407 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2c2231b8852a23af9d89a1b779522529.m4v 72eca7c1bfc9ff04db1dda8361be046e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/00fc27c47954a5dc0aa9c1b8a7dd3706.pdf 32b6842bf97f34cdce1ad0a8d508f58d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Vernon Powers World War II 52 minutes 56 seconds (00:00:26) Early Life -Born in Dyersburg, Tennessee in (circa) 1925 -Moved to Missouri when he was six or seven years old -Lived there until he was 14 years old -He was one of ten children -Six boys and four girls in his family -Father chopped trees for a living until he was no longer physically able to -Moved to Hart, Michigan when he was 14 years old -Picked cherries in the summer -Family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan when he was 16 years old -Worked in restaurants bussing tables and waiting tables -Spent a lot of his time growing up working because his father was no longer able to work (00:02:43) Getting Drafted -Got drafted when he was 18 years old -Expected it -Older brothers were already in the military -Four of his brothers served during the war -Went to Fort Sheridan, Illinois for processing -Went there by train -Family saw him off at the train station in Grand Rapids (00:04:32) Basic Training -Sent to Camp Roberts, California for basic training -Remembers going on a 25 mile hike while carrying a 60 pound backpack -Hiked up hills -Men from the city had a hard time with that -He adjusted well to the physical training -Had no problems with discipline in the Army -Began his basic training in either late 1943 or early 1944 -Received his draft notice on December 18, 1943 -Initially assigned to field artillery during basic training (00:06:50) Armored Infantry Training -Sent to Camp Bowie, Texas and was reassigned to the armored infantry -Learned how to drive tanks and 6x6 trucks -A lot of the men didn't know how to drive -Especially the men that came from cities -He started driving when he was 12 years old, so driving tanks and trucks came easy (00:08:38) Deployment to the European Theatre �-Went to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey to board a ship -Note: Most likely part of the 13th Armored Division -Set sail in December 1944 -Atlantic Ocean was rough during the winter -A lot of the men on board got seasick, but he didn't -Attributes part of that to having a bottom bunk -Landed at Le Havre, France [January 1945] (00:10:29) Advancing through Europe -As soon as the unit was assembled they began moving inland toward Germany -Passed through France and into the Ruhr Valley in Germany -Found the Germans he met to be friendlier than the French he met -First combat he experienced was around Metz, France [note: Metz itself was taken in late 1944, but there were still Germans nearby in Alsace] -Traveled on half-tracks or in tanks when they weren't in combat -He was a scout in his unit -Went up ahead of the main force to see if there were any Germans ahead of them -Usually walked about 300 yards ahead of the unit -Slept on the ground most nights, but slept on, or in, vehicles when he could -Suffered frostbite on his fingers and toes -There was a lot of combat in the Ruhr Valley -Eventually reached Berchtesgaden, Germany at the end of the war -Germans were in full retreat across Europe when his unit arrived -Still encountered pockets of resistance though -In Simbach am Inn, Germany they found a building filled with women from all over Europe -Had been selected to breed with SS soldiers to raise an Aryan army -Friend was wounded by artillery and Vernon pulled him to safety -Had to do house to house searches as they advanced through Germany -Never knew what to expect when they entered a building -Some men would go into the house while others stood guard -Routinely found dead civilians and dead soldiers -Killed from the concussions from artillery shells and bombs -Artillery would shell an area about ten minutes before the infantry entered the area -Captured quite a few German soldiers near the end of the war -Happy to surrender -Friendly toward their American captors -Worst fighting he saw was in the Ruhr Valley -Couldn't dig in, just had to keep advancing against the Germans -Used the tanks and other armored vehicles as moving protection (00:20:14) Food -Usually ate C Rations -Cans of pork & beans, or spam -Got K Rations later in the war -Better than C Rations, but not as good as a hot meal -Always looked forward to getting a hot meal -Remembers being promised a hot meal one night �-German plane bombed their mess truck ending hopes for that -Fortunately no one was killed -Ate when they could -Sometimes they didn't have enough rations, so they were just given a large chunk of cheese (00:22:12) Contact with Home -Received letters from his girlfriend who would become his wife -Received letters from his mother -Smoked cigars and got two big boxes of cigars from home -Shared all of his cigars, save for one, with the men in his unit (00:23:04) Living Conditions Pt. 1 -Could only smoke when they weren't near German positions -Fear that the Germans might see the ember from a cigarette -Not allowed to make fires at night -Girlfriend sent him a flameless lighter (00:23:53) Veterans' Activities Pt. 1 -Regularly drinks coffee with other WWII veterans at the Peppermill Grill in Standale, Michigan -Went on the Talons Out Honor Flight to Washington D.C. (00:25:27) Morale & Discipline Pt. 1 -Had a good relationship with most of the men in his unit -Everybody in his unit was ready to fight -He felt like the war was a job that had to be done -Believed that it was a worthy cause to stop Nazism -Never felt scared (00:26:55) Visiting Paris -Visited Paris with his squad after the war in Europe was over -Had won $400 playing poker on the voyage over to Europe -Shared his money with his squadmates -Only had $20 left at the end of that trip -Visited the local bars -First time they