Sidney Sandler

Sidney Sandler was born in September 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, where he majored in chemistry. Sandler remembered being at school when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

In June 1942, Sandler graduated from college, and got his first job as a chemist in Washington, DC. He was initially selected to open a laboratory in Rio de Janeiro to check the quality of quartz, but instead was sent to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where he worked as a civilian with the Signal Corps until he was drafted in July 1944. His brother was also drafted, assigned to the field artillery, and served in the Italian campaign.

Sandler went to Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania for basic training. After that, he was sent to Camp Barkeley, Texas, where he received infantry training, basic medical training, and was assigned the rank of medical technician. Sandler’s medical battalion was the first to get infantry training. Medics wore armbands with a red cross, and he was only issued a weapon when he had guard duty.

After his training, Sandler was assigned to the Army School of Malariology in Panama, where his first assignment was in the chemistry department testing water to make sure it was safe to drink. He also tested the blood alcohol levels of officers on court martial trial for various offenses. Sandler was assigned to test DDT insecticide on animals to see if it was safe for humans. His last assignment in Panama was with the serology department.

Sandler was reassigned to the Antilles Department Medical Lab in Puerto Rico, where he found the people he met there to be some of the nicest he had ever met. He was stationed from 1944 to 1946 in Puerto Rico at Fort Brooke, located in Fort San Felipe del Morro, a Spanish colonial fort.

When Victory over Japan Day arrived, Sandler remembered that there was a lot of rejoicing. After getting discharged, he could not wait to go home. Sandler was offered different jobs with the military, but turned them all down because he wanted to go home. He had no trouble getting back to civilian life, but his brother had a tough time getting into a school. Sandler went back to his job at Fort Monmouth and stayed there until he retired. 

Sandler enjoyed his years in the Army, had no complaints and was grateful that he did not see combat. For his service, he received the Good Conduct Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, and the American Campaign Medal. His message to today’s youth was to show respect, have discipline, and always have a proper attitude.

Sidney Sandler passed away at age 90 on August 29, 2011.