Deep in the recesses of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., hidden for nearly four decades lie thousands of pages of yellowing and dusty documents stamped "Top Secret." These documents, now declassified, are the plans for Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan during World War II.
Only a few Americans in 1945 were aware of the elaborate plans that had been prepared for the Allied Invasion of the Japanese home islands. Even fewer today are aware of the defenses the Japanese had prepared to counter the invasion had it been launched. Operation Downfall was finalized during the spring and summer of 1945. It called for two massive military undertakings to be carried out in succession and aimed at the heart of the Japanese Empire.
In the first invasion - code-named "Operation Olympic"- American combat troops would land on Japan by amphibious assault during the early morning hours of November 1, 1945 - 69 years ago. Fourteen combat divisions of soldiers and Marines would land on heavily fortified and defended Kyushu, the southernmost of the Japanese home islands, after an unprecedented naval and aerial bombardment.
The second invasion on March 1, 1946 - codenamed "Operation Coronet"- would send at least 22 divisions against 1 million Japanese defenders on the main island of Honshu and the Tokyo Plain. Its goal: the unconditional surrender of Japan.
With the exception of a part of the British Pacific Fleet, Operation Downfall was to be a strictly American operation. It called for using the entire Marine Corps, the entire Pacific Navy, elements of the 7th Army Air Force, the 8th Air Force (recently redeployed from Europe), 10th Air Force and the American Far Eastern Air Force. More than 1.5 million combat soldiers, with 3 million more in support or more than 40% of all servicemen still in uniform in 1945 - would be directly involved in the two amphibious assaults. Casualties were expected to be extremely heavy.
Admiral William Leahy estimated that there would be more than 250,000 Americans killed or wounded on Kyushu alone. General Charles Willoughby, chief of intelligence for General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Southwest Pacific, estimated American casualties would be one million men by the fall of 1946. Willoughby's own intelligence staff considered this to be a conservative estimate.
During the summer of 1945, America had little time to prepare for such an endeavor, but top military leaders were in almost unanimous agreement that an invasion was necessary.
While naval blockade and strategic bombing of Japan was considered to be useful, General MacArthur, for instance, did not believe a blockade would bring about an unconditional surrender. The advocates for invasion agreed that while a naval blockade chokes, it does not kill; and through strategic bombing might destroy cities, it leaves whole armies intact.
So on May 25, 1945, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after extensive deliberation, issued to General MacArthur, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and Army Air Force Gene Henry Arnold, the top-secret directive to proceed with the invasion of Kyushu. The target date was after the typhoon season.
President Truman approved the plans for the invasions July 24. Two days later, the United Nations issued the Potsdam Proclamation, which called upon Japan to surrender unconditionally or face total destruction. Three days later, the Japanese governmental news agency broadcast to the world that Japan would ignore the proclamation and would refuse to surrender. During this same period it was learned - via monitoring Japanese radio broadcasts - that Japan had closed all schools and mobilized its school children, was arming its civilian population and was fortifying caves and building underground defenses.
Operation Olympic called for a four-pronged assault on Kyushu. Its purpose was to seize and control the southern one-third of that island and establish naval and air bases, to tighten the naval blockade of the home islands, to destroy units of the main Japanese army and to support the later invasion of the Tokyo Plain.
The preliminary invasion would begin October 27 when the 40th Infantry Division would land on a series of small islands west and southwest of Kyushu. At the same time, the 158th Regimental Combat Team would invade and occupy a small island 28 miles south of Kyushu. On these islands, seaplane bases would be established and radar would be set up to provide advance air warning for the invasion fleet, to serve as fighter direction centers for the carrier-based aircraft and to provide an emergency anchorage for the invasion fleet, should things not go well on the day of the invasion.
As the invasion grew imminent, the massive firepower of the Navy - the Third and Fifth Fleets -- would approach Japan. The Third Fleet, under Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, with its big guns and naval aircraft, would provide strategic support for the operation against Honshu and Hokkaido. Halsey's fleet would be composed of battleships, heavy cruisers, destroyers, dozens of support ships and three fast carrier task groups. From these carriers, hundreds of Navy fighters, dive bombers, and torpedo planes would hit targets all over the island of Honshu The 3,000 ship Fifth Fleet, under Admiral Raymond Spruance, would carry the invasion troops.
