“And then they gave me orders to report back to headquarters for desk duty for a year, and I tore those up; and within three weeks I was in Italy, just below Naples after we’d landed.” (Video Interview, 13:54)

Ward B. Chamberlin, Jr.

Ward Chamberlin, 2002 War: World War, 1939-1945 Status: Civilian Place of Birth: NY

In 1940, Ward Chamberlin was studying at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton. By late 1941, real-world international affairs had completely overtaken his formal education. On the recommendation of a professor, he joined the American Field Service as an ambulance driver, eventually working his way up into positions of greater responsibility. Witnessing such events as the bombing of Cassino in the winter of 1943, where a good friend was killed right in front of him, Chamberlin’s experiences would shape his future life in an unexpected way: he would serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the AFS for many years, eventually becoming its Chairman.