Russ Henderson was born in England, but he grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. At 99, Russ can still vividly recall his time serving in US Army during WWII. He was drafted in May 1941 and served five years, first as an enlisted soldier and then an officer. Although he was an electrical engineer, he was placed with a chemical warfare unit.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he was stationed in Georgia and later he was shipped to Australia and then New Guinea to set up defensive positions on the Island. Russ didn’t much combat, and as he admits, he didn’t do much to win the war.

This interview was recorded July 22, 2016 at Christ United Methodist Church, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Interviewer: Todd DePastino. Special Thanks: Russ Henderson, Christ United Methodist Church. A production of the Veteran Voices of Pittsburgh Oral History Initiative. Executive Producer: Kevin Farkas. Videography: Kevin Farkas. Editor: Jonathan Stile. ©VVoPOHI/VBC. All Rights Reserved.