WWII Army Soldier Bill Ridenour on Battling the Entrenched Japanese on Leyte

Dewain “Bill” Ridenour was drafted into the Army in 1943. After spending some time guarding the California coastline from enemy threats, Bill completed advanced infantry combat training and found himself on a ship heading for the Pacific.
In 1944 Bill would find himself in a Higgins boat heading toward the island of Leyte and a well entrenched Japanese enemy. His experience with combat and trying to rout out the Japanese defenders of the island would stay with Bill all his life.
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[@kola7039]

As a 23 year old, I really appreciate these videos & their importance. Wish more people listened to these heroes’ stories

[@apumasterp]

Good job as a 23 year old to realize the meaning of what these men went through to fight for our freedom which is now being pissed on in this day and age!

[@billd.iniowa2263]

It warms my heart to know that at least some of you younger folks are paying attention to the lessons of our elder servicemen. Keep shining on. The world needs your light. And enlightenment.

[@1492tomato]

Thank God for you! We now live in a culture that reviles these great men. Thank you!

[@johnganshow5536]

Now we are battling the entrenched globalist NWO, great reset, communists...

[@burtthebeast4239]

💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@graffics7665]

I read on Facebook Dewain celebrated his 98th birthday 4 days ago. Happy belated Birthday! You are a true inspiration ❤

[@randykelso4079]

Second that motion!

[@MrSocko-vn7fw]

Third... Motion passed

[@Rambonii]

Man his son must've been push in his 70s

[@jackyandell2489]

Dear Sir, my Dad served with the 6th Army and invaded Leyte on 20 Oct, 1944. You might have been near him. He was a squad leader. God Bless Sir..

[@robertoferrari5397]

..when you think that you're having a bad day.....remember these guys.

[@kevinbarry4325]

Wow,this man talks and recollects his memories like he is 40 yrs old. Great genes, balls of steel too!! God bless you sir!

[@brendanoreilly6917]

The definition of a genuine and humble man. And a hero.

[@DRFelGood]

Thank you for sharing your story, I’m also grateful for your service, sacrifice and courage for freedom 🇺🇸

[@keithmelton4570]

“So good to be home.” Happy Birthday Bill. So glad you made it.

[@Cutter-jx3xj]

My great uncle was captured by the Japanese at Bataan and survived the death March. He was was working as slave labor in a Japanese coal mine just outside of Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped. The guards were told to execute everyone but they were abandoned instead

[@BelloBudo007]

I didn't know about the guards disobeying orders to execute POW's in Hiroshima. That is an interesting fact. Thank you.

[@rickmay6262]

God bless you Bill and thank you for your service 🙏

[@Buck1954]

I'm happy to hear this man because Mom was the Triage officer on the Leyte beach head. She made the horrible decisions of who could go to the hospital ship and who would die there. I don't hear many interviews about this battle. I don't hear anything about the medical corp.

[@bradr1913]

Bless her. She is a real American hero.

[@benmiz9742]

What a beautiful and humble man. An absolute living legend. I bet if you asked him what you could see, smell, and hear the moment you saw your son for the first time he would remember it. The way he closed his eyes, and that little smile, for him he could remember it like yesterday. Just incredible how sharp he is for a 98 year old……..what a treasure. I could listen to his stories for hours!

[@graffics7665]

I often think of the hardships that these heros went through fighting for us in WWII. This man hit the nail on the head when he said, "you can't imagine what it was like". Because we couldn't imagine. Since I've had an interest in WWII history, whenever times are tough I think what these men had to endure in combat. I think of our troops in prison camps in Germany or even worse, Japan. Having to pick seeds out of horse manure because they were so hungry. Being tortured. Many didn't make it home. Ladies & Gentlemen, they did this for US. The future generations of the U.S.A. & their allies. We can never forget. We should thank them by living our best lives & being kind to one another. I think maybe they would want that.

[@randykelso4079]

Peace through strength. Weakness always invites defeat and subsequent slavery to a totalitarian state... wait, where are we now?

[@robertarnold1687]

@@randykelso4079 we got the most expensive rockin sockem kick ass military in the world with a good leader who’s not a hot head and can look at 1,000.00s of military graves and ask the insane question,….(what was in it for them),….we’re in good shape my friend

[@randykelso4079]

@@robertarnold1687 Serious or sarcasm?

[@kevinbarry4325]

Ken Burns Documentary called (The War) is something that should be mandatory in schools in America to be viewed by students. Nothing describes the horror those men faced better than that 7 hr mini series real footage documentary. Men in daily life and death struggles,writing home to families that all is good,quiet,not to worry The families at home. Courageous and selfless.

