World War II Honoree

Lee S. Gonser

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Pateros, Washington

Honored By

LTC Charles T. Borg, USA-Ret.

JOINED THE ARMY IN 1942 IN YAKIMA, WASHINGTON, AT AGE 15. ARMY RECRUITER RECORDED HIS AGE AS 18. PASSED EXAMINATIONS AT FORT LEWIS, WASHINGTON, AND UNDERWENT BASIC TRAINING AT OGDEN, UTAH, USING WOODEN RIFLES FOR DRILL. FOLLOWING BASIC, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE MILITARY POLICE CORPS AT ARMY BASES IN LOUISIANA, NORTH CAROLINA, MICHIGAN, AND VANCOUVER BARRACKS, WASHINGTON. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE JAPANESE DEFEAT ON THE ISLAND OF IWO JIMA IN EARLY 1945, HE WAS SHIPPED THERE AS A MEMBER OF A COMBAT MILITARY POLICE COMPANY TO PROVIDE SECURITY FOR 7TH AIR FORCE FIGHTER COMMAND WHICH WAS LAUNCHING AIR OPERATIONS AGAINST THE JAPANESE ISLANDS. HE SURVIVED SEVERAL JAPANESE AIR RAIDS WHEN THEIR AIRCRAFT PENETRATED U.S. RADAR AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT DEFENSES. BY JULY 1945 FINAL PREPARATIONS WERE COMPLETED FOR THE INVASION OF JAPAN. HIS COMPANY WAS PACKED AND READY TO GO WHEN HOSTILITIES ENDED IN MID-AUGUST 1945. HE REMAINED ON IWO JIMA SEVERAL MORE MONTHS BEFORE RETURNING TO FORT LEWIS, WASHINGTON, WHERE HE WAS DISCHARGED IN FEBRUARY 1946 HOLDING THE RANK OF CORPORAL. HE EARNED THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH BRONZE BATTLE STAR, AND THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL.