387 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/499511fbd7bce33cbb97db887d8921d2.jpg 164b09a267473f1974296c3c3595dc85 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HeuerEarl_Photo02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Heuer, Earl Description An account of the resource Earl Heuer, History, Thomas Jefferson College Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/afa2b12783c542c13ed0f337454dca89.jpg 1efd60de57c1887f3091d8f5f958dd33 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HeuerEarl_Photo03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Heuer, Earl Description An account of the resource Earl Heuer, History, Thomas Jefferson College Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ed12e71b19aa83eadf55cabdc4018e36.jpg 369a196c7fac151217bc2f7354a46fff Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HeuerEarl_Photo04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Heuer, Earl Description An account of the resource Earl Heuer, History, Thomas Jefferson College Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8e72f8607c752b7a1744f0047aa2605b.jpg a70b6052eccaa0fc8f2de3815fa0fa67 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HeuerEarl_Photo05 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Heuer, Earl Description An account of the resource Earl Heuer, History, Thomas Jefferson College Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/95801b5cc565f55baec5a7ddbd231e33.jpg d2385b91231fee87e1902c382bc9c196 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HeuerEarl_Photo06 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Heuer, Earl Description An account of the resource Earl Heuer, History, Thomas Jefferson College Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aa00b70446120165c2a56db60a4c2bcd.jpg f3a8f68650882f5866fae7fb18d1bbc1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HeuerEarl_Photo07 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Heuer, Earl Description An account of the resource Earl Heuer, History, Thomas Jefferson College Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c9b0a2e38d956e2ed5899afe1b055761.jpg 64ff0f8e70ce8d2878070514367d2d76 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Michigan Novels Collection. PS3531.U42 H49 1903 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0032 Title A name given to the resource Hewers of Wood: A Story of the Michigan Pine Forests Description An account of the resource Binding of Hewers of Wood: A Story of the Michigan Pine Forests, by William G. Puddlefoot and Isaac Ogden Rankin, published by The Pilgrim Press, 1903. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1903 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2492be08e25e71838d4eb3d7164feff7.mp4 5d9dd03d262e78f8368d974d31c2e41c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5e74f02e0d3681757e81254ffe721d7f.pdf 7b179babdf1b7d1e8033cdaf33c9dd14 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Vietnam War James Heyn 94 minutes (00:00:15) Pre-Enlistment         Born in St. Joseph, Michigan, raised near downtown o Never allowed a gun as a kid, was a pacifist as a kid o Wasn’t exactly proud to be German after World War II Worked at a toy store from 12-16 as a stock boy Lived a great, quiet childhood, pretty independent child Father was an accountant, Mother was a housekeeper o Mother took in laundry, ironing, and raised a few additional kids Finished high school in June 1965 Got a job from the father of one of the children his mother looked after, worked as stock boy for Heath Company until he got drafted Christmas Eve 1965 Didn’t know a whole lot about Vietnam at the time, knew what was on TV Being a pacifist, James was intimidated, but duty called (00:04:00) Basic Training      Reported to local YMCA, James was transported to Detroit, where he got to see his first strip show o Got a physical here and was inducted into the Army o Walked on Windsor Bridge and contemplated being a conscientious observer, decided against it o Only saw a few people go back home Boarded a train to St. Louis, took a caravan to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO o Processed in and got shots in 107 degree weather Went from here to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, home of the 101st Airborne Division James’ group was the first basic training at the base o They were housed in barracks from World War II, had to be refurbished and repainted, this took up most of the first week of training o All other Basic Training bases were probably full at this point o Many of James’ group from St. Joseph had dispersed at Ft. Leonard Wood Basic training was regular routine, got gassed o James was sitting in a field and saw a troop jumping out of an airplane, whose parachute didn’t open, first eye-opening experience of what was to come o James was a skinny kid, was in fantastic shape after basic training o Often ran from five in the morning to ten at night � o o o o One of the troops was a senator’s kid, complained and got it shortened to nine at night Overall James found it pretty tough, knew it was going to help in the field Discipline was heavily emphasized, many officers were Vietnam vets  People who messed up got sent home, 3-5 didn’t make it  Only occasional minor misconducts, discipline was pushups, dry shaving Adjusting to life in the Army was pretty easy because of the discipline Basic Training lasted about 11 weeks including finishing the barracks (00:14:15) Aviation School         Finished Basic Training in September, sent to Ft. Rucker, Alabama o Father was very crafty, James had knowledge with tools and mechanics, aptitude test sent him to basic aviation school Basic Aviation school was basic aircraft maintenance, how planes fly, engines, general aviation knowledge o About 80% classroom learning, 20% hands on Had much better housing here, much more learning, less Physical Training, college atmosphere o Was good friends with his roommate, enjoyed the school o Ran into singer-songwriter Bobby Goldsboro at the Dauphine Airport Spent five weeks here, Moved on to Light Observation Helicopter school o Operated Hiller OH1 and Bell helicopters for five weeks o Learned much more about helicopter operations and maintenance Moved to Light Utility Helicopter School o Was trained using a CH34 Choctaw, an old Korean War model Graduated, went home for Christmas, was called to Ft. Carson, Colorado in 1967 Noticed the southern hospitality, had a friend from Atlanta he would go home with No racial animosity among troops, Didn’t really see a racial divide in the area but didn’t spend much time off base (00:22:50) 92nd Infantry Division [check bio sheet or interview for correct unit]   Was called to the newly revived 92nd Infantry Division o Only a few people there when James arrives, first month or so is light on duties, keeping barracks clean, building the unit o Had built up enough people around March to start training, got new UH1H helicopters  Equipped with homing rockets and better engines Most training was taking apart, maintaining, and learning about the new helicopters, test flights and training the brand new pilots o Pilots were officers and warrant officers o James had never touched a helicopter during aviation training, team received training from representatives from the manufacturers o New Helicopters were about $250,000 a piece �      The helicopters the men were assigned here they took into Vietnam James chopper was called to respond to reports of smoke, found a downed helicopter that had hit a wire, everyone on board was killed o First time James had seen bodies up close Most helicopter teams were made up of: o A crew chief who was also a gunner o A gunner, who took care of armaments, o A pilot and copilot o Could carry 11 soldiers or up to 20 Vietnamese Trained with combat troops o Practiced insertions and extractions, flight training o Had a very close call with a low flying jet Only a few accidents during training Had officers who had flown helicopters in Vietnam (00:31:20) Deployment to Vietnam      Went from Colorado to Albuquerque, NM, to a small base in Arizona, flew across the Painted Desert, flew down middle of the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, then to Stockton, CA, where he went on leave for a short time, which was cut short James and many other people hitchhiked north to Vale and to Colorado, he hitchhiked to San Francisco during Halloween o Encountered many hippies, Grateful Dead and John Lennon were performing o Was pulled into grand opening of an artist’s studio o Tried to look as common, non-Army as they could, never wore uniform Helicopters were loaded onto the USS Kula Gulf, an aircraft carrier with wooden decks, a merchant marine from World War II o James and a friend built a kite that flew the whole journey to Vietnam o Did not make any stops along the way o Everybody had a duty, James was put on Kitchen Patrol duty (KP) o James enjoyed the trip, got to read a lot o Ship skirted a typhoon, one soldier was seasick the entire trip, weather was pretty good otherwise o Slept in three tier bunks, only a couple feet between tiers Sailed into Vũng Tàu, the R&R center in Vietnam, in middle of November, flew to 10th Aviation Battalion in Dong Ba Thin o Was only helicopter unit here o Had to fill sandbags and build bunkers for first week o Was a pretty safe area James felt sorry for the people, first time he had seen those in a third world country, was a rude awakening, felt compassion for them, felt the Vietnamese were decent people o Had a couple dozen Vietnamese working for them, did laundry, cleaned living quarters and latrines �         Had just over 200 men in his company, most enlisted men stayed together after training Started doing flight missions after Thanksgiving o First mission was Dusk Patrol, simple patrol mission, one of the pilots had flown his helicopter into the ground, killing four men  James was crew chief in the command helicopter for this mission Many of his unit’s missions were “taxi” missions, escorting and supporting ground forces, moving personnel around from base to base Operated all over II Corps area, and in Cambodia where US involvement would be disavowed if they were shot down Only occasionally would do combat insertions, and even then only part of the company Performed a rescue mission, helping some Vietnamese soldiers evacuate the area, had to hover in one spot for about half an hour while people are hauled up, took about 3-4 minutes per person To his knowledge, James never came under fire in his time in Vietnam Life at the base was pretty good, had latrines and hot showers, could go to Cam Ranh Bay to get lobster or a hamburger Spent up to 5-6 hours a day flying (00:55:50) Tet Offensive        Woke up to mortar fire on early morning January 31, two saboteurs had snuck through the Korean perimeter and rigged helicopters to explode with satchel charges o Watched a mortar round hit a fuel dump across Cam Ranh Bay, spectacular explosion o Watchmen who fell asleep were locked in a metal box with no windows, one was killed Troop organized a grid of men and swept the base, lost three aircraft total, James’ was in maintenance James’ team was chosen to fly the II Corps commander around Vietnam to see all the damages of the Tet Offensive, visited every base that was hit, this lasted a week to ten days o Went to Saigon and stayed a few days, not too much action going on o Saw serious damage all over, worst was at Khe Sanh, only stayed two or three hours, watched the intense gunfight like a movie After this mission, went on a mission called Klamath Falls, supported the forward base at Bau Lach, drove a truck of supplies through Vietnam escorted by helicopters along very narrow roads, was not attacked James often had to eat fast during the monsoon season, before his food washed out of his tray James helped build Bau Lach from scratch before the Tet Offensive Continued to fly all over Vietnam, performing all types of missions, got much busier in after the Tet Offensive �o      Was in a helicopter that got its tail rotor shot out, had to perform a landing at 60 knots, everyone on board was fine Participated in direct support of the 101st Airborne Division, flew convoy cover for the 1st Calvary Division, supported different areas of operation all over Vietnam Decided he wanted to go home in June, gave up his helicopter to become a truck driver in Dong Ba Thin, drove supplies and Vietnamese workers James’ weapon of issue in Vietnam was a Smith and Wesson revolver, one of his friends bought a Western style holster and ended up shooting himself in the leg Smooth sailing as a truck driver, flew from Cam Ranh Bay to Tokyo, then to Seattle, WA, and from there back home to St. Joseph, MI Vietnam becomes a distant memory for more than thirty years (01:17:36) Cambodia         Supported Montagnards in the Laos/Cambodia Mountains o People were primitive but sincere Only flew 8-10 missions there, usually quick missions to drop in special forces to observe enemy movements there, did decoy drops to cover their tracks Saved a group of guys who had been dropped off next a Viet Cong force on Christmas Impression of Koreans in Vietnam was short, stocky, and beat each other up just for fun, they thought some were crazy Deployed from the States with troops that had only a month left in their enlistment Morale of the troops was generally pretty high, sustained 22 casualties and a few injuries There were soldiers who partied and drank, but most seemed to be focused on keeping helicopters in tip top shape, No units ever failed to show, performance level was always high James and a friend designed the patch for the 92nd Airborne Division [?] (01:25:00) Going Home      James was warned of the antiwar sentiments, flew home in uniform, didn’t have any trouble but took it off right away, didn’t think about since Classifies himself as a reluctant veteran, he opposed the war Had saved some money in the service, went back to work for Heath Company when he got home Ended up going into maintenance, dabbled in sales, became an entrepreneur and made his own photography business Discovered a website about his unit that brought all his memories back, started connecting with the men in his unit, attended a reunion � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HeynJ1908V Title A name given to the resource Heyn, James (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource James Heyn was born in St. Joseph, MI and lived a quiet, independent life. He was largely a pacifist before he was drafted in 1965, but reluctantly accepted his duty to his country. James was in the first group of soldiers to attend basic training in Ft. Campbell, KY. He then attended Aviation school in Ft. Rucker, AL, and upon graduating was assigned to the newly reformed 92nd Assault Helicopter Company. James was then deployed to Vietnam, where he operated with the 10th Aviation Battalion in Dong Ba Thin. He operated all over II Corps before the Tet Offensive, including a few operations in Cambodia and building the base at Bau Lach from scratch. James survived a sabotage attempt during the Tet Offensive, and flew the II Corps commander to survey the damages after the first night. He even stopped in Khe Sanh during the bloody siege. Continued to support units all over Vietnam until he gave up his helicopter so he could return home. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Heyn, James Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-12-08 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e6db6f3f9f9248df2432092036687175.mp4 0f9ac118eb0e9b9509f94d39d7b9e9fe https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/564cdf62834accd5a2dc8f405a3761bd.pdf a282db51d703db4e02f12bf0789f09cc PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Steve Hickel (00:30:26) (00:10) Background Information • • • • • Steve was born in Cleveland, OH in 1956 He attended Duquesne University, Notre Dame University, and another university overseas Steve was able to receive a student deferment during the Vietnam War He attempted to become an officer in the Coast Guard but they weren’t accepting many at the time On June 6, 1975 Steve joined the Navy as a Sonar Technician (02:15) Boot Camp and Training • • • Steve was on Recruit and Training Command in San Diego, CA for 16 weeks He was in charge of liberty passes and paperwork After boot camp Steve went to a sonar basic school called Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Pacific Fleet • (05:05) Active Duty • • • • • • • After sonar basic Steve made 3rd class Petty Officer (E4) Steve then boarded a submarine in Groton, CT called the USS Whale SSN 638 which was a fast attack nuclear sub The submarine traveled went to La Molina, Italy and deployed to the Mediterranean Sea They conducted under water operations and went to various ports, such as Naples, Italy The sub then returned to the US at Portsmouth, NH, a repair station for subs The goal for a fast attack sub was to find enemy subs, monitor them and if necessary blow them up The best defense against a sub was another sub (09:35) 2nd Deployment • • The Submarine traveled to many other areas throughout the Pacific The only casualty was on a sub docked next to theirs when a topside watch fell overboard at night and drowned (11:30) Memorable Experiences �• • • • • • • Steve enjoyed eating different food when on leave in different countries On leave he went to Perth, Australia, Guam, Naples, and Subic Bay in the Philippines He also traveled to New Zealand with his wife They did emergency blows, where they would blow the subs ballast tanks and shoot up out of the water Sometimes they were able to listen to whales with the sonar They often attempted to listen to and record enemy subs and identify them He spent a lot of time overseas and became qualified for Sub Enlisted, Sub Officer and then Supply Officer (14:50) Medals • • • • Steve received a Navy Commendation Medal in Philadelphia for services as a Transportation Officer and a Traffic Manager for the base As a reservist working for the Defense and Finance Accounting Service, he got the Defense Meritorious Service medal He was called up to be a Commander in 1995 working for Admiral Smith who was in charge of Bosnia He put in computer systems in 4 or 5 different countries for foreign currencies so they could pay their bills and received another Meritorious Service Medal (16:25) Keeping in Touch with Family • • • Steve called his wife once on a phone attached to a buoy from 200 feet under water His wife had an accident and when they surfaced he received a radio transmission of the news In Europe he could use phone, Email and fax (18:05) Food • • • When Steve was the Supply Officer he had to make sure the galley ran and the crew got fed They had steak and lobster occasionally The subs got more money for food so they had better quality and variety (19:45) Stress • • Steve had to oversee many qualifications, learn the systems, order parts, manage the budget, make sure the food was served on time, deal with personnel problems, stand watch and get ready for inspections He did not get a lot of sleep; he sometimes had to go 18 hours without sleep �• They sometimes went through secret drills meant to train people to act in stressful situations with little sleep (21:45) Entertainment • • • • • Everyone smoked but the sub had an air filtration system He ate a lot and watched films in the evening after dinner They would go to bars and discotheques and drink sometimes There were drug issues and one third of his crew got kicked off for smoking marijuana He took some pictures that he still has many of � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hickel, Steve (Interview outline and video), 2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hickel, Steve Description An account of the resource Steve Hickel was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1956. He attended several colleges and then enlisted in the Navy on June 6, 1975. He started out as a Sonar Technician on a nuclear fast attack submarine. Their mission was to find enemy subs, monitor and record them and if necessary destroy them during the Cold War. He was first sent to the Mediterranean Sea where he became an officer and then traveled around on the Pacific Ocean. Steve was called back as a Commander in 1995 and went to Europe to install computer systems. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gascho, Luke (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Navy Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-05-29 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HickelS Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cb983248322404a5d9b5a54f3d9ff170.mp4 a198cbddd4e57758bd312c89b9d90da8 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d7a5b892b306ecb002931ff83d090151.pdf cce50073698c7906c73a317c29fe4075 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Kenneth Hicks (1:11:21) (00:05) Background Information • • • • • • Kenneth had always wanted to fly when he was a little boy He built model airplanes with his father After high school he went to Michigan State University and trained in the ROTC He took classes in mechanical engineering, but they were boring That October he volunteered for the Air Force in Lansing He received his acceptance letter in February (2:20) Air Force Cadet • • • • Kenneth took a train from Detroit to Miami beach and stayed in a hotel right on the beach He only went through basic training for a short while and then was sent to Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania There they tested the men’s intelligence to see if they would be able to fly well Kenneth made the top twenty percent (4:20) Tennessee • • • • Kenneth went to Nashville, Tennessee for classification They stayed on an Army base that had been hastily thrown together They went through physical training and testing They also had depth perception testing (6:00) Alabama • • • • He was then sent to the Maxwell Air Force base in Montgomery, Alabama They had a class system and all the new guys were on the very bottom The inspections were rough and people were de-merited for a penalty They went through more physical training, took classes, went through more testing, and worked on plane identification (8:25) First Primary Flying School • Here they had civilian instructors who knew many different languages �• • • They were attempted to teach each many to fly solo within 8 hours of actual flight training Kenneth did not get along well with his flight instructor, but was able to learn the techniques within the 8 hours They only spent 60 hours in flying school altogether (10:40) Basic Training • • • • Kenneth worked with BT-13s and BT-15s; the 13s had the best engines He had an oil leak once and had to call the control center for help and ended up landing in the grass next to the run way They practiced night flying and he got vertigo; then he learned it was always best to just trust what the plane instruments are reading Another time flying he got stuck in a spin at 4,000 feet in the air and was diving right towards the ground (14:15) Arkansas • • • • • • • Kenneth went through advanced training in Arkansas He was able to fly a AT-10 twin engine, which was very light While flying he got stuck in 70 mile winds and could not land; he had to fly in circles for a long amount of time They received their wings and were now “real pilots” Then they had to decide whether they wanted to be a fighter pilot or work with multiengine bombers Kenneth went to Sebring, Florida for transitional training to work on multi-engine bombers They worked with old planes, but they had very good instructors (19:20) Avon Park, Florida • In Florida his crew was being formed with a bomber, navigator, co-pilot, etc… • There were ten people in a crew, with six enlisted men • His crew was then sent to Savannah, Georgia to an air base • They received a new B-17 straight from the factory and had to calibrate all the instruments • They were ordered to fly the plane to England (22:45) The Flight to England • They had to stop in Maine first for a few days due to the weather • Then they stopped in Labrador and then stayed in Greenland for a week • They went to Iceland and then to Wales and England �(27:30) The 447th Bomb Group of the 3rd Division • They took a train across England and arrived at an air base • All their assigned missions were hung up in the barracks • At the time London was being bombed by Germans, but the Germans were running low on oil • They started on some practice missions and the crew was divided in half • Kenneth did not like being divided, and then they decided to always fly as a whole crew (38:55) German Fighting • Most of the German fighters were gone and they mostly just faced flak • The Germans had started out with 88 mm guns, then went to 105 mm guns, and had 150 mm guns at the end of the war • There was no heat in the planes and they wore suits that plugged into the planes (52:00) His Premonition • Kenneth felt that he would die on the next mission that was assigned to him • He wrote his mother a letter asking her to propose to his girlfriend for him; she did not • Strangely his next mission was cancelled due to bad weather (55:00) Florida • Kenneth went to see a fortune teller in Orlando • She told him that he would come back safely and that his highest rank would be captain; she was right • On his second tour, Kenneth became an operations manager • He remembers his last mission well because it was so long; more than 9 hours • He had to pick up twenty men and bring them out of Germany • At the airport, someone stole his 45-automatic (1:01:45) Back in the US • Kenneth was worried that he would not be able to find a job because he viewed pilots as a “dime a dozen” • He got married and has been with his wife Virginia for sixty years (1:03:50) Selecting Targets • They were told of their route during briefing where they would be given their targets • The whole crew went to the briefing to be told their separate duties • A lead ship would drop a smoke bomb near the target to mark it • Sometimes the head ship would drop bombs in the wrong spot �• They also had to occasionally drop down leaflets to German citizens � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hicks, Kenneth (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hicks, Kenneth Description An account of the resource Kenneth Hicks served in the 8th Air Force as a B-17 pilot based in England in 1944-45. He provides extensive descriptions of the training process and his experience with bombing missions in the later stages of the war. