William Russell was nearly 18 years old in 1943 when he tried to join the Marines at a recruitment office in Louisville, KY. After being told the quota was met the day he tried to enlist, he was sent to a Navy recruiter. He took the physical exams and when accepted was told he'd be serving with the Seabees. 'Rusty', as his wife Catherine calls him, opens the story with a description of the Seabees and his experience in the South Pacific as we continue our focus on World War II-era stories.