Interview with a Soldier
Charles Beam on Tinian Island, Summer 1945. (Beam, Charles. Personal Communication 2011)
Charles Lee Beam, affectionately known as “Paw-Paw” is my paternal grandfather. He was born on July 8, 1921 in Shelby, North Carolina. He will be ninety years old this summer and is still vivacious and full of life. He proudly displays three precious photos of his time on Tinian Island in the South Pacific behind his chair in the living room of his home. One is a photo of the large air strip that takes over Tinian and the other two are Arial views from the sky. He was thrilled to talk about his time in service, both before and after the war, and of course, when he met my Grandmother Frances, six months after coming back home to Shelby. The following interview took place on Sunday, April 3, 2011.
What branch of service were you in?
-I was in the Air Force. I was a Supply Sergeant for the 303 Motor Pool Service Group. I served for three and a half years.
Were you drafted or did you enlist?
- I was drafted, everyone I knew was. As soon as the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor we knew we were headed for war. I finished school in 1940 and was drafted in 1942.
Tell me about the place or places you did you basic training in.
- I have been to or passed through every state in the United States except six, and most of those are the Northeastern states. I began my training down at Camp Croft in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where I got all of my papers filled out and then was shipped from there. I did my basic training in Biscay Bay, Florida, the last drop before Cuba. I then went back up to Tallahassee, Florida and from there I went to Pratt, Kansas. After leaving Kansas I was sent to Oklahoma. I was in Oklahoma City and Woodward, Oklahoma. In Woodward, the Lieutenant and I became good friends. I had taken typing in school and was very good at it and book keeping. I rode around with the lieutenant and did his typing for him. While in Woodward, I was a part of the 303 Service group. That particular group got shipped out to Germany not long after we arrived. The Lieutenant requested for me to stay in Oklahoma as his assistant. This was definitely my luck, because I heard that my original group got shipped to Germany and on the way over they were bombed by German submarines and their ship sunk. This is just here say of course, but I am truly thankful I was not there. I stayed in Woodward until I was sent to Spokane, Washington to get on a boat to be shipped out for the Pacific Islands bordering Japan.
Where were you stationed?
- I was stationed on Tinian Island in the South Pacific. It is a part of the Greater Mariana Islands Chain. It was a beautiful island with white shell coral everywhere. We built runways for the bombers on crushed coral. The water was crystal clear and always warm. Tinian was six miles wide and ten miles long. They also launched the two atomic bombs off Tinian Island. The United States knew about it before we did. They kept us completely in the dark about it.
How did you get to Tinian Island?
- We set out from Spokane, Washington. It took us forty days to get over there. We had a massive fleet going over. There were forty to fifty ships carrying men over. From Spokane, we passed Hawaii, but were not allowed to dock or get off, because they had been bombed and everything was destroyed. We also went by parts of the Marianas, but did not dock until we reached Tinian Island. I was stationed right across from Saipan.
What did you do over there to pass the time?
- We did not have a whole lot of extra time over there. At night, before bed we would sit around and tell stories and talk about where we were from and what we liked doing. I did a lot of typing over there as well as sewing and cutting off our uniforms so they would not be so hot. Several times I hopped a plane to both Saipan and Guam to visit a friend and cousin from back home. This was a lot of fun and pretty common back then, since the islands were all so close to each other.
What was the weather like over there?
-It was hot and humid all the time. It was warm year round and the seasons never changed. I took my sewing machine with me and we had supplies in the storage area so I would cut off the clothes and hem them up to make shorts and t-shirts, since they always sent us long sleeves and pants. The boys in Germany were freezing while we were burning up. It seemed like we never missed a shower of rain over there, they came every day. It was definitely a tropical climate and place.
Did you meet any of the natives?
-No, I never met any of the natives. There weren’t many of them on our island. We saw them from a distance, but we were always guarded by our own troops so we never came in contact with them. They were very peaceful. We didn’t bother them and they didn’t bother us. We would see the women and men working during the day. I remember the men would come back to their huts or homes at nights and the women were responsible for bathing the men. This was a strange sight to see. These people were very reserved and peaceful while we there.
Did you see a great deal of combat?
-No, I did not see a lot of combat or fighting. Tinian was a calm island that had been taken over by the allies. It was mostly used for its runways to land and launch planes from it. I do remember several times having to run and take cover under bunkers, because we were being bombed by the Japanese.
Did you ever write or receive any letters while you were over there?
- Yes, I received letters from my mother a lot while I was over there. I also sent letters back home to family and friends. I made my mother a record while away and sent it to her. I also took pictures to send the negatives back home. I enjoyed getting letters from back home, it made me feel better and not so homesick.
Back to the atomic bomb, do you think it was right to drop it on the Japanese?
- I am not sure if I would be politically correct in saying it was the “right” thing to do, but at the time I believe it was necessary. We [United States] were still hurt from Pearl Harbor and losing all of our men in Germany and Japan. I believe it was to put an end to the unnecessary evils in the world at the time. We had to put a stop to Japan and the communist ways. I know many people say it was the United States showing power, but I believe at the time it was necessary, no matter the cost.
What branch of service were you in?
-I was in the Air Force. I was a Supply Sergeant for the 303 Motor Pool Service Group. I served for three and a half years.
Were you drafted or did you enlist?
- I was drafted, everyone I knew was. As soon as the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor we knew we were headed for war. I finished school in 1940 and was drafted in 1942.
Tell me about the place or places you did you basic training in.
- I have been to or passed through every state in the United States except six, and most of those are the Northeastern states. I began my training down at Camp Croft in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where I got all of my papers filled out and then was shipped from there. I did my basic training in Biscay Bay, Florida, the last drop before Cuba. I then went back up to Tallahassee, Florida and from there I went to Pratt, Kansas. After leaving Kansas I was sent to Oklahoma. I was in Oklahoma City and Woodward, Oklahoma. In Woodward, the Lieutenant and I became good friends. I had taken typing in school and was very good at it and book keeping. I rode around with the lieutenant and did his typing for him. While in Woodward, I was a part of the 303 Service group. That particular group got shipped out to Germany not long after we arrived. The Lieutenant requested for me to stay in Oklahoma as his assistant. This was definitely my luck, because I heard that my original group got shipped to Germany and on the way over they were bombed by German submarines and their ship sunk. This is just here say of course, but I am truly thankful I was not there. I stayed in Woodward until I was sent to Spokane, Washington to get on a boat to be shipped out for the Pacific Islands bordering Japan.
Where were you stationed?
- I was stationed on Tinian Island in the South Pacific. It is a part of the Greater Mariana Islands Chain. It was a beautiful island with white shell coral everywhere. We built runways for the bombers on crushed coral. The water was crystal clear and always warm. Tinian was six miles wide and ten miles long. They also launched the two atomic bombs off Tinian Island. The United States knew about it before we did. They kept us completely in the dark about it.
How did you get to Tinian Island?
- We set out from Spokane, Washington. It took us forty days to get over there. We had a massive fleet going over. There were forty to fifty ships carrying men over. From Spokane, we passed Hawaii, but were not allowed to dock or get off, because they had been bombed and everything was destroyed. We also went by parts of the Marianas, but did not dock until we reached Tinian Island. I was stationed right across from Saipan.
What did you do over there to pass the time?
- We did not have a whole lot of extra time over there. At night, before bed we would sit around and tell stories and talk about where we were from and what we liked doing. I did a lot of typing over there as well as sewing and cutting off our uniforms so they would not be so hot. Several times I hopped a plane to both Saipan and Guam to visit a friend and cousin from back home. This was a lot of fun and pretty common back then, since the islands were all so close to each other.
What was the weather like over there?
-It was hot and humid all the time. It was warm year round and the seasons never changed. I took my sewing machine with me and we had supplies in the storage area so I would cut off the clothes and hem them up to make shorts and t-shirts, since they always sent us long sleeves and pants. The boys in Germany were freezing while we were burning up. It seemed like we never missed a shower of rain over there, they came every day. It was definitely a tropical climate and place.
Did you meet any of the natives?
-No, I never met any of the natives. There weren’t many of them on our island. We saw them from a distance, but we were always guarded by our own troops so we never came in contact with them. They were very peaceful. We didn’t bother them and they didn’t bother us. We would see the women and men working during the day. I remember the men would come back to their huts or homes at nights and the women were responsible for bathing the men. This was a strange sight to see. These people were very reserved and peaceful while we there.
Did you see a great deal of combat?
-No, I did not see a lot of combat or fighting. Tinian was a calm island that had been taken over by the allies. It was mostly used for its runways to land and launch planes from it. I do remember several times having to run and take cover under bunkers, because we were being bombed by the Japanese.
Did you ever write or receive any letters while you were over there?
- Yes, I received letters from my mother a lot while I was over there. I also sent letters back home to family and friends. I made my mother a record while away and sent it to her. I also took pictures to send the negatives back home. I enjoyed getting letters from back home, it made me feel better and not so homesick.
Back to the atomic bomb, do you think it was right to drop it on the Japanese?
- I am not sure if I would be politically correct in saying it was the “right” thing to do, but at the time I believe it was necessary. We [United States] were still hurt from Pearl Harbor and losing all of our men in Germany and Japan. I believe it was to put an end to the unnecessary evils in the world at the time. We had to put a stop to Japan and the communist ways. I know many people say it was the United States showing power, but I believe at the time it was necessary, no matter the cost.
This photo was taken in 1945 on Tinian Island in the South Pacific. My Grandfather, Charles Beam, explained to me that this photo was snapped right before he received his promotion to sergeant.
(Beam, Charles. Personal Communication 2011)