Several days before the invasion, the battleships, heavy cruisers, and destroyers would pour thousands of tons of high explosives into the target areas. They would not cease the bombardment until after the land forces had been launched. During the early morning hours of November 1, the invasion would begin. Thousands of soldiers and Marines would pour ashore on beaches all along the eastern, southeastern, southern and western coasts of Kyushu. Waves of Helldivers, Dauntless dive bombers, Avengers, Corsairs, and Hellcats from 66 aircraft carriers would bomb, rocket and strafe enemy defenses, gun emplacements, and troop concentrations along the beaches.
The Eastern Assault Force consisting of the 25th, 33rd, and 41st Infantry Divisions, would land near Miyaski, at beaches called Austin, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Ford, and move inland to attempt to capture the city and its nearby airfield. The Southern Assault Force, consisting of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 43rd Division and Americal Division would land inside Ariake Bay at beaches labeled DeSoto, Dusenberg, Essex, Ford, and Franklin and attempt to capture Shibushi and the city of Kanoya and its airfield.
On the western shore of Kyushu, at beaches Pontiac, Reo, Rolls Royce, Saxon, Star, Studebaker, Stutz, Winston and Zephyr, the V Amphibious Corps would land the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Marine Divisions, sending half of its force inland to Sendai and the other half to the port city of Kagoshima.
On November 4, the Reserve Force, consisting of the 81st and 98th Infantry Divisions and the 11th Airborne Division, after feigning an attack on the island of Shikoku, would be landed - if not needed elsewhere - near Kaimondake, near the southernmost tip of Kagoshima Bay, at the beaches designated Locomobile, Lincoln, LaSalle, Hupmobile, Moon, Mercedes, Maxwell, Overland, Oldsmobile, Packard, and Plymouth.
Olympic was not just a plan for invasion, but for conquest and occupation as well. It was expected to take four months to achieve its objective, with the three fresh American divisions per month to be landed in support of that operation if needed. If all went well with Olympic, Coronet would be launched March 1, 1946. Coronet would be twice the size of Olympic, with as many as 28 divisions landing on Honshu.
All along the coast east of Tokyo, the American 1st Army would land the 5th, 7th 6th Marine Divisions. At Sagami Bay, just south of Tokyo, the entire 8th and 10th Armies would strike north and east to clear the long western shore of Tokyo Bay and attempt to go as far as Yokohama. The assault troops landing south of Tokyo would be the 4th, 6th, 8th, 24th, 31st, 37th, 38th, and 8th Infantry Divisions, along with the 13th and 20th Armored Divisions.
Following the initial assault, eight more divisions - the 2nd, 28th, 35th, 91st, 95th, 97th, and 104th Infantry Divisions and the 11th Airborne Division - 
would be landed. If additional troops were needed, as expected, other divisions redeployed from Europe and undergoing training in the United States would be shipped to Japan in what was hoped to be the final push.
Captured Japanese documents and post-war interrogations of Japanese military leaders disclose that information concerning the number of Japanese planes available for the defense of the home islands was dangerously in error.
During the sea battle at Okinawa alone, Japanese Kamikaze aircraft sank 32 Allied ships and damaged more than 400 others. But during the summer of 1945 American top brass concluded that the Japanese had spent their air force since American bombers and fighters daily flew unmolested over Japan.
What the military leaders did not know was that by the end of July the Japanese had been saving all aircraft, fuel, and pilots in reserve, and had been feverishly building new planes for the decisive battle for their homeland.
As part of Ketsu-Go, the name for the plan to defend Japan - the Japanese were building 20 suicide takeoff strips in southern Kyushu with underground hangars. They also had 35 camouflaged airfields and nine seaplane bases.
