Brown, Dale (Interview transcript and video), 2014
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States—History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
Vietnam War, 1961-1975—Personal narratives, American
Dale Brown was born in Lansing, Michigan on February 26, 1948. After graduating high school in 1966 he worked for General Motors before deciding to enlist since he thought he might be drafted to Vietnam anyway. Brown enlisted in the Air Force in May 1967 and went to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for basic training. He then attended advanced training at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, where he was trained in hydraulics for B-52’s and KC-135 aircraft. After training, he was shipped to K.I. Sawyer Air Base in Gwinn, Michigan, where he worked on maintaining hydraulic systems. In 1968 Brown was sent to Guam for four months to maintain aircraft, and the night he got back to the base in Michigan, he heard that he had orders to go to Vietnam. He began training for the F-100 fighter plane in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in March 1969, and that May he was flown to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam to be shipped out to Tuy Hoa Air Base. There, he was assigned to the 31st Field Maintenance Squadron which was part of the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing. He mostly stayed on the base the whole time except for a few trips into the surrounding village to volunteer at an orphanage. Brown and two of his comrades also from Michigan visited Sydney, Australia for R&R. While on base in Vietnam, was aware of fighting going on in the surrounding areas and would see flares go up at night, although he never experienced it himself. However, some of the aircraft they sent out never returned, and even within his shop there were accidents with one worker accidentally getting shot by his teammates. After a year in Vietnam, he was shipped back home and returned to K.I. Sawyer Air Base to finish his enlistment. He was discharged in December 1970, after which he began taking automotive classes at Lansing Community College and returned to work at General Motors. He believes his service was a positive experience that gave him structure and discipline, helped him learn how to work with and rely on people, and made him realize that he can persevere through any problems that he may face. Cam Ranh Bay
Brown, Dale
Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401.
Brown, Carleton (Interview transcript and video), 2018
Other veterans & civilians—Personal narratives, American
Carleton Brown was born on October 28, 1944 in New Haven, Connecticut. He graduated high school in 1963. He then began classes the University of Florida for a degree in journalism and communications before enlisting in the Navy in 1966, narrowly dodging the draft. Brown attended Navy Officer Candidate School and Navy Communications School in Newport, Rhode Island. After that, he was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown out of California. In December 1967, he was shipped out and headed for Japan. His first experiences at sea were tracking a Soviet attack submarine which was shadowing the USS Enterprise and was later diverted to the Sea of Japan after the capture of the USS Pueblo by the North Koreans. In 1968, he was transferred to the Gulf of Tonkin and Yankee Station, near Hanoi, where his duties were to keep watch on all vessels near the Station, remain alert for any enemy submarine activity, and send out mail to the front. Brown also recalled having to keep watch after the HMAS Melbourne and USS Evans collided in the South China Sea in June of 1969. He was soon promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade and transferred to the USS Kearsarge on which he conducted many of the same duties as he had on the Yorktown. He also periodically went ashore in places like Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. Brown then applied to learn Russian at the Presidio of Monterey Army Language School, was assigned to a Navy Security Group, and transferred to Bremerhaven, Germany, in 1970. In Germany, he and his wife raised three children and traveled around Europe while also attending to his Navy watch duties. As a part of his duties, Brown tapped into Russian communications in order to predict where and when Soviet forces were operating in the area. After his tour in Germany, the Navy no longer required his services, so he left the service, resumed his university education, but remained in the Navy Reserves. Back at the University of Florida, and then at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, Brown acquired his master’s degree in international management and comparative government. He then went to work for Baxter International Healthcare Company in Chicago before going to work for the Stryker and Amway Corporations out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Brown remained in the Navy Reserves for twenty-eight years before retiring in 1995.
Brown, Carleton J.
Brockway, Lyle (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Afghan War, 2001-2021—Personal narratives, American
Lyle Brockway was born near Vicksburg, Michigan in 1924 and graduated from high school in May of 1942. After graduating high school, Brockway attended Michigan State to study agriculture and was enlisted in ROTC. During his first fall semester, he enlisted in the Air Force. Lyle went to basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi that fall after which he went to Birmingham, Alabama for classification for several weeks, and then left to attend Elon College in North Carolina as an extension of his classification training. Following North Carolina, Brockway made a brief stop in Nashville, Tennessee and then continued to Avon Park, Florida for flight training on the PT-17 Stearman. He then went to Macon, Georgia to receive training on the BT-13, and then to Columbus, Mississippi to receive training on the AT-10s and receive his commission. Brockway was then sent to Pyote, Texas to receive extensive training as a co-pilot, from that base Brockway made several flights around the United States and then flew to Kimbolton in Europe as part of the 379th bomb group. From Kimbolton, Brockway flew 35 missions over Germany during which he made a brief landing in Brussels, Germany after a piece of flak pierced the wing of his aircraft. After returning to Kimbolton for most of his missions, Brockway returned to Staten Island in the U.S. by ship. Brockway was sent to Santa Ana, California for reassignment, briefly assigned again to Macon, Georgia, and then assigned to Waco, Texas to be a contact flying instructor. Following Waco, Brockway was sent to Air Transport Command where he was discharged in November of 1945. After service Brockway was employed by Consumers Power as a ground man and spent 40 years there receiving various promotions.
Brockway, Lyle
Block, Kenneth (Interview transcript and video), 2018
Kenneth Block was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1932 where he graduated high school before attending Wayne State University. Studying geology and accounting, Block graduated with a degree in accounting before a friend referred him to Selfridge Air Force Base due to his interests in meteorology. Just before the outbreak of the Korean War in June of 1950, he enlisted into the Air Force Reserve unit stationed at Selfridge. Block had no formal Basic Training and soon went to work in the meteorology department of the Reserve unit. By late 1951, he decided to enter the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Course in the hopes of placing himself into a better position to pursue a military career or a higher education after his seemingly inevitable time in the active-duty service. Block was then sent to Enid Air Force Base for a brief course in multi-engine repair and maintenance. In July of 1952, he agreed to take a physical at Selfridge and, to his surprise, was qualified to undergo flight training in San Antonio, Texas. Firstly, he underwent twelve weeks of Air Force Basic Training in addition to other formal classroom training courses. Block was then allowed to select where he wanted to be assigned, after which he was stationed back at Selfridge with the Air Force Reserve Training Center, attached to the 10th Air Force Division, as a clerk typist. During his time on the base, the Air Force was recalling former Second World War fighter pilots and Block, himself, participated in a few flight crews, but never fully became a pilot. Block also spent some significant time in the hospital for illnesses he contracted in his throat as well as for a severe dental ailment that caused him to lose several teeth on his jaw. Eventually, he was discharged from the Air Force and immediately resumed his education at Wayne State University for a master’s degree in business. Afterwards, he decided to stop pursuing further education opportunities since his children were graduating high school and would be enrolling in college themselves. Reflecting upon his time in the Air Force, Block believed the service helped him reorganize his life. He was also grateful for the benefits of the GI Bill, believing he received far more from his service than he had put into it.
Block, Kenneth
Bertrand, Emile (Interview transcript and video), 2019
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Emile Bertrand was born in Morlaix, France on October 26th, 1922. After graduating high school in 1939, he began working in the arsenal of Rennes as a toolmaker. While at work, he witnessed the German bombing of Rennes in June 1940. To escape the threat, he and a couple of friends biked to Nantes, stopped to stay with his family in Morlaix, and then traveled to Marseille by train. From there, he went to Corsica by boat and stayed there for three months making charcoal. Then, he went back to France and worked in manufacturing in Laval until one day he was warned that Germans had arrived to search for laborers. He immediately ran and returned home to Morlaix where he worked on a farm for a few months. After that, in 1943, he began work as a lathe operator in Lanvéoc, a small town near Brest. At this time he and his best friend joined the French Underground, a resistance movement against German occupation of France. Most of the Underground’s operations took place at night while he worked his job during the day. When the American military was near, he joined their units and began moving toward Telgruc. One day, the Germans had left Telgruc for the sea, but the Americans thought the town was still occupied, so Bertrand and the Americans he was with experienced a friendly fire from B-26 Bombers. Another time, he and the American units he was with were being shot at by Germans from sea. Bertrand and his allies all went to hide in a ditch built by Germans when he was hit by a shrapnel. The next few days were filled with fighting until finally the Germans surrendered in Crozon. From there, he stopped by home in Lanvéoc before going to Quimper to join the French Army. He was sent to Ponthivy where he joined the 15th Dragoons. He went to Lorient where his regiment’s task was to guard the Germans. After that, he went back to Ponthivy and was sent to Argentan. He was there until the war ended in 1945.
Bertrand, Emile L.
