The Young Draftee

About the Book

Of all of the stories to come out about World War II few are written about the young 18 year old inexperienced soldiers who were thrust into a brutal part of the war. None were professional soldiers, most were draftees or civilians who were allowed to play soldier for the duration of the war. This true story identifies those everyday occurrences which a "young soldier" experiences as he goes through Army basic training, being sent overseas to an infantry replacement depot in New Guinea, never quite knowing where he was or where he was going. Finally experiencing the horrors of combat in Leyte and Luzon, Philippines and wondering if his luck was going to see him through these ordeals.

The war in the South Pacific was beyond being called a brutal, savage war or some other words, which can explain what these men went through. The terrain, climate and disease those men had to fight besides the enemy was unbearable. The war in the South Pacific was a war without mercy. This is a descriptive march through history.

About the Author

Monte Howell born and raised in Southern California happily married for the past 50 years with two grown children. The memories of WWII will always remain for Veterans of this War. The task of writing this book started when he discovered a box of approximately one hundred old yellow faded pictures he had taken and obtained during the War. So he decided to write some narrative for each picture and place them into an album for his grandchildren. He tried to recall not only what each picture was about, but also where it was taken and why he took it. It is difficult to recall events of sixty years ago. He had to admit that his memory was not only is older but is not what it used to be. Over a period of years he struggled to put these pictures in sequence and describe the story that goes with each of these events.

Now retired and in his golden years it is nice to look back on an interesting period in American History. I think this story will appeal to a large audience of readers, both young and old and provides us with an insight into history like no other.