Courtney, Otto, Tangipahoa and St. Helena Parish, Louisiana
Submitted to the USGenWeb Archives by Inez Bridges Tate, Sep. 1998
File prepared by D.N. Pardue.

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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.

     Otto Courtney was born in the Woodland Community in Tangi-

pahoa Parish.  He chuckled and said that the family did not move

but the parish line between Tangipahoa and St. Helena was changed

and they became residents of St. Helena Parish.  After graduating

from Woodland High School in 1934, he worked on the farm.

     Otto and Miss Lillian Turner were married in June 1938.

They are the parents of three sons.

     Otto was drafted on April 12, 194(3)? (he remembers it was the

day President Roosevelt died).  He reported to New Orleans along

with R.L. Kirby and others.  It seems they were taking groups of

nine and one of the nine would be inducted into the Marine Corp.

R.L. was put in the Marines and Otto was assigned to the Navy.

      He was sent to San Diego, California for basic training.

Here he saw Edwin Henry who was also in basic training.  Assigned

to the medical corp, he was sent across country by train to West

Palm Beach, Florida.  Displaying a keen sense of humor, he

likened the train to a cattle car and said it took seven days and

seven nights to make the trip.  Because Otto was in the medical

corp, he was sent to a big resort hotel which was the Naval

Hospital in this area.

     He remarked that special training was being conducted at

this base, preparing for the invasion of Japan.  He recalls see-

ing some of the men who were training as "frog men" and how very

strenuous this training was.  The trainees looked so exhausted

each day.  The dropping of the Atom Bomb hastened the end of the

War and rendered the services of these men as not necessary.

     With the end of the War, and as the father of three

children, Otto was discharged.  He traveled to the Naval Air

Station in New Orleans where he was discharged in October 1945.

     Returning to his home, he farmed for several years, then

worked as a carpenter.

     Now retired and in declining health, Otto and Lillian live

quietly and enjoy their sons, two grandchildren and three great-

grandchildren.  They are faithful members of Westview Baptist

Church.  A vegetable garden provides plenty of vegetables for

the family.  Of interest is the fact that Otto and his three

sons all graduated from Woodland High School and all have served

in the military.

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