On the night before the expected invasion, 50 Japanese seaplane bombers, 100 former carrier aircraft, and 50 land based army planes were to be launched in a suicide attack on the fleet.
The Japanese had 58 more airfields in Korea, western Honshu and Shikoku, which also were to be used for massive suicide attacks.
Allied intelligence had established that the Japanese had no more than 2,500 aircraft of which they guessed 300 would be deployed in suicide attacks. In August 1945, however, unknown to Allied intelligence, the Japanese still had 5,651 army and 7,074 navy aircraft, for a total of 12,725 planes of all types. Every village had some type of aircraft manufacturing activity hidden in mines, railway tunnels, under viaducts and in basements of department stores, work was being done to construct new planes.
Additionally, the Japanese were building newer and more effective models of the Okka, a rocket-propelled bomb much like the German V-1, but flown by a suicide pilot. When the invasion became imminent, Ketsu-Go called for a fourfold aerial plan of attack to destroy up to 800 Allied ships.
While Allied ships were approaching Japan, but still in the open seas, an initial force of 2,000 army and navy fighters were to fight to the death to control the skies over Kyushu. A second force of 330 navy combat pilots was to attack the main body of the task force to keep it from using its fire support and air cover to protect the troop carrying transports. While these two forces were engaged, a third force of 825 suicide planes was to hit the American transports. As the invasion convoys approached their anchorages, another 2,000 suicide planes were to be launched in waves of 200 to 300, to be used in hour by hour attacks.
By mid-morning of the first day of the invasion, most of the American land-based aircraft would be forced to return to their bases, leaving the defense against the suicide planes to the carrier pilots and the shipboard gunners. Carrier pilots crippled by fatigue would have to land time and time again to re-arm and refuel. Guns would malfunction from the heat of continuous firing and ammunition would become scarce. Gun crews would be exhausted by nightfall, but still the waves of kamikaze would continue. With the fleet hovering off the beaches, all remaining Japanese aircraft would be committed to nonstop suicide attacks, which the Japanese hoped could be sustained for 10 days. The Japanese planned to coordinate their air strikes with attacks from the 40 remaining submarines from the Imperial Navy - some armed with Long Lance torpedoes with a range of 20 miles - when the invasion fleet was 180 miles off Kyushu.
The Imperial Navy had 23 destroyers and two cruisers which were operational. These ships were to be used to counterattack the American invasion. A number of the destroyers were to be beached at the last minute to be used as anti-invasion gun platforms. Once offshore, the invasion fleet would be forced to defend not only against the attacks from the air but would also be confronted with suicide attacks from the sea. Japan had established a suicide naval attack unit of midget submarines, human torpedoes, and exploding motorboats. The goal of the Japanese was to shatter the invasion before the landing. The Japanese were convinced the Americans would back off or become so demoralized that they would then accept a less-than-unconditional surrender and a more honorable and face-saving end for the Japanese. But as horrible as the battle of Japan would be off the beaches, it would be on Japanese soil that the American forces would face the most rugged and fanatical defense encountered during the war.
Throughout the island-hopping Pacific campaign, Allied troops had always outnumbered the Japanese by 2 to 1 and sometimes 3 to 1. In Japan, it would be different. By virtue of a combination of cunning, guesswork, and brilliant military reasoning, a number of Japan's top military leaders were able to deduce, not only when, but where, the United States would land its first invasion forces.
Facing the 14 American divisions landing at Kyushu would be 14 Japanese divisions, 7 independent mixed brigades, 3 tank brigades and thousands of naval troops. On Kyushu, the odds would be 3 to 2 in favor of the Japanese, with 790,000 enemy defenders against 550,000 Americans. This time the bulk of the Japanese defenders would not be the poorly trained and ill-equipped labor battalions that the Americans had faced in the earlier campaigns.
The Japanese defenders would be the hard core of the home army. These troops were well-fed and well equipped. They were familiar with the terrain, had stockpiles of arms and ammunition, and had developed an effective system of transportation and supply almost invisible from the air. Many of these Japanese troops were the elite of the army, and they were swollen with a fanatical fighting spirit.
