Vern served in Pearl Harbor and then later in the Philippines for the remainder of the war. Vern was a Seabee and built roads into jungles and repaired airstrips. He said that he had the opportunity to operate every kind of vehicle but a tank.

Vern recalled a humorous moment when he and his buddies were so hot due to the jungle climate that they stripped their clothes off and danced around under a fountain. The local, women “natives” watched and giggled.