By ADAM STEWART

Staff writer

Veterans Bill Holdeman and Roger “Bud” Hannaford, both of Marion, swapped stories from their time serving in the armed forces Friday at Holdeman’s Barber Shop.

Holdeman served in the Marine Corps during World War II, fighting in the Pacific theater. He had to wait until he turned 18 to enlist, because his parents wouldn’t sign for him to enlist before then.

He was part of the 2nd Marine Division that fought in the Battle of Saipan, and he later fought in the Battle of Okinawa. Overall, he was wounded repeatedly and contracted malaria before he was deemed physically unfit. He received his discharge Oct. 25, 1945.

“Back then, they discriminated against us,” Holdeman said, referring to wounded combatants.

He said he would have stayed in the Marine Corps for 30 years if they had let him.

“I think I was hit seven different times before I was taken out completely,” he said. “But would I do it again? Hell, yes.”

He also was involved in a few near misses. Holdeman told Hannaford that a dud mortar had missed his head by less than a foot, demonstrating the distance with his hands. If it had been a live shell or if it had hit him in the head, he almost certainly would have died, he said. He still has effects from his wounds.

“I lost about half of my right foot,” Holdeman said.

He also still carries the memories of war.

“It’s something you think about every day of your life, some of the things that happened to you,” he said. “But I try not to let it bother me.”

Holdeman said he still kicks and fights in his dreams occasionally. Fortunately his wife, Feebie, knows how to wake him up when that happens.

Hannaford was one of four Marion residents who enlisted in the Army together in 1951. The others were Kerns Allen, Jim Garrison, and Bob Rainke. He said he listened to Rainke read the eye exam and tried to memorize it, because his sight wasn’t especially good.

The recruiter they signed with guaranteed they could stay together, Hannaford said, eliciting a chuckle from Holdeman.

“That lasted about two weeks,” Hannaford said.

He arrived in Korea in February 1952. One of his first tasks was being trained to clear minefields. The training lasted about two hours.

“You’re 19 years old; you don’t have too many concerns aside from not getting killed,” he said.

Hannaford later spent six months working with a brigade from Turkey.

“I’ll tell you, if I could fight alongside anyone, it would be those Turks,” Holdeman interjected.

Hannaford agreed. He said they were remarkably loyal and never questioned orders.

After serving in Korea, he was stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., until his discharge in August 1954. Hannaford was fortunate that he was never wounded.

“I escaped all of that,” he said. “I’m no damned hero. I was just a soldier. They told me what to do, and I did it.”

“We thought we were fighting for liberty back then,” Holdeman said. “I know one thing: so far, war has never solved anything.”

“No, it hasn’t,” Hannaford agreed.

Both veterans still keep in touch with people they fought alongside, more than 50 years later. Hannaford became friends with Bill Wright, a Californian he served with, but they parted ways during the war.

When Wright was engaged, he didn’t know how to contact Hannaford, so he sent the wedding invitation to his mother, who forwarded it to him. It turned out that they were both at Fort Lewis.

Holdeman said too many veterans are unwilling to talk about their experiences. He said it is good to talk about them, because it helps relieve some of the stress.