Japan's network of beach defenses consisted of offshore mines, thousands of suicide scuba divers attacking landing craft, and mines planted on the beaches. Coming ashore, the American Eastern amphibious assault forces at Miyazaki would face three Japanese divisions, and two others poised for a counterattack. Awaiting the Southeastern attack force at Ariake Bay was an entire division and at least one mixed infantry brigade.
On the western shores of Kyushu, the Marines would face the most brutal opposition. Along the invasion beaches would be the three Japanese divisions, a tank brigade, a mixed infantry brigade and an artillery command Components of two divisions would also be poised to launch counterattacks. If not needed to reinforce the primary landing beaches, the American Reserve Force would be landed at the base of Kagoshima Bay November 4, where they would be confronted by two mixed infantry brigades, parts of two infantry divisions and thousands of naval troops.
All along the invasion beaches, American troops would face coastal batteries, anti-landing obstacles and a network of heavily fortified pillboxes, bunkers, and underground fortresses. As Americans waded ashore, they would face intense artillery and mortar fire as they worked their way through concrete rubble and barbed-wire entanglements arranged to funnel them into the muzzles of these Japanese guns. On the beaches and beyond would be hundreds of Japanese machine gun positions, beach mines, booby traps, trip-wire mines and sniper units. Suicide units concealed in "spider holes" would engage the troops as they passed nearby. In the heat of battle, Japanese infiltration units would be sent to reap havoc in the American lines by cutting phone and communication lines. Some of the Japanese troops would be in American uniform; English-speaking Japanese officers were assigned to break in on American radio traffic to call off artillery fire, to order retreats and to further confuse troops. Other infiltration with demolition charges strapped on their chests or backs would attempt to blow up American tanks, artillery pieces, and ammunition stores as they were unloaded ashore.
Beyond the beaches were large artillery pieces situated to bring down a curtain of fire on the beach. Some of these large guns were mounted on railroad tracks running in and out of caves protected by concrete and steel. The battle for Japan would be won by what Simon Bolivar Buckner, a lieutenant general in the Confederate army during the Civil War, had called Prairie Dog Warfare." This type of fighting was almost unknown to the ground troops in Europe and the Mediterranean. It was peculiar only to the soldiers and Marines who fought the Japanese on islands all over the Pacific - at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Prairie Dog Warfare was a battle for yards, feet and sometimes inches. It was a brutal, deadly and dangerous form of combat aimed at an underground, heavily fortified, non-retreating enemy. In the mountains behind the Japanese beaches were underground networks of caves, bunkers, command posts and hospitals connected by miles of tunnels with dozens of entrances and exits. Some of these complexes could hold up to 1,000 troops.
In addition to the use of poison gas and bacteriological warfare (which the Japanese had experimented with), Japan mobilized its citizenry. Had Olympic come about, the Japanese civilian population, inflamed by a national slogan - "One Hundred Million Will Die for the Emperor and Nation" - were prepared to fight to the death Twenty Eight Million Japanese had become a part of the National Volunteer Combat Force. They were armed with ancient rifles, lunge mines, satchel charges, Molotov cocktails and one-shot black powder mortars. Others were armed with swords, long bows, axes and bamboo spears. The civilian units were to be used in nighttime attacks, hit and run maneuvers, delaying actions and massive suicide charges at the weaker American positions.
At the early stage of the invasion, 1,000 Japanese and American soldiers would be dying every hour.
The invasion of Japan never became a reality because, on August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was exploded over Hiroshima. Three days later, a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Within days the war with Japan was at a close.
Had these bombs not been dropped and had the invasion been launched as scheduled, combat casualties in Japan would have been at a minimum of the tens of thousands. Every foot of Japanese soil would have been paid for by Japanese and American lives. One can only guess at how many civilians would have committed suicide in their homes or in futile mass military attacks. In retrospect, the 1 million American men who were to be the casualties of the invasion were instead lucky enough to survive the war.
