Here are some Scarborough World War II veterans’ stories from interviews by Mark Dyer and Ken Dolloff:

Richard Collins was the youngest to go into service of all the Scarborough veterans interviewed. After getting caught trying to join the Navy with a fake birth certificate, Collins was advised to try the Merchant Marines, which he was able to join at the age of 16.

Gene Gutter, a private in the Army, was captured on three separate occasions during his time of service. As a prisoner of war, Gutter was forced to live on potatoes for so long that he can no longer eat the starch.

Florence Ahlquist Link served as a member of the Navy WAVES and was trained in aerial camera repairs. At the Corpus Christi Naval Air base, there was constantly a lack of camera parts, and so she improvised by using bailing wire to fix the cameras.

Walter Jordan Jr., was aboard the USS Franklin when it was attacked by a Japanese aircraft on March 19, 1945. Jordan said his decision to skip breakfast that day saved him from being hit by a bomb that exploded in the mess hall.

Al Sprague joined the Army in order to be stationed in Hawaii, a place that had intrigued him through pictures. What he didn’t know was that he would witness the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that would spur U.S. involvement in the war. Sprague said he was standing in line for breakfast when he saw a Japanese fighter plane fly at treetop level overhead.