WWII veteran recalls experiences as a medic

By Stephen Jones
sjones@casscountynow.com

Robert Surratt of Linden was almost 19 years old when he and 10 million other Americans were called on to serve in World War II. Surratt served as an Army medic in Company B, after receiving more than three years of training.
Once training was complete, his company was shipped off to fight in the Pacific Theater. “They never told us where we were going,” Surratt said, “they didn’t want any distractions.”
His company spent a large amount of time in the Philippines, where they were treated as heroes. “When we got there, the people were very nice to us,” Surratt said, “and the Filipino soldiers were great to work with.” The people of the Philippines had a lot to be thankful for, especially after they were liberated from Japanese rule by Allied forces.
When Surratt was first deployed, he believed he was not going to make it home. 
“We fought every battle thinking it was going to be our last,” Surratt said, but that changed when he lost his pal, Otis Grimsey. “After he was killed, I told myself, ‘I’m going to make it home,’” said Surratt.
Not only did American soldiers have to fight Japanese soldiers, they also had to weather exhausting environmental conditions. From the unbearably humid climate to the swarms of mosquitoes, these soldiers were truly pushed to the limit.
“The mosquitoes were terrible,” Surratt said, “my entire right arm was completely swollen.”
These conditions plagued Surratt from the Philippines to New Guinea, but his biggest challenge came in May of 1944: The Battle of Lone Tree Hill. 
“We were actually set to go on leave just a few days later,” said Surratt, “but they canceled it after they moved up the attack.”
 Lone Tree Hill was located in Dutch New Guinea, and the Japanese had densely occupied the area, preventing any further American advancement on the island. 
Even though the Japanese infantry was fairly isolated from friendly territory, they were able to hold station in heavily fortified caves. 
“They were held up in caves,” Surratt said, “they even had hospitals built inside them.”
By the time the battle was over, the U.S. Army had taken Lone Tree Hill but suffered 400 casualties, 1,500 wounded and 15 missing. However, the battle took a greater toll on the Japanese, who lost over 3,800 men and 50 of their soldiers had been captured. 
Once Surratt was finally discharged, he had lost hearing in both of his ears from a shelling blast. He traveled by land and sea to get home. After arriving in San Antonio, it was all up to him on how to get home. “They gave me twenty dollars to get from San Antonio to Linden.” Surratt said. 
Luckily for him and many other returning soldiers, there were several people more than willing to drive them home free of charge. “You just can’t find that nowadays,” Surratt said, “I just wish I could remember their names.”
Even though many years have passed, Surratt has no trouble remembering how he surprised his mother. “It was about 5 a.m. when I got home, and my mother was making breakfast at the time,” Surratt said, “I actually beat the letter I had last written to her. You want to talk about celebrations; that was a great one.”
Once he returned home, he found a job delivering vehicles for General Motors, where he would eventually retire after 33 years. Veterans were treated a lot differently during that time, for Veteran’s Day was not as big as it is now. “It was just like another job,” Surratt said.