really got to drink since they had arrived in Europe -Only time they drank in the field was if they found a single bottle of wine (00:28:04) Discipline Pt. 2 -Allowed to take food and alcohol from abandoned houses -He never took any personal possessions from abandoned houses -Doesn't remember anyone else in his unit doing that either (00:29:02) Downtime & Living Conditions Pt. 2 -Didn't have much downtime as they advanced across Europe -Either walking, sleeping, or fighting -Traveled on foot most of the time and rode in vehicles when he had the chance -Slept in a barn in France for a little while before they entered Germany -After that he slept out in the open until the war was over -Moved too fast and didn't stop long enough for performers from the USO to catch up -Didn't really have downtime until the end of the war �(00:30:37) End of the War Pt. 1 -Reached Berchtesgaden, Germany at the end of the war -Town was in the mountains and you could see the countryside around the town -Army thought Hitler had retreated to his mountaintop fortress, the Eagle's Nest -Found a ballroom in Berchtesgaden with a huge tunnel in the basement -Looked like the tunnel went toward Switzerland -Town was abandoned and littered with German military supplies -Looked like the Germans had fled the town in a hurry -Rode a BMW motorcycle down the mountain -Bailed off it before it went tumbling down the mountainside -Forgot how to use the brakes (00:32:28) Getting Wounded & Taking Casualties -Took shrapnel in his head -Frostbitten fingers and toes -Took shrapnel in his neck and leg while carrying his friend to safety in Simbach am Inn -Never sought out treatment for his wounds -Remembers setting off the metal detector in Grand Rapids City Hall due to shrapnel in his head -Could have gone to a medic, but didn't feel his wounds were serious enough for treatment -Just held his hand on the wounds until they stopped bleeding -Lost four men from his squad (00:36:07) End of the War Pt. 2 -Returned to Simbach am Inn, Germany then to Braunau am Inn, Austria across the river -Braunau am Inn: Hitler's birthplace -Found women being held in a building in Simbach -Being held there to breed with SS soldiers to breed an Aryan army -In Berchtesgaden when they heard about Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945) -Moved to Simbach after VE Day -Conducted patrols for one month -Went deer hunting -German woman cooked the meat for them -Stayed in a home in Simbach -Shared it with the Germans that lived there -Soviets were advancing from the east -Didn't encounter any civilians fleeing the Soviets (00:38:57) Coming Home -Had to wait for a ship to come into Le Havre, France -Drove back up to Le Havre, France -Waited a couple weeks there for the ship to arrive -Stopped in Paris en route to Le Havre -Slept on cots in a tent in summer 1945 -Eventually boarded the ship and returned to the U.S. -Most likely in July 1945 -Better voyage because it was a larger, English ship -Landed back at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey �-Served a huge steak -Couldn't even finish it because he was so used to meager meals -Got a quart of fresh milk (00:43:05) End of War Pt. 3 & End of Service -Planned on being sent to California to be sent to invade Japan -Unit was going to land at Tokyo -Went home on leave for 45 days -Home on leave when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan in August 1945 -Married August 26, 1945 -Went to California to complete his service -Note: If part of the 13th Armored Division then it would have been Camp Cook -Stayed in shape by playing baseball and going on hikes -Got to sleep in cots and have hot meals -Returned to Fort Sheridan, Illinois and got discharged on April 20, 1946 -Rode a train back to Grand Rapids, Michigan (00:46:03) Veterans' Activities Pt. 2 -Joined the American Legion -Used to attend meetings -Served as the sergeant of arms for one year at the post in Marne, Michigan -Donated his uniform to the American Legion Hall in Marne (00:47:16) Readjusting to Civilian Life -Had bad dreams when he came home -Didn't go to a doctor for it -Just waited for them to go away -Had one son after the war (00:49:00) Reflections on Service -Great experience -Helped him mature -Went in a rough teenager and came out a more reserved adult -Spent two and a half years of his life in the service -Learned how to be independent -Older brothers came home alive and well � 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_PowersV1904V Title A name given to the resource Powers, Vernon Porter (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-11-22 Description An account of the resource Vernon Powers was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee in (circa) 1925, but his family eventually settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was drafted on December 18, 1943 and was processed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois before going to Camp Roberts, California for basic training. He went to Camp Bowie, Texas for armored infantry training before deploying for Europe out of Camp Kilmer, New Jersey in December 1944 (or January 1945) most likely part of the 13th Armored Division. His unit landed in Le Havre, France then moved through Europe, seeing action in Metz, France and fighting in the Ruhr Valley, Germany. His unit advanced through Germany seeing final action in Simbach am Inn, Germany and entering Berchtesgaden, Germany on Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945). They patrolled the area around Simbach am Inn before returning to Le Havre, France to take a ship back to the United States. He was on leave when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and the war came to an end. He was stationed in California until he returned to Fort Sheridan, Illinois to be discharged on April 20, 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Powers, Vernon