WWII veteran: Memorial 'for generations to come to see'
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A day before the dedication of the National World War II Memorial, and almost 60 years after the end of the war, CNN's Paula Zahn spoke with three American WWII veterans about what this tribute to their service means.
John Marr was in the Army and parachuted into Normandy on D-Day. Willard Smith fought on the ground with the Army in the Philippines. And Kenneth Chapek was in the Air Corps and flew 50 missions over Europe.
ZAHN: It's an honor to have all three of you with us this evening.
John, what does it mean to you to have this monument dedicated this weekend?
MARR: Well, I think it's very, very historic.
And I look at the monument in a thematic way. That is to say, the Washington Monument, which is emblematic of the Revolutionary generation, and the Lincoln Memorial, which is emblematic of the Civil War generation. And now right in the center is the World War II Memorial of the largest conflict that we had, and I think it is a grouping that is absolutely ideal.
ZAHN: But, Willard, it was a long time in coming. And it must be bittersweet for all of you to think about the symbolism of what it represents.
SMITH: Well, it's been a long time, but we like the feeling that we're humbled by it, I suppose you could say, because we just went off -- we got drafted and we went off to the service. You know, it didn't make any difference.
 |  WWII vet John Marr |
ZAHN: You were a part of the greatest generation, a generation that didn't like to talk about this tremendous patriotism you have.
SMITH: It's kind of embarrassing. Right. Right.
ZAHN: Why is it embarrassing to all of you?
SMITH: I don't know.
ZAHN: Why does it make it uneasy for you to reflect?
|  WWII vet Kenneth Chapek |
SMITH: I think it's just because we knew we had to go fight, and we knew that we were doing it to save the country. We didn't -- we wanted to remain what we were. We didn't want to be overrun by two different countries. And so we just went, you know.
ZAHN: Kenneth, what does tomorrow mean to you?
CHAPEK: Well, it's -- it was a long time coming. You know, the Korea and Vietnam were memorialized before World War II. I don't know why it took so long. But I think it's more for -- not for us, but for generations to come to see. I hope they get some idea of what we went through.
ZAHN: What do you want it to represent to the future generations of Americans?
CHAPEK: Well, I'm not sure. I think maybe if they can study World War II more in the schools, so they know what we went through, I think that would help a lot.
ZAHN: I'm sure it will help everyone gain a greater appreciation of what you all endured.
I've spoken with a number of veterans today who talked about the pride they feel to have their hard service represented there, but also just the sadness, thinking about -- back to all the loss that you witnessed.
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 I like to look at it as a beacon for all that we stand for. 
-- WWII veteran John Marr
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Is that something going through your mind, John?
MARR: Well, with reference to the memorial...
ZAHN: The memorial and your service.
MARR: Yes.
I think the memorial is -- I like to look at it as a beacon for all that we stand for around the world, that everybody can look at, not just Americans, but everybody else, that it was -- when you look at it that way, the sacrifice was certainly justified.
ZAHN: Willard -- as humbled as you are by this great honor, you have to think back to some of those dark days that you witnessed.
SMITH: Well, you know, I think we have a tendency to overlook the darker part of the days, and we see some of the other stories that we remember, and we've been swapping stories all day long and talking to people.
I think that we just feel that we can live with what we have and not -- you know, not get all upset about it. It just -- it occurred. It occurred to us. And we were there, and we went off and fought, and we came home. I don't think we even thought about having a memorial built. I certainly didn't.
MARR: No, not at that time.
ZAHN: And you have a very interesting story about how your life was saved. Who has the candy story here? It was Willard's story. You ended up eating a piece of candy that made you very, very sick.
SMITH: Yes.
And when I got back to my outfit -- well, a fellow had told me to jump on a truck, and we went off on a duty and we wound up at the front when I was in the artillery, and the artillery was usually not at the front. So, at the front, we took a lot -- did a lot of work. And then I ate this candy that this Filipino boy gave me. And they said don't eat anything, and I ate it because I was really hungry.
And it was midnight. And by morning, I got really sick and went to an aid station. And they sent me to a general hospital. And they put me on a boat and sent me to New Guinea. And I left my whole buddies behind in my outfit. And while I was down there, I did point-system work. And I got out of the Army and got back in Madison, Wisconsin, walked down the street.
And I met some fellow on the street, and he said, are you Bill Smith? And I said, yes. And he said, well, you can't be. You're dead. And I said, no, I'm standing right here. And he said, no, you're dead. He said, we divvied up all your belongings. And it turned out that the night of the morning that I got sick and left the outfit, the Japanese had overrun and killed just about everybody. And so...
ZAHN: Best piece of candy you've ever eaten, wasn't it?
SMITH: Best piece. And I've been eating candy ever since.
ZAHN: And I don't blame you for that.
SMITH: Trying to stay alive.
ZAHN: John, Willard and Kenneth, thank you for sharing your stories with us. And we salute the tremendous service you gave our nation.
