Minuteman Minute | Dentists at War

Guardsmen from all backgrounds served during World War II. Maj. Allan Richard Pohto served in the 31st Division and made amphibious landings as a dental surgeon.

Hi, I’m Will Roulett, director of the National Guard Memorial Museum here in D.C., and this is your Minuteman Minute! During World War II, men from every background were called to serve in National Guard Divisions. This uniform was worn by Maj. Allan Richard Pohto. Pohto was a dental student at Ohio State University when the war began. During the war, he served as the Regimental Dental Surgeon of the 31st Infantry Division’s 155th Infantry Regiment. The 31st mobilized in November 1940 and participated in exercises in Louisiana and the Carolinas before the United States entered World War II. Following years of training, the 31st arrived in New Guinea in April 1944. Pohto participated in five amphibious landings, including at Morotai and Mindanao, part of the liberation of the Philippine Islands from the Japanese. Like all Guardsmen, he was asked to do more than what his job as Regimental Dental Surgeon entailed, and he rose to the occasion. Come see this – and a whole lot more – at the National Guard Memorial Museum. I’m Will Roulett, and that’s been your Minuteman Minute, brought to you by the National Guard Educational Foundation.