Current data for Contributor

Smither, James (Interviewer)

Current data for Creator

Zylstra, David B.

Current data for Date

2015-06-24

Current data for Description

David Zylstra was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1924. In August 1943 he received his draft notice. He was processed at Fort Custer, Michigan and accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program. He received basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia and then went to Brooklyn College, New York for the ASTP engineering course. When the ASTP was cancelled he was sent to join the 75th Infantry Division on their maneuvres in Texas and Louisiana in spring 1944. He was assigned to M Company of the 291st Infantry Regiment and received heavy weapons training. The division left the United States in fall 1944 and arrived at Swansea, Wales on November 2, 1944. In December 1944 the 75th went to France and arrived at Le Havre on December 13, 1944. David saw action in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, in the Netherlands, and in the Ruhr Pocket during the advance into Germany in spring 1945. At the end of the war he was in Westphalia, Germany and Camp New York, France helping with the processing of GIs, German prisoners of war, and the Information and Education Office for the American Universities in England and France. He also attended the American University in Biarritz, France. He returned to the United States after nine months of occupation duty and got discharged on March 10, 1946 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.

Current data for Source

Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)