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Air Force World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-07-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HicksK Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3255ae73c042cf43d6c626677e22353f.pdf 6c207a3b2a858194625dcd450c5c65f1 PDF Text Text Tuesday, June 4, 1991 • Hidden children lreak their silence They thank those who kept Nazis away BY DAVID CRUMM Free Press Religion Writer When Gisele Feldman pulls out the photos from World War II, she no longer is a retired French teacher living safely in Farmington Hills. Suddenly, she is a scared little Jewish girl, desperately trying to hide from the Nazis. At age 8 in France, Feldman was separated from her parents and admitted to a children's clinic by a ~ - ...•-kind-hearted doctor. The doctor treated her for several years for · .:. rickets and passed her off to au. thorities as a Catholic. That was half a century ago, but as she told the bittersweet story on Monday in the Southfield offices of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (ADL), she broke down in tears. "I told myself I would not cry • about this. I didn't wantto cry," said Feldman, 60. Abraham Foxman, who also was hidden as a child during the war and now is the ADL's national director, hugged Feldman as she wept. Moments later, as Feldman returned to looking at photos of seven of her relatives who died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, the emotion rushed in again. "It's fine," Foxman murmured, holding Feldman's hands. "It's all right." Foxman understands the intense hold the Holocaust still has on Jewish children who were hidden and survived the war. Last week in New York, Foxman and Feldman participated in the First International Gathering of Children Hidden During World War II. "As hidden children, it took us a long while to break our silence about our experiences," Foxman said. The famous story of Anne Frank, who was concealed in an , attic, may not have been as common as the Jewish children hidden by Christian rescuers who adopted them and changed their identities. At age 2, Foxman was saved from the Nazis by a nanny who baptized him a Catholic and claimed to be his mother. After the war, his real parents had to wage a traumatic legal battle to reclaim him. Many of the Christians who rescued fleeing Jewish families also have remained silent, largely because they did not consider their actions heroic. "You tell these people they're heroes and they say, 'We're not heroes; we didn't do anything,' " Foxman said. "These people are common folks who didn't debate whether to help, didn't discuss it, didn't rationalize it. They saw human beings in need and they risked their lives to help." Under Foxman's leadership, the ADL launched the Jewish Foundation for Christian Rescuers in 1988. Tonight at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield Township, Foxman and others will ~lebrate the creation of a Michigan chapter and honor two Michigan families of rescuers: the Termaats and the Chorazyczewskis. Peter and Adrienna Termaat, now in their 70s, were a young couple in the Netherlands with a 13day-old son when Germany invaded their country. They helped countless Jewish men, women and children escape the Nazis. They now live in Grand Rapids. Helen and lgnacy Chorazyczewski concealed a Jewish teenager in their barn in Poland and also enlisted their oldest son, Ce1.ary, in caring for the boy. After nearly 18 months, they helped the boy escape. lgnacy Chorazyczewski has died, but his wife, who is 85, lives in Hamtramck. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_NWS_1991-06-04-Hidden-children-break-their-silence Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Crumm, David Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-06-04 Title A name given to the resource Hidden children break their silence Description An account of the resource Newspaper article about hidden children during World War II, and honoring those who rescued and assisted them. Subject The topic of the resource Dutch Americans World War, 1939-1945 -- Jews -- Rescue Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Europe Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5569db19b1d2ecc565dd2dc160d84819.mp4 c0456c423b83c3b2be1ac6ff4a12d9d3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7037b6acd882745e168f3735f9bc50a5.pdf 2a6d9b634a80275bac813c241c78e935 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Oral History Interview Veteran: Ulf Hierlwimmer Interviewed by James Smither Transcribed by Grace Balog Interviewer: We’re talking today with Dr. Ulf Rainer Hierlwimmer of Holland, Michigan. I guess you go by Ulli most of the time? Veteran: Ulli is what friends call me. Interviewer: Alright. So Ulli, start us off with some background about yourself, and you’ve got an interesting background, and so where and when were you born? Veteran: I was born May 31st, 1945 in what was the Soviet occupied zone of Germany, namely the Eastern Zone. And before we proceed, I will take off my cover, and we will go through my life history as through how I established my Navy career. On May 31st, 1945 there were very few doctors left to deliver me, but an old time OB-GYN gentleman delivered me. I have never met him; I heard his name from mama but never went back - so far - to my birthplace. But, about a year later my mother, as all moms are, very guarding of life, walked with me in a baby carriage, I was in the baby carriage, at age one approximately, to the safety of the West to Augsburg, Bavaria, Western Zone, or West Germany. Interviewer: And did she tell you how she was able to get out of East Germany? (00:02:07) Veteran: She walked. Interviewer: But, I mean, did the Soviets let her out? �Veteran: She ran across a platoon of Soviet soldiers, and they did not harm her, and they didn’t harm me. So, there is an element of compassion even with sometimes so-called “enemies.” And we have to remember that not all people are bad. But she walked about 232 miles and she would stay with farmers and so on along the way, who she didn’t know, but she asked for refuge for the night. Interviewer: Did she tell you how long it took? Veteran: She said it took about 12 to 14 days. She would walk very fast. Pushing me. Interviewer: That’s a reasonable clip to go at. Now where was you father at this time? (00:03:05) Veteran: My father was being released by the Americans in Livorno, Italy because he had been drafted into the German Army as an enlisted person first, and then he was promoted because he had one year of the equivalency of a junior college, and he was going to become a lens crafter for Bausch & Lomb. And well, the German government at that time, the Führer’s government at that time said, “No no, no no no, you are going to be drafted.” And he was drafted as a young man, and he became a Second Lieutenant. And then in 1944 he was promoted to First Lieutenant and he was sent to Italy, northern Italy, and he was captured outside of Florence and taken by convoy. And many other German soldiers were captured, without firing a shot I might add, In 1945. And thank God he did, and he was taken to Livorno which is now Camp Radley for NATO in Livorno. And he could speak some English, and so what the commanding officer was interested in, some of these German soldiers that could speak English, because they needed German translators to set up some stability in the Western Zone. Especially in Bavaria, where my father hails from. Anyway, with a letter of recommendation after he was released after nine �months in the POW camp, he went back to his home city of Augsburg, where there was a huge U.S. Army base. Interviewer: Couple questions here, one of them is, he’s from Augsburg in Bavaria, why were you born in East Germany? Veteran: Yes, he and my mother met when he was retreating out of Russia. They met, and they met in her home area, which was Gotha, Thuringian. Interviewer: So they meet after he was in the Army, then? Veteran: Yes, he was in the Army. Right. Interviewer: So anyway, so that was her home area, since he’s not there, she’s not going to be where he is. Okay that makes sense. Alright. When did he get back to Augsburg? (00:06:03) Veteran: He got back to Augsburg in 1946 in January or February of 1946, and he let somehow be known through the Americans that he was a translator at the U.S. Army base back in Augsburg and that he was safe and “Can you try to join me?” through channels which I don’t really know about. He got that message through to mama. Which is amazing. Interviewer: Legally she should have been able to go, but the Soviet and East German authorities were not always interested in that. Veteran: No, no. That’s the interesting thing about the German personality. The German personality is which way does the flag blow; you know? Which way does the wind blow? I hate to say it that way, but it’s true. The East Germans became better communists with their doctrine �than even the Soviets. And so, the Soviets always had to keep a firm handle in overseeing the East German authorities because they were a little bit tenacious, very tenacious. Interviewer: Alright. So basically, she’s able to come and she can join your father, he’s already there, he’s got a job. Veteran: He’s got a job as a translator. Interviewer: Alright, and then how long did they wind up staying in Germany? (00:07:39) Veteran: In Germany til April, late April 1953, my father was able to get to - he met a major in the U.S. Army that he had translated for. This major said, “I have parents in Virginia, and they live in Falls Church, but they have a 100-acre farm near Warrenton, Virginia, and they need an overseer” and also a worker of course, and my father said “Oh, okay.” And I’m an only child, so it wasn’t a problem of immigrating, and through the Americans he did get a visa for the three of us and starting May 2nd we traveled by train, late April to the ship in Rotterdam, the M.S. Noordam, which was part of the Holland-America line and I have the original suitcase. I brought my paraphernalia, which I’m so proud of, future generations of Hierlwimmers will I know. Interviewer: Hold that up here. Veteran: That’s the original suitcase. Interviewer: Got the original luggage tag on it. Veteran: Starting May 2nd, 1953. And we were supposed to go for a 9-day journey to the port city of New York. Well, all the berths were filled up, so we had to go to up the Hudson to Hoboken, New Jersey. To that same center, which was the port where that train accident just recently �occurred. I recognized the gates, I said to my wife of 48 years, I said “Patty, I remember those gates.” and I didn’t understand it as an 8-year-old child. And I said, “Why these big gates?” Well, we had to go through customs of course and we had to show the - papa had to show the visas and so on. But I might add, my most historic moment of the voyage was short of New York harbor. That’s the very first time I heard the Star-Spangled Banner being played, as we went past the Statue of Liberty, and different dialects trying to sing the song. I didn’t know the words because I really didn’t speak much English, but I remember that. And to this day when I see the statue in person, I get tears, because America to me is represented one hundred percent by that statue and that’s what we Americans have to think about. All this other thing that’s going on presently just remember the statue and remember who gave it to us as a gift, France. France! Liberty, justice for all, and welcoming, welcoming immigrants. Or welcoming people to this country of ours, this great country of ours. (00:11:12) Interviewer: Why did your parents want to come to the U.S. in the first place? Veteran: More opportunities. 1952, 1953 were bad years in Germany. The Berlin uprising was occurring, Poland was uprising a little bit, Hungary was starting Interviewer: Not yet, but soon. Veteran: Soon. In ‘56 the Hungarians finally did have the uprising and slowly but surely Czechoslovakia and so on, but Berlin started it and the Soviets punished them severely. Interviewer: And it took a little while longer before you get the full economic recovery in West Germany which does eventually happen in the ‘50s. �Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: Okay. And he’s got-- your father speaks English, he’s got good American connections. So now-Veteran: Before we go on, my father’s-- in 1946 there was no West German currency yet, there was no West German Deutsche Mark. So, my father is paid by the Americans - they could not pay him in U.S. dollars. They paid him in cigarettes. Two cartons of Lucky Strikes per month for translating, and then in ‘47 when the Deutsche Mark came along, he got paid in Deutsche Marks. Interviewer: Okay. So now you actually, you get to Hoboken, get off the ship, go through customs. Now what do you do? Veteran: Then we were picked up in Hoboken by our sponsors, Mr. and Mrs. Chew and-- very nice people, very nice people-- and they drove us from Hoboken, New Jersey. It was probably around noontime and we drove in a big Buick - I had never seen a car like that. And naturally as a young child I was in the back seat, and I almost sank out of appearance you know, in the back seat. And I'm going “My goodness, this is something.” And you drove us to the farm, and the next day papa was not only the overseer of one other worker, but also a worker, he was on the tractor already the next day, on May 12th, 1953. And he was getting paid 25 cents an hour, but it was a start. Interviewer: And he had a place to live. Veteran: And he had a place to live. Mama took care of the farmhouse. (00:13:50) �Interviewer: Alright, so now, what was life like for you there? Is this where you grew up or did you move? Veteran: Oh no no, we moved about nine to ten months later from the farm because the minimum wage, slowly but surely we came to find out, was 75 cents an hour. And I attended Warrenton Public Schools, but I might add this is now 1953, and I attended the white school on top of the hill in Warrenton, Virginia. And the African American school was at the bottom of the hill surrounded by a big fence and so on. And I was put back into first grade. I had been in first grade and second grade in German public school in Augsburg, but make a long story short, one day I got jeered by the first graders, first grade boys, and it was an old World War II thing, “Hotsie, totsie, another newborn Nazi.” So, I got a little bit upset, so I decided to run down to the African American school. The white teacher and the white principal started chasing me and saying, “You cannot play with those folks.” And I asked, “Why not?”, and I knew how to pronounce the W’s. Rather than “Vy not?”, “Why not?” and no answer. And worse yet, the closer I got-- I could run very fast, especially downhill-- the closer I got to the African American school, they waved me off. The teachers and the students on the playground they said, “White boy, we cannot play with you.” And I asked again, “Why not?” and no answer came. And I remember that vividly, and that was, that has been imprinted in my brain for life. The discrimination, the attitude of discrimination hurts everybody, and we must not forget that we cannot divide peoples. Look at what happened in Germany when you isolated groups, and the genocide and what not. But anyway, mama being a tough lady, she tries to find work in Warrenton, Virginia. So, she went first to the white business owners in Warrenton and they would not hire her because it was eight years after World War II. And so, she marched herself into the black, or the African American, “ghetto” part of Warrenton. The first snack bar she came �to, she walked in as a white woman and said, “I need a job.” And the owner said, “Ma’am I can hire you, but do you know what you’re doing?” And she said, “I don’t care.” And he said “Really? You want to work as a waitress?” and she says “Yeah, I need a job.” He hired her on the spot for 50 cents an hour, so they made the minimum wage of 75 cents an hour. Interviewer: I take it this didn’t last too long. (00:17:36) Veteran: No. Like I said, nine to ten months. And my parents accumulated enough savings, they paid for the entire trip. Which was at that time, $500. And that was a lot. That was a lot for the three of us to come over from Germany, or Holland, you know, Rotterdam, to America. And the sponsor insisted, he said, “No, no, no, you keep that money.” My father said no. “Nein.” Not going to do it. So, then he had tied up with a G.I. friend of his that he knew from Augsburg, who lived in Connecticut, near Westport, Connecticut. And this friend helped us get to Connecticut through the Y.M.C.A. in Westport, Connecticut, to a botany professor named Dr. Ken Henderson, who was a botany professor at Yale. But his sideline business was raising 30,000 orchid plants in his private greenhouses, right across the street from Long Island Sound. And my mother became the maid in the household of the Hendersons, and we had a free apartment there, and my father was the orchid tenderer. He and another worker tended 30,000 orchid plants. And we stayed in Westport, Connecticut or Westport area - Fairfield, Connecticut - about two years, because then a recession hit. And he had another G.I. friend in Buffalo, New York. The network of Americans that my father had because of his job as a translator. (00:19:38) Interviewer: So when do you go to Buffalo? �Veteran: Buffalo, 1955. Summer of ‘55 and I started public school there, Public School Number 37, inner-city Buffalo, and we had an apartment at first in Buffalo, near downtown Buffalo. And then one day I was walking to school, I had to walk to P.S. 37. It was about a mile away, and I pass past a house on Elm Street in Buffalo just south of Roswell Park, memorial it was called, Roswell Park Memorial Hospital for Cancer. And I saw this house for sale you know, and I told my parents, this was 1956, I told my parents when I got home and they looked at the house and they said “I think we can afford this house” you know, and that was our first American house that my parents bought. And then after Public School 37-- and I won the sons of the American Revolution medal in eighth grade at Public School 37, I still have it at home here, my children will probably, you know-- but the high school then I started attending was Hutchinson Central Technical High School in Buffalo, but then my father's job with Remington Rand, he was in the microfilm business, because like I said a way long time ago in the interview, that he was a lens crafter so he loved photography, and so microfilm was the data storage system for all businesses, etcetera. Remington Rand transferred him from Buffalo to Detroit. And in Detroit, what was very interesting, this was now 1959, I went to Cass Tech High School, transferred there in electrical electronics, but make a long story short, at age 13 my family doctor became Dr. Raul Torres, who I did not mention until now. Dr. Raul Torres was a captain, medical corps U.S. Army, stationed in Augsburg. When I came along with mom, with mama, my father took me in his arms to aboard the U.S. Army base to Dr. Raul Torres, who he had been translating for also, and said “Can you help my son?” because we had very little nutrition under the Soviets and historically or politically, I can understand it. The Soviets lost ten percent of their population in that horrible war. Revenge was on their minds. Babies were useless, senior citizens were absolutely useless too, and I was sustained, besides God's love and mama’s love, by flour, water, �occasionally some milk, carrots, pureed carrots, carrot juice. A blessing that I’m here. But he looked at me and he had my father explain, “Where has this kid been?” You know. He says, “Well we have to help him.” Age one. And he says “I’m going to plug him into an I.V., he’s dehydrated,” and plugs me into an American I.V. His wife, Dr. Estelle Torres, they were the first married couple to graduate from Wayne State University Medical School in Detroit in 1943, but he had been drafted into the Army, he calls her long distance to Detroit, took him 30 minutes as the history goes, and he says “Estelle, you’ve got to send formula and vitamins for this German infant,” and naturally she’s thinking “What the heck are you doing with a German infant?” And he explained it and he says, “We’ve got to help this infant.” And by God, she would send the materials over to his A.P.O. box. Anyway, slowly but surely, and he left the Army in ‘47 and he and his wife set up a practice in Hamtramck, because she was Polish, he was from Grandville actually, and his father was a family doctor in Grandville. (00:26:06) Interviewer: So, they’re there in the Detroit area. Veteran: Age 13, he becomes my family doctor. At age 16 he pulls me into his private office, and he says to me “you owe” and I thought, you know, the monetary thing. He says, “No no no no no, you owe society.” He didn’t say society, but he says, “You owe” and I said “Okay.” He says, “We’re going to get you into medical school one way or another,” and I said “You are? But I like electrical electronics as Cass Tech High School!” He says, “That’s okay, that’s okay, you’re going to be an engineer for people.” I said “I am? Okay, oh my goodness!” I listened. I listened. Who helped me get into medical school? Dr. Raul Torres. Because his own father was a D.O. His own brother was a D.O. His brother-in-law was a D.O. And the father was deceased, of Dr. Raul Torres, but the two other gentlemen and Dr. Raul Torres, even though he was an M.D., �wrote me nice letters of recommendation and I did get accepted to Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. (00:26:35) Interviewer: Okay. Now where had you gone to college for undergrad? Veteran: Wayne State University. Interviewer: Okay. And were you still living at home while you were doing that or were you living on campus? Veteran: No, my parents-- my father’s job, he was hired by a competitor named Kodak at that time and they were really big into microfilming, and so what happened, my parents-- my father was transferred to Toronto, Canada, Ontario, Canada, and as a microfilm salesperson and microfilm systems setup in 1965, and it was about that time that the banks were moving out of Montreal, because of the Quebec Separatists Movement, banks would get scared, rightfully so, of little revolutions you know, and so he became sort of the microfilm specialist for the banks and so on. He did very, very, well, my dad. Interviewer: But in the meantime, you’re back here in college. (00:27:44) Veteran: But I started living with friends and so on and then I finally wound up at a fraternity house off-campus at Wayne State University, near the art museum. It was an adventure. It was a medical fraternity, but they rented to pre-med also. So I got the scoop about medical school from them too besides Dr. Raul Torres of course and so on, and so make a long story short, in 1968 I had the interview but from 1967 to 1968 I student taught and taught general science in the inner �city of Detroit, 8th grade, okay, and it was Sherrard Junior High School, and then evening school, I taught at Ford High School, math, because I love math, it's almost a German trait, you know. I made enough money and so on, and in the meantime I had met my future wife in the organic chemistry lab at Wayne State University-- and she was not my lab partner, but I looked at her very eyeing-ly, and I said “Jeez, this lady is on the ball! Pretty and everything, you know. And so, I didn’t have the gumption, you know, the courage to ask her out for a date, but we bumped just serendipitously into each other and I asked her out for a date, and the rest is history, and we got married in 1968 just before medical school started in September. Interviewer: At this point of course, the Vietnam war is in full swing, and the draft is there and you’re certainly eligible for this. Now while you’re in college as an undergraduate it’s a four year deferment, so that’s going to be running out, but you’re heading to medical school. So how did that work? Veteran: That was a draft deferment too. Interviewer: Okay. But was there a catch to that? If you were going to medical school and not being drafted, did Uncle Sam expect you to go into the military? (00:30:06) Veteran: After graduation, yes. Absolutely. They had a program where you could join during medical school, and I did. I did. I joined just before the start of my senior year in medical school as a full commissioned ensign, which would be second lieutenant equivalency, full time. No