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Mr. Cox: Mr. Barbour: Mr. Cox: Mr. Barbour: Mr. Cox: Mr. Barbour:
Mr. Cox: Mr. Barbour:
three or four different ways. Do you eat those items today? No, not really. You don't care for any. When you left the New Hebrides, then you went to New Zealand to recuperate? Yes. After we were released from the hospital they gave us some more training. They gave us 60 days training and then we went back and hit another island. We weren't up there very long and came back. The rumors were that a lot of us were going to get to go back to the States because we had been overseas for several months. We heard they were going to transfer some out of there. They sent me to the 1st Marine Division. It was at Melbourne, Australia. They sent seven of us over there because the 1st Marine Division was very short on NCOs. They had taken Guadalcanal and were in Australia? Well, they had taken Guadalcanal, but there were still a few troops up there for the stragglers. One battalion was at Melbourne and that is where we joined. That is when I got into the 1st Marine Division. Then I came back to the States. I got home in December of 1943, just before Christmas. My time was up in June. I requested to go to Norfolk Navy Yard. I had a brother that lived down there. I went down there, but then I was going to have to reenlist, or just let them hold me. The war was going on both sides at that time. I signed the papers for two more years and they sent
me to Camp Lejeune. I wasn't there long until the war was over in 1945. Since the war was over they did away with the 4th Defense. So when you were back in the States, were you in more or less training the new Marines that were added to the units? I went to the Norfolk Navy Yard until I reenlisted. Then I went down to Camp Lejeune. Then I went to China with the
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with Levin Barbour. Barbour joined the Marine Corps in June of 1940. He completed additional training with the 5th Artillery, and served with an assault battalion. He was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. After the attack, they traveled to New Hebrides, to eliminate the Japanese Coast Guard. He shares his life and work experiences on the island. Barbour was later transferred to the 1st Marine Division in Melbourne, Australia. He returned to the US and was discharged in December of 1943, though re-enlisted for another 2 years. He participated in the China Occupation, returned home and was discharged in June of 1946.
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