army. We had to live with the natives of that island. Our second landing was Wake Island Dutch New Guinea. We had just finished our duty there when the Colonel got a call that we would be attached to the First Calvary for the first landing in the Philippines which would be on Leyte to give them heavy artillery support.
It was an honor to go to battle with First Calvary. Their history goes back to WWI where they were one of the heaviest fighting units of their time. WWII soldiers upheld their history and the honor of the name First Calvary. As you will see as the story goes on.
They sent two LST ships to pick us up and take us to the Straits of Leyte. There we met First Calvary loaded on their LCI ships where the landing force was made up. At the same time our Navy and the Japanese Navy were in heavy battle close by.
An inside story I can't leave out
Here it comes a little inside story that I can’t leave out. Work aboard ship before daylight here comes the bad news for 983 F.A.B. 67 soldiers have to go in with the first wave. All the firing batteries had to pick so many soldiers and headquarters as well. Yours truly was on the list of 10 from headquarters.
I knew from the past that the Colonel didn’t trust all of his officers and how right he was. He is no longer a Lieutenant Colonel he is now a Full Bird and you don’t get any higher than that. You are going to see right up front what it takes to be a Full Bird. He wanted to see for himself who was going from headquarters. Here he comes out on the deck of LST 1017 and looked at all 10' of us.
His first words were Lee, what are you doing here? My answer, I don’t know Colonel, I am here and ready to go. Lee, you can’t go, what was Captain Tomlinson thinking? I will take care of him later. He turned to his radio man and said call Captain Tomlinson tell him that Lee is not going and to get another soldier to take his place and do it on the double. Good news for yours truly. I am sure you will hear my name again soon.
We have just been told that they can’t give us air support that there was no air strip close enough and that the Japanese would have full air control. This was not good. The landing was very confusing and this ol’ soldier is not going to touch it! I am going to give you the high points that happen from the landing strip to the end of the island.
Today is Oct. 20, 1944
Today is Oct. 20, 1944, LST 1017 is heading for the landing strip. The Colonel just called all drivers to the deck and told us to go down in the hole and get in our trucks not to start the engines but be ready as the doors fly open.
The Colonel came to the stairway and yelled down is Lee down there? A soldier answered him yes. Go tell him the Colonel wants to talk to him on the bridge. The Colonel said when you hit the strip I want you to start looking for a place to put the whole convoy and start parking the trucks so we can get out of there as fast as possible. This story is headed to getting too big. I have got to keep it intact. When in battle things change. My truck and I just have been ordered as the only open truck in the whole Battalion. Not good for yours truly. I just want you wonderful people of Ada to know when you hear, Lee, it’s my open truck that puts me there.
The Colonel came into the kitchen looking at everyone who was there. When he finally asked does anybody know where Lee is? Nobody answered! Finally, a Corporal speaks up and said Colonel sir on the way to supper tonight I came by where Lee parks his truck and it is not there. Finally, the Corporal said maybe he is just running late and the Colonel left. The Corporal watched to see if I returned when he saw me come into camp. He went to tell the Colonel and said that Lee just came in.
The Colonel said let’s let him eat his supper. Back at my quarters I couldn’t believe who I saw at my tent. The Colonel standing there and he said Lee, I want you to stay in your own bed tonight. I will have the cooks get you up early and get your breakfast. I want you to leave here at the break of day. General MacArthur is bringing the 24th Division Infantry direct from the States to our landing strip. We are having a hard time to find enough trucks to take the 24th Infantry to the front. I have volunteered you already to take a load.
I am on the landing strip and here comes General MacArthur and the 24th Infantry wading in the ocean knee deep. The General waved at all of us truck drivers. General MacArthur is bringing them in to give First Calvary a little break. They have been fighting so hard.
Here comes quite a story
Here comes quite a story. A Major from First Calvary said Lee, I just talked to your Colonel he said you could wait and take a load of First Calvary back to the rest area. He said you knew where it was and that he had another run for you to make as soon as you get back. We will give you the first load and you can go.
Four days go by and everything is about normal. It’s supper time, my friends, and here comes the Colonel everybody knew who he was looking for…. yours truly was there eating my supper. He was across the table from me. The Colonel said Lee you are not going to believe this you have got to go back to the rest area and pick up First Calvary and take them back to the front.
The 24th Infantry can’t hold the Japanese off they have pushed them back 3 ½ miles. First Calvary wasn’t very happy to go back to the front. When I took them back they were ready to fight. In two days they had gained 3 miles back. The 983 F.A.B. we’re giving them top support firing our big gun’s night and day.
It's supper time and here comes the Colonel. He said Lee, I just got a call from an Infantry company on the front lines. They are running out of ammunition. They have called their order of ammo in at the ammunition dump and the load will be ready before daylight. You know Lee, we like to do our job. Go get it Lee, and take it to them, yes sir, Colonel.
The Japanese saw we were using a T road quite often and they decided to bomb it at the intersection to kill both roads. They missed getting all of the T road so we were able to get back on the T road with Leyte mud all around us. I got on the T road and down about a ½ mile were two Jeeps with 4 soldiers in each one yelling get off the road General MacArthur is coming!
There was no way I could get off the road. I pulled over all I could and stopped. Here came the General his driver saw I had most of the road. He stopped and backed up down his road until he was perfectly parallel to my truck and he started to come forward very slow. When he got even with my door he stopped.
General MacArthur was standing in his gun turret and I said to him, I am sorry I couldn’t get off of the road. I have a 5 to 6-ton load of ammunition heading to the front lines. You are OK soldier you are doing your job, my driver is an excellent driver and he will get around you. Yes, sir, General! That was the last time I saw him.
We have taken Leyte
We have taken Leyte Island. We are now in a staging area waiting for our next assignment.
While we are waiting this old soldier has to say something about my own outfit. The 983 FAB have been more than a top artillery support to all infantry we have served with and after 5 landings and 12,000 rounds of heavy ammunition this old veteran is proud to say NEVER, NEVER once did we ever drop a shell on our own troops.
The Colonel has just called us together. He must have an answer. Well, fella’s we got our answer quickly. We are the first artillery picked to go to Iwo Jima!
The army corps of engineers has to inspect our equipment after they do I want to be able to leave within the hour of their call. We have 12,155 long toms that fires a projectile that weighs 96 pounds 16 miles. The engineers are looking everything over and here comes the Colonel. The engineers are telling him that our equipment is in too bad of shape to go to Iwo Jima you guys can’t go. This is my second big break.
Lee, it’s suppertime and how right you are. It is suppertime and I am going to eat it right here in my home in the greatest little town in Ohio, Ada. This old soldier of 98 years will be headed for bed soon. May I say to you all good night and may God touch your hearts and make you a better person.