uniform, just go to school, keep up your grades and then you owe us time. Interviewer: Okay. So when you signed up-- why did you sign up for that? Did you figure you were going to get drafted anyway so you might as well do this? �Veteran: Exactly. Exactly. And I said “I owe this country. I owe this country.” And my wife was in full support of my Navy application and everything and she actually helped fill in the-- she’s much better at filling in applications. I’m the astronaut, and she’s Houston Space Center. Interviewer: So why did you choose the Navy? (00:31:13) Veteran: Because my father-in-law was a chief petty officer during World War II in the Navy, and he got me in touch with Senator Philip Hart and also with his commanding officer who was a rear admiral by that time in Detroit and had been retired of course, and both of those gentlemen wrote me beautiful letters of recommendation to the Navy and my father-in-law helped instigate that. He was a great man. Interviewer: This was kind of a—this is a program that you just don’t sign up for and walk into, you have to be recommended? Veteran: No, you have to be recommended. Interviewer: Ah, okay. Now, when you first go in, before that first year, do they give you any kind of Navy training, or does that come after you graduate from medical school? (00:32:06) Veteran: I hate to say this, there was no Navy training. All I had to do is, the paperwork was done for me at the-- in Chicago itself at the “afee” station, there was the recruiting office upstairs. They filled in all the paperwork, sent it to Great Lakes because that was my “theoretical” duty station. But no, at that time no training other than we did receive a manual in �the mail saying the, you know, the regulations and so on, and thirty days of leave during that senior year pay, full pay, full benefits, even insurance. Health insurance, and life insurance. Interviewer: Well, you were a Navy officer at that point so okay. Alright, so that-- you do that. So that’s your last year, you finish medical school, now what happens to you? (00:33:14) Veteran: Right. Then, I was accepted into Bethesda Naval Hospital because I applied for the internship there and I’ll never forget, I had to be interviewed on a Saturday morning by the internship director who was Captain van Houten, God rest his soul, and I come to find out his brother was a D.O. in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. So, I came to find that out later, he told me later. But he interviewed me. He was chief of anesthesiology, he interviewed me on a Saturday morning because I had to call him long distance because I was on a senior student rotation in Detroit at a hospital, and the program director of us medical students, he said “ No, no, you have to stay Friday night,” I mean up to Friday night. I said, “But I have an interview!” So, guess what this young buck and my wife did. I mean we drove through the night, and we changed clothing and so on to appear well in appearance, you know. No uniform, I had no uniform, and he interviews me, and he says, “Yes, you’re accepted, you're accepted to the internship program.” And I took the old-fashioned internship because I really didn’t know what specialty or whatever I wanted to do. I was more family practice oriented initially. Interviewer: Did you do your internship at Great Lakes or elsewhere? (00:34:52) Veteran: Nope, at Bethesda Naval Hospital. And that’s when he told me, "You know who was the best doctor in our family?” and I said, “I don’t know.” He says, “My brother, who was a D.O. �family doctor in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.” I said, “Oh,” and he says, “Well, congratulations, you'll be one of two D.O. interns here at Bethesda. (00:35:20) Interviewer: And just for people who aren’t really aware, D.O. is Doctor of Osteopathic, it’s a different program from the standard M.D. Medical Doctor although you get essentially most of the same training just a little bit different approach but traditionally there had been some prejudice against D.O.’s from the M.D.’s? Veteran: Yes there was, yes there was. The last state to give us practice rights was Mississippi, not surprisingly—oh, excuse me. But, the military gave us the opportunities of a lifetime. And that was one of the other reasons I said, “I want to apply to the military.” Because their graduate programs are recognized by both and that’s the main thing, you have to be recognized by credentialing bodies and certification bodies in any field, in any profession, and at that time, the military, and to this present day, the military is wide open for all qualified people. And I was just fortunate enough, after that internship year, I was the first D.O. resident to be accepted to a pediatric residency program at Bethesda Naval Hospital. (00:36:45) Interviewer: Talk a little bit about that first year at Bethesda as an intern. Veteran: It was very interesting. The most biased service was the surgical program, because at that time, D.O.’s were not accepted to M.D. surgical residencies, or even rotations. And it brought back the memories of Warrenton, Virginia, in my own mind, and I got to feel the empathy for people who get discriminated against. For no reason. For no reason. Not even willing to give you a chance to show your abilities, and that’s evil. In my estimation, that’s the �most evil concept I know of because you can destroy people much easier than you can uplift people. And it’s so easy to discriminate. It’s so easy. Am I good at not discriminating? No, there are times where I catch myself and I say, “Ulli, don’t judge. Do not judge. You're a mere mortal being, like the rest.” (00:38:16) Interviewer: Okay, so as you’re--In principle as an intern, you would kind of rotate through all the different specialties. Veteran: All the different services. And I rotated through pediatrics--that was one of my first rotations. I loved it because of my own background at age one. I said “This is it! This is it.” Because pediatrics is the future of the society. If you can’t deal with children, I mean, your generation is going to die out. Interviewer: I think of a naval hospital as treating servicemen who tend to be older than needing a pediatrician. Veteran: Yes, but the dependents. You have to treat the whole family. You just have to. And on the grocery bags at the commissaries, the most difficult job is being a Navy wife. At that time it was predominantly male dominated, you know. But, so, the wives would go shopping at the commissary and so on, and at the PX’s but on the grocery bags, yeah they had: “The most difficult job is being a Navy wife.” And, it’s true! I mean, they support the family while you're on missions or whatever, and it’s a team effort, and it’s a difficult effort at times. (00:39:40) �Interviewer: Okay. Now of course, at that point, that first year you're right there at Bethesda, so you get to go home at night, or at least whenever you’re off your shifts. Veteran: Right. Interviewer: Now, after that, your internship-Veteran: The residency, it’s the same thing, you got to go home after your shifts, usually, for three years. Interviewer: So, what did you do after the first year? (00:39:59) Veteran: After the first year, I got accepted to that pediatric residency for three years. And then after the pediatric residency I was supposed to go to Great Lakes. I had orders in hand to go to Great Lakes, because we wanted to go back home to Michigan and so on, and all of a sudden, I was actually taking a very sick infant from Bethesda Naval Hospital to Oakland Naval Hospital via AirEvac, medical air evacuation out of Andrews Air Force Base, at that time it was called Andrews Air Force Base, and it took us twenty-four hours to get to Oakland because they stop it at all types of bases to pick up the ill, the sick people. And the reason this baby had to be transferred is because both parents were active duty Navy on special projects that I never knew about-- and I don’t want to know about it. They wanted to see their baby and it was a very critically ill patient and there was no pediatric nurse with me, so I took care of the infant and so on, and we got that infant safely to Oakland Naval Hospital late at night their time, and the parents were there and they just hugged, and, you know. They knew too that it was a terminal type of deformity or malformation, but at least they got to see their child, their son. Then my orders while I was aboard the plane, the copilot comes back to me and says, “Your orders for �Great Lakes have been rescinded, I just got this message,” and I said, “It did?” And he says, “Yes, you’re going to Annapolis to the Naval Academy. You’re going to be Chief of Pediatrics there.” I said, “I am? How come?” I mean, how? “Well you know, that’s a nicer duty station than Great Lakes,” and I said, “I know, I know, but my wife was already out looking for apartments” or homes or whatever, because her sister lives right near Great Lakes and her brother-in-law lived right near, or lives still, right near Great Lakes. So, make a long story short, I called her as soon as I landed you know and I said, “Patty, we’re going to Annapolis.” “Annapolis? But I’m looking at houses here in the Great Lakes area.” And I said, “Well, forget it. The Navy has its own methods and I am going to follow my orders of course.” And she says, “yeah, you have to.” So, we moved up to Annapolis. It was wonderful. (00:43:17) Interviewer: Okay. Now, what years were you there? Veteran: From July ’76, bicentennial year, and I left there December 30th. And December 31st started my fellowship in allergy, immunology, and asthma between Georgetown and Bethesda Naval Hospital, and that lasted 2 years. And it was great! Great training. And right across the street from Bethesda Naval Hospital are the National Institutes of Health. All of the different institutes. And one of the institutes is the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Allergy. Well, every Thursday afternoon, we got to go as trainees on rounds and lectures at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. And so it just broadened my horizons, even then. And then in January of 1980, I became Chief of Allergy at Bethesda Naval Hospital. And I had an assistant, another physician who was an allergist, a wonderful allergist, and the two of us ran that department. But I came up with the idea through my previous Chief of Allergy, to make visits to the outlying facilities to save the government money. Because for a patient visit to our �clinic at Bethesda, is usually—was usually in the neighborhood of oh, $2000 or $3000 per member. Because they had to cut orders, they had to get per diem and they had to stay in an expensive area of Washington. So, he told me, he says “Ulli, just keep up your visits to the outlying facilities.” That was the best advice I ever had. So where would we go? I loved submarines. Don’t psychoanalyze me. And submarines were the main weapon I think that won the Cold War. I really believe that to my dying day. And I had the pleasure and honor, when I was a lowly intern in August of 1972, of hearing all this commotion outside of my emergency room that was my emergency room on rotation that whole month. I hear this commotion outside. It’s Admiral Zumwalt who was the Chief of Naval Operations. Literally dragging in Admiral Hyman Rickover, and I am the doctor on duty. And I have several corpsmen, or medics as they are called in the Navy, corpsmen and corpswaves. And he says to me, “Young doctor, I think, I think Admiral Rickover is having a heart attack.” And I said, “Oh my god, yes.” You could tell, just the, the—it was awful. We got the gurney, I mean everything worked like clockwork and everything just went super well. And I respected Admiral Zumwalt, first of all, before even getting to meet him, as a realm human being. And he did reform the Navy as far as some of the standards and so on. Which is great, which is great. You have to sometimes think outside of the box, as a leader. And—but you do it peacefully, slowly. You have to do it slow. And anyway, he stayed right at the bedside with Admiral Rickover, and Rickover said, “I don’t want to stay here, you are all over-reacting.” And I said, “No sir, we are not over-reacting. You’ve had a massive heart attack, and we are going to get you into the coronary care unit, and we are going to transport you there with the help of people.” And Zumwalt stayed that night with him. He helped us pull, push the gurney and everything. And he says, “Can I do something?” You know. And I think he carried the IV bag and everything. I mean, that’s how down to earth these German were. �But he, Admiral Rickover, is shouting, you know, “I don’t want to stay here, I don’t think I need to stay here, I feel better.” So we got him into the coronary care unit and everything was wonderful. And he remembered my name, years later. Because, in 1983, shortly before I left the active Navy, he was outside of our allergy clinic because we gave all the vaccines for mobilization. Well, he had been invited by the Chinese to inspect their nuclear Navy. They were going to honor him. And he said, “I don’t need those vaccines. I am not going to get those vaccines.” And I heard the commotion. I went out there. His second wife, who was the nurse for the first wife who had passed on, his second wife was a little bit younger. And she said to him, “Heimie, listen to this young doctor.” Me! And I said, “Admiral, I don’t think you remember me, but—” And I had a badge on. “But,” I said, “that August night in 1972 when the Admiral Zumwalt brought you in for that heart attack, we got you through that with the help of God, and this time, you do need vaccines. Because we need many vaccines. I don’t want you to get sick over there.” And he wasn’t going for about two weeks anyway, three weeks, so it would have had time for the vaccines to really work. He says, “But I hear they make you sick.” And I said, “Yes, they do. That’s why you have time to rest a little bit.” “I can’t rest!” But the wife calmed him down, and said, “Listen to him, listen to this young doctor.” And that’s my famous story about Admiral Rickover. (0:50:30) Interviewer: Alright, now I am going to back up a little bit. So we kind of covered the sort of full time you had in active duty. Early on in that first year, did you ever get any kind of Navy training in terms of how to march and salute and that kind of thing? Veteran: Yes, it was about a week before the internship started. �Interviewer: Okay. Veteran: At Bethesda. Interviewer: And how seriously did they take that? Veteran: I would say moderately seriously. They said, basically, you have inspections and those you have to take seriously. The uniform has to be crisp and clean. And this is still my uniform. I still fit in it, God bless. People get jealous, they say “How can you fit in this uniform from 1993?” And I said, oh— (00:51:32) Interviewer: Well it is from 1993 rather than 1973 so you were given a little bit of help there. Veteran: Yeah, that’s right. I had an older uniform but that’s gone. Interviewer: So you stayed in the reserves until 1993? Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: Alright, so now you think that you learned— Veteran: Yeah, we learned to march during that week and so on. And it was who to salute, who you don’t have to salute first or anything like that. And you can salute just out of respect, I mean. And the medical department in any of the military branches are unique. And some of the active duty military people felt at that time that you weren’t really in the real military. But, in 1984, I got selected to go for combat casualty simulation down to Texas. And then I learned more there about the real military. And that’s when I aligned myself with the marines in battlefield simulation. Because I was older and not so, well, I was physically active of course but not of, not �like the marines. They made me the radio man. And they had three marine guards around me at all times in the battlefield, or on the periphery of the battlefield. So I would call in for airstrikes against the enemy. (00:53:03) Interviewer: So you got like, because the Navy corpsmen get training with the marines for sort of a combat field training— Veteran: Yes, yes they are excellent. Interviewer: And so they do—so in a way you were getting the doctor’s equivalent of that, at least the reserve doctor’s equivalent of that, on a limited scale? Veteran: Yes, on a limited scale. Interviewer: So they’re showing you a little bit about what the marines do in the field? Veteran: Mhmm. Even helicopter rides down in Texas. And nighttime simulation. I felt an M16 in my back, and I had the armband, the Red Cross arm band. And I said “What about Geneva Convention?” “What convention?” Boom-boom. And in Vietnam, to tell the truth, I’ve known, I knew corpsmen. And one in particular, he became a Captain. He went—he was a mustanger, he went through. He was my administrative duty officer, John Auchorn, wonderful person. He’s still with us, thank God. Wonderful, wonderful person. And he told me about the horrors of Vietnam when he was a corpsman. They initially had to wear the helmet with the Red Cross on it. That was the perfect target for the Viet Cong. And finally, an order came down: you don’t have to wear that helmet. Because they want to kill off the medics, the radio people… (00:54:47) �Interviewer: Yeah, the officers, the machine gunners, yeah the— Veteran: Exactly. Disenfranchise the whole unit, you know. Interviewer: And the various places where you might wind up in an armed conflict from the 80s, or certainly more recently, may well be places where they have no particular interests in things like the Geneva conventions. Veteran: Yes, that’s right. I have a wonderful buddy currently, he’s a physician’s assistant at Cherry Street. His name is Larry Brewer, and he is wonderful. He was in the Air Force initially, in Vietnam during the Tet offensive. One of his friends in the distance was blown apart by a shell. After that, he went into the Army, became a nurse and then a physician’s assistant. And he’s still a physician’s assistant at the Cherry Street Healthcare System after 30-some years. And I used to volunteer there, that’s how I got to meet him. (00:55:49) Interviewer: Now during the time when you were in the Navy, I mean did you notice any kind of echoes or reverberations from Vietnam or responses to the war? Things like that, or how did that effect you? Veteran: I saw some of the returning POWs, we all did, and they had the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder totally. I mean, it was so tragic. And some of the doctors didn’t recognize it completely, because it was relatively new. (00:56:30) Interviewer: That was like in 1970, 3 or 4, in there. Yeah. �Veteran: Exactly, exactly. And it was, that was talked about. And we knew—we started noticing problems already then about the defoliant, slowly but surely. Interviewer: Yep, Agent Orange. Right. Veteran: Agent Orange. And ironically, it was Admiral Zumwalt that recommended that it be used along the Mekong River to defoliate the hiding places for the Viet Cong, because we were losing soldiers along the Mekong every day. Every day, the casualty rate was really bad. So. And he was reassured by Dow Chemical that it’s safe: “it’s not safe for plants, but it’s safe for humans.” Well, we know better now. And I have seen Agent Orange diseases. I have seen them personally, and it’s horrific. It’s horrific. And it should all teach us a lesson that chemicals do hurt the immune system, first of all, and they can cause many problems with different organ systems, including the immune system. Admiral Zumwalt’s son—Admiral Zumwalt went into a depression because his own son volunteered for Vietnam, along the Mekong River, so he was constantly exposed to Agent Orange. He dies of lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. That’s one of the diseases. Anything that alters the immune system is going to cause trouble for us. Any chemical. I don’t care what it is. (00:58:29) Interviewer: Alright, now, another side of the whole Vietnam thing is essentially—it’s political but it’s also a transformation of the military, becomes all volunteer. There’s various responses to the anti-war movement and then there is a congress at times that is going to be less inclined to provide funding. Now within the Navy itself, at least the part of it that you’re dealing with, did that effect—did any of that sort of stuff effect the morale of the people in the service? Or did you still have people who were pretty much the same? �Veteran: With some of the enlisted, it did. And I must be honest, some of the officers too. I was initially for the Vietnam war, but when the Tet Offensive occurred, because we had been told that we have this thing under control. But, a guerilla movement, ISIS for example now. It’s difficult to control militarily, standard military operations, against a guerilla movement. The British couldn’t do it in 1776. Or in 1775 at Lexington and Concord. The kind of—I mean the militia, minute men, were guerillas, figuratively. (00:59:48) Interviewer: At least when they fought that way, that was most successful. Veteran: Sure. And the British said “this is no gentlemanly way of waging war.” And I am going, “my God, what is gentlemanly?” What defeated the Germans in the Soviet Union? Partisans, primarily. Interviewer: Well, not, maybe not primarily. But they were part of it. Veteran: But they were part of the Red Army. And history is… Interviewer: Yeah. But basically, it became a lot more complicated than it was supposed to be. Yeah, okay. Veteran: And surrounding Leningrad, the Russians should take a lesson from that, what they are doing in Aleppo. It’s their Leningrad—I mean, it’s the reverse of, well, the Nazis did Leningrad, the Russians are doing Aleppo. I mean, it never ends. It never ends. Inhumanity. (1:00:40) Interviewer: Alright. Now, to think back on the period when you are on your active duty in the Navy, are there other memories that kind of stand out for you? From that period? �Veteran: Yes, the people at the top during my active duty years of 12, well 11 active duty years on and off at Bethesda and at Annapolis too, the higher ups—if you were willing to work, if your morale was—if you were uplifting to people, they loved you. It was that simple. And treat each person with respect, which they deserve. The Golden Rule. Follow the Golden Rule and you will succeed in America. If you don’t want to follow the Golden Rule and you think you’re the hotshot of everything…Guess what? People will…If they see you are trying and if they see that you are really struggling, but you are trying, they will give you a lending hand. We are the most generous nation on the planet. Who supports the United Nations, for the most part? Who supports NATO, for the most part? Who supports SEATO, for the most part? I mean you know, Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. (1:02:26) Interviewer: Yep. All that was there. Veteran: Yeah. I mean, it’s America. And with manpower and supplies and everything. Interviewer: Right. Now how was time in the Naval Academy? How was that a different job? Veteran: Wonderful. It was wonderful, but I came to find out that the midshipmen were students. Students first. Yes, they had some family traditions to uphold. And several of them came to me, confidentially, after the first year, okay? Freshman year, they call it the fourth year or something like that. And they say to me, “I don’t want to stop here, I want to go further.” And I said, “Listen, chances are—” “Well my father was in the Navy, my grandfather was in the Navy…” and so on. I said, “That’s wonderful. Wonderful for history. And you. That’s history. You’ve got your own life. And it comes time, sooner or later, you’ve got to make your own decision about it. �About your own lifestyle, your own style of living. And if you drop out before the sophomore year—I mean if you drop out before the end of the sophomore year, you owe no obligated time.” At that time, that was the thing. So several did drop out, but most stayed in. And they were— they were very good. Very good, upstanding citizens. And I think they are going to be, or they are, good leaders. Good leaders. And they invited me to the lunches at Bancroft Hall where they eat up to 6000 calories, because they are constantly exercising and everything else. 6000 calories. And they kept looking at me, “You’re not eating enough.” I said, “I am eating enough for an adult.” But they were good, they were good. And we sponsored several midshipmen. And they all have been wonderful and we keep in touch with them, and they’re successful in industry. (1:04:54) Interviewer: What does it mean to sponsor them? Veteran: Oh, when they are freshmen especially, they look for sponsors in the community. We stayed in Annapolis from ’76 to ’83. We decided not to move out of Annapolis. And we were from Michigan, so we sponsored 3 Michiganders, midshipmen, freshmen midshipmen, and they couldn’t get over the fact that I didn’t know some of the rules, you know. And so they taught me, very privately, very nonthreatening, you know. Some of the rules and so on, which was helpful to me. Especially as chief of a department, you know. (1:05:39) Interviewer: Maybe you ought to know those things. Veteran: But they were good, they were good. I think America can be proud of its military academies. They’re not the type that would push the button, you know? Let’s say it that way. And the wonderful thing about our U.S. Constitution is always, always, there