eships, and carriers of the Japanese fleet. We knew exactly who they were, where they were, and how many there was, cause we could tell by the number of radar signals. Some things we did in our little group contributed to the sinking of the Japanese fleet at the battle of the Phillipine Sea. For that we each received a service cross.C. K.:How many medals do you have?W. B.:Well I have the purple heart, a service cross, and a bunch of different ribbons. I think I had 7 or 8 ribbons.C. K.:Was it hard to start back up after the war?W. B.:After the war it came along great for me. See when the Korean war began, Shellenburg was then a full 4 striped captain. And Arley Burk was chief of naval operations, and he called me and asked me to come back in service, for a short period of time, to teach a radio school of electronic technicians. So I did go back, and was in for 21 months for the Korean war. I went up to great lakes naval training camp and taught in the school of electronic technicians for a period of 9 months.C. K.:When you were young what was the main way you entertained yourself?W. B.:Well we used to play marbles. But we had lots of chores at home, and it wasnt a matter of entertainment. We did what we had to do, and we enjoyed it. For instance, I remember in the summer time when I was a kid, we lived out on old Chapel Hill road, I remember the farmer that lived across the street, and I went and helped him out and I got 25 a day right there. And that 25 didnt go to by soda, instead I put it in the corner of a clock, and stacked my quarters there. Then, just before school started, I went and bought my school supplies with my money. It helped, it made me feel apart of something, like I accomplished something. And I really think that that type of suffering was one of the things that contributed to my doing as well as I did in life, cause Ive done extremely well.C. K.:Were you ever involved in the civil rights movement?W. B.:Not really, no...
