The Leonard and Nock Families Military History Project records the experiences of three Idaho men who served in different branches of the military during successive eras: the Navy during World War II; the Army at the close of the Korean War and beginning of the Cold War Era; and the Air Force during the Cold War Era, Vietnam War, and the first Gulf War. The collection consists of three interviews covering topics of daily life in the military during war and peace, race integration and race relations, and the American public’s reaction to returning veterans.

The men interviewed for this project were the interviewer’s uncle, Mervin “Mike” Leonard, who served in the Navy; her father, Ted Leonard, who served in the Army; and her husband, John H. Nock, who served in the Air Force.

Mike Leonard received his draft notice and joined the Navy on the advice of his father. Leonard’s father had been in the Army during World War I and had been severely wounded. He told Leonard, it was a “dirty job” and to go into the Navy. Leonard was sent to Farragut Naval Training Station at Bayview, Idaho, for his boot camp and then to the Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois, for training as a diesel engine mechanic. After his schooling, Leonard was sent to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to await a ship assignment. He was then stationed aboard the submarine chaser PC-1174, which primarily patrolled between the Gulf of Mexico and New York City, New York, from 1943 through 1944. In July 1944 the PC-1174 assisted in leading a troop ship convoy to Bizerte, Tunisia. During the next month the PC-1174 patrolled in the Mediterranean from Africa to Italy and France. During Operation Dragoon (August 15, 1944 to September 15, 1944) the PC-1174 assisted in leading troop landings on the shores between Nice, France, and Genoa, Italy. After Operation Dragoon, the PC-1174 resumed patrolling activities in the aforementioned areas. After V-E Day, the PC-1174 returned to the United States and was overhauled in anticipation of being sent to the Pacific to lend support to the ongoing war with Japan. Word that the war was over caught up with them as they prepared to go through the Panama Canal, so the PC-1174 returned to Miami and was put into service hauling targets for Air Force target practice through early 1946. When Leonard found out that the ship would be sent to the Yangtze River in China to patrol, he decided not to re-enlist. He was subsequently discharged and returned home to Lewiston, Idaho.

Ted Leonard, Mike’s youngest brother, volunteered for the Army during the Korean War. He had been getting deferments because he was the sole support for his mother, but he grew tired of having to fill out paperwork every six months and opted to “get it over with.” In June 1953, Leonard was sent to Camp Roberts, California, for his basic training and was still there when the Korean War ended in August 1951; instead of going for eight more weeks of advanced infantry training, Leonard was sent to Fort Ord for schooling as an articifer. Leonard was then stationed at Camp Chaffee (now Fort Chaffee), Arkansas, for several months, after which he applied for a transfer to Germany. His orders came down in April 1954, and he left for Hanau, Germany. There was no available troop ship at New York, so Leonard had to wait for three weeks for one to arrive. While waiting for a ship, Leonard was detailed to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where he was put on guard duty in charge of three soldiers who had gone AWOL (absent without leave). His orders were to shoot to kill if they tried to escape. If a prisoner escaped, Leonard was told that he would have to serve their sentence, whatever it might be. Luckily for Leonard, his prisoners did not try to run off, so he never knew if the Army was serious or not. After his ship came in, it took ten days to cross the Atlantic and they landed in Bremerhaven, Germany. From there, Leonard went by train to Hanau, Germany, and witnessed the lingering devastation of World War II bombing. Leonard enjoyed a few sightseeing trips on his time off. The soldiers could only travel within a certain radius of the base, so he didn’t get to do as much traveling as he would have liked. In February 1955, the Army sent down orders for an early out program for soldiers who had enlisted during the Korean War. Leonard applied and was granted permission to discharge early. In late April 1955, Leonard returned to the United States via a troop ship; it took fourteen days to cross the Atlantic. He then flew to Camp Carson, Colorado, where he was discharged. His mother met him at Colorado Springs where her niece lived and after a few days of sightseeing, they returned home to Lewiston, Idaho.

John Nock wanted to join the Army or Navy in 1970, but they would not take him since he had a student deferment and a dependent deferment. He had to volunteer as 1A. The Air Force was the only branch that would take him. Nock was sent to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for his basic training, and then Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, where he learned to be a jet engine mechanic. After his schooling was over, Nock was assigned to Fairchild Air Force Base at Spokane, Washington. Once he arrived there he volunteered to go to Vietnam; eight months later his orders came down, and he shipped out. On the way there, he was diverted to U-Tapao Air Force Base in Thailand where he stayed for a year. Nock did some sightseeing in Thailand and thought the people there were very friendly. He made friends with some of the local people and shared his food with them since they were poor. While at U-Tapao, Nock witnessed the planes taking off during Operation Linebacker, a B-52 bombing raid on Hanoi. In 1972, Nock was sent back to Fairchild, but after twenty-six days he received orders to go to Anderson Air Base in Guam where he stayed for six months. Returning to Fairchild again, his next duty assignment was to Elmendorf Air Force Base at Anchorage, Alaska, where he stayed for a couple of years. Nock went on frequent TDYs (temporary duties) to Sondrestrom Air Base in Greenland. [Not talked about in the interview was a change of station to Indiana from 1978 to 1982.] In 1982 Nock was stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. When Operation Desert Shield started, Nock volunteered with eleven other Mountain Home airmen to go to Saudi Arabia, but they were all diverted to Upper Heyford, England. Nock was able to do some sightseeing on his time off and enjoyed seeing the old cathedrals and castles. During the bombing runs against Iraq, Nock was in the command post at Upper Heyford. He noted the discrepancies between what went on and what was reported by CNN. A few months after his return from Desert Storm, Nock retired from the Air Force having spent over twenty-one years in the service.