Bergeron, Christopher (Interview transcript and video), 2073
Christopher Bergeron was born in 1972 in Anniston, Alabama to two members of the service. In July of 1990, three weeks after graduating high school, Bergeron began his Marines career by attending boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina. Eventually, Bergeron went out to Norfolk where he attended the Amphibious Embarkation School and became a Logistics Embarkation Specialist, after which he went to Saudi Arabia for the first time. It was during this same time that Bergeron went into Kuwait. He then returned to the States and was quickly deployed to Norway for a different operation. Bergeron then had a deployment to Somalia during their Civil War period and was there for two-and-a-half months before returning to the States in Jacksonville. He was deployed as a Sergeant to Aviano, Italy, Bosnia, and Tunisia. In his next deployment, Bergeron was selected for Warrant Officer and shipped to Quantico for his Warrant Officer courses. After this promotion Bergeron was deployed to Turkey, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Immediately after returning from this deployment Bergeron got selected to W2 and got sent to another ship tour towards the Persian Gulf. By this time the invasion of Iraq had started, and Bergeron stayed for a five-and-a-half-month deployment. Upon his return to America, Bergeron was quickly shipped off again, this time to Afghanistan. After that, he was shipped to Haiti to help with the violence there, and headed home to soon find out that he was going to be deployed to Iraq. At this point, Bergeron was selected to be an LDO, a Limited Duty Officer, and was stationed near Fallujah. After that, he returned to continue his career with MEU where he was deployed again. This time Bergeron spent time in Kenya, Dubai, and Kuwait. After this six-month deployment Bergeron was then selected to be a Major in Afghanistan. After this deployment Bergeron was then sent down to Jacksonville, Florida to Blount Island. It was at this point when Bergeron went on another tour for three years, this time visiting Jordan, the UAE, and Bahrain. However, soon after this Bergeron was selected for the highest rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Unfortunately, it was at this point Christopher Bergeron decided to end his 24-year Marine Corps career. He and his family moved to the Grand Rapids area, where he decided to go back to school and is looking to eventually teach at the University level.
Bergeron, Christopher F.
Benson, Gerald (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Jerry Benson was born on August 28, 1926 in Lafayette Township, Michigan. He graduated high school in 1944 and was unable to get any type of deferment from the service. Benson was then drafted and began his twelve weeks of Army Basic Training in December of 1944 in Texas. He was then shipped from Angel Island, California, to Leyte in the Philippines after the fighting had moved onto Okinawa. While awaiting assignment in Leyte, Benson went on search patrols for any remaining Japanese troops left behind in the Philippines. He was then assigned to the Headquarters Section of the 108th Infantry, 40th Division, making practice landings in preparation for the invasion of Honshu Island, or mainland Japan. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and it surrendered unconditionally, Benson was shipped out in December of 1945 to Busan, Korea. Benson was then transferred into the 6th Combat Engineers as a demolitions expert and bulldozer operator, tasked with building up infrastructure outside Seoul. After serving in Korea with the Army engineers and serving out his enlistment, Benson decided to leave the service and was shipped back to the United States in the fall of 1947. He then returned to the family farm before going to work for Chevrolet Motor Company in Flint, Michigan, in 1948. Wanting to see more of the world, Benson spent some time helping his brother as a business partner for his own farm and visited his sister at Michigan State University where he met his future wife, marrying in January of 1949. Afterwards, he and his wife moved to East Lansing where she finished college and he continued to work in a local factory. Following his wife’s graduation, Benson was interviewed due to his skills in the automobile industry and was offered a job at General Motors, but opted to go into business with his father-in-law. Eventually, competition from large corporations urged Benson to seek other employment, so he entered the tool and die industry. He went on to work several other industrial jobs before settling into Spring Lake, Michigan. Reflecting upon his service, Benson believed the Army taught him how to work together with other, different people since he did not have such prior experience through school or sports teams. He also concluded that personal attitude played an important role in how he and his peers conducted their lives.
Benson, Gerald
Baldwin, Jeff (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Jeff Baldwin was born in Royal Oak, Michigan and grew up in Hartford, Michigan. He enlisted in the Army in 2004, two years after he graduated high school. He went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training and advanced individual training to be a construction equipment operator. After that, he went to Fort Polk, Louisiana and was assigned to the 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division. Baldwin was deployed to Afghanistan in 2006, where he worked to fix roads and clear routes of barriers and threats. After three months, he was injured and sent back to the base in Louisiana. After he recovered, he went to Baghdad, Iraq in 2007 for his second deployment. He stayed there for thirteen months, again working mostly in route clearance because IED’s were more of a threat. While in Iraq, he visited a palace for three days for R&R. He also reenlisted in Iraq and returned home in 2009. Baldwin finished out his service at Fort Leonard Wood as an advanced individual training instructor.
