WILLIAM P. BURKE
BIRTHDAY SURVEY APPENDIX "B"
(See, 16 in Form 1050; See, 11 in DSSC Std. Form 57)

In the spring of 1944 the war scene pretty close to New Orleans. There were submarines in the Gulf, tankers were being torpedoed as they left the river, and the hospitals were filled with terribly burned seamen. It was anxious to do what I could, but I felt that at my age there was little hope of taking an active part. It became an Air Raid Warden and helped sell some War Bonds, but I thought that was about all I would be able to do.

Then the Training Center came out with an announcement that commissions were open in Aviation Intelligence to men up to 45 years of age. That was the housewarming criteria, also to prefer married men for such a commission. You see, having been gone from home so long, it was not an attachment to business I was leaving, but rather a Corps Headquarters and United States Engineer District, which I had known for years.

It was remarked that Aviation Intelligence was filled up, but saying that he would take me to New York for an interview. Realizing my age, I was delighted to get into the Marine Corps, and after an indoctrination course at Quantico, Va., I was ordered to San Antonio, Texas, as an aviation training officer. I remained there for three or four months, and most of my efforts to the Student Officer Procurement Program in the twenty Texas colleges.

By the fall, 1944, the Marine Corps, which had, prior to that time, been an exclusively volunteer organization, was pressed hard by the Selective Service System, and Marine Corps Headquarters decided to follow the lead of the Navy and approve a Marine officer to indicate to each Selective Service Board the Marine Corps' needs in case of those applications, and was ordered to Marine Corps Base in January 1945.

The post at which I was ordered was the largest base in the Marine Corps, and was located on the west side of San Diego, California. It was over one hundred thousand Marines were in training, and as well as the administrative and maintenance personnel supplying several thousand Marines in California area of operations. My duty to the Marine Corps through the Selective Service System was to represent the Marine Corps to Selective Service Headquarters in Los Angeles and throughout the state, interviewing registrants, their employers or dependents, whenever there was a need.

In addition, I took an active part in the administration of the Selective Service Headquarters in Los Angeles and throughout the state, interviewing registrants, their employers or dependents, whenever there was a need.

"Speed up," but I have never been called for overseas duty, and tried to make attempts to transfer to Aviation, but all were unsuccessful. Then, in February 1946 I heard that five Hawaiian territories were badly in need of legal officers, and I immediately applied for transfer. I was ordered to Honolulu, and there I served as a legal officer for the Marine Corps.

[The document continues with further details of the author's service and experiences.]