is civilian control �over the military. And that was—that’s what helped us, has saved us, a countless number of times. If you can fire the Commander in Chief, like Nixon, my goodness! That’s unheard of. (1:06:25) Interviewer: Well, you can also fire a guy in the Army, like a MacArthur, if he makes too much trouble. Veteran: Right! When he refuses to salute the Commander in Chief. Interviewer: Okay. Now what kind of other things that kind of stand out for you, I mean like in your active duty period? Or have we hit kind of most of the main points of that now? Veteran: Most of the main points. Interviewer: Okay. Now you stay in the reserves for some time and they do have a variety that— Veteran: Yes, nine and a half years. Interviewer: You have, and you had mentioned already, training with the Marines in ’84— Veteran: Yes. Interviewer: Did you get other training stints or other things while in the reserves? Veteran: Well, what I did, I was commanding officer of the medical unit in Grand Rapids, and then in Muskegon, and then they closed Muskegon on us, so I went back to Grand Rapids as commanding officer of the medical unit. And what we did, we had the different corpsman and the different officers, we had several nurses, we had an anesthesiologist, we had a neurologist to �give lectures to the other units to just get them up to date on CPR, to get them up to date on what’s happening in medicine for their own care, too. And who knows? Like the Seabees, they see medical emergencies a lot when they are on—when they are doing construction work, oh my goodness. And one of my best friends to this day yet was a chief in the Seabees in Grand Rapids, and he and I stay in touch you know. And great, great person. And he took over the CPR training from our medical unit for the Seabees. So we worked—we have to work as teams. No person is an island. Especially in the medical field. And that is what I used to tell the corpsman, “I don’t care what your rank is, that’s manmade. That’s manmade. But when we have a patient in front of us, or an emergency in front of us, I don’t care what your rank is.” Like I won’t ask my plumber, “Did you got to college or didn’t you?” Or my electrician. You know, I am not interested in that! I am sorry. I don’t— (1:08:38) Interviewer: As long as you know they are licensed. Veteran: Yeah! Can you do the job? You know? And that’s all I ask of people: are you qualified? Can you do the job for me? And if you do a good job, believe me, I will give you good reports yearly. And you will get promoted. And I can almost guarantee it: you will get promoted. I’ve only had one corpsman in all of my career that said, “I could have gone to medical school, you know.” And I said, “Okay? Why didn’t you?” And one of the answers he gave was, “My wife didn’t want me to go.” I said, “Can I call up your wife?” “Ah, no, I have to go somewhere else right now.” And I am going…No, don’t lie. You know? And don’t get jealous. Look at what jealously did to Germany. The jealousy yields hate, and hate yields the worst things in us. (1:09:49) �Interviewer: Alright. Now, it’s pretty clear here from our conversation that your time in the Navy was a very positive experience for you. Veteran: Very positive for me. I was lucky. Interviewer: If you wanted to kind of sum up what it is that you learned from it or took out of it, what would that be? (1:10:05) Veteran: Camaraderie. Respect. And getting respect in turn. And being humble, and making you realize that you’re just a mere mortal that has to go through a journey that we all have to go through. And the great equilibrator is: you are born naked, and guess what? You’re going to go naked. Either way. But that—important lessons. And teamwork. And I still miss that teamwork. That, we don’t have as much in the civilian sector of medicine. And especially now, these are difficult times for American medicine because it’s transition time. So many changes have come down the road. I still work part time as an allergist in my old office. And the changes are overwhelming. And my generation is at fault, and I blame my generation, because during medical school, most of us said, “We really don’t want to know much about the business of medicine. We want to see patients, we want to help a little bit each patient, and so on. But leave the business up to someone else.” Well, oh boy! It was like a tsunami, coming down the road. The insurance industry said, “Oh, we’ll help you.” The business community said, “Oh, we’ll help you. We’ll help you organize.” And now… (1:12:02) Interviewer: Now you’ve got the government too. �Veteran: Now you’ve got the government on top of us. And supposedly, in 2018, all of these software systems for electronic records are supposed to interface, so that if you get stuck in California, they can access your medical record in California into our system. And they claim it’s going to be hack-proof. And I’m going, “Okay...” Interviewer: Yeah, okay. Well, just don’t tell the Russians. Veteran: The Russians are chess players. We forget that. Interviewer: Alright. Anyway, your own journey here has been a pretty remarkable one, so I’d just like to close here by thanking you for taking the time to share it today. Veteran: Thank you for having me. (1:12:53) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_HierlwimmerU1965V Title A name given to the resource Hierlwimmer, Ulf (Interview transcript and video), 2016 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-10-13 Description An account of the resource Dr. Ulf “Ulie” Hierlwimmer was born on May 31 st in 1945, in the Soviet occupied zone of Germany. When he was around one year old, his mother moved their family to the safety of West Germany while his father was in the German Army. After his discharge, Hierlwimmer's family moved to the United States and settled into Detroit, Michigan, in 1953. Hierlwimmer pursued his ujndergraduate degree at Wayne State University before he was accepted to Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. During the Vietnam War, he joined the Navy to continue his studies and became a pediatrician at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Maryland. After completing a fellowship in allergies, immunology, and asthma, worked as an active Navy doctor from 1972-1983, and then for nine and a half years in the reserves. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hierlwimmer, Ulf Rainer Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy. Naval Reserve Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Veterans History Project collection, RHC-27 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401. Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8984308463273af78719ecbd681718a9.m4v 8d0ee3ebb38d45be0868cbe8599fe5bc https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7f8228a2f57b0abdf8cc4ab7da82561c.pdf 7658fa805e47bc017946a2f8c705f951 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Mike Higgins Length: 39:05 (00:05) Background Information   Mike was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 20, 1951 He was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam (1:15) Training  Mike was first sent to Detroit with many other men for physicals and shots  Then they took a bus to Fort Knox, Kentucky where they continued with more tests and all had to get haircuts  He went through leadership school for 2 weeks after he finished basic training  Mike was very sick when he was first sent to Kentucky and it all made his basic training even worse for the first few weeks (7:50) Vietnam  They left on a jet towards Vietnam, but no one really had a good idea of where they were going or what was going on  Stepping off the plane was a huge shock because it was so terribly hot and humid in Vietnam  Despite the weather, Mike thought the country was very beautiful with many mountains and vegetation  He started with running perimeter patrols around a base where some support helicopters were held  They sometimes took ground fire, but Mike was never wounded  There were many racial problems between the American soldiers on his base and eventually all their weapons were taken away  Whenever there was an emergency, the men would have to hurry to get in line and receive their weapons (13:30) Average Days  Mike worked with all different types of people and learned to get along well with others  He felt he was a patriotic person, but the Vietnam war really made him lose trust in the government and he is now a much more cynical person  Mike wrote letters to his friends and family; some men recorded messages on cassette tapes  He felt that he had no control of what was going on while in Vietnam; it was very frustrating that they all fought for so long and then just gave up � Mike really missed his family and American food while in Vietnam (24:00) Leaving Vietnam  Mike never took any time on leave or R & R, so he was able to leave Vietnam a few months early  The paper work to get discharged and all the processing took forever  After going through all the processing, the Army would still send in a recruiter to see if the men would re-enlist  Mike arrived at an air base in California where there were many civilians waiting  Some of the people waiting were mean and calling them names, but the majority of civilians were nice to them  Mike took a plane back to Michigan and met his family at the airport  He later felt sick when he learned that the US was pulling out of Vietnam without finishing the war  He was relieved that the war was over, but sad about all the wasted lives and the fate of the South Vietnamese (31:15) After Service  Mike kept in touch with a few friends after he was discharged, but he was more focused on getting on with his old life  He took an apprenticeship in took and dye and began taking classes at Grand Rapids Community College  Mike learned a lot while in the service and while stationed in Vietnam, but would never do it again  He gained much discipline, learned to work well with different types of people � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Higgins, Mike (Interview outline and video), 2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Higgins, Mike Description An account of the resource Mike Higgins was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 20, 1951 and was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. He went through basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and then went to leadership school for 2 weeks. After training he was sent to Vietnam on jet and was completely shocked when he got off the plane by the very hot and humid weather. Mike worked as a cook in Vietnam and also on guard duty. He did not experience much combat, and reports of racial tensions at his base were so bad that some of the soldiers were disarmed most of the time. He was never injured and never took time off on leave or for R & R, so he was able to leave Vietnam a few months early. Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-05-31 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HigginsM Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a51d60005a9e3d0e4a4e744263b239b6.jpg a7d0c34821256684d40a65c643a34fba Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_LS00214 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1930 Title A name given to the resource High hump bison La Geniere shelter, Ain Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide of a Paleolithic engraving of a bison with a tall hump from La Geniere shelter, Ain. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides Drawings Cave paintings Archaeology Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c16cf79a5c15eaafd0f50208555d743d.jpg 52e88209b95e5877b6b16560ea0055cb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Pie-Factory-22 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lloyd J. Harris Pie Co. Title A name given to the resource High Pressure Steam Jacket Aluminum Kettles Description An account of the resource A photo of the high pressure steam jacket aluminum kettles, which is being operated by a man who is stirring something in the kettle, and the pie pan washer, which is being operated by a woman. The caption reads: "All custards, fillings for cream pies, etc. are cooked in thes emodern aluminum steam controlled kettles." Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Factories Bakeries Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file collected by the Kutsche Office of Local History from the Saugatuck Douglas History Center for the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e15246d7bce7b7ba5307cb22a38f7cf0.jpg 2ab35005d03d5d84d8261f5cc1874dc9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K183-0018 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-08-05/1970-08-07 Title A name given to the resource High Striker, Kane County Fair, Illinois Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of a carnival worker at the Kane County Fair in Kane County, Illinois. In the photograph, the man is seated on a small wooden chair at the fairgrounds and taking a break while helping to set up the high striker carnival game nearby. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Kane County (Ill.) Carnivals--Illinois Fairs--Illinois Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/abb61d3da0cbdb1c1ef48ff1d133cda3.jpg 553c14f6769361cf163c26c0a105ac74 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_G080-0003 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1966-06 Title A name given to the resource Highland Cows in Glencoe, Scotland Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of a herd of Highland cows walking along a dirt road in Glencoe, Scotland. In the photograph, a few of the cows are walking along the road, while others are gathered on the other side of a pasture fence. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Glencoe (Scotland : Valley) Glencoe (Scotland : Village) Cows--Scotland Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5dae5251f4c5e923bc3350924ea07fc7.jpg f7db8a636b49a23363452b0891604e6e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_G081-0037a Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1966-06 Title A name given to the resource Highland Cows in Glencoe, Scotland Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of a herd of Highland cows walking through an open pasture gate in Glencoe, Scotland. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Glencoe (Scotland : Valley) Glencoe (Scotland : Village) Cows--Scotland Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b609e8089c65133ba89d17995216ba44.jpg 6430f9c0e1b9f2e7741deea02433d963 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Merrill_EastmanAlbum_3_1911-1915_93 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1915-10-23 Title A name given to the resource Highlands Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of Highlands, New York along the Hudson River. Water damage is visible on the image, which was scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Highlands (N.Y.) Hudson River (N.Y. and N.J.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/504d36678c0e654505030dd7afe87b6a.pdf a1d77ee8b55ecb7816dce369bc222b44 PDF Text Text Highlights from student senate's meeting BY JESS HODGE ASSOC/A TE@LANTHORN.COM At close to three hours long, Grand Valley State University's student senate meeting was chalk full of eventful discussions, awards and resolutions. In addition to their discussion ahout election guidelines, here are some other highlights during their Thursday, March 23, general assembly meeting: HERO: Trevor Fairfield (far right) poses. GVL I JESS HODGE • Trevor Fairfield and Jarret Basset were honored and recognized for their heroic actions after saving a woman from a head-on car crash. Fairfield and Basset are first year GVSU students who were traveling down Lake Michigan Drive when they witnessed a car crash that resulted in a woman becoming trapped in her car as it started to burn. The roommates pried her door open and pulled her out of her car, which authorities said saved her life. The students were presented with an award from GVSU President .. .... Thomas Haas and student senate president Ella Fritzemeier. Senate also passed a resolution to honor their heroic work. • The budget for next year was discussed There will also be another opportunity for discussion at next week's meeting taking place Thursday, March 30, where voting will also take place. Senators talked and voiced their concerns about the cut to the student senate and performing arts budgets, and the additions to the media budget. Jen Hsu-Bishop, director of the LGBT Center at GVSU, spoke about updates from the center and the climate toward LGBTQ people on campus. Hsu-Bishop said GVSU is in the works of trying to help students use preferred names and pronouns over their legal names. • Student senate passed a resolution supporting the Fall Break. It will be given to administration for them to consider implementing it. • Tom Butcher, GVSU's university counsel, game to talk to the senators. He talked about the new free speech policies that were implemented at GVSU after a federal lawsuit with two students. • Fritzemeier was awarded the President Emeritus Award by Haas and dean of students Eileen Sullivan for her outstanding work at GVSU and her dedication to student senate. EMERITUS: Ella Fritzemeier with her award. GVL I JESS HODGE LISTENING: Student senators during their meeting Thursday, March 23. They had multiple resolutions on the table. G'; '" I JESS HODGE WHISPER: Senators talk about elections. GVL I HANNAH LENTZ � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GVSU Sexuality and Gender Flyers Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center Women and Gender Studies Department Women's Commission Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity Description An account of the resource Digitized posters, flyers, event notices, and other materials relating to gender expression and sexuality at Grand Valley State University, with materials spanning from 1974 to 2019. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1974/2019 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digitized from collections at the Rainbow Resource Center (formerly the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center), Women and Gender Studies Department, Women's Commission, and Gayle R. Davis Center for Women and Gender Equity. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Gender identity Gender expression Sexual orientation Women's studies Queer theory Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-09_SGF_LGBTQ_2017-27-03_Lanthorn_Student-Senate-Updates_Newspaper.pdf Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Rainbow Resource Center Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-27-03 Title A name given to the resource Highlights from student senate's meeting Description An account of the resource Newspaper article summarizing the latest student senate's meeting including updates to new systems to help students use their preferred names. Subject The topic of the resource Community centers Sexual minorities Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Rainbow Resource Center Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bf321ab26f05ade08e8f1a1431f516b8.jpg 2cf905b0dcd2e44c01f838890503bea1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Regional Historical Collection. F551 .J67 c.2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0172 Title A name given to the resource Highways and Byways of the Great Lakes Description An account of the resource Binding of Highways and Byways of the Great Lakes, by Clifton Johnson, published by The Macmillan Co., 1911. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1911 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fef0262e01bf83de9cd06a991af336f7.pdf 5f1e8b808a341d7755c9bcb7376308af PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Higinio Lazano Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 7/12/2012 Biography and Description Higinio Lozano arrived in Chicago and settled in the La Clark neighborhood in 1947. He later moved to North Avenue and Sedgwick in Old Town, right across the street from Lincoln Park, and lived there until the 1980s. Mr. Lozano is considered the official “Grandpa” of the Young Lords because he does not miss any of their events including socials, funerals and weddings. Several of his children were part of the Young Lords including his daughter, Yolanda Lucas, who held a top leadership position within the Young Lords. Ms. Lucas is also the mother of Alejandro “Alex” Jiménez, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez’s only son. Alejandro Jiménez is now an adult who went to Truman College, has sold insurance and other products, and has even worked for the Northwest Community Organization, a neighborhood group known for their grassroots activism, especially around housing concerns.Ms. Lucas and Mr. José Jiménez separated after the Jiménez for Alderman Campaign when pressures contributed to Mr. Jiménez‘s relapse. Circumstances related to divorce, safety, distance, the Young Lords, and repression prevented a more traditional type of family communications. Communication was nearly non-existent and usually done in public places, which became cannon fodder for those without clear understanding, and who loved to be involved in gossip. This contributed even more to the pain of a child. But Mr. Lozano provided needed support to Alex and to the Young Lords group. Ms. Lucas remains very close to the Jiménez family and now there is also a granddaughter, Alessandra.Mr. Lozano is always happy go lucky and the biggest flirt �ever, who will not miss a beat on the dance floor. His son, Albert, was a salsa king at the Rico’s Club that Young Lord Angie Adorno owned, and which many Young Lords and others from Lincoln Park patronized. Mr. Lozano is the typical Puerto Rican joker who will catch your every weakness. And his politics are soft spoken. One does not realize how clear he is on Puerto Rican politics. He knows racism firsthand and what Mayor Daley did to Puerto Ricans; removing them from the lakefront and downtown. He saw it with his own eyes. But he is patient enough to wait until you can see it. � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c51ed84d78f79661ee4462ca3c646aac.mp4 5ede4c2dfd329696b549ef043cf877bc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Higinio Lazano vídeo entrevista y biografía Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Puertorriqueños--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Lozano_Higinio Title A name given to the resource Higinio Lazano video interview and biography Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lazano, Higinio Description An account of the resource Higinio Lozano arrived in Chicago and settled in the La Clark neighborhood in 1947. He later moved to North Avenue and Sedgwick in Old Town, right across the street from Lincoln Park, and lived there until the 1980s. Mr. Lozano is considered the official “Grandpa” of the Young Lords because he does not miss any of their events including socials, funerals and weddings. Several of his children were part of the Young Lords including his daughter, Yolanda Lucas, who held a top leadership position within the Young Lords. Ms. Lucas is also the mother of Alejandro “Alex” Jiménez, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez’s only son. Alejandro Jiménez is now an adult who went to Truman College, has sold insurance and other products, and has even worked for the Northwest Community Organization, a neighborhood group known for their grassroots activism, especially around housing concerns.Ms. Lucas and Mr. José Jiménez separated after the Jiménez for Alderman Campaign when pressures contributed to Mr. Jiménez‘s relapse. Circumstances related to divorce, safety, distance, the Young Lords, and repression prevented a more traditional type of family communications. Communication was nearly non-existent and usually done in public places, which became cannon fodder for those without clear understanding, and who loved to be involved in gossip. This contributed even more to the pain of a child. But Mr. Lozano provided needed support to Alex and to the Young Lords group. Ms. Lucas remains very close to the Jiménez family and now there is also a granddaughter, Alessandra.Mr. Lozano is always happy go lucky and the biggest flirt ever, who will not miss a beat on the dance floor. His son, Albert, was a salsa king at the Rico’s Club that Young Lord Angie Adorno owned, and which many Young Lords and others from Lincoln Park patronized. Mr. Lozano is the typical Puerto Rican joker who will catch your every weakness. And his politics are soft spoken. One does not realize how clear he is on Puerto Rican politics. He knows racism firsthand and what Mayor Daley did to Puerto Ricans; removing them from the lakefront and downtown. He saw it with his own eyes. But he is patient enough to wait until you can see it. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-07-12 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9f1362d71c184266b9c59952baded68b.pdf 5d1434f15e7fbbfc7248237a10e4029e PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Hilda E. Frontany Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 3/30/2012 Biography and Description Hilda Frontany is a long-time community activist whose family first lived in the Water Hotel in Chicago’s La Clark neighborhood when they arrived in Chicago from Puerto Rico. In the late 1960s and 1970s she devoted her work to addressing the housing crisis that was displacing Latinos and the poor from Chicago’s Lakeview Neighborhood, a community located just north of Lincoln Park. To Puerto Ricans living in the area at that time, the neighborhood boundaries made no difference; to them, this was the same Puerto Rican barrio where families were being evicted by a 50-year master plan carried out by city hall. As a member of the Lakeview Citizens Council, Ms. Frontany argued and fought within the organization, using Saul Alinsky’s strategies to ensure that Latino voices were being heard, and ultimately forming the Lakeview Latin American Citizens Council. Ms. Frontany’s work with the Council was many-fold. In addition to providing a public voice for Latinos and helping to support homeowners who targeted by building inspectors, the Council ran a food pantry and taught G.E.D. and E.S.L. (English as a Second Language) classes. Today, she attends services at the San Lucas United Church of Christ and remains a prominent leader within Chicago’s Puerto Rican community. �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: So, go ahead and start [with your name?] HILDA FRONTANY: Okay. My name is Hilda Frontany. I was born June 16, 1943 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. My father was born in San Sebastián, [Los Pepinos?]. My mom was born in Arecibo, Barrio Esperanza. JJ: What do you mean Los Pepinos? What is that? HF: That’s a little town up in the mountains. My mother was born in Esperanza. For a description of where that is in Puerto Rico, that’s where Cornell University built the world’s largest radar unit. Arecibo, Puerto Rico. I came to the United States around 1953, I believe. I was around 10 years old. It was myself and three younger brothers. My father had come earlier, and [00:01:00] he worked in the butcher yards, and then he sent for us. We settled around the area of -- JJ: You said butcher yards. Where was that? HF: That was the butcher yards on 47th and Ashland, where they used to do all the hog butchering, et cetera, yeah. The yards. JJ: So, he was working there [what time of the year?]? HF: That must have been in the ’50s or so. Yeah, ’cause we came in ’53. Yeah. JJ: Can you tell me his name and --? HF: My father’s name was [Leonor Diaz Roman?]. My mother was [Blanca López Ruiz?]. My mother was the person that was like the person that kind of got me involved in seeing community, working in community, but, back then, it was through the church. Where [00:02:00] we settled was around the area -- 1 �JJ: Wait, so, you said she was involved with the church. Now, what church and where? HF: We settled around Erie, LaSalle, Chicago and state area, and the church that was there was Holy Name Cathedral, the mother of all Roman Catholic churches back then. And so -- JJ: So, your mother was active in (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: My mother was very active there. The group that was there, they started out with the Caballeros de San Juan, [my dad?], which was the Knights of St. John, which -- later on, they formed many councils throughout Chicago, and they created a credit union for all their members. My mother was very involved in terms of making certain that we had a Spanish Mass, and ministering to the people in the community who were newcomers, and getting [00:03:00] the church involved in assisting them. JJ: So, were there a lot of Spanish-speaking people in that area? HF: There were quite a few Spanish-speaking people. JJ: And this is in ’53. HF: This is in 1953. That Italian community there didn’t want us there, but we survived it. JJ: In what ways did they not want you there? I mean, why do you say that? HF: Because, when my father used to go to the [Keyman’s Club?] and all of that with other Puerto Ricans, they would ask them to leave, so that was a sign that they didn’t want you there. When we were all living on Erie and LaSalle, they came after the group of men that used to live in that building, and the men had to 2 �actually go up on top of the roof with blocks of ice from Bowman Dairy Company, and they used the blocks of ice to throw down at the Italians to defend themselves. So, those were signs that we weren’t wanted in that neighborhood initially. JJ: [00:04:00] And so, because the neighborhood was [firstly?] Italian, and then it was changed over. HF: Yes, and then it was changing. Yes. We’re talking about, you know, crossing the bridge and being downtown. Yeah. JJ: At that time. Okay. Was it a housing program that changed in the community, or was it more natural at that time? HF: At that time, the community there began to change in terms of the development that began to cause our families to move further north or northwest. Many families had to move north on Clark towards Armitage, towards Halsted. Others ended up living further west, but, yeah, it was a high displacement of families through development. JJ: What were some of the boundaries, I mean, that you recall? What were some of the streets? HF: That I recall? Well, I remember that, you know -- JJ: ’Cause I believe they called it La Clark, that neighborhood. Is that correct, or am I --? HF: Now, they call it Near North. JJ: [00:05:00] Near North. (inaudible) [puertorriqueños?] 3 �HF: For the Puerto Ricans. We were -- let’s see -- north of the Chicago River, all the way up to Armitage. Then, east -- I mean west of Michigan Avenue, all the way towards Orleans. And so, many of the people that left the Catholic Church Holy Name in protest because we weren’t being given the main church for the Spanish Mass -- we were in the basement. We migrated to a church on Orleans and Division Street. JJ: I’ve heard that in other churches, like St. Michael’s [and that?]. So, was this by choice? Did the Latinos want their own space in the basement, or this -- why was this? HF: No, it was not by choice. That’s all that they were willing to give us for our Spanish Mass. And so, with my mother’s leadership and the leadership of [00:06:00] many of the other men that were involved in the Caballeros de San Juan, they moved the congregation to St. Joseph’s Church on Orleans, near Division. JJ: Okay. How old were you at that time? You were still young. HF: I was still young, but -- JJ: Do you recall (overlapping dialogue; inaudible)? HF: -- as that was happening, I remember my mother -- because a lot of the stuff was -- a lot of the work that was being done and a lot of the way that the families used to network and try to survive the shock of coming into Chicago from Puerto Rico, not knowing the language, was through the church at that time. And so, I remember my mother -- they formed a group for the older women called the Women of the Sacred Heart, Las Damas del Sagrado Corazón. For the younger 4 �girls like myself, we were Hijas de María, Daughters of Mary. The men had their own organization called [00:07:00] the Knights of St. John, Caballeros de San Juan. And so, it was all related to the church and to the religious practices, but, through that, there was some organizing being done in terms of the families. There was some work being done with the -- at that time, I remember that it was the Puerto Rican Mutual Aid Society that had come in, and many Puerto Ricans needed assistance with social services. So, the church groups would send them to Puerto Rican Mutual Aid Society to try to get assistance for them. JJ: And where were they located, the Puerto Rican Mutual Aid Society? HF: They were located around the area of Chicago, Ashland, Ohio. Carlos “Caribe” Ruiz later on was one of the -- JJ: Oh, [Casa Central?] -- HF: -- [movers?]. Yes. JJ: -- (inaudible) at that time. Carlos “Caribe” Ruiz. Okay. HF: Yeah. JJ: Well, Carlos “Caribe” Ruiz [00:08:00] was also on (inaudible) and North Avenue. HF: That’s correct, yeah. JJ: Okay. Okay. So, now, you’re at St. Joseph’s. Did you go to the elementary school there, or what school were you going to? HF: First, I started out at William B. Ogden School, where I did a lot of crying because I didn’t understand the language, and -- JJ: Crying? [What do you?] --? 5 �HF: Well, yes, because I didn’t know what the kids were saying to me, so I would go home crying, say, “I don’t want to go back there.” JJ: Oh, crying. Crying. Crying. HF: Crying. Actually cried. I didn’t understand the language, you know? I couldn’t keep up, and I didn’t want to be there, but, eventually, you make up your mind that you’re going to dominate the language. And so, we were taken out of William B. Ogden, and then put into Holy Name Cathedral, and that’s where I went to grade school. JJ: So, you were crying because you wanted to very bad [00:09:00] to understand -- HF: Understand what was going on, understand what was happening. JJ: [You weren’t being put down or anything?]? HF: I didn’t know what they were saying to me, so I didn’t know if they were put downs or being invited to join in the play groups or whatever. JJ: But you were in the first and second grade or -- HF: Yes. JJ: -- something like that (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: Right. Yes. JJ: And you said you were living on Erie? HF: We were living on Erie Street, yes. JJ: Okay. By LaSalle? HF: Erie near LaSalle. Yes. Yes. And then, we moved to Superior and State, and then we lived on Ontario and State. So, we were kind of in the same circle. JJ: (inaudible). What was the housing stock at that time? What --? 6 �HF: It was all rental units. A building with maybe 20 units, the first one that we moved into. The second one, it was about -- two, four -- six or eight units. So, it was that kind of rental property. JJ: Okay. Because some people, they lived in, like, hotels [00:10:00] and (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: Well, yes. There were a couple of -- what we now call the transient motels, uhhuh, that -- like the Wacker Hotel. A lot of young, single, Puerto Rican males lived at the Wacker Hotel. Yeah. JJ: Okay. Did your family just come by itself, or were there other relatives near you? HF: First, my father came with a couple of his nephews, and then we came, and then, after that, it seemed that more family came over. And then, my father, who was in Puerto Rico, he used to be a barber, and he also used to work in the sugar cane crops. When he came over here, I remember he would serve like the cook for a group of men that would come in the evenings and pick up their fiambreras or their containers full of food, [00:11:00] and he also would cut their hair. So, you know, that was the type of situation that we had. JJ: So, he was self-employed (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: Self-employment too. JJ: But this was in his apartment -- HF: This was in our apartment, yes. Yes. JJ: -- that he would cut hair. HF: Yeah. Yeah. JJ: Okay. Where did some of the other people work at that time? 7 �HF: They were at -- I think it was called the Holloway Candy Company that they worked at. Some other people worked at some of the factories where they made those plastic gloves. JJ: Were there factories nearby? HF: There were some factories nearby, yeah. There was the Continental Coffee Company that was there on LaSalle. Right next to it, practically, was the Bowman Dairy Company, so they were employed there. So, the glove-making company ’cause my mom worked at it for a while -- but a lot of them were working in the [00:12:00] hotels that were in the nearby area. Like, south on Michigan and on State, et cetera. Mm-hmm. JJ: Okay. Some of the hotels were -- like the Palmer House, was that one? HF: Palmer House. I can’t remember the one my uncle worked at, but hotels primarily, yeah. JJ: Okay. So, now, you’re at St. Joseph. Were you attending school there? HF: No. I was still attending school. St. Joseph became the place to go to church on Sundays and do some activities with the groups that we had formed, but I was still attending Holy Name Cathedral, the school. JJ: So, [there was no longer?] Spanish Mass at Holy Name Cathedral? HF: No. No. JJ: So, now, it’s at St. Joseph’s. HF: At St. Joseph’s. JJ: So, the whole Mass moved (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: Practically the whole Mass moved with the community, yeah. 8 �JJ: So, the community was moved at that time, basically. HF: Yes. JJ: And do you recall anything regarding the Masses at St. Joseph, or -- I mean, were there a lot of people attending, or --? HF: There was [00:13:00] a lot of people attending, and I think the attract-- JJ: A hundred, two hundred? HF: I couldn’t tell you numbers, but I do know that we were -- you know, it was a smaller church, full to capacity, and there was a lot of celebrating happening. As you know, Puerto Ricans, we’re all very celebratory in terms of -- El Día de Los Reyes, we throw a party for the children, the Three Kings Day. We would throw parties using the facility at the church to bring families together in celebration, and that’s what I remember. Mm-hmm. JJ: Okay. So, where was Mass celebrated there? HF: On the main floor. JJ: So, there was more -- HF: In the main church. JJ: -- sensitivity there. HF: Yes, in the main church. JJ: At St. Joseph’s. HF: Yeah. JJ: Okay. Were there any priests at all that you recall that were instrumental at that time? 9 �HF: Back in those days, [00:14:00] I vividly remember a priest, Father [Jordan?]. He was one of the Spanish-speaking priests that did touch members of the community. JJ: At St. Joseph’s? HF: St. Joseph and even at other churches. JJ: (inaudible). HF: That’s the only name of priests that stand out for me. Yeah. Yeah. JJ: [Father Jordan, okay?]. Okay. HF: Yeah. JJ: So, how long did you -- and where did you live when you were going to St. Joseph’s? Were you still living --? HF: We were still living around the area of Ontario, State -- yes. Yes. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). And so, from there, where did you go? HF: After we left that area, I went to live in Lake View community. JJ: Okay, so you went straight [to Lake View?]. HF: I went straight into Lake View on 2835 North Clark, [00:15:00] which is the area bounded by Clark, Broadway, Diversey, a very close walk to the lake and to the park. JJ: [That’s the?] dividing line between Lincoln Park and [Lake View?]. HF: Yes. Yes. The dividing line was Diversey, so -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: -- if I went south of Diversey, I would be in Lincoln Park. 10 �JJ: But, at that time, for the Puerto Ricans, it was just one community, would you say, or no? [Or it was pockets?]? HF: There were pockets, but the majority of us were in the area bounded by Halsted and Racine. Mm-hmm. That’s why Lake View had one study that was done. It was called the layer cake community. You remember? Where they said that the majority of the Jewish community was living between Lake Shore Drive and Broadway, and then from Broadway onto Halsted were the four plus one units that had been newly built. And then, from [00:16:00] Halsted to Racine was what they called the poverty belt. Well, we were in that poverty belt. And then, from Racine on was the older German Americans that had been kind of hanging onto their properties. JJ: Okay. So, west of Racine. HF: Right. JJ: That’s where you were. HF: Right. JJ: So, now, you’re talking between Halsted and Racine, but what about the southern boundary? Where did that begin? HF: Mostly Diversey, and then we would go -- JJ: This is for Lake View. HF: For us, yes. Our boundaries. Up to Irving Park because many of the programs that were going on and all of that, it included those boundaries, Diversey up to Irving Park. 11 �JJ: Okay. What do you call growing up in that area? What percentage of the population was Puerto Rican in that area? [Section?]? HF: It was primarily Puerto Rican in that area, and I think it was also due to the fact that, in that [00:17:00] area, there was an agreement by US Department of Agriculture when they first brought in the first 300 Puerto Ricans to do domestic work. That’s where they mostly settled. JJ: Well, can you explain that agreement? I’m not familiar with [that?]. HF: The US Department of Labor and US Department of Agriculture used to go into Puerto Rico to recruit labor. JJ: Around what years? HF: ’50s, ’60s. Around those times. And so, in history, there were 300 primarily women that were brought into the Lakeview area, and -- JJ: Now, you’re talking about a government agency, right? HF: Yes, I’m talking about a government agency. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: And they were brought into the Lake View community, and they came in to do a lot of domestic labor, and with that group came Carlos “Caribe” Ruiz. Yes. And so, Carlos “Caribe” Ruiz, back in those days in order to supply the typical Puerto Rican foods [00:18:00] to people and all of that, he would drive all the way to New York, and that’s when he then started El Congreso Puertorriqueño, the Puerto Rican Congress, and he was a big-time in terms of making sure that youth who wanted to be in the field of music, that he could set them up in the field of music, but the rule was, “You must do well in school.” And so, he began 12 �something that many other church groups or organizations that were just beginning to pop up weren’t doing. JJ: And this was the Puerto Rican Congress. At that time, [was?] created on Larrabee -- HF: Yes. JJ: -- and North Avenue? HF: Right. Right. JJ: And so, there were a lot of bands that he (inaudible)? HF: Oh, he created quite a few. I mean, quite a few bands, yeah. Quite a few bands. JJ: Do you recall any of their names, or --? HF: The Fania All-Stars is the only one that comes to mind. He created an allwomen’s group, but I can’t remember the name of [00:19:00] it now. But, mostly, he was based around the area of Clement-- where Clemente High School is right now, and concentrated there. Yeah. JJ: Okay. (inaudible). HF: Yeah. JJ: So, you’re growing up in Lake View. How old were you at that time? HF: Oh, my goodness. By now, I married, and I started, then, getting involved in, again, organizing through the small groups in the church. I joined up with St. Sebastian Church, and, at St. Sebastian Church, that’s where I met a priest that became a very heavy community organizer himself. JJ: Do you recall his name? 13 �HF: Yes. Father Charlie Kyle. We used to call him [Carlitos?]. And [00:20:00] that’s where I also met [Reverendo Fineas Flores?] from the United Methodist Church. JJ: Charlie Kyle -- is he married now? (inaudible) -- HF: Charlie Kyle left the priesthood -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: -- and he married a young woman by the name of Diana Eiranova, who used to be a journalist. JJ: Okay, (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: And, if you remember, Diana Eiranova, was the one that fought for the rights of the young men that had been accused of killing and molesting the young girl, and she wrote a book also. JJ: [Oh, Diana Eiranova?]. HF: Yeah. Yeah. And now, Charlie Kyle is a principal at Stowe School, I believe it is, but, if you remember, Charlie Kyle was one of the primary persons that begin the Lake View Latin American Coalition. JJ: Okay, now, if you could then explain that (inaudible). HF: Okay. Charlie Kyle, being a member of the St. Sebastian [00:21:00] Church clergy, started working in the community with Reverend Fineas Flores from the United Methodist Church and other individuals. There were four small groups created. There was a group based out of St. Sebastian Church of Latinos. There was another one based around the elementary school that was on Broadway near Belmont. So, there was four small groups, and each one had their own name, and each one was trying to tackle a different issue or concern. 14 �And so, Father Charlie Kyle and a couple of others said, “You know, we should band together. We should create a coalition.” And out of that was created the Lake View Latin American Coalition because he believed that there was more power -JJ: What year was this? HF: This was around ’69, ’70. Around that time. [00:22:00] And so, one of the groups that was based around St. Sebastian, they were fighting for the bilingual education program at the elementary school near there. (audio cuts out) remember the name right now, but the other group was fighting for bilingual education rights at another school. JJ: In Lake View? HF: In Lake View. Another small group was fighting because the landlords, you know, were either criminal housing mismanagement landlords, slumlords, absentee landlords. And so, they were trying to educate the tenants about their rights. And so, we said, “Wait. Let’s put it all together,” and Charlie was one of the main individuals in creating the Lake View Latin American Coalition. JJ: Now, did he come out of the Caballeros? Was there a chapter of the Caballeros, a branch, or --? HF: No. It didn’t come out of the Caballeros de San Juan. No. JJ: But it came out of the [00:23:00] Spanish Masses? HF: It came out of the Spanish Masses and groupings that were in that area. If you also remember, Charlie Kyle, former priest -- there was a doctor, Isidro Lucas. Dr. Isidro Lucas went and did a study on Puerto Rican dropouts, and no one paid 15 �attention to it, and Charlie Kyle said, “Let me take over that study.” And Charlie Kyle, almost the same exact study, but his name to it and released it, and it became the main issue for the board of education and for everybody else. Okay? So, he made a point. He proved a point, and he helped us to move that agenda forward, about looking at, you know, the dropout rates in the Puerto Rican community and what were the solutions. That’s the Charlie Kyle that I [00:24:00] know. JJ: And you said he helped us. What was your role by that time? HF: I was a member of the group that was formed at St. Sebastian. Myself and about seven others. Small groups. [Gloria Pérez?], [Sally?]. So, I was part of the St. Sebastian group. And then, eventually, when the Lake View Latin American Coalition was formed and we were able to get our first few dollars from the Campaign for Human Development and from other sources, then I became the organizer for the organization. JJ: For the organization itself? HF: Yeah. JJ: I remember that. You mentioned some of the issues with housing in that -- HF: Right. JJ: When you became the organizer, [what happened there?]? HF: Well, one of the main things that we did was we made certain that we [00:25:00] did work with the tenants that were being so abused in that area there. Some of the people that bought entire blocks, like [Phil Farley?] and [Don Smith?] -- at that time, it was like live on a street or be your own kind of concept. Elaine 16 �Place, where they bought all the way from Cornelia to another point -- let’s say 18 buildings -- again, it was like gated little communities live on a street of your own. And so, all these families were being displaced, and I remember that, at Elaine Place, what we tried to do was try to get a -JJ: Is Elaine Place still there, or --? HF: Elaine Place is still there. JJ: Where is that located? HF: It’s on [00:26:00] Elaine Street, which is one block east of Halsted Street, and Cornelia, south about three blocks of that. Uh-huh. Where we started organizing those families to let them know what their rights were in terms of the process for them to leave. If these people were going to gut out, and we have all of those buildings, then they needed to know that you need to be given so much notice, and we had worked out a promise with Senator Simon and the Federal Department of Housing that some of the could return to 10 percent subsidized housing once Elaine Place was finished. So, community organizers and people to make sure the trucks didn’t come in there overnight to start gutting. What they did was they planted people in [00:27:00] some of the buildings, like [Ralph Volun?], I remember, so that we would show a presence still with tenants, and they blocked the trucks while we got enough time to be able to speak with the powers that be to mobilize other things on behalf of the tenants. With Phil Farley and Don Smith, that was the area around Belmont, Barry, Wellington, to George Street, from Halsted on, and, again, they were gutting out building after building after building where all the families lived, and the prices for rent became so 17 �exorbitant, the families just couldn’t afford to return. But many of the buildings that they had bought, they weren’t going to gut out, they were gonna keep as they were, and I remember [00:28:00] that we would organize, not -- we wouldn’t call it a protest. We didn’t call it a march because we were organizing members of the church, so we would call it a procession. So, we had this procession from building to building with guitars and candles lit, singing the hymns, and, as we got to a building where we knew that the electric cords were exposed, the water wasn’t running properly, et cetera, then, we would say prayer for the owner of that building, and the tenants would join us, and then we would go to the next building. And then, at the end, we would end up in the basement of St. Sebastian Church, meeting with the landlords. Okay? One of the things that I remember that our group was good at was -- that, before these landlords or anybody, while we were doing the procession, [00:29:00] could call police, we would call police on ourselves ’cause we had built a good relationship with the 14th District by then. JJ: So, these were skills that you had learned from where? Were you trained in organizing, or --? HF: Charlie Kyle, the priest, again, insisted that the main organizing group, as many of us that could, that we would go to the Saul Alinsky Institute. Back then, it was the Industrial Areas Foundation. So, I was one of the privileged ones that went there. JJ: And what were some of the techniques that you learned there with organizing? 18 �HF: Well, there are some tactics that you just can’t use in every community because it depends on the culture of the person. Especially if you’re doing organizing with older people in a Catholic church, there’s things you don’t ask them to [00:30:00] do, but there are things that you can say, like, when we invited them to a procession, it was very natural, but, in fact, it was a protest. Mm-hmm. JJ: Now, you were saying you had a procession versus a protest and that you were looking this way, but were there -- the Young Lords were also doing some things at that time, and [apparently?] you were not in agreement, or -- their tactics, or -- HF: No, because the Young Lords -- I mean, as I remember, from the history that came from New York, the tactics that were being used or the strategies, et cetera, they were fitting for the group that you were working with. Okay? But, if I am trying to get a group of 50 plus-year-olds, newcomers to the church, to be involved in picketing a landlord, and I say to them, “[Vente?], let’s picket this landlord,” they’re not [00:31:00] gonna join me, but, if I say, “Come and join me because we’re gonna pray for a landlord that is keeping our people in conditions that are unbearable in that building and charging them high rent, and, eventually, they’re going to oust them because they’re going to gut that building out,” they will join. JJ: I was referring more like the takeover of McCormick Seminary, [and the church?], and all that. How did you feel about that? HF: Well, at that time, it was like, “Hooray,” and, as you remember, it was many of our own families that used to go to bring the food to where they Young Lords were at. 19 �JJ: To the McCormick and -- HF: To the McCormick Seminary, right at DePaul University on Fullerton and Halsted, where, Fullerton, Halsted, and -- what’s that other street that meet there? JJ: Lincoln. HF: Lincoln Avenue. That’s correct. JJ: So, you were bringing food, but -- so, you were supporting them, the takeover, in a way. HF: That’s correct. [00:32:00] And then, when -- JJ: You didn’t see it as a terror attack or -- HF: I didn’t see it as a terror attack. My family didn’t see it as a terror attack because we were also doing the same thing in Lake View too, you know? But in a different way to get the involvement of people. We were trying to stop the heavy development that was taking place. We wanted our people to live in decent conditions, but we didn’t like the way that they were being ousted. Okay? JJ: Now, you mentioned New York, the tactics of New York. Are you familiar that the Young Lords originated in Chicago and then spread to other cities [around?]? Or you thought that they had come from New York? HF: At that time, we thought that the Young Lords had come from New York. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. JJ: They actually originated [in Chicago?]. HF: In Chicago. Mm-hmm. JJ: Okay. So, your -- [00:33:00] Reverend Kyle, did they call him, or --? HF: Charlie Kyle. 20 �JJ: Charlie Kyle. And you have a Latin American citizens council (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: The Lake View community had a Lake View Citizens’ Council, and we formed our own Lake View Latin American Coalition because we already had those four groups. JJ: (inaudible). HF: And that issues that we were dealing with weren’t issues that were of particular interest to the Lake View Citizens’ Council. I mean, we were talking about the bilingual education programs and how they were being run in those schools. We were talking about landlords that expose people to criminal acts, as we called them back then. Okay? We were talking about the police brutality that existed back then. Okay? And [00:34:00] so, we wanted to bring solutions to some of those. Okay? We were talking about the high unemployment of Latinos. Okay? So, in terms of the Lake View Latin American Coalition, one of the things that we did was we created quite a few babies of our own, like, to take care of the issue of unemployment. Then, we created an organization or a service, a program, called Una Puerta Abierta, the Open Door, and the Open Door was based on Broadway, and that Open Door, with a few staff members and lots of volunteers, were supposed to look for employment opportunities for the Latino community. Once they started to work with them, then they find out, “Wait a minute. Many of the people that we’re referring to these jobs, because they don’t [00:35:00] speak English, they’re refusing to give them the job because of -- they don’t even know safety English.” And so, then, we’re like, “Okay. So, what do we do now?” We 21 �couldn’t teach one by one, so the Lake View Latin American Coalition, one of the committees, they came up with the idea of, “Let’s do something that would be like English as a survival language.” Okay? And so, we created what now is known as Universidad Popular. Now, we started out -JJ: Is it still in existence? HF: It is still in existence and growing. It’s going to be celebrating its fortieth year April 14. JJ: In Lake View (inaudible)? HF: No. They’ve moved now to 2801 South on Hamlin. So, we created Universidad Popular, and people would question, “Well, why are you calling it a [00:36:00] university, a popular university, when you’ve got a basement with one teacher and fourteen students?” You had to create a type of a mentality that, you know, we’re all good enough to be at that university level if we work -- and, again, that was because Charlie Kyle and the members of the coalition made certain that individuals that were just coming into leadership position met great people like Paulo Freire, read the books of Paulo Freire. Okay? And had discussion groups about -- you know, it’s all about raising a conscience here. And so, we were great to have church people involved because they were the ones that told us all about the theologies of the Americas, where they were using that to liberate people, people’s [00:37:00] minds. Mm-hmm. JJ: So, there was like an international scope in thinking -- HF: Yes. JJ: -- at that time. 22 �HF: It began to [build up?] because -- JJ: Were local communities looking international also, or --? HF: Well, no. First, there [was not?] -- a local community coming to the realization that, “Okay, we’re here in Lake View, but there’s a lot of things happening outside of Lake View that impact what happens here. And so, we need to look outside of Lake View too and develop partnerships.” And so, that’s where the Puerto Rican Organization for Political Action -- we developed the partnership with the Puerto Rican Organization for Political Action. JJ: PROPA. HF: PROPA, which was headed by Hector Franco back then. And we realized, wait a minute. Puerto Ricans are citizens by birth. Maybe not by choice, but by birth, and, when we go to vote, even though we come here as citizens and [00:38:00] don’t know English, we’re forced to take the oath in English. So, that was enough to go into the courtroom. And so, you know, we went into the courtrooms, and we sued, and Judge Philip Tone, I believe it was, he ruled in our favor, and, after that, it wasn’t just Puerto Ricans that benefited from taking the oath in Spanish and having election materials in Spanish. Many others, okay? Who were not Puerto Rican benefited from that lawsuit. The newspapers, Spanish newspapers, benefited from that because the lawsuit said that the board of elections had to print announcements in Spanish in those newspapers. Okay? And, today, we look back, and, lo and behold, the ballot is printed in many other languages, and that was because of our [00:39:00] organizing. 23 �JJ: Okay. So, you made a coalition of the different groups (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: Right, like unemployment. Unemployment. When the Una Puerta Abierta was working with that, we worked very closely with other groups that were working with employment. And so, what we were doing, actually, was creating special interest groups across the city. I remember that one of the groups that we joined with was Zeferino Ochoa and the Cardinal’s Committee that he used to work at, and he had a radio program, and that was very beneficial ’cause we could get news out through that. JJ: So, you worked -- okay, with Zeferino Ochoa. [I recall?] hearing that name and the Cardinal’s Committee. What did they do (inaudible)? HF: They used to serve [00:40:00] the Latino community in terms of providing information on services that was available to churches or whatever, discussion of issues on his radio program and all of that. So, that’s how I remember Zeferino. Okay? JJ: So, you continued the -- HF: Yeah. JJ: -- Latin American Coalition continued to work with the -- HF: Well, whenever we -- JJ: -- churches? HF: Yes, if there was a church group that was working on a particular issue of employment. We were just looking at -- it wasn’t necessarily that we would seek out a church group, but we knew that group was working on the issue we were 24 �interested in. Like, when we wanted to open doors at [Jewel?] Food Stores, as an example, it was a coalition of about 17 groups, including PROPA, ABC, remember? Allies for a Better Community, headed up by Sally Johnson. [Carlos Castro’s?] [00:41:00] group, which used to be [PRUF?], Puerto Rican United Front. Uh-huh. JJ: (inaudible). HF: There, we also had the Puerto Rican Office of Cultural Affairs back then, too, assisting to open doors at Jewel Food Stores, to open doors -- back then, it was with -- what was the company? AT&T. Okay? And so, we banded together to open those doors for employment. JJ: So, you wanted open doors in what way? You visited with these groups, or --? HF: Well, some were actual, coordinated visits. Some had to be pickets in order to get attention. Whatever it took that the groups would decide how they would mobilize. Yeah. JJ: Okay. And then, what was going on in the community then? [00:42:00] Was housing a big issue at that time? HF: Housing was a big issue, and one of the things that, at the Lake View Latin American Coalition, a small group tried it, and we did it -- I think it was 13 or 14 of us. We decided that we were going to show people that we could stabilize that community by going into the home purchasing program. And so, I was one of the ones that decided, you know, I’m going to purchase. We knew that some of the people that were being encouraged to purchase didn’t have all the money, but, if -- the way it was worked out, a couple of people would lend some money to that 25 �person. That person would buy, and, now, that person was responsible for making sure some of that money now came back for the next person to purchase. When I went in to try to purchase, the house was [00:43:00] at 929 West Wolfram. Back then, it was, like, 28,500. Because I was divorced and not remarried, I was having a terrible time, so attorneys like [Miguel Velazquez?] and [Hector Guzman?] came into the picture, because then they were gonna use that as a case of, “Hey, you can’t discriminate having a woman just because they’re divorced and not remarried. You’ve got to show proof that that person is not financially stable to keep up with the payments of that home.” So, I was able to buy, and [Mendieta?] was able to buy. [Mario de Juan?] had bought. [Ramos?] bought. Some of them even bought right in front of where Wrigley Field is, and, later on, they were able to [00:44:00] sell for quite a bit. JJ: Okay. HF: Yeah. JJ: You kind of grew up there. Lake View was your community (overlapping dialogue; inaudible)? HF: Lake View was my community since 19-- oh, God. When was it? ’64 or something. Yeah. Yeah. JJ: And so, when you came there, it was changing (inaudible) changing to (inaudible) -- HF: It was beginning to change into Puerto Rican -- we had people from Mexico, and we had, north of us, some people from South and Central America, and still kind 26 �of the same situation. The Central Americans have remained north of that area. Yeah. JJ: And so, you saw it developing and then becoming more Latino. HF: And then, all of a sudden, you know, Latinos having to leave [00:45:00] because we were being displaced by the wholesale gutting out of -- JJ: But it -- HF: -- the rental properties. JJ: But you fought that. HF: We fought it. We fought it. We fought it, and we thought that we would make headways by encouraging people to purchase, but, by that time, you know, a building had changed hands three times, and they would cap out so that, if the building had been sold for 70,000, now, somebody came in, and bought it, and resells it for 130,000. By the time I come and try to get it, I’m gonna have to come up with the 200,000. So, you know, it became very hard to try to stabilize it through the purchase of the rental properties. Mm-hmm. The few that were able to purchase were purchasing single-family homes. JJ: So, do you feel your efforts were in vain, or was it a loss, or --? HF: [00:46:00] I personally don’t look at it that it was in vain ’cause there was a lot of leadership development that was going on, and that leadership migrated and took all their skills, that energy, that commitment, that dedication, into other communities to work on issues. Myself, for instance, I’ve dedicated practically my entire life to working in the Humboldt Park community, whereas I’ve always lived in Lake View, and now, I live in Portage Park. I only sleep in Portage Park. 27 �Okay? All my work is being done on behalf of the Humboldt Park community, practically. JJ: So, many people that came from there became leaders or were involved in the community (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: In the communities, that’s right. Yes. Yes. JJ: Okay. And so, what is some of the work that you’re doing today (inaudible) in Humboldt Park? HF: [00:47:00] In the Humboldt Park community, one of the things -- we created a group called the Puerto Rican Agenda, and the Puerto Rican Agenda is a consortium of about 40 organizations and agencies, and some of the work that has been done -- number one was we have the Institute of Puerto Rican Arts, which used to be the old [horse stadium?] inside of Humboldt Park on Division and Sacramento, 3015 West Division, and, now, it is not an Institute of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. Now, we have museum status, and that’s because of the hard work of the Puerto Rican Agenda, making sure that they stayed on top of that. It’s been completely gutted. Lots of exhibitions going on there right now. JJ: What are some of the other groups that (inaudible)? HF: Some of the other groups that belonged there are -- like, the [00:48:00] Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center belongs to that. The Puerto Rican Cultural Center with José López belongs to that. Vida/SIDA with Juan Calderón belongs to that. The Division Street Small Business Development with Eduardo Arocho, they’re there at the table. We have some agencies like [Boca?] advertising agency at the table. [NNN?], neighborhood organizing organization under [Eliud Medina?]. We 28 �had members of Lucha, Association Houses represented. National Conference of Puerto Rican Women is at the table. Rincon Community Services is at the table. And so, it’s a whole -- Humboldt Park Social Services is at the table. JJ: [I can see it’s?] broadly based. (inaudible) -- HF: It’s a broad base, and -- JJ: -- more (inaudible), [00:49:00] [but it looks like?] (inaudible). HF: Yes, and it’s not structured. To say we have a president, that we have a vice president, that we have a secretary, we have a treasurer -- no. We have two individuals that co-chair the meetings. One of the things that we recently did was that, through the efforts of the Agenda, there was a grant that was given, and it was a grant to do a major study on the Puerto Rican community. And so, we’ve been doing the focus groups, and it’s been really a blessing to be able to do that because, when many of these agencies have to do the proposals, either for the state, or for foundations, or for the federal government, they need backup data. It’s not like in the old days, where you could say, “We need this because of that.” [00:50:00] Now, you have to show proof that the population is there and that the need is there. So, with this grant, we hope to be able to provide not only the agencies that are part of the consortium. Anyone else who wants to use the data, you know. So, I’m really proud of that. That was done by the Puerto Rican Agenda. But, you know, back to some of the stuff that we’ve done in the Lake View community, many of the small agencies that used to exist there -- it was like they couldn’t provide services because a lot of the people, as you remember in Lincoln Park and in there, the newcomers -- newcomers who couldn’t speak the 29 �language. And so, [00:51:00] the churches -- all they could offer was the Mass. Okay? So, we were forced, then, to look outside of Lake View, and, when we started looking outside of Lake View, the only things that we could find were the organizations that were being created in the West Town, Humboldt Park area. And so, those were the agencies that we tried to send our people to to get the services. Okay? Other than when we began forming our own babies, like Universidad Popular, like Una Puerta Abierta, like Servicios de Orientación that we created also in Lake View. All right? Once the families arrived and they [were going through?] the cultural shock, and people would say, “Oh, tan loco, tan loco,” you know, it wasn’t that they were crazy. They were suffering the depression from separation. [00:52:00] If it was a man that came alone and left the family, and now, he’s making low wages and can’t keep the promise that he made to bring the wife and children right away -- and so, we needed to find a way to get those individuals to come in, but you couldn’t bring them in if you were calling it “Lake View Mental Health Services.” All right? So, what we did was work with people like [Emperatriz Pumarejo?], [Gustavo Espinosa?], and others, and we named it Servicios de Orientación. So, everything was done with a purpose and a major thought behind it that this is the only way we’re going to be able to serve this grouping of individuals, who had that need at that time. JJ: It was like a mental -- not a sickness, but something -- a mental [00:53:00] problem at that time. HF: Yeah, it wasn’t that they had a mental health sickness, as people would see it. JJ: It was a temporary (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). 30 �HF: Yeah. It was just, you know -- JJ: Destabilization [in the mind, right?]. HF: Yes, in the mind. I mean -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) -- HF: -- you come in, and you’re really depressed. JJ: Depressed because you’ve lost your whole -- HF: Right. JJ: -- [nation?], your whole country. HF: I remember one gentleman that -- he came in, and, I mean, when he was just talking, and -- what had happened to him was he went grocery shopping, and he saw this box that had the pictures of the chicken on it. Okay? And so, he bought three or four boxes, thinking that he was going to be able to just take this, heat it up, and eat it. Well, it was that Shake ’n Bake. There’s no chicken there. It’s the stuff to layer the chicken with. And so, all those things are enough to make you think, “Yo necesito ayuda, [00:54:00] I really need help here,” you know? And so, basic things. So, when we noticed that there was something that we could not take care of through organizing of people, then, we had to create an entity, okay? To take care of that, and that was when we had to come up with Servicios de Orientación, which is the mental health services to the Latino community, primarily Puerto Ricans coming in in that area. I mean, we did a lot of stuff that had to do with organizing in terms of -- you remember many of the police brutality cases. I mean, cases still exist today, but they’re mostly on profiling, as happened recently with -- 31 �JJ: But, at that time, what were the cases like? HF: People [00:55:00] just being arrested. I remember the group of four gentlemen that were arrested for being in a public way playing dominoes. Well, in Puerto Rico, everybody plays dominoes outdoors. They didn’t know they were in violation [in?] any ordinances, so they took their little table, and they set it up outside, and they were having a grand time playing dominoes. And so, we had to try to explain to the police department, and you know who was great at doing that on our behalf? May she rest in peace. Trina Davila. Trina Davila was one of the people that dealt very directly with the police department. JJ: Who was Trina Davila? There was a center named after her. Who was she? HF: Trina Davila was an older woman that was very involved in the [00:56:00] Puerto Rican community in Lake View. Okay? And, in the days when we were having so many issues with the Chicago Police Department, it was primarily that time -it was the 14th District on Addison and Halsted, where José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez turned himself in to Hanrahan. She was one of the people that opened the door so that we could have a decent dialogue with the police department because, back then, if they didn’t know the culture of the people that were moving into the area, of course there were going to be arrests. “Oh, you’re in violation of the ordinance.” “What ordinance?” You know, “Setting up a domino table outdoors.” On Barry Street, I remember the young men that were arrested simply because they didn’t realize that there [00:57:00] were ordinances on noise levels, so they’d be blaring their music, and police get called. Others were just blatant -like what’s happening around Washington and Division, as you remember, that a 32 �family would call a police officer because their son was uncontrollable due to a medical problem, and the police use excessive force. Okay? So, it was Trina Davila who opened the doors for dialogue with the department so that we could say, “Wait a minute. It’s not that they’re truly in violation. This is a cultural thing.” JJ: But why was she able to do that? I mean, was she in a position to do that? Why --? HF: At that time, she had joined up with one of the advisory groups to the department. And so, she was able to open [00:58:00] that door. JJ: To the police department? HF: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. JJ: Okay. Now, in Lincoln Park, one of the groups that we had to fight against was the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association, but you had the Lake View Citizens’ Council. HF: Correct. JJ: So, in Lincoln Park, there actually were no Latino members of that Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association, but you were a separate group within the Lake View Citizens’ Council. HF: We were -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) -- HF: Lake View Citizens’ Council was a separate group, and the Lake View Latin American Coalition was a separate group. JJ: But you didn’t have a neighborhood association. HF: No. That was against us. 33 �JJ: That was promoting -- HF: No. JJ: -- housing [renovations?]. HF: No. No. JJ: See, we had the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association. HF: Yes. Right. JJ: So, the Lincoln Park Citizens’ Council was trying to stabilize the community also? HF: Also. Right. Right. I mean, I remember [00:59:00] [Sheila Atkins?] working very hard on all of that. Some of the other organizers that came through that. But, as I said, we were even sharing space, so we didn’t have a relationship of animosity. We were sharing space. There were times when, you know, they [just couldn’t join?] on the issue that we were dealing with, but there were times -like, I remember when we decided to take on Jewel. Well, they were getting some funding from Jewel, so we couldn’t put up the boycott signs or anything on the window because half of the window was theirs. Half of it was ours. But we came to agreements, but we had somewhat of a collaborative relationship once we got going, but, again, that has to do with the skills of the people that were involved with founding the organization, you know. Mm-hmm. JJ: [01:00:00] ’Cause you had already organizing skills at that time. HF: At that time, yeah. Well, you had Charlie, Fineas Flores, and Hector, and many others that came in. We had people from the Latin American -- I can’t remember the -- like Fernando Prieto, who was with the business organization that had just 34 �been created in the Lake View community. And so, they came to the table and worked on stuff with us. Mm-hmm. JJ: Okay. Okay. And Lincoln Park was a different -- HF: Mm-hmm. JJ: -- situation, basically. Okay. [Miguel Chevere?]. Did he work with you at all, or -? HF: Miguel Chevere worked very closely with the St. John council that used to be in the Lake View community on Newport and Sheffield on the second [01:01:00] floor, and -- JJ: (inaudible) his name. He also comes from St. Michael’s. HF: Yes. JJ: [Michael’s part?]