The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with William G. Mehling. Mehling was born in Alexandria, Indiana on 1 October 1924. In April 1943, he was drafted into the Army. Following basic training at Camp Roberts, California, he was sent to the Army Specialized Training Program at Stanford University, then to Indiana University for a nine month course in engineering. In May 1944 he was sent to Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky for refresher basic training, then to Fort Campbell for combat engineer training. In November 1944 Mehling sailed for Marseilles, France as a member of the 1271st Combat Engineers, attached to the 7th Army, 75th Infantry Division. After a brief stay in Marseilles, the unit went to a small town in Alsace-Lorraine. By April 1945 they were near the front laying mine fields, clearing German mine fields, and building Bailey bridges. The 1271st followed the 75th south to Austria and almost to the Italian border. After the German surrender in May, they went to Antwerp, Belgium in preparation for transfer to the Pacific. Before that could happen, the war ended. Mehling returned to the US in December 1945 and was discharged on 3 January 1946.