Baldwin, Jeff
Antal, Christopher (Interview transcript and video), 2021
Christopher Antal was born in New York in c. 1971. He decided to become a Unitarian Universalist chaplain in the military in 2005. Because he was not registered for the Selective Service and had passed the age of 25, he requested a moral waiver to register which was not accepted until 2008. He then entered the chaplain candidate program of the New York Army National Guard. He got his ecclesiastical endorsement in December 2010 and was accessioned as a full chaplain in April 2011, and promoted to first lieutenant. He was ordered to go to Afghanistan in September 2012, where he provided religious support to the soldiers of his battalion of the New York Army National Guard that was attached to the 3rd Infantry Division based in Kandahar. The task given to the Army Chaplain Corps was to “nurture the living, care for the wounded and honor the dead.” Veterans Day in 2012 was on a Sunday, and on that day he gave a sermon criticizing the violence America had inflicted in Afghanistan. This sermon was posted on his denomination’s website, and when the batallion commander found it he started an investigation against Antal, who needed to get a lawyer to avoid losing his position as a chaplain in the Army or possibly going to prison. This began a long process in which he was released early from active duty and his GOMOR (General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand) was made part of his permanent record, which the Pentagon deemed discriminatory. In May 2014, he was promoted to captain and the GOMOR was removed from his permanent record. While in Afghanistan, Antal advocated for Afghans that worked as interpreters for the United States and had been waiting years for their promised visas. He started a letter-writing campaign to help one interpreter, Tariq, in particular. In February 2016, the campaign had succeeded and Tariq and his family arrived in New York. Antal resigned from the military in April 2016. He believes that his experience in the Army has helped him appreciate the value of life and its fragility.
Antal, Christopher
Andrews, Howard (Interview transcript and video), 2017
Howard Andrews was born on November 1st, 1926 in Meadville, Pennsylvania. After graduating high school in January 1944, he began taking classes at Allegheny College. In October 1944, Andrews enlisted in the Navy and reported to Sampson, New York for both basic training and electrician school. After that, he went to Shoemaker, California to be shipped overseas. He briefly stopped in Eniwetok before arriving in the Philippines in the Leyte Gulf. There, he was assigned to a repair ship called the Vulcan, where he worked in the engine room. He remained there until World War II ended. On September 4th, 1945, he went to Okinawa and stopped at other Japanese ports as well, the most memorable of which was Hiro Wan because he visited Hiroshima while he was there. After that, he stopped at Kure for about three months and set sail for home on March 4th, 1946. Andrews stopped at Pearl Harbor and went through the Panama Canal before arriving at Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 15th. He stayed there for three months on leave until he was discharged on July 3rd, 1946.
Andrews, Howard
Adams, Rita (Interview transcript and video), 2021
Rita (Vogler) Adams was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on February 7th, 1922. She grew up during the Great Depression. She lived in Wheeling until the age of 21. Rita attended high school at a girls’ private school, which she graduated from in 1940. After high school, Rita worked at a telephone company for 2 years. She then enlisted in the Marine Corps on April 14th, 1943 during World War 2. She completed her basic training at Hunter College in New York City, New York. After completing her training, Rita was assigned to work in an office at Marine headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. After 19 months in her position in Arlington, Virginia, she volunteered to be sent to work at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. Prior to being sent to Honolulu, Rita was sent to train for 6 weeks in San Diego, California, to ensure that she was able to swim well and was physically fit. Her husband, Robert Adams, was in the Army, and she first met him while they were both stationed in Hawaii. Rita was honorably discharged from the military in 1945 after World War 2 ended, at which point she was a sergeant. Rita and Robert were married on November 27th, 1945. After leaving the service in 1945, Rita eventually attended 2 years of business college in Detroit, Michigan. She then completed training at Schoolcraft College to become an occupational therapy assistant. Rita later attended Madonna College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in social science. She worked as a substitute teacher in schools in Livonia, Michigan, towards the end of her career. Rita currently lives in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Note: This video has images of photos and documents embedded it that help to illustrate different parts of her story. The images are from her personal collection.
Adams, Rita
Carol (Coronado) Blakely video interview and transcript
Young Lords (Organization)
Puerto Ricans--United States
Civil Rights--United States--History
Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.)
Mexican Americans--Personal narratives
Social justice
Community activists--Illinois--Chicago
Mexican Americans--Illinois--Chicago--Social conditions
Race relations
Social conflict
Cultural identity
Black Panther Party. Illinois Chapter
Oral history of Carol (Coronado) Blakely, interviewed by Jose 'Cha-Cha' Jimenez, on 10/19/2012 about the Young Lords in Lincoln Park. In the video, an older white woman in a blue top speaks while looking towards the interviewer who is off camera. In the interview, Carol discusses growing up on the north side of Chicago, and her involvement as a young adult in the Young Patriots Organization, which organized a health clinic for underserved Chicago residents. She also discusses collaborating with members of the Young Lords and Black Panthers on community organizing. The transcript file includes a detailed biographical note about the subject.
Blakely, Carol (Coronado)
Young Lords collection (RHC-65)
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
Audio Transcription Center (transcriber)
In Copyright
Grand Valley State University – History
College administrators
Universities and colleges – Faculty
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2028
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2001
Grand Valley State University. University Communications
University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03)
Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2027, stands beside Russel Kirkhof.
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2026
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2025
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2024
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2023
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2022
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2021
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2020
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2019
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2018
Arend D. Lubbers, President of Grand Valley State University, 1969-2017