. HF: St. Michael’s, doing a lot of work there. JJ: So, he worked with the Caballeros de San Juan [here in Lake?] --? HF: He worked with the Caballeros de San Juan in Lake View. JJ: Do you remember the council number? HF: I can’t remember [for council what?], but it was on the second floor on Newport and Sheffield, Clark, and we worked very hard to try to get everybody involved in making certain that the credit union, you know -- a group. I became one of the credit union members back then, one of the first few. JJ: Oh. I mean, so, they were located in Lake View also, the credit union, or --? HF: No. The credit union, remember, was located near Fullerton, California, around that area. 35 �JJ: Okay. But that council was (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: Yeah. Right. Right. Right. That council was working with us. Then, the other council that was working with us was providing a lot of the -- [01:02:00] how would you say? Entertainment -- was the council that was near Oak Street and LaSalle. There was another council that operated out of there, and they did social nights. Okay? JJ: Even in the ’60s, you mean? HF: Yeah, they used to do the social nights too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. JJ: Okay. Anything else that -- I guess we’re gonna try to finalize it. What’s important that you think (inaudible) the Lake View community (inaudible)? HF: I think that what really proved to be important out of Lake View community was, number one, that we had that ability to build those special interest groups across the city, and that many of them continue to exist today and continue to work, and that a lot of leadership was created [01:03:00] out of what was happening in the Lake View community, and that many of those individuals felt that they owed something in coming back to other communities in need. I mean, like, the Hector Francos and all of those. Once some work stopped work in Lake View community, they continued, like the business association out of Lake View. They continued doing stuff, but then, at a different level. The Latin American Chamber of Commerce, they merged into that. So, I think that we were able, in the Lake View community, through our work, to do some formation of leaders. Okay? And very dedicated ones at that. [And my?] admiration for many of them. [01:04:00] Young leadership today, they remember some of the work that was 36 �done because of the coalition building that took place. I mean, when we looked at what was happening with the Chicago Police Department, which, as you know, we also sued the Chicago Police Department. See, some things -- if organizing didn’t take care of it, then we would use the judicial system. So -JJ: So, you sued them for what? What was it? HF: We sued the Chicago Police Department for discriminatory practices in hiring and promotion of minorities and women. And so, the test -- they had to redo the test, and then the test was given, and, you know, challenge of height requirements and everything took place back then, and the judge ruled in our favor, [01:05:00] so the test had to be redone. Then, the testing was open. Some of us didn’t believe that the testing would assist the minority communities, so some of the organizers went in and took the test. I took the test. Okay? I went through the physical. But, when it came to, you know, going any further, I said, “No, that’s not going to be for me. I’ve taken it this far.” So, then, we went after the way the psychological exams were done, and we challenged that, and, by this time, when we were doing this kind of work, we had some organizations that could back all of that up because we had, like, the Latin American Police Association. The Puerto Rican Police Association came about, et cetera. And then, we said, “Well, now, we need to organize because the possibility opened up for [01:06:00] Chicago to have a Latino as a superintendent.” So, many of the individuals that had been involved with all the other stuff in terms of organizing joined up with that effort, and we did get Matt Rodriguez as the first Latino superintendent in the city of Chicago. After two tries, but it was done. But that encouraged some of 37 �the young officers that had gone in through the door because of the lawsuit that they, themselves, could go up for promotions. Okay? I then became very politically involved in terms of organizing. JJ: What do you mean by that? HF: I joined up with the Independent Voters-Independent Precinct Organization, which had been formed in 1943, and, when I was in the Lake View community, [01:07:00] two of the individuals that I worked very hard with through the Lake View Latin American Coalition, organizing with them, were Dick Simpson, who became one of the first progressive aldermen in the City Council of Chicago, and [Bill Singer?], from Lincoln Park Also, 43rd Ward. 43rd. I was in Lake View 44th Ward. So, we worked very closely, mostly with Dick Simpson, who is now a professor at University of Illinois, and what we did was the door to door organizing, and he features the Lake View Latin American Coalition from Lake View in his book called Winning Elections for our abilities to go out there and get Latinos involved in that type of organizing to have representation, and we created the neighborhood [01:08:00] assemblies, where Latinos and everybody else could come in, and sit with the alderman, and tell him what things they wanted done through his presence in the city council. So, that was part of the organizing that I’m proud of that was done in Lake View, Lincoln Park area. JJ: And they also developed later into the Harold -- were you involved with that? HF: Oh, with the Harold Washington campaign. Of course we got involved with that. The people that -- again, same young people that came up through the ranks of organizing in Lincoln Park, in Humboldt Park, et cetera, like [Francisco DuPrey 38 �and that?] were part of the Harold Washington campaign. [Peter Earl?] from San Lucas Church, United Church of Christ, Reverendo Morales from United Church of Christ, you know. Yeah. JJ: Okay. Anything else that [you want to?] [01:09:00] touch on, or --? HF: As -- JJ: How do you feel -- well, we already talked about that in terms of -- you felt it was a victory, or skills were learned -- HF: Right. JJ: -- in those areas. HF: Mm-hmm. Well, if you look back in history, in any community, if you’re in organizing, we looked at it as creating soldiers for our communities. Okay? When we were building Universidad Popular, we were saying, “The adults that are coming through Universidad Popular, they have knowledge. All we need to do is help them transfer that knowledge into something else so that they can feel that they can participate.” Okay? I’ll give you one example. I was leading a class, [01:10:00] a thing, a discussion, at Universidad Popular in its early, early, early stages, and what I asked the students to do was either to come up to the board voluntarily or throw out a word or words that they had heard from their employer, their supervisor at work. Okay? And the whole board, whether they could spell the word correctly or not, got filled up with the worst words you can call a human being, and this is how they were being treated at those job sites. Okay? With the worst words that you could call anyone. I mean, they were being called wetbacks. They were being called MF. They were being called 39 �assholes. Anything you -- it went up on that board. So, now, [01:11:00] we knew that we had an organizing job to do with those employers. Okay? And, today, Universidad Popular continues to exist. It doesn’t continue to exist in the Lake View community because the community kind of disintegrated, and moved, and migrated elsewhere due to what was happening there. They ended up coming into the Humboldt Park community. And then, they saw that the greatest need was in the little village community, so they’re now housed at 2801 South on Hamlin. It’s a great model because the model that they’ve been using is people teaching themselves to become more independent. JJ: Now, Hamlin, that’s the west part of Humboldt Park? HF: [01:12:00] No, on Hamlin -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible). HF: -- and 28th Street. Near Pulaski and 28th Street. That’s now where they’re housed. JJ: Oh. HF: And so, they run the whole gamut of programs. They’re becoming self selfsufficient. You know, once you learn some English as a survival language, now, you’re better off to be able to get better employment opportunities. They’ve been teaching people there -- they got a grant, and they put up a kitchen, teaching the culinary arts so that people can now move into employment in hotels, et cetera, as assistant chefs. And so, self-sufficiency is the main goal [right at that?]. JJ: Okay. Now, when the Young Lords began, we kind of came right out of [the gang?] and into a neighborhood group, and without any skills of organizing or 40 �anything like that, and I see that [01:13:00] the Latin American Lake View Citizens’ Council -- [is that the correct?] -- they learned skills. You got training for skills, but, both ways, we still -- I mean, we made a dent. HF: That’s right. JJ: We got a lot of skills -- HF: Yeah. JJ: -- out of it and a lot of leadership in other areas, but we still lost our community there because this was a master plan planned way ahead of time. HF: Yeah. JJ: But what do you feel are some ways that we can stabilize the community today? I mean, because, now, it’s happening in Humboldt Park. HF: It’s happening in Humboldt Park. I mean, if you look at -- JJ: What can we do to try to put a halt on it? HF: Yeah. At Humboldt Park right now, it is the high level of foreclosures happening, and you’ve got the Spanish Coalition for Housing trying to work on [01:14:00] that to make certain that, you know, people latch onto some of the programs that are coming into being to assist them. Then, you’ve got, bless his soul, Hipolito Roldán, [Hippo?], working with the Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, where he takes over all these buildings, and he guts them out, and then he’s able to either rent or sell them at a cost that families can afford. You’ve got Bickerdike also working there to bring about some housing stability, but I remember, in the days of the Young Lord, well, what we had was [sleazy life realty?], what we used to call. You know, injecting fear into people so that they would just move 41 �out and sell out. Now, it’s the high level of foreclosure due to the fact that people cannot continue to keep up with their mortgage, and that’s a harder one to tackle. So, I don’t [01:15:00] know if we’ll completely, completely lose all of Humboldt Park, but, certainly, a major effort is being made to -- you’ve got the Puerto Rican Cultural Center doing the Muévete campaign, the come back to Humboldt Park campaign, where they advertise all the availability of buildings where there’s rental for them. Okay? Who else is working hard? But, yeah, we did lose it in Lake View in terms of the development that took place there, constantly moving us further west or northwest. Same thing happened there in Lincoln Park, and we’ve seen it, now, happening -- if you look all the way from Ashland on Division to Damen, all the way [01:16:00] from -- what? Chicago to Armitage. It’s not the high level of Puerto Rican population that we used to have. I mean, just by taking a drive through Division in that area there, Bucktown, okay? You see the sidewalk cafe. You see the neat little boutiques, you know? And so, that became some of the signs of the times. When the Chicago Park District built the tennis court inside of Humboldt Park, many of us [used to say?], “Okay. Pack up. Leave. We’re being asked to leave.” You know, tennis courts? The tennis courts remain there, but the community is still trying to hold strong to that area, called De Bandera a Bandera. So, [01:17:00] the Paseo Boricua group is also working to stabilize the community. So, De Bandera a Bandera is from Western and Division, where the giant flag was erected, all the way over to -- I think it’s Richmond and Division, one block west of California. So, that’s the boundary 42 �that most of us work with (inaudible) and say, “That’s the spot that we want to stabilize.” JJ: Okay. (inaudible). HF: Pardon me? JJ: (inaudible). HF: Well, yes. Yeah. And then, that’s why the Puerto Rican Agenda is key. It’s why Paul Roldán’s Hispanic Housing Development Corporation is key. That’s why Spanish Coalition for Housing is key, ’cause they’re working with landlords, and then they’re also working [01:18:00] with the landowners and the tenants to assist them so that we could try to lay claim forever to Humboldt Park. JJ: Anything else that you want to add? HF: No. Anyone that is going through this material, just remember that change can only happen if you engage yourself totally to bringing it about, that, if you stand by the sidelines, you’re not going to make the change or reap the benefits either. JJ: Thank you. END OF AUDIO FILE 43 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/75051e2d37e47683630b7e08561b3600.mp4 22cdceb5c93f0d7c8f4e8741c961f25d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Hilda Frontany vídeo entrevista y biografía Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Puertorriqueños--Relatos personales Idioma español--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Renovación urbana--Illinois--Chicago Housing--Illinois--Chicago Puertorriqueños--Illinois--Chicago--Condiciones sociales Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Frontany_Hilda Title A name given to the resource Hilda E. Frontany video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Frontany, Hilda Description An account of the resource Hilda Frontany is a long-time community activist whose family first lived in the Water Hotel in Chicago’s La Clark neighborhood when they arrived in Chicago from Puerto Rico. In the late 1960s and 1970s she devoted her work to addressing the housing crisis that was displacing Latinos and the poor from Chicago’s Lakeview Neighborhood, a community located just north of Lincoln Park. As a member of the Lakeview Citizens Council, Ms. Frontany provided a public voice for Latinos and helped support homeowners. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Puerto Ricans--Personal narratives Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Urban renewal--Illinois--Chicago Housing--Illinois--Chicago Puerto Ricans--Illinois--Chicago--Social conditions Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-03-30 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e0dddfab97dd2ddcef2d2eaf4c73d09e.mp4 955f68310c80bd4635e3828e1f856746 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3f7169a657a9d91c6912f60e04162f6e.pdf cbc64bc124c5f8edcbab56c164b384f3 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Jack Hill #1 (00:56:20) Transcribed by: Joan Raymer July 25, 2007 Interviewer: “When the war came around were you in the army beforehand, did you join or were you drafted?” I was in the Michigan National Guard. Interviewer: “For what? Why did you join?” Well, we were coming out of a deep depression and there were no jobs. Colonel Hayes was in charge of the guards at that time and he knew my folks and he said, “why don’t you come down and I’ll put you to work”, he said, “ you can join the guards and make a dollar a week, come down one time for a drill”. That sounded pretty good you know, no one else was working’ so that’s what we did. Interviewer: “Is that the only thing you had to do once you joined? You just had to do that one drill or what kind of jobs did they have for you guys to do?” Anything that came along, we went on maneuvers, first time and just basic training is what it was. 1:45 Interviewer: “Did you ever leave Michigan before?” No, we went over to Wisconsin on our first maneuver. Interviewer: “When were you guys sent overseas? Did you do anything before that? Were you sent anywhere else? What was your training like before you were sent overseas to prepare you for what came?” For the army? 1 �Interviewer: “Right.” We were federalized on October 15th 1940 and from there we went to Beaureguard Louisiana for training for 1 year. It ended up that I was in it for 5 years and at that time we made $21.00 a month and that was pretty good money. Camp Beaureguard wasn’t ready for us, it was just a big field and we had tents. 2:41 Then they got Camp Livingston which was about 15 miles down the road and we had bathrooms and good facilities. Interviewer: “How old were you when all this happened?” When I joined I was 17. When I got down to Louisiana I was 18, I had just turned 18. Interviewer: “Do you remember, form your basic training in the states, where did you go from there? What was your first overseas assignment?” From Louisiana? Interviewer: “Right.” Well, war was declared on December 7th and we were ready to go to Europe, but they sent us to Boston to Camp Devens and from Devens, General MacArthur wanted us. Japan had declared war on us so they switched us and sent us all the way to San Francisco and from San Francisco we went to Australia and at San Francisco they had no place to put us, we had a regiment, so they had a Cow Palace there and that’s where they stuck us until we got on the boat. Nothing was ready everything was always behind time. 4:02 The Cow Palace smelled just like a Cow Palace too and we were there for about 4 days I think, sitting in the seats, that’s where we slept. Interviewer: “What was your reaction to Pearl Harbor? What did you think?” Well, I don’t think anybody knew it was coming. It happened and we made the best of it. 2 �Interviewer: “So, you’re first overseas deployment was to Australia and from Australia, what happened next?” I can only tell you a little bit, on the boat if you would like to know, on the ship the Lurrline, we finally got loaded, they had to paint the thing white or gray, from white to gray and we left the harbor there and it was just getting dusk and it was—the waves were about 20 feet high and the boat was going like this and have you ever seen everybody seasick? If you didn’t get seasick, watching these guys throwing up, you’ll get seasick. I happen to not get sick. 5:18 We went down in—they had waiters down in the cafeteria, the dining room and this was a civilian ship, so they had waiters waiting on you and we had good food, but it took about 5 or 6 days for the rest of the guys to settle down from turning green so they could eat something. We crossed the International Date Line, May 7, that happened to be my birthday, so skip to the 8th and I asked the captain, I said, “does that make me a day younger?” He said no, he got a kick out of it. 6:03 After that it came over the radio that Bataan and Corregidor were lost and MacArthur, at that time I think he took 6 PT boats, his wife and some of his staff and he was ordered to get to Australia and we were quite concerned then because we were out there and had no backup in case we got sunk. 6:39 I’ll tell ya, there was one of the crew, Merchant Marines, that died and they buried him at sea. These sailors are superstitious guys you know and they came around and bet that we would never hit Australia, never make it and they started making bets with us, so I figured fine, if were going to make it I got the “Who’s” so I bet and made about $20.00 off them. When we got to Adelaide Australia they sure hated to pay us and we had to chase them all over the deck to find them. 7:26 Interviewer: “So, once you landed in Australia, you were shipped up north weren’t ya?” 3 �Well, we landed in Adelaide and the first thing they did, they put us on a train and the damn thing didn’t go more than 5 feet and it jumped the track, so we had to unload us and they brought some trucks in there, we call them “lorries”, they are charcoal burners and it took them about 10 hours to get us back to a camp, it was an open field again and so we stayed there for a while and then we took a convoy up to Brisbane and started Camp Cable. Interviewer: “What were the Australians like toward you Americans coming in?” We were their saviors. 8:16 Their regular army was over in Africa fighting, so they only had a few ground troops there left. They had nobody, the Japanese made a mistake and instead of going to New Guinea they should have went right to Australia. The Australians had given up half their country already; they anticipated they were going to lose that. Interviewer: “So, your experiences with them were generally pretty good? The troops themselves, the Australian troops that were there did they? ” 8:58 What they had, what troops they had were over in New Guinea and they were getting beaten up pretty bad. Interviewer: “So, from the north coast of Australia, from there you went to Buna, New Guinea and tell us about your experience going over there and what you thought when you got there.” Well, we had 3 liberty ships and everything had to be by 3’s so if we lost one, you didn’t lose everything even if we had a comb or a toothbrush or whatever, one was on----and MacArthur gave the order to pay us, I don’t know what the hell we were going to do with the money, no place to spend it so we all got in card games and we played cards. I 4 �remember one time I made—I think I had over $5,000.00 and I went to my Major, Snipke, a good friend of mine and I said, “Snip I said, will you see that this $5,000.00 gets to my folks because they could buy a home in Breton Village for about $5,000.00 brand new” and he looked at me and said, “Ok, on one condition, don’t come back and ask for any” and I said, “Ok”. So, I had about $500.00 left and I went back and about 2 hours later I was broke. 10:37 I went back to the General, he ended up being a General and I said, “Snip, can I have a little money?” and he said, “not on your life”, so we started playing for matches and whatnot, but we got to Port Moresby and unloaded the ships and then we started setting up the camp , tents and whatnot at Camp Moresby. Interviewer: “What were the conditions like at camp?” We were pretty good soldiers by then and we could get along with most anything. One thing, we had a little shovel to dig a slit trench or something with and we thought, “what the hell, we don’t need that” and we didn’t dig one. The Japs use to come over in planes at night and they were trying to bomb us or the airport, I think it was mostly the airstrip, and we would sit there looking up watching them and pretty soon our necks would get stiff and somebody decided to lay down and we won’t have to bend our necks and that got along alright and about 2 days or 3 days later they missed the airport and the daisy cutters came down and I was sleeping and I woke up, I was up in the air and everything was red around me, that blast, you could hear it, you couldn’t believe it. 12:15 You could hear it for a while, but I came down on the ground and you could hear a lot of the guys screaming and hollering and they got it bad, they were cut up bad. One guy by the name of Fletcher, he lost his kneecap and we had a doctor here from Grand Rapids, I’m not going to mention his name, but he was one of the bravest guys I ever saw. I helped 5 �him, I had to hold a tourniquet on him, it took the kneecap right off and the burnt flesh was stinking and he was crying and the doc had to take the rest of his leg off, which he did. 13:07 There was a whole bunch of other guys there that were bad and I told Fletcher then that the war is all over of you, you’re going home, but he didn’t feel any better. I was going around to see what I could do and I came to this one guy, he was cut up so damn bad, he just begged me, “shoot me” and I looked at him and I started to pull my pistol out and I almost had it out of there and I said, “no, damn it, I ain’t going to do it”, so I hollered for a medic and the medic came over there and I never saw that guy again and I never knew if he made it or not, but 30 years later we had a reunion and I saw this and I thought, ”gee, he looks familiar” and he came up to me and he said. “do you remember me?” and I knew who it was then and I said, “do you want me to shoot ya?” and he gave me a big hug. 14:10 I talked to him and he’s from Arizona now and he’s married and got 3 kids and we sat the rest of the night there talking and shooting the bull. Interviewer: “Do you remember when the first man died in your platoon? Who that was and how that happened?” Well, the first guy we lost was Cable and they named the camp after him that was in Australia. In Port Moresby, not Port Moresby, in Buna, going to Buna we lost quite a few guys. Ya, I held a couple guys in my arms, Captain Nummer and John Trill, he was a Captain and it always seems the commissioned officers got the killed quicker, it just seemed that way and they always are guys that---I was a Corporal at that time and I was offered a commission, our battle wasn’t going worth a darn, we were not trained or equipped right. We didn’t have the food, we should never been in that battle. 15:39 We weren’t ready for it, we weren’t jungle fighters. We had no training, we had equipment 6 �that was for fighting in Europe, not the jungle and no body knew anything about the jungle the officers didn’t either. For the first month there, it was bad. MacArthur wanted to win that battle; he wanted to win that battle period and we weren’t going that road. 16:14 Interviewer: “So, what did you personally think of MacArthur?” Well, A lot of guys didn’t like him, but they didn’t realize that he didn’t have nothing either. He had no equipment; he had nothing, he had just us guys. I know he wanted to win that battle, we had a General by the name of Harding, he was a nice guy, and he didn’t want us to go against the pillboxes, we were getting slaughtered, we were inexperienced to begin with. He sent General Echelbarger up, he was a 3 star General and he told him, he said, “I want to go up there and win this thing and relieve the Generals up there, I want you to win this battle or don’t come back” and Echelbarger he came up and he didn’t realize what the war was about and MacArthur didn’t either. 