WWII, episode 15: My Grandfather's Brief WWII Experience
From The Blue Collar Scholar by Will Reitz
May 10, 2026 · 45 min · Episode 360
About this episode
The episode recounts the WWII experience of the host's grandfather, Sgt. Billy Reitz, focusing on his service and training during the war.
My grandfather on my father's side was named Billy Reitz. He was drafted shortly after turning 18 on the first day of winter 1944. He entered the service in the US Army in April 1945, so fighting in Europe was never in the cards for Sgt. Reitz. Instead, he trained for the invasion of Japan. His ship was on the way to the Pacific Theatre when the news of Japan's surrender was announced. So instead of storming the beaches of Japan, Sgt. Reitz spent the next year and a half serving in occupation duty in Korea, being honorably discharged long before hostilities broke out on the peninsula. I honor his service. ... Note: This episode opens with extensive follow-up notes to previous questions and comments from class, mostly dealing with the Manhattan Project & the Nuremburg Trials.
People in this episode
Host: Will Reitz
Topics covered
- World War II
- military history
- personal stories
- occupation duty
- family history
Keywords
- WWII
- Sgt. Reitz
- occupation duty
- Japan
- Korea
- military service
- family history
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: US Army
Places: Japan, Korea
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