Intelligence studies and military estimates made 50 years ago, and not latter-day speculation, clearly indicate that the battle for Japan might well have resulted in the biggest bloodbath in the history of modern warfare. Far worse would be what might have happened to Japan as a nation and as a culture. When the invasion came, it would have come after several months of fire-bombing all of the remaining Japanese cities. The cost in human life that resulted from the two atomic blasts would be small in comparison to the total number of Japanese lives that would have been lost by this aerial devastation.
Source: Joey L. French, Partner Emeritus Firm Ambassador.
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During the Italian Campaign of World War II, German troops were faced with a sight they had never expected: Japanese-American soldiers. These troops were members of the 100th Infantry Battalion, which was comprised entirely of Nisei (children of Japanese Immigrants) troops. What makes this story all the more amazing is knowing how these troops, and their families, had been treated by a scared and hateful populace at home.
Their families, friends, and neighbors were being imprisoned by the American government, over suspicions of seditious or treasonous behavior. But the men of the 100th were proud patriots and wanted to prove to the American populace that one's heritage doesn't dictate one's nationality. The Battalion fought bravely through the Italian campaign and earned the respect both of their peers and their enemies. But when this unit made the first contact with the enemy, one man showed his courage above the rest.
Shizuya Hayashi was born in Hawaii, on November 28, 1917. The son of poor Japanese immigrants he grew up on the Waialua sugar plantation. 
From about 14 to 22 years old he worked on the farm, helping to repair the equipment. But at 22 he ran away to Ford Island, where he found new work with his valuable mechanical knowledge.
His newfound freedom ended in March of 1941 when Hayashi was drafted into the United States Army. He served as a member of the 65th Engineers, until June 1942 when he, along with many other Japanese American soldiers were secretly transferred to Oakland, California.
The 100th Infantry Battalion had just been created and provided a way for Japanese American men to prove their patriotism. And prove it they did, excelling in nearly every aspect of training.
On August 11th, 1943 the unit set sail for Oran, in North Africa. From there, they set sail again, this time for their final destination: Axis-controlled Italy. On November 29th, the 100th made the first contact with the enemy.
They had marched inland from the initial landings at Salerno. The men trudged forward, marching mile after mile, and defeating the enemy wherever they met them. Hayashi had a nearly endless stream of close shaves as they advanced. From grenades exploding just barely out of range of him to duds landing next to him in a foxhole. But luck wasn't all that earned him the Medal of Honor.
In his first day of combat, Hayashi and the rest of the 100th were advancing towards an enemy position on high ground. The Germans were sending everything they had against the Japanese-American troops, lobbing grenades, coupled with a terrifyingly accurate rifle and machine gun fire.
While the men around him hugged the ground, hoping to avoid this deadly hail of metal, Hayashi rose and charged forward with his Browning Automatic Rifle. He captured the nearest machine gun nest, killing seven men outright, and two more as they fled from this attack. The rest of his unit advanced, and they took the hill, only to find their new position even less safe.
The Germans had set up an anti-aircraft position, which began spraying shells at them. But Hayashi wasn't about to give up the fight, and returned fire, even though he was totally outgunned. But by some miraculous turn of fate, this brash attack worked. Hayashi killed nine of the enemy, and again charging forward, took four prisoners.
The rest of the German troops in the immediate area fled, fearing they should meet the same fate. Hayashi and the rest of the 100th advanced again, securing the area. For his heroism on that day, Shiyuza Hayashi was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
But, in recognition of the true heroism exhibited by him and many like him, this was upgraded to a Medal of Honor by President Bill Clinton in 2000. Many Japanese-American troops were denied full recognition for their amazing bravery during World War II due to the racial prejudice of the time.
What is even more amazing, is that this was only the first day of combat for Shizuya Hayashi, he went on to fight through the rest of the Italian campaign. After the war, he returned to Hawaii, and after receiving the Medal of Honor began speaking to elementary and high school students about his experiences with the 100th Infantry Battalion, making sure the story of that unit would never be forgotten. Hayashi passed away on March 12th, 2008 at the age of 90.
On 18th February 2014, President Barack Obama presented the 100th Infantry Battalion with a congressional gold medal, in recognition of their tremendous bravery and sacrifice in the Second World War.
By April 1951, the Korean War had raged for nearly a year. The initial assault by North Korea into separate South Korea had been driven back to the 38th parallel - the border between the two nations. The North, aided by Chinese soldiers and Soviet resources, was still intent on conquering the South. United Nations troops, predominantly American but including forces from elsewhere in the world, were protecting the South.
The Communist Army had been weakened by supply problems over the winter, but by March they had recovered and been reinforced. As UN troops under General Ridgway pushed north in the center, the Communists massed to attack in the west, where UN troops were deployed in defensive positions along the Imjin River.
This stretch of the UN line was held primarily by the British 29th Brigade, led by Brigadier Brodie. Belgian forces guarded their right flank.
With the majority of UN troops concentrated for Ridgway's advance, Brodie's forces were thinly spread. His four battalions were responsible for holding 12 miles of the front. To do this they had to spread out, leaving gaps in the line. Most of the soldiers were on the south bank of the Imjin, while some held the hills behind them. The Belgians were stationed on the north bank.
Meanwhile, the 187th, 188th and 189th divisions of the 63rd Chinese Army were mustering to the north.
Peng Dehuai, Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese and North Korean forces in the field, was careful in preparing his attack. Over the first three weeks of April, he mustered his men within striking distance of the Imjin, carefully hiding these preparations from both ground and air spotters.
Meanwhile, the 29th Brigade was patrolling north of the river, beyond the safety of its own lines. Infantry columns supported by Centurion tanks harassed the Chinese rearguard tasked with concealing Peng's preparations.
Despite Peng's efforts, word reached the UN commanders that their enemies were preparing some sort of attack. A broad advance against the Communists was halted and the flanks were put on high alert.
On Saturday the 21st of April 1951, Peng sent reconnaissance and infiltration groups across the Imjin. He was ready to attack.
The expected assault came on the night of the 22nd of April. Because of UN air superiority, the Chinese waited for the cover of darkness. At 10.20pm, they hit the Belgians stationed north of the river. At the same time, British troops of the Gloucestershire Regiment, the "Glorious Glosters" ambushed a Chinese advance across the Imjin.
That night's advances consisted mostly of probing attacks, as the Chinese tested the deployment and resolve of the UN forces. But as Chinese troops moved up in preparation for a full assault planned for the following night, they came into contact with the British. The Glosters found themselves attacked on both left and right flanks, the 5th Fusiliers were forced from some of their defensive positions, and the gun line was threatened.
The 1st Battalion, Royal Ulster Rifles (1 RUR) was given the task of holding the bridges connecting the British with the Belgians. But the Chinese were there ahead of them, taking the bridges. The Belgians were attacked again and again throughout the night, their position isolated from other UN forces.
The already ragged line was starting to fracture. It looked as if the Chinese might shatter their foes.
The 1st battalion RUR had more success in another task given to them - holding a track that was the force's main line of communication on the right flank. They held its entrance, along with an intermediate pass, throughout the night of the 22nd of April.
When dawn broke on the 23rd, the fighting continued. Despite the arrival of UN air power, the Chinese continued their attacks, slowly pushing back the British troops. Guns were sent back behind the lines to avoid being captured. Engineers fought as infantry. Tanks of the 8th Hussars launched local counter-attacks but could not halt the advance.
Under relentless pressure, the Fusiliers were driven from the last of their original positions. The Belgians and the British lost sight of each other.
American soldiers tried to retake the bridge that connected the Belgians with their allies. This attack failed but distracted the Chinese in that part of the battlefront. The Belgians shot their way out of the trap the Chinese had them pinned in, escaping from the fray.
Throughout the 23rd and 24th of April, the Glosters and RUR held onto the tracks that would allow a retreat from the Imjin. Attacks on the night of the 24th drove the Fusiliers back even further, while the RUR hung on tenaciously to their vital position.
By 25 April the Glosters were surrounded. American troops sent to relieve them were too little and too late.
The Glosters made a valiant attempt to break out, leaving the wounded behind with the padre and the medical officer. But only two small groups made it through the Chinese forces and linked up with the American rescue sortie. The rest were taken prisoner.
Meanwhile, the RUR led a retreat on the other flank. In a running battle down the track and across the hills, they got most of the remaining British troops out of the area around the Imjin.
On the far side of the hills, they joined the new UN line. Brodie had lost 20% of his men but had held up three Chinese divisions for four crucial days, allowing his comrades to reform. After a night's rest, the 29th Brigade returned to the war.
Army Pfc. Lawrence Boudreaux served his country with honor, bravery, and distinction. Born March 10, 1922, in rural Church Point, Louisiana, he lived in the small farming town until he was drafted into the United States Army on Feb. 9, 1943.
He was only 20 years old at the time he was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for training.
Upon graduation, Boudreaux was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. The 101st - or "Screaming Eagles" as they are known - are a specialized light infantry division of the Army. These soldiers are trained for air assault operations and are considered a potent and tactically mobile division.
In 1944, the now 21-year-old Boudreaux was sent to Liverpool, England, with his brothers in arms from the 101st. They were housed in a horse stable where they trained for war.
The Screaming Eagles specifically trained for the invasion of June 6, 1944, during their time in Liverpool. On June 8, Boudreaux and his division were on the beaches of Normandy. Of the 15 Soldiers that got off that boat with him, nine ended up getting sent back to England for medical treatment due to the injuries they sustained during the invasion.
When recalling that day, a modest Boudreaux says all he ended up with was some shrapnel and a hurt leg. His service records, however, show that he was later awarded both a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his bravery on the battlefield.
To him, the six soldiers that were also hurt, although "not bad enough to be sent back," are the true heroes. They had to stay with their unit and press on while he was being treated for his injuries.
Boudreaux recovered and was sent back to his division to train in September where they prepared for the Battle of Aachen, which proved to be one of the toughest urban battles of World War II.
The 101st spent 73 days on the front lines. Those were "sad times," says Boudreaux. "We saw a lot of bad stuff over there."
He quickly moves on from those days and recalls some fond memories of his time in the military. He specifically loved the "great rest" they had in Mormoiron, France while on leave. The village of Mormoiron is a small village located in the south-east of France. Boudreaux says they all enjoyed themselves there.
On Dec. 4, 1945, Boudreaux was honorably discharged from the Army with only the clothes on his back and the memories that would last him a lifetime.
Among those memories is the distinction of having earned the Croix de Guerre from the Kingdom of Belgium. The citation reads:
"Through its splendid resistance from Dec. 22 to 27, 1944, when at the height of the battle of the Ardennes and completely isolated, It held the key position at Bastogne, the 101st Airborne Division United States Army with attached units caused the failure of the enemy penetration into Belgium and served as pivot for the counter-offensive operations which liberated the invaded territory. During these operations, through their courage endurance, discipline, fighting skills, holding back unceasing attacks made by elements of eight German divisions, despite rare and difficult supplies, these troops and their commanders have written one of the most beautiful pages in military history and have gained, with the admiration of the world, the eternal gratitude of the Belgian people."
With all that he saw, Boudreaux says he would go back and do it over alongside his brothers-in-arms. When asked if he would recommend military service to today's youth, he says, "It depends on the situation," because that type of life is not for everyone.
He came back home to Church Point, Louisiana, and farmed for the next eight years. Once he had enough of farm life, he moved to Welsh, Louisiana, and started working part-time as a patrolman. Boudreaux worked his way up the Welsh Police Department ranks for the next 13 years of his life. He even served as the Welsh police chief for five of those years. "I loved it," he says.
The only thing he loved more was his wife of 68 years, Loudia "Lulu" Broussard Boudreaux. They met at a dance in Mermentau, Louisiana, and kept dancing together until she passed away Nov. 30, 2017.
Boudreaux says that is how he ended up at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Home. He was alone and looking for a new home. "I love it here," he says with a smile.