17:21 We finally won the damn battle, Macarthur told the General he said, “take the Sergeants and the corporals and make them officers, take the officers that won’t fight and relieve them”. I don’t think we had to relieve any of them. I think all of them were scared, hell, I was scared, and everyone was scared. Anybody that tells you they weren’t scared is full of bull. 17:51 When he come up there, he had 3 stars on his hat and I told him when he bumped into me, he said,”where is General Harding?” I said, “down here” where the headquarters was and he had his staff with him and I said, “General, you better take those stars off, you won’t be here the rest of the day, they will get ya, there’s snipers all over the place”. He looked down at me, he was a tall guy and said,”what rank were 7 �you?” I’m a Corporal”, and he said, “you’re a Sergeant right now”, but he got things organized and we finally won the battle. 18:37 Interviewer: “What did you think your chances of surviving were at that time?” Not worth a damn, I carried a Thompson sub-machine gun and a 45 and I got in a lot of scraps. I was with the Ausies one time on the line there and the Japs had us pinned down and I was just firing a Thompson sub-machine gun you know and some of the ammunition wasn’t worth a damn either, pardon my French, but I was firing it and all of a sudden it jammed so, I had to reach up like this and jack that shell out and as soon as I did, I had my hand on the trigger and it goes off and the Australian he was looking over to see what was the matter with me and he said, “Jesus mate, you almost knocked my head off”. I said, “what the hell are you doing standing for?” Well later on you know, I got a kick out of him and I got to know him pretty well. He came back after the war to Washington as an observer on the staff. 20:02 He came to Grand Rapids and he looked me up and he gave me the “Golden Kangaroo Cross”, not a cross but a Kangaroo. We shot the bull and sat and had dinner and it was interesting. 20:21 Interviewer: “What did you think of the Australian troops overall, do you think they helped you?” Good, you couldn’t beat them, couldn’t beat them. They were going through hell too. They had equipment like we had; we should have had tanks and whatnot when we started there. They had nothing. Interviewer: “Do you remember the sounds and the smells of the jungle? You said the jungle had a smell to it.” 8 �Not only the smell, but bodies, they would bloat right up you know in that hot sun. Dysentery we had, we didn’t have latrines, nothing, in fact half the time we didn’t have water to drink. 21:17 Interviewer: “Malaria, did you ever get malaria?” I had it bad. I ended up in the field hospital after we won the battle, I had another job I didn’t like, I was on the S4 staff and the Colonel said, “we got to do something with these bodies” and this was before we won the battle, so he said, “take care of this and make sure we get some graves started here” and I said, “well we got to get some”, we had some high ground there and that is what I had picked out, I’ll tell you a little later about the low ground, you don’t want to dig in that because it fills right up with water, but we had these graves all set and the body bags and getting these guys and putting them in a bag, it wasn’t fun. 22:33 We got some crosses and we kept on serial number in his bag and one on the cross, so we would know who was in the grave and I did that for quite a while and one time we were burying some of these guys and the damn Jap Zero’s came over and they strafed the hell out of us and we had a slit trench there and I jumped right in the slit trench, in the graves on tope of this guy and laying in there those damn Jap Zero’s kept shooting us and they were coming about this far above me so, I just reached around and pulled the body right over the top of me and I got below him, but we got that job done and the body’s—the stink was real bad. 23:35 Interviewer: “What did you think of the Japanese soldiers as soldiers on duty?” Good fighters. They were ruthless bastards. We were up against the Japanese Imperial Army; I think it was the 18th army. They had come all the way from—they went through china, Japan and all the way down through Burma into the Philippines and they were 9 �good fighters and they were ruthless bastards. 24:17 They would cut you with a bayonet just as soon as anything. They were well trained too, they had been through this and we were—they had foxholes that—and machine gun pits, bunkers and they had brains enough, they had been through it long enough, they chose the high ground, but we were stupid, not stupid, but we didn’t know, we would dig anyplace low and it would fill right up with water. 24:57 At Moresby, when we got bombed that time, everybody started using those shovels and started making slit trenches then, they knew what the hell was going on then, but we made a great big bunker. We cut down some cocoanut trees and put a top on it and we thought it would take a bomb. 25:22 Little did we know, they came over and started bombing us and we jumped in that damn thing and it was full of water and all the mosquitoes in the world in there having a field day on us. So after that we waited until we heard the whistle of the bomb coming down and we knew it was going to be close to us, so then we jumped in with the mosquitoes. We learned, that was just something we didn’t know. Interviewer: “So, what about prisoners then? Did they refuse to surrender then?” No, we didn’t like them and they didn’t like us. I remember back in Port Moresby, before Buna, this Australian or somebody brought a Jap up and he had taken him prisoner and was taking him back to Australia and this Aussie came over and said, “step aside, Yank” and the guy said, “what are you going to do?” and he said, “I’m going to shoot that bastard” and I didn’t like that at all. 28:08 He shot him and I didn’t go that. Afterwards when you get to know what they are doing to you, it’s a different ball game then. 10 �Interviewer: ‘So, from the Buna campaign and whatnot, you guys moved on from there, after that whole campaign wrapped up, where did you go from there?” After that, I ended up somehow, I don’t know what happened to me, but I ended up on the hospital, the field hospital, and I had malaria bad, It does knock you down, it blanks you out, and I’m in this field hospital and this guy—we were getting strafed one day and I must have come to then—there was a slit trench right here and I was laying on this cot and this old guy, he looked old to me, he was probably a young guy you know, about 35 and that was old and he said, “Jack you’re in bad shape and I want you to make sure you take that Atabrine and if you start to throw up, I want you to put your hand over your mouth and swallow it” and I said, “Ok” and we started getting strafed and he sat there and I said, “Ok, Ok” and most of the guys were getting in slit trenches there and I got to thinking later “now who is that old guy?” and they said, “what guy”, so I had a guardian angel. 29:56 I think he was with me all the way because I could of got killed a hundred times. I should have gotten killed, but I didn’t. Interviewer: “What was a slit trench? What did it look like?” Well, you dig a hole and if you didn’t want to go down because of the water, you dig it this way just so you can creep up and get in there about 4 feet down so if you got strafed or a Jap was shooting at you, he couldn’t hit you. It was just a safety net. 30:32 Interviewer: “What was religion like it you guys platoon? Were there a lot of Christian guys over here and the guys?” I’ll tell in there, you’re going to be a Christian in a hell of a hurry. Now that you mention that, we had a priest and they named him “the jungle priest”, from Wyandotte and I can’t remember his name no, he got hit and this is in the first part in New Guinea. He had his 11 �little bag there and there were 2 bottles of wine, so we figured hell, he didn’t need those so Gedris, Swickey and I, we decided to drink them and they’re both catholic, I wasn’t, so they started feeling guilty the next day and we decided we better go see the padre, so I said, “I’ll go along with you” and there was the old padre and they started confession to him and I said, “It was really my fault padre, I’m the one that got it started” and he said, “don’t worry about that, that was just wine”. You know, they do their thing over the wine they bless it and whatnot. 31:51 I think everybody is a Christian then. Interviewer: “So did you not go back with the division, back to Australia for that year?” Ya sure, I was probably one of the oldest guys with the outfit. I made every landing and from there we went to Saidor and then we went to Aitape, Hollandia, and Morotai Island and from there to Leyte and that was the longest I think. Interviewer: “What were those campaigns like in comparison to Buna?” Starting with Saidor, we had more and better equipment, we had something to eat, we had more and MacArthur was getting his things in, before that Macarthur had nothing. We had planes then, we were coming up good. Saidor, we had to go in by barge and we had practice before that at New Castle in Australia and we practiced on barges going in and I learned one thing, when that barge went down, you make sure you’re going off it, that you’re not going off in deep water, which happens a lot. 33:36 We had a guy, Al Swicky, he was short and we always jumped him in first and if the water came up too far, we’d pull him back. One time we were way out and I told the guy to get us in a little closer and he was afraid of getting bogged down and I called them the “damn Navy guys” and he said, “don’t you call me a Navy guy, I’m a Coast Guard” and we laughed about that one. 34:10 We landed and set-up a headquarters there, we had a radio and turned 12 �the radio on and here comes “Tokyo Rose” and she said, “we know you’re here, why don’t you just surrender now? We’re going to be over tonight and we’re going to bomb the hell out of you” and she was right, they did. I got it written down how many days we were there it worked out pretty good. At least we had hammocks to sleep in then and we set up a perimeter with cans, the pigs used to come around and they would rattle the cans and we would think the Japs were coming back to counter attack. 35:13 Interviewer: “What role did artillery play in the combat that you were in?” Not very much, I don’t even remember having artillery, but I think we did, but I don’t remember it, that’s at Saidor. We may have had it later, but I don’t remember any. Interviewer: “Can you tell us about your experiences at Aitape?” Aitape? Saidor, I’ll tell you a couple of nice ones later, we had these hammocks you know, we tied them on what looked like trees and you got your hammock on there and by morning the things would bend right over and you would be on the ground there good. There were a couple, Swicki and Gedris would pull jokes too and one time there was a bright moon and I had my hammock all set over here over here and I went to get in the hammock and I had my blanket back here behind my neck and I laid down and something was there and I thought it was my canteen and I pulled my blanket back and it was a Japs head that those damn guys put under there and soon as move fast that thing would just spin around, those hammocks. So, I got even a couple—we pulled jokes on each other every once in a while you know. This Al Swicki, he stuttered and it was dark, when there is no moon it is dark and you don’t move, you stay right where you are see and I always slept-- my 45, I had my 45 here and I don’t know, it was early in the morning and darker than hell and I could feel someone on my hammock, on my screen and I cocked that thing 13 �right away and whoever it was, he shouldn’t have been there and it was Al Swicki and he got up to take a leak and he got lost and he stuttered ddddddon’t shshshshshoot and I almost did too. 37:40 Those Japs will put a bayonet in you real quick, we had some good times there. About Saidor, we made a—between 2 mountains there was a big strip and we had B50’s, there were 6 of them that were running out of gas and we didn’t think we were there yet, in Saidor, and so they came in and they belly landed them as they came in, one would go this way and one would go that way, this way and that way and we were counting up the dollars and not one guy got hurt. 38:25 One of them didn’t make it and I see in the paper the other day that they had a picture, these guys were, military men, had this casket with a flag on it and it was one of the bodies of these guys in that plane in New Guinea after all these years and they were burying him at Arlington. Interviewer: “Did the government ever send out any entertainment to you guys?” Bob Hope, Ya, he was in Australia, Jerry Colonna but getting back to Aitape there, that was another one. Then we heard that the Japs were back and landing back of the Marines so, at that time we had anti-tank guns now, that’s another thing we never had before. 39:35 We kept about 4 of them on the-- where we landed, pointing out, in case they did come around us, we had some ammunition there for them. Interviewer: “Did they bring up tanks against you a lot?” The Japs? No. No. Interviewer: “So you were using the anti-tank as anti-infantry?” Yes, and barges anything that come in, they had tanks in the Philippines, that’s what you’re referring to, that’s when they come after us. Hollandia, that was another landing, that was on the coast, these were up the coast of New Guinea. That wasn’t a bad deal, 14 �they made that a—there used to be a big missionary there, it was Dutch. 40:38 Up on the hill there was building, a wooden building, pretty banged up, that’s where the nuns were. One of my guys Klocko, Aloysius Alfonso Klocko, he was getting up that way and one of those snipers was pinning him down and Klocko wasn’t that good of a shot, I shouldn’t be telling you about him, he’ll get mad at me, but anyway, I carried a Thompson sub-machine gun and I couldn’t reach them with that and Klocko said, “Hill, come on over here” and I said, “what’s the matter Klocko?” and he said, “that damn Japs up there and I can’t get em, you’re the expert shot” and I said, “give me that 45, give me that M1” and I’m pointing and watching and he would stick his head out and then he would shoot down and I said, “Klocko what eye do you want me to get?” We were just shooting the bull see and he said, “$5 bucks” and I said, “$5 bucks in the left eye” and he looks at me and said, “one shot” and I said, “Ok” and I made damn sure I zeroed in on him and I said, “damn it, I pulled back too fast and I got him in the right eye”. 42:09 That cost me $5 bucks and I never forgot that, but he was after us. Interviewer: “Were you ever in any trouble at all in the military?” Ya, I got court martialed back in Brisbane. I got on the Colonel’s staff and I used to drive him in the command car and there were a lot of accidents. We had a General Gill and he was getting ticked off at all the trucks getting in accidents and he wanted the M.P.’s to start giving tickets out so, I had the Colonel and Major Snipke, he ended up a 3 star General and he was a buddy of mine too now, they wanted to go to town so, I drove and I don’t know what they had to do, but they were in a hurry and I was going about 45 miles an hour, as fast as that damn car would go and the M.P.’s pulled me over you know and they saw who I had in the back seat and they saluted and wrote me out a ticket and I 15 �explained to him that the General gave the order and I got the ticket. 43:37 I figured I would throw it out, but 2 weeks went by and I got a call, this was in Brisbane at Camp Cable, to report to headquarters for a summary court martial. I said, “court martial, what the hell” so, I went up there and there was a whole bunch of guys, whoever drove a truck or a car got a ticket so, I went in there and there’s our General, a couple of Captains and a Major and some lieutenants you know, they really dolled it up. So, I went in there and saluted the Colonel and he starts reading me this article and I looked at him and he said, “how do you plead?” I said, “what is that for, I don’t understand it” and he said, “for speeding” and I said, “guilty”. 44:35 He’s with me and he gets up and takes his hammer and knocks it down there and says, “I fine you $15.00” and he reaches in his pocket and says, “here’s my half Jack”. Now that’s the kind of guy—he got killed, but that’s the kind of guy he was, a real prince of a guy. He was a West Pointer and he—when he first joined us he didn’t think much of the National Guards, he was a regular army guy, but he got to like us all. I got that court marshal and then I got another one. We were in the Philippines and we had all the—we had aircraft carriers, battleships, you can’t believe what we had there, we had the whole Navy. I looked out there at duck and I said, “I can’t believe it, were going into Leyte” and my barge was the first one going in and I’m going down the rope ladder and got in the barge and I said, “what the hell, there can’t be anybody alive”, they were blasting away. We got in there and some of the guys wanted to go down the road and I said, “stay off the damn road, were going in the bushes” and that’s where we went and the Japs, they were there and so we got in there and we got a headquarters and we started making the drive and 2 or 3 days later I was up in the front and I had 2 of my buddies and we had two 50 caliber guns, aircraft guns and I knew and 16 �any guy who had any experience knew the Jap engines, they run in reverse and sound all together different and it was nice light, just getting dusk and here comes this damn Jap bomber or transport, we couldn’t tell which it was, but we knew by the engine and my 2 buddies said, “Hill, what do you want to do?” and I said, “take it” and every other bullet is a red tracer so you know you’re hitting it see and we just riddled the hell out of it, you could hear it spit and sputter when it went by us and about 15 minutes later up comes the Colonel and “oh boy” you could tell by the nice uniform he had on, not greens like we had on, “who gave orders to shoot one of our planes down?” and I said, “I did, but it wasn’t one of ours, it was a Jap plane” and he said, “that was one of our planes, all of our Navy is out there, they all got radar equipment and did you hear them firing? You gave the order to shoot one of our planes down and you’re going to get one of the biggest damn court martial the army has ever had”. 47:55 I thought, “ maybe I was wrong” and he said, “I’ll be back tomorrow morning and don’t you leave this spot” and he turned around and went and “oh boy” It was my fault and I felt sorry and I said, “gee, I could swear that was a Jap”. You never know, he convinced us, but what he forgot was that it was a Jap bomber and it was below the radar, it came in low. Well, he came up the next day, next morning and he said, “Sergeant, that was a Jap bomber or Jap transport bomber and what they were going to do was try to take the airfield back” and he said, “I’m going to put you in for the medal” and I said, “I don’t need a medal, I’m getting the hell out of here”. I was mad and I felt bad all the rest of the night—killed your own guys. So, I went to our General Gill and he had that order out that he could keep you if you had a court martial, a summary court martial, in other words I had points, I had 300 and some points and it only took 125 to get home or get on furlough, home permanently, rotation is 17 �what they call it today, but I couldn’t, I had all those points but he wanted to keep us, the seasoned guys, so when we went into Japan he had the seasoned guys. 49:39 I went up and told him, I said, and he knew what happened already, “General, I’m going home on that furlough” and he said, “I don’t blame you” and he said, “there’s a liberty ship out here and you can be on it and go this afternoon”. I got the hell out of there and I got on this Liberty Ship and I think I’m going right back to the states and I could smell some nice bread so I went over and said, “guys can I have a slice of that bread?” I hadn’t had a slice of bread in 2 years” and they said, “no, no, can’t do that” and I didn’t get one so, I had a cup of coffee and we were on there a couple of hours and all of a sudden I look up and here come this damn Jap bomber right over the stack and I looked up and there’s the bomb bay doors open and I could see that damn bomb and I thought to myself, “this is the way I’m going to get it, on my way home”. 50:45 Well, he pulled that button a little too late and it went right over the bow and boy what a blast and then he circled and he was going to come in on the side so, I got on one gun and one of the other guys got on the other gun, the were 50 calibers, and we knew how to work them and we had both of those guns—every damn bullet going dead head right onto him and I bet it wasn’t 200 yards away from us and I kept thinking, “what the hell is keeping him up, he’s going to end up hitting us” and all of a sudden “Pfff” we blew him up. 51:31 At this time we’re mad as hell because they didn’t have anybody on the ship to take care of that stuff. We went to find the Captain and it was an Ensign, he was a young black sailor, Captain, we called him the Captain and he said, “this is my first time out” and we were surprised because very seldom would you see a black officer and I said, “well whatever you’re doing, just get us going” and I said, “if he radioed back we’re going to have some more problems, so 18 �we’ll take care of the guns” and he said, “Ok” and he had radioed down and that liberty ship was going like hell. 52:20 I said, “where you headed for?” and he said, “I’m headed for landing in Hollandia, New Guinea” and I said, “you’re not either” and he said, “Ya” and I said, “I’m supposed to go to the United States” , well that’s where we went and we didn’t get hit again, we made a safe trip. Anyway, getting back to that bread, I said, “I sure would like a slice of bread” and he said, “I’ll give you a whole damn loaf” so, we got some bread. 52:50 We got back to Hollandia and then we waited and I had to get on the Lurrline, the Lurrline, I couldn’t wait, that was going to the United States, but there was a whole bunch of Canadians on there so, we get on the Lurrline, it’s the big ship we came over on and it’s going back to Brisbane to take these sailors so, I went back to Brisbane. Well, I ended up in the hospital, I never made it any farther, I never made it off the boat and we sailed back to the United States. 53:24 I have another cute little story. The Captain of the Lurrline, he always said, “if a man goes overboard we’re not stopping to pick him up”, you know, Jap subs, and we had a couple of guys that were shell shocked and he had a pair of short on, white shorts and somehow he got out and he jumped off the boat, off the ship, someone threw him a life preserver, one of those round ones and he’s paddling away from the ship and we stopped the damn ship and turned around and lowered a life boat and 2 of the sailors got on and went after him and one sailor watched him and he took his oar and hit him in the back of the head, “pow”. We thought, he really had to be nuts doing that going home, going over it would have been different. 54:26 Interviewer: “Can you tell us about your experiences at Morotai?” 19 �Ya, that was an island about oh let’s see, maybe about 20 miles long and I’m guessing now, maybe 4 miles wide and it use to be an airstrip and we needed to take that landing strip so the planes could from there go to the Philippines, they couldn’t reach the Philippines without that. So, they took photographs of it and it looked just like a nice landing strip. 55:18 They dropped us off there and it looked pretty, but the Kunai grass is up to here and that’s like a razor that grass. The photographs showed just the bottom part of the field so, we went in and hacked our way in and about halfway in we set up a headquarters and the Colonel said, “well, where are we?” and I said, “ right about here sir”, I had the maps and he said, “oh, ok, how did you know that?” I said, “I got the map” and he said, “oh”. He was our West Pointer and he always said, when he got this job, when I got the job for him, he said, “Jack, I’ll tell you one thing, when I ask you something don’t ever, ever tell me you don’t know, say I’ll find out”. 56:20 When I told him that, he looked at me and he got that grin on his face and he knew what I meant. He was just—I didn’t say, “I don’t know”. We took that and about 2 days later the engineers came in, the army engineers, they mowed that stuff down and we had planes flying out of there. Continued Jack Hill tape #2 20 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Hill, Jack (Interview transcript and video, 1 of 2), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hill, Jack Description An account of the resource Jack Hill joined the Michigan National Guard before World War II and served in the 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division, throughout the war. He fought in every major action that his unit was involved in on New Guinea, Morotai and Leyte, and provides detailed descriptions of combat and army life at the time. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-08-01 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context HillJ1 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives