Stelter, LeeRoy (Interview transcript and video), 2017
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States—History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
LeeRoy Stelter was born April 7th, 1948 in Coloma, Michigan where he grew up and stayed until transferring his senior year from Coloma High School to St. Joseph High School. He graduated in 1966 and immediately went to work in a factory making record players. Stelter enlisted in the military after his cousin suggested it might help his career, taking an interest in the potential for a background in electronics as a microwave radio repairman. He started basic training in 1967 in Fort Knox, Kentucky and says he had no trouble adjusting to the army because his parents raised him to do as he was told. Two months later Stelter was flown to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey to begin his training as a microwave radio repairman learning basic electronics, how to operate gear, and solid state equipment. In 1968, Stelter recalled watching other groups perform drills preparing them for evacuations and riots in the wake of several political events. Stelter finished training at Fort Monmouth in May. He was deployed to Vietnam after a 30 day leave, assigned to the 327th Signal Company in Long Binh. After several months he was then reassigned to Vinh Long to replace a soldier who was lost in a mortar attack. Vinh Long was part of a radio relay set up by the signal company between Dong Tam and Can Tho, and Stelter recalled that it “was under attack every night…it was like the 4th of July, the whole place was incoming rounds, outgoing mortar fire” for three or four months, gradually deescalating. Stelter stayed at Vinh Long until June 1969 after which he took a 30 day leave before returning to Vietnam for a second time and being assigned to Can Tho. In all 8 months of his second term, he never heard any mortars or incoming rounds and was free to come and go from the village. In April 1970, Stelter returned home from Vietnam on a commercial flight and went back to work at the same factory he had as a teenager, making record players. In 1972, he married his wife who he said helped him return to some degree of normalcy. He attended Lake Michigan College before transferring to Western Michigan University and obtaining a degree in Industrial Engineering, after which he worked in manufacturing for the next 35 years.
Stelter, LeeRoy
Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401.
Stark, Charles (Interview transcript and video), 2018
Korean War, 1950-1953—Personal narratives, American
Chuck Stark was born in 1948 in Muskegon, Michigan. He graduated from Muskegon Senior High School in 1966. He joined the Army in April 1968 and completed his basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Chuck remained at Fort Knox for his advanced individual training, which was focused on reconnaissance. He then attended the Non-Commissioned Officers’ Academy at Fort Knox as well. Chuck was sent to Vietnam in 1969 and was assigned to the D Troop, 17th Cavalry Regiment. While in Vietnam, he was involved in various skirmishes and reconnaissance missions. On June 23rd, 1969, Chuck sustained several injuries when the vehicle that he was riding in was ambushed and blown apart. Due to his injuries, he was sent from Vietnam to Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Illinois to recuperate. Once he recovered sufficiently, he was assigned to a training unit at Fort Knox to finish out his time in the military. He left the Army in January 1970. Chuck is currently actively involved with a reformative program that is designed to help people in the prison system.
Stark, Chuck
Spyke, Wesley (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Vietnam War, 1961-1975—Personal narratives, American
Wesley Spyke was born in 1948 in Muskegon, Michigan. He graduated from high school in 1966. He enlisted in the Navy Reserve in April of 1968. Wesley completed bootcamp at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. He became a gunner’s mate in the Navy. He received additional gunnery training in Coronado, California. Wesley did small arms training at Camp Pendleton, California. He received orders to Vietnam in July of 1969. He was initially stationed at Dong Ha, Vietnam. Wesley did river security on riverboats for about 5 months. He then was moved to a base at Cua Viet, Vietnam, where he continued to do river patrols and aided in extractions and insertions of Special Forces personnel at various points along the riverways. While in Vietnam, Wesley was involved in various skirmishes. He returned from Vietnam in July of 1970. He is now actively involved in ministry. Wesley and his wife currently work with the Veterans Treatment Court of Muskegon County.
