World War II Photos:
John Charles Pope – Stateside

John Pope was in his fourth day at Parris Island when he got into his first fight, a preemptive strike against a much bigger man who had it in for his buddy Jim. He learned two swift lessons: “you don’t get in trouble in the Marines for fighting” and, more importantly, to stick by your friends.

Although his “Georgia Platoon” was comprised half of Atlanta boys and “Yankees” – natural enemies – Pope quickly discovered the beginnings of the “special comradeship known to exist only among fighting men in the combat situations that lay in our future.” The buddies he made in training would be the ones he would fight, suffer, and kill for in the years that followed.

The war would wait for John and Jim, just like it would for Shuffler and Mike, for Pic and Tony, for Blackie and Pinkie and Chuck and Bernie and Charlie and Captain Webster and Lieutenant Carbeau. First they had to make it from Parris Island and New River to Camp Pendleton – and then overseas.