"There was little use for a dentist on the battlefield." (Video Interview, 21:16)

William J. Dolan

William Dolan, 2003 War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Navy Unit: Dental Corps, Company C, Medical Battalion, 5th Amphibious Corp Service Location: Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands); Iwo Jima; Japan; Pacific Theater Rank: Lieutenant Place of Birth: Indianola, NE

No armed services can exist without dentists, but they’re usually assigned to duty stations well removed from the action. When the Marines recruited Naval Reserve officer William Dolan, they didn’t intend for him to stay behind as they fought the Japanese on Saipan and Iwo Jima. Dolan went ashore, after getting a quick tutorial in administering anesthetic and treating patients for shock. He never lacked for work. His video interview includes 15 minutes of home movies shot on Iwo Jima by a fellow physician, John Libby, including footage of Dolan.