Elizabeth Township veteran humbled by support

By CHRISTINE HAINES

chaines@yourmvi.com

In 1942, Robert Callahan graduated from high school, got his first adult job, got married and was drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps.

“It was really a traumatic experience. I tried to handle it the best I could. I tried not to let it bother me. You don’t forget,” said Callahan, now 95 years old and living in Elizabeth Township. 

Callahan said he didn’t pick the Marine Corps; it selected him.

“When we went to the recruiting station they picked four of us to go into the Marines. The rest went to the Navy or the Army,” Callahan said. 

For years, he didn’t talk about his war experiences as a U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant in the Pacific theater. He didn’t tell his employer he was a veteran, didn’t get involved with veterans organizations and didn’t talk about it with anybody.

“I don’t talk about it. If you weren’t there, you wouldn’t understand,” he said.

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