Earl enlisted in the Army of the United States at Fort Sheridan, IL on Mar 29, 1943. After three months of Basic Infantry Training he was sent to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for Drivers and Communications School. He was classified as a Lineman 641. On 21 Oct 1943 he was shipped to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater to the 37th Infantry Division on Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands and assigned to headquarters 3rd Battalion 148 Infantry Regiment. On Nov 6, 1943 he embarked on the Naval Transport, APA USS Fuller for the battle of Bougainville, British Solomon Islands. They landed on the beaches of Cape Torokina on Nov 8, 1943. The same day they were exposed to a Japanese air raid of fighters and bombers that attacked and dropped several bombs on the USS Fuller. The 37th Div fought several major battles after the Marines left to protect the airfields from Japanese attacks. The Battle for Hill 700 in Mar 1944 ended their attempt to retake the airfields. Earl and his cousin, George Green (a Marine) both served on Guadalcanal and Bougainville at the same time, though they didn't know that until after the war. Earl's duties, for this battle and those in the Philippines was to provide the laying of telephone lines between companies in the regiment. From gun, mortar and observers' positions to Headquarters, and maintaining repair on communications. He hooked up army telephones and installed wire into switchboards, operating twelve whole switchboards. On 16 Dec 1944 the 37th Division left Bougainville for the assault on Lingayen Gulf, Philippines. Earl landed on 9 Jan 1945 and participated in the battles of the Philippines where he was wounded and received the Purple Heart. He received the following awards: Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star with 'V' device, Purple Heart, American Theater Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Ribbon with 2 Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Medal, WWII Victory Medal, and the Philippines Liberation Ribbon with 1 Bronze Star.