McMillan, Fernie Edward, St. Helena Parish, La.
File prepared by D.N. Pardue and submitted by Inez Bridges Tate.
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From "St. Helena Vets Remember World War II: Personal Interviews
With World War II Vets", published by St. Helena Historical
Association, 1995.  Compiled and edited by Inez Bridges Tate and
reprinted with permission.

     Fernie Edward McMillan (Edward) was born in Kentwood.  The
family lived in New Orleans from about 1931 - 1939 at which time
they moved back to Kentwood.  They also lived in the New Zion
Community several years.

     Edward dropped out of school and joined the Merchant Marines
when he was 16 years old (he couldn't get in any other branch of
service that young, he said).  He made a trip to North Africa and
the mid-East.

     He left the Merchant Marines and joined the Marine Corps on
April 7, 1944.  Basic training was at San Diego Marine Corps BAse
for twelve weeks.  He attended school to train in cooking and
baking.  He chuckled and said he never worked as a cook but was
sent to demolition school after he went overseas.

    Edward shipped out in October or November 1944, going first
to an island off the coast of Guadalcanal.  He served with the
First Marine Corps and they landed on Okinawa April 1, 1945 --
(Easter Sunday and April Fools Day, he said).  He was with the
demolition engineers whose responsiblity it was to dispose of
booby traps, etc.  He received the Good Conduct Medal and there
was a Presidential Citation to the First Marine Division.

     While stationed in San Diego, Edward said, that out of the
thousands of sailors he saw Murphy Bridges.  H also saw his dad,
(Fernie B. McMillan), Willard Bridges and John Allen Hughes.
Strangely, although he and his dad were both on Okinawa, they did
not meet there.  His dad went in on Purple Beach and Edward on
Yellow Beach.  Edward did some boxing in San Diego.  He also
entered a Jitterbug Contest at the "Ratliff", a night club in
San Diego and won first place for which he received a $25.00 War
Bond as a prize.

     Edward shared a clipping from the Kentwood Commercial dated
July 20, 1945 that his mother had kept for him:

     "By S/Sgt. A.D. Hawkins, a Marine Corps Combat Correspondant:
Okinawa (delayed) - The war has swept along by the number for
Marine Private First Class Fernie E. McMillan, 19, son of Mrs.
Eula McMillan, of Box 184, Kentwood.

     McMillan joined the Merchant Marines when he was 16 years
old.  He was a veteran of both the North African and Sicily
campaigns at 17.  While still 17 he enlisted in the Marine Corps.
By the time he reached the age of eighteen, he had qualified as
an expert rifleman, and was enroute to Okinawa.

     Now an 'old salt' at 19, the Kentwood youth is with the
First Marine Division.  He helped build a culvert and two
bridges under enemy artillery fire and blasted six Jap caves
south of Shuri.

     Here he just missed his father, Naval Seaman First Class
Fernie McMillan, 38, of the Kentwood address, who landed L-Day
with a Naval beach part."

     Edward was discharged June 19, 1946 at San Diego.  Since
then he has done construction work.  Edward has three children
and six grandchildren. Retired now, he makes his home in Baton
Rouge near his son.

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