Spyke, Wesley
Slager, Kenneth (Interview transcript and video), 2015
Kenneth Slager was born on June 11, 1925 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where his father worked for Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company. Slager was the oldest of four children in his deeply religious family, attended Kalamazoo Christian High School, and worked for his uncle’s celery field during his early teenage years. He received a draft notice in the summer of 1943 and opted to volunteer for the Marine Corps. He underwent Basic Training in San Diego and spent two months in Marine Boot Camp before graduating onto two months of Advanced Infantry Training. He was then shipped to New Caledonia and then Guadalcanal aboard the USS President Tyler, without escort, in a Replacement Battalion. Slager arrived at Guadalcanal after the fighting had receded and was assigned to a Military Police Company in the Headquarters Battalion, Third Amphibious Corps. As an MP, he escorted Admirals and Generals, guarded gates and entrances, directed traffic, guarded the Corps’ Brigg, as well as raised and lowered the American flag each day. From Guadalcanal, Slager was involved in the invasion of Guam in the summer of 1944 and was also allocated towards the invasion of Okinawa where he escorted high-ranking personnel. Slager’s cousin was also serving in Okinawa in the Army, but he was killed by an enemy sniper while on guard duty, which was devastating for Slager. From Okinawa, he was transferred back to Guam in preparation for the proposed invasion of Tokyo Bay, Japan. However, the invasion was called off after the use of the atomic bombs leading to its unconditional surrender. Slager was then sent to China for four months under fears that the Soviet Union would stage an invasion of China. Afterwards, he was shipped back to the San Diego aboard the USS Roi and was transferred to Great Lakes Naval Station for discharge in March of 1946. Slager then returned home to Kalamazoo, enrolled into Calvin College, became an Ordained Christian Reformed Minister out of Willmar, Minnesota, and married his wife in August of 1949. He fully retired by January of 1988 and decided to move back to his childhood home to take care of his elderly mother before moving to Grand Rapids, Michigan and partaking in the Civil Air Patrol. Reflecting upon his service, Slager did not believe that the Corps left a lasting impression on his character other than exposing him to a personal religious awakening in China.
Slager, Kenneth
Senior, Alan (Interview transcript and video), 2021
Other veterans & civilians—Personal narratives, American
Alan Senior was born May 19, 1925 and grew up in a small town outside of Buffalo, New York. Senior was just a junior in high school when the bomb was dropped at Pearl Harbor, leading to questions about what was going to happen to him as he approached military age. Around the time Senior turned 18, he enlisted in the Voluntary Induction Program due to his dreams of becoming a flyer, therefore, joining the Air Cadets to guarantee his spot with the Air Force. Senior attended basic training in Greensboro, North Carolina where he didn’t quite make it through the Air Cadets program. Instead, Senior became an aerial gunner. This is when Senior went down to Laredo, Texas for gunnery school. Finally, after months of training Senior and his crew headed overseas to England where they were stationed. During their time in England, Senior and his crew were only able to fly ten missions before the war ended. Due to his time with the Air Force, Senior received the Air Medal and his crew was recognized for their particularly strong safety record. After being sent home from England, Senior went to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for reassignment. However, this is when the final bombs were dropped and the war thus “ended.” Eventually, after Senior was discharged from the service he went back to school and pursued a degree in Psychology. He then worked in the property casualty insurance business and stayed there for his entire adult life.
Senior, Alan
Scherer, David (Interview transcript and video), 2018
David Scherer served in the U.S. Army from 1980 until 1988. He served as a sergeant in the 19th Maintenance Battalion, 302nd Maintenance Battalion, 705th Maintenance Battalion, and the 3rd Infantry Division. He was stationed primarily in Germany and the U.S.
Scherer, David
Ryman, Donald (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Donald Ryman was born on April 1, 1928 in Brady Lake, Ohio, into a very mobile family, moving eleven times before settling into East Canton in 1939. Ryman’s father pursued a degree in education in addition to his degree in mechanical engineering, and with the outbreak of the Second World War, his father was finally able to get a job as a mechanical engineer. His mother struggled to acquire food for the family and there was little fuel to use for their car due to stringent wartime rationing. After graduating high school, he attended Ohio State University in June of 1945 with the expectation that he might be drafted into the war. He briefly joined the university’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps and Ryman graduated from Ohio State in 1948, moving on to Harvard Law School where he encountered financial difficulty and accumulated some debt with the university. In June of 1950, he received several draft notices before enlisting in the Navy. Ryman was then flown to San Francisco, California, for Navy Boot Camp and was later transferred to Newport, Rhode Island, for Navy Officer Candidate School. Ryman finished his training at Newport in July of 1952, was sworn into the Navy Reserves, and was transferred to the Eighth Naval District, headquartered in New Orleans. He was frustrated that New Orleans seemed to be so poorly managed, and by the persistent racial segregation of the South as well as lingering racism in the Navy. Ryman was then assigned to a gasoline tanker vessel out of Norfolk, Virginia, on which he participated in routine deck watches on the bridge and helped refuel destroyers. He was then transferred to the USS Coral Sea, operating primarily in the Mediterranean. After serving aboard the Coral Sea twice in the Mediterranean, Ryman was shipped home on the USS Everglades to Norfolk where he was officially discharged. He then returned to Culver, Indiana, where his wife and baby were living. He eventually moved his family to Dayton, Ohio, and later up to Buchanan, Michigan, where he acquired a job on the legal team of Clark Equipment Company. Reflecting upon his service in the Navy, Ryman held his later experiences with Clark’s legal team in high regard since he appreciated the fact that he could walk to work as well as the success of the business during his tenure.
Ryman, Donald F.
Rowland, Daniel (Interview transcript and video), 2018
Daniel Rowland was born in 1975 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and decided to enroll in the Marine Corps after his third semester in college. In 1995 Rowland attended boot camp in San Diego, California where he acted as the guide to recruits, After basic training, Rowland was sent to Camp Pendleton to complete Marine combat training. After completing Marine combat training, Rowland was sent to job training in North Carolina where he received training to become an administrative clerk. Rowland then spent three and a half years stationed in Hawaii at Camp Smith working as an administrative clerk. During this time, Rowland would be sent for occasional brief missions in South Korea. While he was stationed in Hawaii, Rowland also received his associate’s degree in business and bachelor’s degree in social work. In 1998 Rowland returned home and left active duty, joining the individual ready reserves where he did occasional active duty. One of these active-duty missions was a mission to go to North Carolina in 200. Due to the events of 9/11, this resulted in Rowland being involuntarily activated for two years during which he worked in a security manager’s office as an administrative clerk. In 2003 Rowland was deployed to Iraq as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as the assistant security manager. After returning from Iraq to the United States by boat, Rowland decided to return to active duty as an infantryman in 2004. In 2005 Rowland’s unit was sent to Fallujah, Iraq working in headquarters company, and in 2006 Rowland came home for a year before being sent back to Fallujah, Iraq for a third time. Rowland returned home to the United States in 2007 and was stationed at Camp Johnson as a sergeant of the guard before being forcibly discharged and going on to return to school and resume civilian life.
Rowland, Daniel
Rowe, Bert (Interview transcript and video), 2017
Bert Rowe was born in April of 1930 in Saginaw, Michigan, and grew up with his mother in Muskegon Heights. Before graduating high school in 1948, Rowe attended civilian flight school. After graduating, he enlisted into the Marine Corps in 1949 with the expectation of being placed into the infantry. Rowe attended Boot Camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. After Boot Camp, he was stationed at a Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida, where he began flying for the Corps. He was assigned to a crew of three other mechanics and worked with the Marine Corps’ Corsair ground attack aircraft. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Rowe’s unit was eventually sent to San Francisco, California, before being shipped to Japan. From Japan, Rowe’s crew from Jacksonville was flown to an airbase in Korea where he was appointed as Sergeant overseeing the maintenance of three fighter planes. The airbase would occasionally come under attack by groups of North Korean or Chinese fighter bombers, which prompted the personnel on the base to launch patrol squadrons in pursuit. At night, the base lived under threat of being attacked by a few, sporadic nighttime fighter bombers. In their free time, Rowe and the other troops played baseball while living in six-person tents. During the winter months, the troops relied on their sleeping bags, tent stoves, and outdoor fire pits for warmth. Rowe also recalled briefly visiting Seoul where he and the troops got along well with Korean civilians. Overall, his unit experienced little combat and spent much of its time repairing battle worn aircraft. After being shipped back to the United States in 1952 toward the end of his three-year enlistment, Rowe spent some time in Miami, Florida, serving with a different crew. In Miami, his crew maintained jet fighter aircraft--a newly introduced technology to the U.S. Armed Forces. Once officially discharged from the Corps in 1952, Rowe returned to Michigan, got married, and went to work for Clark Equipment Company as a General Foreman. Reflecting upon his time in the service, Rowe was proud about having served in the Marine Corps and was grateful for the GI Bill for helping him complete his higher education. He also believed that the Marine Corps helped him mature as an individual.
Rowe, Bert
Rosin, James (Interview transcript and video), 2021
Jim Rosin was born in September 1947 in Bay City, Michigan. Rosin lived there all his adolescent life and graduated from Bay City Central High School in 1965. Upon graduation Rosin went to work for a company in Saginaw, Michigan that sold bakery equipment. However, in the summer of 1966 Rosin was summoned to Detroit where he had to get a physical for the military. Eventually Rosin was cleared for military service. October 20, 1966 was the day Rosin was to report for military duty. He then began the trek down from Bay City to Detroit to then Fort Wayne. Eventually, Rosin and his peers were taken down to Fort Knox in Lexington, Kentucky. Rosin and the rest of his group were eventually split up and Rosin was selected to head to Fort Hood in Texas to complete his basic training. Here Rosin took an aptitude test and was selected to be an Army Medic. In the summer of 1967 Rosin traveled to Vietnam where he served in the 46th Infantry. Because of his time in Vietnam, Rosin was awarded two Bronze Stars. One for putting his obstetric training to use and delivering a baby, and the other for meritorious service. Rosin service ended when he eventually rotated out on October 1st 1968. He returned back home and continued to work for the company selling bakery equipment.
Rosin, James
Rensi, Edward (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Afghan War, 2001-2021—Personal narratives, American
Edward Rensi was born on December 7, 1925 in Parlett, Ohio, and grew up in Wintersville. He received his draft notice on March 14, 1944 when he was eighteen years old and chose to enlist in the Navy. He was then bussed to Great Lakes Naval Training Station near Chicago for Boot Camp. After graduating Boot Camp, Rensi was trained off to Camp Shoemaker, California, where he awaited assignment. In June of 1944, he was shipped out on a troop transport ship from San Francisco to the Marshall Islands. Rensi was then assigned to the USS California. His duty was to clean compartments aboard the ship as well as maintain the ship’s air compressor units. The California sailed to Saipan and then up to the Mariana Islands. Offshore from Saipan and the Marianas, the California fired shells upon the beaches, inland factories, and Japanese ammunition dumps in support of the ground troops. Rensi was on watch the night the California collided with the USS Tennessee, after which he sailed to Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu Island, for repairs. The California was then prepared and redeployed from Palau to support the invasion of the Philippines. In the Lingayen Gulf, the California was struck below the upper control towers by a Japanese kamikaze plane, above Rensi’s former battle station, causing severe fires and damage to sailors and ship alike. After two months of repairs in Bremerton, Washington, the USS California traveled back to California before redeploying to Okinawa in the late spring of 1945. With the end of the war, the California anchored near Japan and Rensi was able to make it ashore twice. He recalled visiting Tokyo and a postwar memorial service in the Philippines, as well as taking other trips to Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Cape Town, South Africa. The California returned to the United States in December of 1945, docking in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the crew prepared it for scrapping. Rensi was then discharged on May 5, 1946 and proceeded to drift around before deciding to move to Detroit, Michigan, for work on the automobile assembly lines. He was laid off several times and eventually went to work in the coal fields near his hometown before retiring in 1985. Reflecting upon his time in the service, Rensi believed the Navy was a tremendous experience, teaching him the value and meaning of life.
Rensi, Edward C.
Reeves, Cody (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Iraq War, 2003-2011—Personal narratives, American
Cody Reeves was born in Grand Rapids and was raised in Smyrna, Michigan, by his mother while living with his grandparents. When he and his mother moved to Orleans and she married his stepfather, a Marine veteran, Reeves was greatly influenced to join the Corps. Since he never earned sufficient grades in high school, no college was willing to admit him, so he opted to join the Marine Delayed Entry Program as a way to challenge himself towards improvement. For Basic Training, Reeves was sent to San Diego, California. He spent three months in Basic Training before graduating onto Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton and then Non-infantry Military Occupational School in Twentynine Palms, California, through which he became a radio operator. After graduating from MOS, Reeves was sent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, with the Headquarters and Support Company, 8th Marine Regiment where he trained for later assignment. He was then transferred to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Division in preparation for deployment and stationing in Romania in 2015 to deter Russian aggression in the region. In Romania, his unit was stationed at an old Army Air Base and lived a very routine life of exercise, work, and leisure. He also recalled friendly relations with both the Romanian military and civilian population. After his tour in Romania, Reeves was transferred into the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Division in 2017 and was sent back to Eastern Europe. He then began close work with American military allies before opting to join the infantry platoons as a radio operator, assigned to the Weapons Company of the Combined Anti-Armor Team out of Camp Lejeune. As a member of the greater Marine Expeditionary Unit, he and his platoon were deployed, without objective, aboard ships traveling around the world. After this tour, Reeves left the service in November of 2018 and began transitioning back into civilian life, although he found the Corps’ assistance relatively basic and lackluster. He then moved back to Grand Rapids where he enrolled into Grand Valley State University and pursued a degree in psychology. Reflecting upon his service in the Corps, Reeves believed he formed close bonds to the men in his units and that the internet and cell phones made communicating with home far easier. Ultimately, if he were given the option to enlist again, Reeves would do so in a heartbeat.
Reeves, Cody Michael
Nelson, Bruce (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Bruce Nelson was born in Wabasha, Minnesota, in 1949, and graduated high school in 1967. After he graduated, Nelson briefly attended a trade school to become an auto mechanic, but could no longer afford it, so he went to work in a metal foundry. Without a student deferment, he was drafted in June of 1969. He identified himself as a conscientious objector in his Army paperwork and was then sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas for field medic training. In December of 1969, he was flown into Vietnam near Saigon where he drifted around the base for a while until he was assigned to accompany the 2nd Battalion, 319th Artillery, Headquarters Battery of the 101st Airborne Division operating just north of Hue at Camp Eagle. His duties included running the base’s pharmacy, working as a doctor’s assistant, and helping screen Vietnamese civilians who wanted access to local American Medical Civilian Action Programs (MEDCAP). He also made routine flights out to all the major forward fire bases to deliver supplies via helicopter to the troops. He was at Fire Support Base Ripcord in July of 1970 when a supply helicopter was shot down and crashed into the base’s ammunition depot only a short distance from the bunker he was operating in. After the crash, and exacerbated by diminishing ammunition, Nelson and the men at Ripcord felt as though the end was near for them. So, they hunkered down to survive the chaos before being evacuated the next day. After nine months, he was assigned to a different doctor to assist for three months. Towards the end of his deployment, Nelson declined the Army’s offer of promotion if he was to extend his service and was soon flown back to Seattle, Washington. For the remainder of his service, Nelson remained at Fort Sam Houston, working sparse hours in a military warehouse and training recruits for the Special Forces. In June of 1971, he officially left the service and, in his rush to leave, did not collect his military medals or his full dress uniform. His status as a military veteran hindered his ability to acquire a job, but once he began neglecting his military service on job applications, he got a few small jobs before opening his own shop. Nelson believed the service taught him to develop a greater attention to detail while repressing his wartime experiences to the outside, civilian world.
Nelson, Bruce
Mitchell, David (Interview transcript and video), 2017
David Mitchell was born in Auburn, Indiana, in 1949 where he graduated high school in 1967 before attending Purdue University. Unfortunately, Mitchell did not acclimate well to college life and soon left the university and was drafted into the Army in April of 1969. He was then sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for Basic Training where he was first introduced to regimented discipline. After Basic, Mitchell was transferred to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for Advanced Individual Training. He then volunteered to go to Noncommissioned Officer School at Fort Benning, Georgia, to learn tactics and leadership geared toward Vietnam. Before deployment, Mitchell briefly served as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Polk before he was shipped out to a replacement company in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. He was then assigned to D Company, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He received his first Purple Heart after receiving rocket shrapnel during a firefight. As a ‘Swing Battalion,’ D Company encountered a lot of firefights and, thus, had lots of soldier turnover. His Company Commander stated that the Battalion managed to stay alive by doing the unexpected, navigating the jungle and avoiding official trails when possible. During the fight for Hill 805, there was no enemy response during the day, but at night, his Battalion was hit regularly, forcing the men to stay awake at night. Mitchell, again, was hit by rocket shrapnel during the fight and received his second Purple Heart. Overall, Mitchell recalled how morale was low amongst his men and that the monsoon season left them wet and miserable for months. He remembered only seeing North Vietnamese civilians while in the rear or while moving by villages in the field. Most racial and political divisions were only seen in the rear base camps. Toward the end of his tour, Mitchell requested and received an early-out of the military to go back to school, leaving Vietnam in January of 1971. Landing in Fort Lewis, Washington, he was officially discharged and quickly shed his military dress uniform for civilian clothing to evade antiwar protesters and instigators. Mitchell went back to Purdue University, married in June of 1971, and then transferred to a smaller tri-state university campus where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He then went to work for Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, BP Exploration Incorporated in Alaska, and several other mechanical engineering jobs before retiring.
Mitchell, Charles David
McCarthy, Stacie (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Stacie McCarthy was born on March 10, 1985, in Framingham, Massachusetts, where she lived a normal suburban childhood. When her parents divorced, her father married her stepmother, who was in the Navy, and moved his family to Michigan. McCarthy was in her junior year of high school when she watched the televised 9/11 attacks on her school’s televisions. This influenced her later decision to join the Navy so that she could help protect people as well as escape a mundane life in Michigan. McCarthy enlisted into the Navy two years after graduating high school in 2005. Boot camp was very stressful and strenuous for her since she had preexisting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, making the yelling and vocal discipline difficult for her. After Boot Camp, she chose to become a Navy linguist and attended the Defense Language Institute in the Presidio of Monterey to study Korean. For her first assignment, McCarthy was deployed to Hawaii for three years where she worked as an information analyst between all military branches and civilian society. While stationed in Hawaii, she attended Kyung Hee University for six weeks in South Korea for a refresher course in Korean. McCarthy then reenlisted since she was still unsure about the direction of her career. For her second assignment, she learned the Tagalog language, a prominent dialect in the Philippines, for deployment to Tegale, Indonesia, for a year. After her assignment in Tegale, she returned to Hawaii for three years where she worked as an analyst for the Navy’s Direct Support program. She was also briefly injured after being hit, ironically, by a strong wave while visiting the beach. During her last year of deployment, McCarthy was transferred to the naval cruiser USS Shiloh where she traveled around the Pacific, docking in various countries across Southeast Asia. When she made the decision to leave the service, McCarthy felt it was the appropriate time for her to move on and pursue a higher education in music performance. She enjoyed reentering civilian life, even though she missed her military friends, her assured employment, and consistent pay. Reflecting upon her military service, McCarthy believed the Navy installed in her a greater work ethic, ability to endure stress, and a recognition and respect of authority. She also concluded that she would join the service again if given the chance and would recommend entering the service to anyone able and willing to commit.
McCarthy, Stacie
Mapes-Pearson, Matthias (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Mathias Mapes-Pearson was born on July 16, 1995 in Burlington, Vermont, but grew up in Rockford, Michigan. He immediately enlisted in the Marine Corps after high school. After basic, he went to Infantry School and then Basic Security Guard School. For his first deployment, he was flown to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, later serving in Spain and Ukraine. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2016. After two and a half months of guard duty, his platoon rotated to Guardian Angel duty in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the province, to advise the local police, maintain civil order, and work to push Taliban forces out of the area. He believed that the American military made significant strides to better and pacify the region, but that the long-term stability of the region depended upon the continued presence of American forces and discipline. Mapes-Pearson was in Afghanistan for six months before opting to help train the replacements for his platoon back in the United States for his last year of service. He left the service in September of 2018 and flew back to Michigan where he moved to Grand Rapids and began work for Loomis Armored transport services. He then attended GVSU, majoring in management information systems. Mapes-Pearson believed that his service gave him a sense of purpose in life and appreciation for his fortunate life in the US. It also helped him realize who his true, core group of friends was.
Mapes-Pearson, Matthias
Mancil, Gabriel (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Gabriel Mancil was born on July 16, 1990 in Valdosta, Georgia. He was homeschooled and acquired a GED in March of 2008. After an Army recruiter requested he acquire some college education to qualify for the service, Mancil attended two semesters at a local community college before enlisting. From there, he was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia, for sixteen weeks of Basic Training. In Basic, Mancil attended One Station Unit Training (OSUT) for his first eight weeks before graduating onto Advanced Infantry Training. Mancil was then transferred into Hometown Recruiting before going to Fort Riley, Kansas, where he was assigned to C Company, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 1st Division and prepared for deployment. In May of 2012, his unit was deployed to Afghanistan and was flown from Kansas to Germany and then Manas, Kyrgyzstan, before transferring to a military aircraft for the final flight into FOB (forward operating base) Sharana, Afghanistan. His unit was stationed at a Command Operating Post (COP) and was tasked with supporting the Afghan National Army (ANA) in addition to patrolling. After six months, his unit was relocated to another nearby, larger COP where it conducted armored and security patrols. Since it was a larger Post, the Taliban fired a greater quantity of mortar rounds at his position, but now, his unit could return fire more effectively since they had field artillery and radar at the Post. At the end of his tour in February of 2013, Mancil was flown back to Manas, then to Germany, and then back to the United States. Back at Fort Riley, he was promoted to Private First Class and then Specialist, but never applied to become a Sergeant because of a foot injury he sustained from the strain of his gear. Due to the severity of the injury, he was deemed medically unfit for service and started the long process of medical discharge in March of 2014. Once discharged in 2017, Mancil returned to college in August and spent more time with his wife and newborn daughter. When he and his family moved to Michigan, Mancil believed he was ready to leave the service lifestyle and enjoy civilian life. He attended Ferris State University for its heavy equipment program and graduated in May of 2019. He then acquired a job with Hewitt Construction near Washington D.C. which, ironically, followed a similar work mentality to that of the Army.
Mancil, Gabriel
Lyssy, Walter (Interview transcript and video), 2017
Walter Lyssy was born in McCook, Texas in the early 1940’s and attended Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Texas where he was a part of the Army ROTC’s Signal Corps for four years. Upon graduating from college in May of 1965, he was commissioned. Lyssy was then sent to officer’s basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia for eight weeks. Following his basic training, he received his first assignment at Fort Knox, Kentucky teaching radio operators. In the summer of 1967, Lyssy received his orders for Thailand and traveled to Korat to work in the 501st Field Depot distributing petroleum until July of 1968. Once he returned to the States, Lyssy attended a Special Forces school at Fort Bragg, North Carolina until he received orders to go to Vietnam and left for Vietnam in July of 1970. In Vietnam, Lyssy was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and received service training at Camp Eagle where he also saw the events of the Ripcord Campaign. The day following the campaign, Lyssy was sent to Firebase Ripcord as part of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry working as a communications officer for a few months before being sent back to Camp Eagle as a 1st Brigade signal officer and later additionally as beacon drop officer. Lyssy left Vietnam in July of 1971 and went to a signal officer’s advanced course in Fort Thomas, New Jersey for ten months. He then left for Hawaii, where he worked in communications, electronics, engineering and installation in the Pacific. While doing this work, Lyssy frequently traveled to Korea to rebuild communication systems and did so for approximately three years before going on to command staff college and Fort Ord, California in the 127th Signal Battalion until 1981. Lyssy was then assigned to Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he was director of telecommunications for Army’s Health Services Command until 1985. After that, he worked as a communication system engineer building a bunker for NATO headquarters until 1988. After that, he was sent back to Fort Knox for his last assignment, where he remained until he retired in 1991.
Lyssy, Walter
Lutz, John (Interview transcript and video), 2019
John Lutz was born on May 24, 1919 in Brooklyn, New York, and attended high school in Queens. He graduated high school in 1936 and went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to become an engineer. In 1940, he earned his bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering and eventually went to work for the Newport News Shipbuilding Company in North Carolina. After three years Lutz wanted a more active role in the ongoing Second World War, so he traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he enlisted into the Navy in late 1943. For Basic Training, he was transferred to Officers Training School in Princeton, New Jersey, for three months. He was then sent to Camp Bradford, Virginia, where he practiced operating in an LST (tank landing ship) crew as an Engineering Officer. From there, he and his crew shipped out to the South Pacific. When traveling through Hawaii, Lutz’s ship also took on the cargo of a smaller LCT (tank landing craft) which they transported to Okinawa. For the invasion of Okinawa, Lutz’s LST was outfitted with pontoons, which helped during the unloading of the LCT. Once all the men and gear the ship was carrying had made it ashore, kamikaze pilots became more of a threat as Lutz’s LST began transferring Marines between different beaches and landing points along the island’s coast. Despite a close encounter, his LST was never struck by a kamikaze pilot. While transferring troops to another beach, his ship struck a coral reef, damaging one of its propeller’s blades, and were forced to travel south to Leyte Gulf in the Philippines for repairs. After the Japanese surrender, his LST transferred troops and supplies into mainland Japan to help with the rebuilding process. His ship was also assigned to help transport a Japanese unit, originally stationed in Palau. Lutz was then discharged at Tokyo Bay and took a series of flights back to the United States. In 1946, he went to work for Baldwin Automotive Company and joined the Navy Reserves. After the outbreak of the Korean War, he was called up again and was assigned to the USS Adria. Lutz remained in the Navy reserves for 22 years before retiring in 1964.
Lutz, John
Low, David (Interview transcript and video), 2021
David Low was born in Hebron, Illinois, on October 29th, 1927, and his family moved to Muskegon, Michigan before settling in Wayland, Michigan as he started high school. When Low was 14, he helped make powdered eggs for the military at a local factory, where he worked alongside German prisoners of war. Near the end of his sophomore year of high school, Low decided that because he was going to be drafted, it made more sense to join the Marines outright. Low arrived at Parris Island for boot camp shortly after enlisting and received four weeks of training in boot camp instead of the typical six weeks because of pressure surrounding the invasion of Japan. Fortunately for Low and his fellow soldiers, the atomic bomb strikes led to Japan’s surrender just before they were to depart. Following this confusion and sudden change of plans, Low was sent to Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Here he worked as a projectionist due to his past work experience. Low was able to meet celebrities like Louis Armstrong due to his work helping the USO entertain servicemembers and enjoyed the time he spent living in the theater. Afterwards Low was required to requalify at the rifle range, and shot at an expert level, gaining him a position on a Marine team that was sent to shoot at a national competition. This led him to Quantico, Virginia, where he was able to live near Washington D.C. and enjoy the local sights and events. Low was eventually able to return home to Wayland, MI, where he resumed school and work, he was able to find a position at General Motors and worked there for a while, but grew tired of the repetitive work and desired something more enjoyable. To solve this problem, Low attended Parsons Business College in Kalamazoo, MI, studying business administration and accounting in order to further his career. Though he did not enjoy accounting work as much as he hoped, Low was able to find work in sales after finishing school and enjoyed it significantly more, working for Kessler’s Undies and Woolies for ten years. Reflecting on his time in the service, Low feels that he gained a greater sense of discipline due to his experience.
