663e3e83-9033-4fb6-a0c7-9be144099f03

Klassen, Richard_WAPA-246_WAPA 4170_OralHist_Video.mp4

Richard Klassen was born on April 25, 1925 in Hillsboro, Kansas. One of six children, Klassen’s two brothers also joined the military during World War II. His brother Johnny joined the Navy, and his brother Bill joined the Army, and was killed in action in France in 1944. Klassen wed his wife Mary in Oceanside, California on August 11, 1951 and is the father of four children. Klassen was eighteen and in his senior year at Hillsboro High School when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. He recalls wanting to get even after the attack, and wanting to enlist early (before he was drafted) so he could get into the Marine Corps instead of the Army, all coming from a desire to “save the world” and “save our country.” He spent eight weeks in boot camp, focusing on body building, weapons training, and overall discipline, before spending another eight weeks at tank school. He went to San Francisco was shipped out, and was in Pearl Harbor by Christmas of 1943. He underwent more combat training while in Hawaii before being sent out to fight in the Battle of Saipan, his first campaign. During the battle Klassen worked as the Assistant Gunner on a Sherman tank. From his seat, he could look out a periscope and fire a .30 caliber machine gun at any enemy soldiers. The valuable tanks and their crews were kept away from the outer lines of defense at night, but Klassen does remember the sounds of Japanese counter attacks being fought off. He remembers the Marines being unable to get the Japanese to stop committing suicide “for the Emperor.” Klassen participated in the Battle of Tinian, and he describes some of the operating aspects of the tank. An infantryman would walk outside of and behind the tank, and serve as the “eyes” of the crew, helping to select targets and calculate range, etc. After Tinian, Klassen then returned to Saipan, where he received word of the deaths of his father and brother. He was part of a decoy invasion fleet at Okinawa, that later returned again to Saipan before deploying again to Japan, this time to Nagasaki Harbor. Klassen’s unit made up some of the first occupying troops in the area, very near to where the second atomic bomb was dropped. He describes some of the aftermath and the relief of the local Japanese that they had survived the blast, as well as some day to day interaction with the local civilians. He also recalls his own personal relief that the bombs were dropped, saving he and his fellow Marines from a difficult, incredibly bloody invasion. Klassen was still in Sasebo, Japan when the treaty with Japan was finally signed, and was on Saipan when the war officially ended. After that, he boarded ship and was back on American soil (San Diego) by December of 1945. He says that he agreed to come on this trip to Saipan to see how everyone had made out, and to try and find a sense of closure.

U.S. National Park Service, War in the Pacific National Historical Park

This digital asset is in the public domain. This digital version was made possible through the National Park Service by a grant from the National Park Foundation through generous support from the Mellon Foundation. When using this asset for any purpose, including online, credit 'Courtesy U.S. National Parks'.

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War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Code: WAPA

Guam , Guam
War in the Pacific National Historical Park, Guam , Guam
Latitude: 13.3905000686646, Longitude: 144.654006958008

ICMS (Interior Collection Managment System) : WAPA-00246
NPS Museum Number Catalog : WAPA 4170

War in the Pacific Oral Histories

2025/03/07

T. Stell Newman Visitor Center, Collections room, Safe and Shelf SLF D-01

Public Can View

Rose Manibusan, Jennifer Craig

Organization: American Memorial Park
Role: Chief Interpretation
Address: Micro Beach Road, Garapan, Mp 96950
Email: wapa_interpretation@nps.gov

Saturday, April 5, 2025 2:50:23 PM

Saturday, April 5, 2025 2:50:23 PM

Klassen, Richard_WAPA-246_WAPA 4170_OralHist_Video.mp4

mp4

657.1 MB

Historic

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