Louis Boria

About Louis Boria...

I was born in Brooklyn NY. I joined the Marine Corps in 1943 when I was 16. Yes I lied! After basic I was sent to Hawaii for more training before heading to the Philippines. I made the Leyte Landing. After securing the beach we moved inland a little. A buddy and I were given a jeep and told to go back to the beach and get supplies. An Army officer commandeer us and set us out for burial duty . Our job was to help get the dead bodies off a scuttled ship, I was now a “man at 17”. I had never seen a dead body except funerals. This was a shattering job picking up these men that had been blown to bits on their ship. I still have nightmares about it. I got back with my unit. Next I had guard duty, the officer placed me out front away from the men and he told me to warn them if the Japanese attacked. The warning system was for me to hold a live granade and to throw and run back for cover.! My buddies all told me they would have thrown that grande and run minutes into the watch! I next became s forward observed for an officer on reconnaissance. A mortar shell hit the officer and me, giving me a traumatic brain injury. I was put in the medical ship the Repose I spent several months in various hospitals before making it home, The war ended and I was discharged. I was called back in August of 1950 file Korea. On