Low, David
Leet, James (Interview transcript and video), 2017
James Leet was born in Manistee, Michigan in 1930 and graduated from Manistee High in 1947 after which he spent a year doing carpentry work. In 1948 Leet enlisted in the Army and was sent to Fort Knox for eight weeks of basic training, after which he was sent to Fort Eustis, Virginia for training exercises as a shipfitter for four weeks. For regular duty Leet was sent to Oakland Army Base, California where he became a mail clerk, but took a brief furlough. During this time Leet received his orders to return to Fort Eustis and join the 714th Battalion, a railroad transportation battalion. After a stop in Japan, Leet’s battalion headed to Busan, South Korea in August of 1950 where he worked manning railroad stations. While working Leet visited cities such as Taegu, Andong, and Daejeon during his eight months in Korea. He was discharged at the end of March in 1952 at Fort Custer. After the Army, Leet worked doing drafting until he was approached to join the Instrument Department which he worked with until he retired.
Leet, James
Lancaster, Duane (Interview transcript and video), 2021
Duane Lancaster was born August 16, 1942 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lancaster grew up in the Grand Rapids area and lived there until for most of his adolescent life. He graduated from Wyoming Park High School in 1961, and from there he attended Grand Rapids Junior College Center. Later he transferred to Michigan State University, where he graduated in 1965. Upon graduation, Lancaster began his first job as a sportswriter in Saginaw Michigan. However, in July of 1965 Lancaster was called for the draft and in September of that same year received his draft notice. This is when Lancaster decided to begin looking for a Reserve unit somewhere. He was able to find one locally and eventually began the process of basic training in Fort Gordon. Within the Reserve Unit, Lancaster was assigned the job of MP or military police, within the Saginaw, Michigan area. Lancaster had an obligation of six years in the Reserves, serving officially from 1966 to 1972. After his service ended with an honorable discharge, Lancaster moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he began working as a sportswriter at a local newspaper. In more recent years, Lancaster has spent his time working for the city as a janitor.
Lancaster, Duane A.
Konyndyk, Ronald (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Ronald Konyndyk was born in 1944 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he lived a comfortable childhood and attended local schools. Konyndyk’s father had been drafted into the Army during the Second World War and later worked as an executive at a furniture company. He graduated high school in 1962 and attended Ferris State University for a degree in business, which he achieved in 1967. A week after he graduated, Konyndyk received a draft notice, and on December 7, 1967, he reported to Fort Knox, Kentucky, for Basic Training. After Basic Training, he was specially selected and transferred to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, for a year of Electronics School during which he learned to operate and repair radio communication systems. He was assigned to an old French outpost in a quiet sector of Vietnam before being transferred to the Signal Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division at a more active forward operating base. When he visited smaller forward operating bases in the field to conduct equipment exchanges, Konyndyk remembered being frequently out in the open and working in fear of being fired upon from the jungle. During the Tet Offensive in 1969, North Vietnamese sappers attempted to breach the barrier alongside his base’s airstrip and were successful in destroying one fuel tank before being apprehended. During enemy mortar attacks, he and his peers retreated to an enormous bunker built on the base. While on the base, Konyndyk noticed several cases of drug use amongst the troops, particularly with marijuana, as well as how the units were well integrated without much racial tension. He also purchased a small personal slide camera which he used everywhere he went in the field, accumulating approximately 600 photos over his tour in Vietnam. When his tour ended, Konyndyk was flown from Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon back to the United States where he began the process of leaving the service, where some soldiers never received a physical or their military medals. At sixty years old, Konyndyk developed prostate cancer from his exposure to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam. Reflecting upon his service, Konyndyk believed the psychological impact of Vietnam contributed towards his paranoia concerning safety, direction, and planning associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He also believed that the service taught him the positive values of discipline and responsibility.
Konyndyk, Ronald
Koehl, Philip (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Philip Koehl was born in 1953 in Oak Park, Illinois. Koehl grew up with his family in the Northwest side of Chicago. Koehl’s father was a truck driver, his stepfather a carpenter, and his mother owned a pet store which Koehl eventually got a job at. After graduating from Lane Tech High School, where he participated in ROTC, in 1971, Koehl then got a job working at a steel training plant. However, Koehl eventually enlisted in the Air Force April 2, 1973. Basic training took place at Lackland air base in San Antonio, Texas. It was after this training when Koehl went down to Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas and began receiving specialized training for his position as a radio communications analysis specialist. After finishing technical training Koehl was given the opportunity to travel to a variety of different locations and ended up at Chicksand Air Force Base in England. Koehl stayed here until April of 1974 when he was discharged from the service. Upon his leave, Koehl returned to school and got his Master of Social Work. He then worked as a social worker for his career up until his retirement in 2010.
Koehl, Philip C. II