[@graffics7665]

@@kevinbarry4325 I haven't seen that but I'll definitely be watching it soon. I do agree that schools today don't teach as much twentieth century war history of what the greatest generation went through to learn how much they should be appreciated. I take matters into my own hands to tell my children as much as I can about it.

[@dkcorderoyximenez3382]

An extremely gracious and honorable man...

[@jeffsmith2022]

Thank you and God Bless you sir...

[@billd.iniowa2263]

Thank you, my fellow Iowan, for your service. Yes it's true that 10 year old Japanese boys were trained in the use of satchel charges and how to dive under U.S. tanks to blow them up. I've also seen film of officers training teenage girls in the use of spears. I am so glad you all were spared that invasion. I pray your dreams would be all happy ones.

[@kentfarmer3149]

Thank you Sir 🇺🇸

[@elkabong6429]

Amazing that he is as sharp as he is at his age! Bless him and his family. My Pops was in the US Army of Occupation in Germany from 1945-47. He’s planning on riding on a float in the Veteran’s Day Parade in New York City (Manhattan) this November at the sprightly age of 94!

[@MrArtmundus]

I work in a hotel named "Mindoro". About 15 years ago I meet veteran of 24th Infantry Division at work. Older gentleman was on his holidays with his family in Europe. I was attending whole family as a Front Office and suddenly, he asked me: "Where's the name of the hotel came from?" I told him: "I don't know what's story is there, but I know there is an island in Philippines with such name. He told me: I know, I was there fighting against Japanese soldiers back in 1944/45. I briefly spoke to him about Leyte, McArthur, Halsey etc. and he was kindly surprised that some European young men know piece of American history (I was 23 back then). I had lunch with him, while his family was visiting the city (as 82 old men he was kind tired of traveling that much) because basically they left him at the hotel. He shared bunch of stories about campaign he has been passed through. Still remember that conversation like it was yesterday.

[@mgmcd1]

My uncle was a Marine on his way to the mainland when the bomb was dropped and the war ended. Not knowing anything about nuclear weapons, they called it “the beautiful bomb.” Different times.

[@JoelMMcKinney]

🇺🇸 🗽 AMERICA! 🗽 🇺🇸

[@michaelmichaelc1748]

What a courageous humble man. If it wasn't for such courage and endurance of the people of that generation where would the world be now. God bless them.

[@clock750]

This is why we call them the greatest generation. God , Family, Country...

[@justlookingaround]

My grandfather served in the pacific in the army 182nd Americal. Everyone gives credit to the marines but the army infantry Americal division received special training right before this battle in 45 . real specialist given extra training to be extremely lethal in combat. They had the lowest number of casualties of any division that was comparable including Marines they literally fought alongside. This man is literally saying everything my grandfather said including being in Yokohama and cebu airfield and the battle in the mountains . And the clearing of the Japanese from the caves. Absolutely amazing hearing almost identical words. My grandfather was one of the 8 thousand men who got sick during the battle. Anyone want to guess what made them sick? It was the vaccine they were forced to get before the battle. It was contaminated. My grandfather didn’t recover until the war was over and was sent with the occupying force to Japan.

[@johndilday1846]

God bless you, Bill, and thanks for your service. I hope you only have happy dreams from here on out. You only did what you had to do to protect yourself and your buddies, and did the best you could. It’s because of you and your generation that we enjoy the prosperity and life that we have today.

[@patrickporter6536]

I take my hat off and bow in respect to the Americans who fought the Japanese. The bravest of the brave!

[@marcmcfarland1153]

I absolutely love that he stated that if it wasn't for women willing to go to work we wouldn't have won the war

[@joshhuizinga8464]

The memory of all these old soldiers is unbelievable. Thank you for your service and sacrifice

[@restless_dreams]

"I didn't know how to swim, so I joined the Army." Ha, that's part of the reason I want to enlist in the Army. Just don't have the means of going to learn right now.

[@dominic6634]

Recommend learning how to swim its not hard

[@randykelso4079]

When I joined the Navy in 1962 I was amazed at the number of boys who had also joined the Navy but didn't know how to swim. I had grown up enjoying water sports and had no trouble with the water survival training, but those poor souls had to spend any free time in boot camp (in the evenings) taking swimming lessons while the rest of us wrote letters home, did our hand-scrubbed laundry or polished our boots and cleaned our rifles. Everybody had to know how to swim. My point: if you want to serve in the Navy but don't know how to swim, you will be trained to do so.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

Loudon Wainwright III has good tips in his Swimming Song. I know, I have been swimming in the ocean before I can remember. You can practice in the bathtub, I kid you not. Breathe in, you float, breathe out, you sink. You move your arms to move, a bit like a rowboat or canoe. Practice where you can stand up. You just gotta remember that you can't breathe in under water.

[@joshsimpson8143]

Army makes you swim

[@unitedwestand5100]

I wish they had recorded these guys stories before they got this old. He says the guy got shot coming off the Higgins boat was carrying a 40mm MG? Does anyone know how big a 40mm round is besides me? (Picture an M203 tube mounted below an M16. That's 40mm.)

[@willbesquared6260]

Thank you for your service.. what an amazing man!

[@giangarcia691]

Thank You for liberating my country 🤘

[@michaelhussein870]

Thank you for your service, Sir. You are a hero. Bless you.

[@ottoso7044]

Nice a new veteran video! Thank you sir for your services 💯

[@jamesflanaganproudamerican109]

It's very important that we capture these perspectives and history.

[@johnaugsbury1638]

Bill Ridenour shows his humanity in this video.

[@Achedda]

I had a grandfather in the 7th infantry division that fought in the aleutians. His name was Alfred Vincenti he was about 33 when he entered the war.

[@StephanMoreno-i8h]

As a 22 year old, this right here is just pure gold to me my grandpa was there and I have found no veterans videos of anything of the Philippines talking about it, this is the first video I'm watching that someone was there and talking about it, its a absolute shame no one talks about this battle it was just as bad as every other major battle in the pacific and no one knows about it or even heard about it, The biggest goal of the pacific was mostly the Philippines but yet we talk about the marines in peleliu, Iwo Jima, Okinawa. Not hating on them I just wish we start focusing more on the Philippines.

[@genefrederickson8976]

That's one hairy elbowed old Coast Artilleryman! But if you can pick up a 40mm gun and run up the beach...

[@janew2108]

Thank you for these videos.

[@paulredinger420]

40mm is a cannon not a machine gun. Does he have the caliber wrong? 20mm and larger are cannons. 50 caliber and under are machine guns. I wonder if he means a BAR?

[@burtthebeast4239]

Thank you Sir, God bless you ALL 🙏.

[@teddygunzbarno2102]

I tried to look bill up to see if he's still alive had no luck anyone else know?

[@diannelogsdon6107]

I read he was still alive just 4 days ago.

[@miltonalbright1606]

Dewain my name is Milton dewain Albright I am 76 years old you are the first person that spelled dewain same as me

[@micheleskeggs2173]

Thank you sir. My Dad was on Leyte ...never would talk to us about it.

[@jimburnsjr.]

what a great man and video... thank you for everything

[@jmaune1419]

Been waiting for a Philippines veteran!

[@seamusmcbride2832]

"40 millimeter machine gun?"

[@noelwhittington6457]

To hear the honest truth about how the men felt during and after is incredibly humbling. Glad he was fortunate to return home to his young family. Thank you for this channel and the effort to keep these experiences real and the stories ongoing for those that sacrificed. 🇺🇲

[@paulprigge1209]

Does Emma realize that that son that was born in 1945 would’ve been a Vietnam era veteranAnd the following generation Gulf war.

[@tomortman4850]

Belated Happy Birthday. Thank you for your service.

[@rmatthews8161]

Man, he carried a 40mm gun onto the beach? Impressive…

[@larrym1448]

Thank you Sir, I'm glad you got to live a long life.

[@jamesramsey7159]

A real American with faith in God and country.

[@stevendennis2129]

A true American

[@vppnbrent]

God Bless you Bill.

[@myworldwar2library104]

Did he say he was part of the Americal Division?

[@johndilday1846]

Yes he did.

[@myworldwar2library104]

@@johndilday1846 I collect signatures from WWII veterans. Does anyone that commented on this video know how to get in touch with him or a member of his family?

[@deadhorse1391]

“40 mm” machine gun?!… OK 😃

[@q-man762]

Yeah, the rest of his memory is pretty darn good though! 40 mm that's bigger than the A10 cannon, those boys were really tough 😉

[@sm70911]

All the tough old boys always say the same thing about going to war "It was my job". Young ppl today think they are so smart with all their tech, protein shakes, wellness, mindfulness, mental health tech bullshit - the reality is they have zero clue.

[@Mendo707mx]

What a legend!