Porter Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Moore, Deb (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1447a996eb56f3ad6b499d6e6bd73104.m4v b4b7271e17ca8797f4dba926514aaeab https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/94acfe8238bae1ce3aaff018d2bfb85e.pdf 7efe38ac295627f1c45879159c1aa715 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Wesley Pontier Length of interview: 1:26:30 (00:00) Pre-enlistment         (00:20) Born in Clifton, New Jersey on October 4, 1921 (1:00) Graduated Clifton High School in 1939 (1:09) His father was a carpenter and his mother stayed home with the children (1:45) After he graduated high school, he got a job at a hardware store o When the depression hit, he switched jobs frequently. He worked at a department store, a car dealership, and a cotton printing company. Wesley would later get a job at Manhattan Rubber, where he would work until retirement. (5:20) Heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor from his aunt who had a radio. (6:40) Enlisted because he knew he would be drafted and he wanted to choose the branch he went into (7:15) He tried to volunteer for the Coast Guard but was turned away because he had hay fever. (7:30) Signed up for the Navy in November 1942 (7:50) Training       (7:50) His training was in Bainbridge, Maryland (8:00) Placed in company 66 (8:30) Upon arrival, someone in his company got scarlet fever. His company was often in quarantine because of this (9:40) Training consisted of a lot of drilling The only weapons training he received was with a .22 (11:30) Wesley felt that his training was not very strict (12:00) After Training     (12:00) After graduation, Wesley worked in the library in Bainbridge until he was placed into the armed guard. (13:00) The armed guard operated guns on ships, he was assigned to a 3-inch gun for which he was given little practice. (15:00): He was put on the SS Utahan which joined a convoy headed to Wales (March, 1943) (16:00) Stopped in Nova Scotia where he was given weapons training with the help of the Canadian Navy �       (16:30) The Canadians guarded Wesley’s convoy in the North Atlantic o The Atlantic was very rough on the way over o It took 30 days to get to Liverpool o He would come to the realization that he did not like his job (20:00) His ship was a freighter built in 1916 (20:30) The convoy went to the city of Cardiff (21:30) He made good friends with a pharmacist and his family (23:30) After Cardiff, they went to Cuba to get a load of sugar and then went through the Panama Canal towards western South America (24:30) Spent a few days in Chilean port cities (27:30) Celebrated his birthday in Lima, Peru o Wesley speaks highly of his treatment in South America (29:00) A New Job           (29:00) They arrived in New Orleans where they were ordered to remain, but Wesley decided to visit his girlfriend in New York. (29:50) After being relieved from his ship, he went to merchant signaling school in Noroton Heights, Connecticut. (30:30) He trained using flags and blinkers. Wesley was also required to identify ships by signaling (31:25) Reassigned to the Kentuckian and sent to South America, to the same ports he had visited previously He would travel on the east coast of the U.S.; from the Jersey Shore, you could sometimes see ships burning (34:00) Placed in a large convoy (1944), he relayed information to surrounding ships (35:00) He remembers seeing men on ships ready to take part in the D-day invasion His ship had cargo that would have been valuable to the men on the beaches; unfortunately, his ship was very old and had to unload in Plymouth (38:30) They started back to the U.S. but were turned around and sent to Wales where his ship was taken, filled with concrete and sunk near the Normandy beaches. (39:30) Put on a new ship (the renamed USS America) headed to the U.S. with German prisoners (43:00) Marriage and new assignments  (43:00) When he got back to the U.S., his fiancé arranged for them to be married; They had a one week honeymoon on the Jersey Shore  (44:30) after his honeymoon, he reported back to the armed guard center in New York to be assigned to a new ship which was a Danish tanker which was headed to Aruba. The ship went back and forth from Aruba 14 times in one year � (49:00) Wesley’s ship would take water to Aruba, he would be doing this until he was eventually discharged. (51:00) Discharged         In September 1945, Wesley was discharged; he calculated that he had traveled over 80,000 miles at sea (53:00) He reflects on the humorous relationships he had with the ship crews (59:00) After leaving the navy, Wesley returned to work for Manhattan Rubber, he would eventually become a time study man (1:01:30) Transferred to Bridgeport Connecticut and eventually became a sales engineer He was eventually moved to Charleston, South Carolina; throughout his career, he often worked with asbestos. Wesley would work with sales, manufacturing, and advertising for his company (1:09:00) When his brother died (1981), Wesley was given a large amount of money. He retired from his job after working there for nearly 42 years and moved to Florida, where he had inherited his brother’s house (1:13:00) after living in Florida for over nine years, Wesley and his wife, who now required a wheelchair, moved to Michigan. He says that this was the best decision he ever made; he got into gardening and painting (1:19:00) Wesley feels that the Navy made him good at following orders and keeping his nose clean. Additionally, the Navy gave him the opportunity to see many astounding things. He also developed a love for the sea; he would go on 11 cruises with his wife � 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_PontierW1864V Title A name given to the resource Pontier, Wesley (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-03 Description An account of the resource Wesley Pontier was born on October 4, 1921 in Clifton, New Jersey and served in the United States Navy during World War II. He joined the navy in 1942 and trained in Bainbridge Maryland. He had several jobs while in the Navy his most accomplished position was that of a signalman. Wesley traveled to many different parts of the world including Canada, Wales, Cuba, Chile, Peru, and Venezuela. During his interview, he recalls seeing men and ships preparing for the invasion of Normandy. After being discharged in December of 1945, Wesley returned to work for Manhattan rubber where he had worked before joining the navy. During his time in the navy, Wesley traveled over 80,000 miles at sea. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pontier, Wesley 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 World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d5a35c5fb214e60cd8add17c62c82c07.m4v cad2b6ba0653c5c3e69d4f9c7d13b9c6 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/98ac5ef0aa4619c057a64b479e40fde5.pdf ef4d660db6bb80d5670d806452c02208 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Bryan Pogodzinski Cold War, Iraq War 15 minutes 38 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born on September 15th, 1964. -Served as a Master Sergeant in the Air Force. -Born on Carswell Air Force base in Fort Worth Texas. -Father was in the Air Force for four years. -Later became a factory worker for Rockwell. -Mother worked for a bank. -Siblings: -One brother a year older (also born at Carswell). -A sister (born in Michigan). -Before entering the military worked for a farm, grocery store, hung dry wall, misc work. -A friend of his father’s convinced him to join the military. -Flew to Cleveland to the recruiting station to join. -Chose the Air Force due to his father being in the Air Force. (00:01:50) Training and Cold War Era -Began training around the start of 1986. -Training “old school” break you down to build you up approach. -Some difficulty with being away from friends and family. -Eventually adjusted to the routine. -Not as focused on physical training in the Air Force. -Tedious attention to detail activities. E.g. folding clothes. -Desirable to pay attention to detailed technical info. -Lived in 70102nd basic military training squadron (BMTS). -Started with 58 members, lost 8 dropouts over time. -No free time. -No set routine aside from meals. -Lots of running and marching. -First station after training: Dyess Air Force base in Abilene Texas. -First daughter was eventually born there. -Dyess was a Strategic Air Command base (SAC) -High profile for its nuclear weaponry during 60s-80s. -B1 Bomber was introduced there. -Congress people were present often. -His role there was a security police officer for the Air Force. -Cold War ended while he was in Europe. (00:07:07) Iraq War -Served in Operation Desert Shield �-Worked for the 555th MP Company -Experienced drive by shootings, insurgent attacks, security risks with Kuwait politicians, helicopter crashes, etc. -On his role in the military: -investigated and found $4 million of stolen helicopter parts. -Dealing with drugs, alcohol, pornography, prostitution rings (mentioned later at 13:12) -Similar roles to a county police officer. -Made good friends in the military. -Keeps in touch with a lot of fellow military members. -Communicating with family at that time was with phones, and there was e-mailing. -First deployment lasted four months, second deployment lasted eight months. -Before deployment “Spin up training”, in New Jersey for five weeks. -Not much free time while deployed. -Swimming in the pool or simply catching more sleep. -Difficulty with re-adjusting to civilian life. -No family/children overseas to have to orient yourself toward. -Not a community that shares the same knowledge/experience. -Values the education and experiences the military offered. -Pursuing a PhD which should be completed soon. -Seen places others may only read about. E.g. Germany before and after Berlin Wall. -After returning from military worked at a car manufacturing job. -Changed paths to focus on education. -Received bachelors, two master’s degrees, now finishing a PhD. -Worked for Children Protective Services in Allegan County. -Now works with children with behavioral disorders and autistic children. � 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_PogodzinskiB1824V Title A name given to the resource Pogodzinski, Bryan (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-25 Description An account of the resource Bryan Pogodzinski was born on September 15th 1964. He was active in the military during the Cold War as well as the Iraq War and served as a Master Sargent in the Air Force. During the Cold War he was stationed at Dyess Air Force base where the B1 Bomber was introduced. Later he was part of Operation Desert Shield in Iraq. There he worked for the 555th Military Police Company dealing with security risks. After leaving the military he focused on education and is soon to complete his PhD. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pogodzinski, Bryan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaczanowski, Claire (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3ffa930916c7a3a7ba8ca7e0e696b144.m4v 0b8b4a9f8b349efca846ccad69fd5fcd https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d29839184bc81fa63562b72cced7cc1c.pdf df982496f3e3d0c7ef508b6ef449870a PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Thomas Pacic World War II-Post War 1 hour 23 minutes 48 seconds (00:00:16) Early Life -Born in Youngstown, Ohio on November 23, 1927 -Had an older brother born on the same date -Went to St. Peter & Paul Catholic School for elementary school -Attended that school for eight years -Attended high school and graduated -Most likely in 1945 -Had eight siblings -Father was a Croatian immigrant and his mother had been born in the United States -Father owned two bars -After they went dry he opened a grocery store -Father made his own wine and whiskey in the basement and shared it with family -Legal since he wasn’t selling it (00:02:48) World War II -Oldest brother joined the Army in 1940 -Third oldest brother joined the Navy -Brother born on November 23rd (most likely) had polio and eventually died -Older brother was partially deaf and in college which meant that he couldn’t get drafted -Since all of his brothers were gone during the war he worked in the bar -Remembers hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor -Had the radio on and the report came over the radio -As young as he was he knew that it was bad -Didn’t know what was going to happen to his older brother -Mother and father were devastated -Father still had relatives in Croatia (at the time part of Yugoslavia) -Thomas never thought that he wouldn’t have to serve -Knew that it was just a matter of time before he would have to serve (00:06:52) Enlisting in the Coast Guard -Enlisted in the Coast Guard after he turned eighteen in November 1945 -War was completely over in September 1945, but there was still a draft -He didn’t want to sleep in a foxhole, and he enjoyed the water -Coast Guard offered a two year enlistment as opposed to four years -There was also a base in Cleveland, close to Youngstown -Enlisted in December 1945 (00:07:35) Basic Training -Received orders to go to Curtis Bay, Baltimore, Maryland -Reported there on January 8, 1946 -Took a train to Maryland -Told immediately that they would only get one month of training �-Training was usually three, or four months long -Training consisted of marching, drilling, standing watch, and washing your own clothes -It was cold during the winter even in Maryland -Training went by fast -Heavy emphasis on discipline and regimen -Didn’t mind it; learned to take orders, carry them out, and just keep going -Remembers some men trying to resist the military system -Punished with extra duty (usually more Kitchen Patrol (KP)) -Learned how to shoot a rifle on the rifle range -Had to pass a swimming test -Easy for him because he had worked as an auxiliary lifeguard at a local pool -Taught the history of the Coast Guard, its functions, and how to tie knots -Officers training them were career sailors and served in World War II -Completed basic training and received a week of leave to explore Baltimore (00:14:23) Assignment to Cargo Ship & First Cruise in the Coast Guard -First assignment was aboard a cargo ship -Joined the ship and learned about doing watches in the crow’s nest -Also just learned general information about the ship -Task was minesweeping and removing mines as they made their way to the West Coast -Difficult work - Had a magnetized cable that pushed mines away from the ship -Destination was San Diego, California -Got seasick on his first cruise -Worst part of the voyage was sailing past a cape in Virginia -Water was always rough -Passed through the Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal -Got to experience the whole process of the ship moving through the locks -Sailed up the West Coast -Got a mine near San Diego then continued on to San Francisco -Received one week of leave in San Francisco -Interesting experience to be so far away from home -Left San Francisco and sailed north to Seattle -Preparing to sail up to Coast Guard stations in the Aleutian Islands (00:19:05) Stationed in Florida & Puerto Rico -Received orders to go to Miami, Florida -Reported to the Coast Guard station in Miami -Helped with the seaplanes -Waiting for transportation to San Juan, Puerto Rico -Eventually got a flight down to San Juan on a military plane -Enjoyed Puerto Rico because it was always warm -First job was to run messages back and forth between officers and the sickbay (00:20:57) Reassignment -Sent home because his sister had terminal cancer -Transferred to Cleveland to be closer to his family -Told by the Coast Guard that he would not be sent back to Puerto Rico -They wanted to keep him at least within 100 miles of Youngstown, Ohio �-He left Puerto Rico in June 1946 and his sister died in early September 1946 (00:21:55) Stationed at Coast Guard Station Erie Pt. 1 -Sent to Coast Guard Station Erie, Pennsylvania because they needed more men -Simple lifeboat and lighthouse station on Lake Erie -Only a few men there -When he got there he went to work almost immediately -Spent a lot of time responding to SOS signals and missing person reports -Had a 32 foot lifeboat and two 18 foot crash boats -Constantly in use, and constantly needed repairs -Had Coast Guard Auxiliary men come up to help them since they were shorthanded -The station was on a bay with a channel separating them from the lighthouse -After getting out of the bay you were on Lake Erie -Rescued people when storms blew up -Sailboats capsized frequently which demanded a quick reaction from the station -Took care of people in the bay first because they were in smaller boats -The larger boats were on Lake Erie and could handle themselves better -Weather forecasting wasn't accurate and they relied on a simple communication network -Relayed information through a system of telephones and radios (00:26:40) Rescue Commendation -He was awarded a commendation for rescuing two people -They were on patrol in one of their boats looking for two missing children -Went into a lagoon and saw two people struggling in the water -Without pause, he grabbed a life ring and dove in and swam toward them -The woman grabbed onto Thomas which dragged both of them down -Thomas managed to get them back up and put the life ring on her -After she was stable he turned to help the husband -Learned that they were a husband and wife, and that she was pregnant -Had been in a canoe and she fell in, and the husband jumped in to save her -Got the canoe afloat, but the wife refused to get back into it -Got the couple on the Coast Guard ship then tied up the canoe -Brought the canoe back to the rental shop -Woman didn't lose the baby -That rescue was the most dramatic event that happened in the Coast Guard (00:31:12) End of Coast Guard Service Pt. 1 -Stayed at Coast Guard Station Erie until he got discharged -Pressured to reenlist for an additional two years -Declined because his father had terminal cancer and he wanted to be with his father -Got discharged in May 1947 and his father died in December 1947 (00:32:06) Stationed at Coast Guard Station Erie Pt. 2 -Found that things quieted down in the fall, and they didn't do anything in the winter -Lived eighteen miles away from town -Took care of maintenance and plowing during the winter -The harbor would freeze, but the channel froze "to eye and touch" �-Means that the channel looked frozen, but was not -Had to go change the lighthouse light and check the batteries -Could drive around the channel, or walk across it to save time -Officers decided that it would be safe to walk across the "frozen" channel -Crossing 80-100 yards of ice -Water was still flowing underneath the ice making it unstable -He tied a rope around his waist and carried an oar over his head -The oar would help displace his weight if he fell in -Started to cross the channel and then in an instant he went through the ice -Panicked and threw away the oar -Other sailor froze and didn't pull him out -Managed to find the hole and pull himself out of the water -Slowly moved back to the stable ice then walked back to shore -Returned to the station and told the officers that he fell through the ice -Allowed to shower and warm up then drove over to the lighthouse -No one else tried to walk across the channel that winter -Part of the peninsula belonged to the Coast Guard, but the rest was civilian -Kept busy during the summer and the winter -Took out buoys in the summer then brought them in in the winter -Had to cook their own food -Given an allowance of $1.26 a day for food -Had a Southern man that was an excellent cook and a good man -Went into town to get mail and groceries -Could go into town on the weekends if they weren't busy -Remembers being sent out to look for an elderly man that supposedly drowned -Went out in a small boat, with hooks, probing the water for a corpse -Found a lot of junk, but didn't find a body -Rescued a lot of boaters during his time in the Coast Guard -People were always grateful -Helped some smaller fishing trawlers in Lake Erie -People in Erie enjoyed the Coast Guard presence and enjoyed seeing Coast Guardsmen -Civilians always tried to help them whenever they could (00:47:37) End of Coast Guard Service Pt. 2 & Joining the Naval Reserves -Got out of the Coast Guard in May 1947 -Father passed away in December 1947 -Helped in the bar until going to college in Chicago with one of his best friends -Had another friend that didn't want to go into the Army -Decided to enlist in the Naval Reserves -Thomas decided to enlist in the Naval Reserves too -Went to Navy Pier, Chicago and enlisted there -Had been attending a trade school in Chicago -Returned to Youngstown, Ohio and his friend joined the Air Force �-Thomas decided to stay in the Reserves -Continued to attend meetings (00:49:50) Cruises with the Naval Reserves -Picked the USS Missouri for his two week training cruise -Picked up the Missouri in Norfolk, Virginia -Trained every day as a general seaman -Did everything that the other seamen did -Chipping paint, doing drills, and going to battlestations -Sailed down the Caribbean Sea -The following year he went on a training cruise aboard a minesweeper -Picked it up in Charleston, South Carolina -Sailed down to the Caribbean Sea -Would never go on a small ship like that again (00:51:25) Active Duty in the Navy Pt. 1 -Went active duty when the Korean War began in summer 1950 -Reported for active duty on November 8, 1950 -Went to Philadelphia for indoctrination -Assigned to stevedore duty -Meant handling cargo on ships and on bases -Sent to Norfolk, Virginia to join a cargo handling battalion -Received training on how to handle cargo -Learned how to drive a forklift and learned how to use heavy winches -Had to know how to do everything in case one man couldn't do his job -Received well by the veterans because the reservists had experience -He was part of a hatch crew in A Company -Assigned to various cargo ships -Loaded supplies in Norfolk -Did seamen duties while aboard the ship -Didn't get along with the crews -Made stops in the Mediterranean and Caribbean -Saw Naples, Italy; Southern France; Casablanca; and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -Resupplied civilian ships that were bringing supplies to Navy bases (00:57:07) Race Relations -Most of the black Coast Guardsmen were cooks and/or servants -In the Navy he had black sailors working alongside him (00:58:06) Travel in the Coast Guard & the Navy -Liked Casablanca the least -There was a labor strike underway among the stevedores -The Navy was sent in to help deal with the cargo -Accidents happened, but he remembers a bad one in Casablanca -A local worker was climbing up from the cargo hold and then fell to his death -Watched as other workers took everything they could off the body -Best place that he saw was Villefranche-sur-Mer, France -Got to go on a few bus tours �-Enjoyed France -Didn't enjoy Italy -Didn't enjoy the food, and a lot of the Italians were unfriendly -There was a lot of damage in Naples from the Second World War -Italians still acted like the war was going on and weren't hospitable -Could go anywhere they wanted when they were in a port -Just had to report back to the ship by 8PM or 9PM -Had restricted areas in San Juan, Puerto Rico while he was there in the Coast Guard -If you got caught by the Shore Patrol you were thrown in the brig and given extra duty (01:03:00) End of Service in the Navy Pt. 1 -Stayed in the Navy until June 1953 -Did five years of service in the Navy -Four years of his enlistment, plus one extra year during the Korean War -Got out of active duty, then got discharged from the Reserves (01:03:45) Active Duty in the Navy Pt. 2 -Did a lot of training with Landing Ship, Tanks (LSTs) -Went down rope ladders from LSTs into smaller landing craft -Preparation for another war, or any other military intervention -Had to do ship to ship supply operations -Load cargo nets with supplies then send them over to another ship -Had to send the cargo nets over and then drop them on the deck -Had to deal with the ships' movement on the water -Practiced taking on fuel -Grabbing fuel hoses from the other ship then filling fuel tanks -Had to be able to do these operations at night -If the seas were too rough the supply operation would get called off -Didn't get called off often though, had to have the experience (01:08:17) Getting Hurt & End of Service in the Navy Pt. 2 -Sent up to the Marine base in Red Bank, New Jersey -Went out to the pier and loaded, and unloaded, ammunition from ships -Stationed there for a few months in the winter -Got injured while on the pier -He was on the pier teaching new sailors how to handle rockets -Picking up 125 pound rockets from a conveyor belt then load them onto a pallet -Once the pallet was full it would get loaded onto a ship -Had to handle these rockets with care -Went to pick up a rocket and dropped it hard throwing out his back -Taken by ambulance back to the Marine base -Ran out of gas while on the way back to the base -Placed in the sick bay -From the Marine base got sent back to Norfolk to recover -Had sprained his back and there was nothing they could do for it -Just had to let his back recover �-Sent to Williamsburg, Virginia to work in the ship service section -Light duty, worked every night of the week, but got to sleep in every day -Stayed there until he got discharged from the Navy in June 1953 (01:14:52) Life after the Service -Went to Columbus, Ohio where his wife and child were living -Got a job at Timken Roller Bearings -Worked there for one year and then got laid off -Moved to Youngstown, Ohio and enrolled at Youngstown State University -Studied there for four years -Worked at the family bar at night -Got a degree in business administration -Got a job with the state of Ohio in the tax department -Lost his job with the state after a Republican government took office -After three months he got a job with the Cleveland Stevedore Company in Cleveland, Ohio -Got a job with them as an accountant -Went to Cleveland State University then the University of Akron -Drove between Cleveland for work and Akron for school -Lived between both cities, roughly 45 minutes from Akron -Got a job with the Eaton Corporation in Cleveland -Worked with them for twenty five years and then retired -Got transferred to a plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan and another one in Tennessee -Returned to Ohio to take care of his mother-in-law until she passed away -Daughter lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, so he and his wife moved to Grand Rapids (01:22:22) Reflections on Service -Enjoyed his time in the Coast Guard and the Navy -Could have made a career out of it, but wanted to spend time with his wife and child -Enjoyed the Coast Guard, but liked seeing the world via the Navy -Believes that all young men and women should serve in the military as well as every president -Feels that it would give them a different outlook when it comes to the military � 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_PacicT1852V Title A name given to the resource Pacic, Thomas (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-07-07 Description An account of the resource Thomas Pacic was born in Youngstown, Ohio on November 23, 1927. After graduating from high school in 1945 he enlisted in the Coast Guard in December 1945. He received orders to go to Curtis Bay in Baltimore, Maryland for basic training. He reported for basic training on January 8, 1946 and received rifle training, swimming training, the history of the Coast Guard, the function of the Coast Guard, and how to tie knots. His first assignment in the Coast Guard was aboard a cargo ship looking for mines left over from the war. They sailed down the East Coast, through the Caribbean Sea, the Panama Canal, and up the West Coast. He got to see San Diego and San Francisco before being stationed in Miami, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico. He spent the rest of his time at Coast Guard Station Erie, Pennsylvania where he helped rescue boaters and received a medal for saving a pregnant woman and her husband. He left the Coast Guard in May 1947 and then joined the Naval Reserves. He went on cruises aboard the USS Missouri and a minesweeper as well as cargo ships as part of a stevedore unit. During the Korean War he was on active duty helping with supply operations in the Caribbean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. After getting injured working in Red Bank, New Jersey he was discharged from the Navy in June 1953. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pacic, Thomas 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 World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American United States. Coast Guard United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9ba88397cda0e842dece570f7d22ff8d.m4v 0ac9c3396ab3cc259e1d1130a27f5cd6 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/51c49294fa8a6ca0451fd465b61ed3ce.pdf 0961a82e5979f6d2046dd4c28632b856 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Phil Owens Iraq War 43 minutes 5 seconds (07:10) Early Life, Boot Camp and Training -Born on December 31st, 1984 in Grand Rapids Michigan. -Served in the Marines with the highest rank of E5 sergeant. -Mother is a teacher, and his father is an automotive engineer. -Siblings – an older sister and a younger brother. -Enlisted in the military out of high school. -Wished to join the military since he was young. -Father and his brothers were both in the Marines. -Basic training in San Diego lasted 13 weeks. -Graduated in October of 2003. -Supply operations and administration schooling at Camp LeJeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. -Then returned to California to be stationed with an infantry battalion he was with before. -Role and duties: continuing training Marines with infantry, gear inventory, tracking serial numbers of weaponry gear and food, and budgeting. -Instructors are intense but serve their purpose. -Living in barracks, similar to dorms. -One or two roommates. Based on a squad. -Food is basic, not bad but not great. -Made good long term friends socializing. -Deeply trusting. -Physical training (P.T.) everyday from a variety of exercises. -Running, squats, etc. -Needed to be able to haul an 80 lbs pack of supplies 13 ~ 15 miles. -Went to machine gunner school. -Such as the 50 caliber, mk 19 grenade launcher, M240 machine gun. (18:20) Fallujah and Haditha Iraq -Sent to Fallujah, Iraq from 2004 to 2005. -The Second Battle of Fallujah, or Operation Phantom Fury. -Second tour was at the dam in Haditha, Iraq. -Locals were more present in the Fallujah area. -Atmosphere was like the Wild West. -Seemed similar to Vietnam in terms of War similarities. -Citizens were not necessarily reticent to assist the US military. -“House to house”, little by little approach. -Battles were very intense. -Considers that the American Sniper movie was fairly accurate in terms of battle portrayal. -Played soccer with some of the locals. �(25:00) -Recreation: watching movies, internet cafes, listening to music, video games, pranks, working out. -Making use of the limited things available. -Being part of the supplies crew he was able to direct exercise supplies to further remote bases with less options. -Family and friends would send food they couldn’t otherwise receive on base. -During holidays attempted to make do. To make wherever they were feel like home. -After two tours in Iraq, he extended his time by six months. -His battalion went on a deployment by ship. -He stayed in the US in order to direct supplies to them quicker. -Also took funeral detail. -Has respect for the colonel and sergeant major he worked with during the Battle of Fallujah. -After the first tour he was able to meet with his family in California. -Continued to see them here and there during 10 day spans of time. (33:35) Discharge and Returning to the US -Discharged from the military in 2008. -Re-adjusting to civilian life can be difficult to “turn off”. -He is part of the VFW, Wounded Warrior Project, and Disabled American Veterans. -Recently started a reunion with others for a 3rd Battalion reunion. -Post discharge, worked at a machine shop for a while. -Received his degree in athletic training. -Worked as a clinical athletic trainer for a hospital. -Now planning to work for the State Police. -Always been a very athletic personality. -Participated in football, track and field, wrestling, and gymnastics at the junior Olympic level. -Sports and medicine seemed appealing. -Married six months before being discharged from the military. -Married for a little over six years until divorce. -While the conflicts are over politically, the lingering effects of the War are a common problem for military members. -Wishes to live in a way that justifies the struggle of the conflict and the deceased. � 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_OwensP1827V Title A name given to the resource Owens, Philip James (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-24 Description An account of the resource Phil Owens was born in 1984 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He enlisted to the Marines and undertook boot camp in San Diego, California. After graduating in 2003 he was educated for supply operations and administration at Camp LeJune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. His role involved training, keeping track of inventory and serial numbers of gear, and budgeting. Additionally he trained to use specialized weapons in machine gunner school such as the MK19 grenade launcher and the M240. Owens returned to the 3rd Marines battalion in California before being sent on two tours of duty to Iraq. From 2004 to 2005 he was situated in Fallujah where the Second Battle of Fallujah was taking place. The second tour was located in Haditha Iraq. In 2008 he was honorably discharged from the Marines and continues to participate in a variety of groups for war veterans and working as a clinical athletic trainer. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Owens, Philip James Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Houser, Bryce (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American United States. Marine Corps Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/848138b744ec3ee00f0cb33b6a7fa7a1.m4v f50cb3e9fd0cd40ebb04e11796ff5eb0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a8e912f14ef4659fc1e08eef8cb2c17d.pdf f199cc46520fb736535d37187940b6d0 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Allan Ostar World War II 2 hours 2 minutes 39 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -Born on September 4, 1924 in East Orange, New Jersey -Moved around New Jersey during the Great Depression -Father had had a career in the Army -Family settled in Philadelphia and he graduated from high school there -Family had owned a candy store then went onto managing a children clothing store in Philadelphia (00:01:56) Rise of Fascism & the Spanish Civil War -Became interested in the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s -Rose money for the Abraham Lincoln Brigade which fought the fascists -Note: Abraham Lincoln Brigade had 2,800 American volunteer soldiers -Became interested in enlisting to fight against fascism -Aware of Germany and Italy violating international treaties to support the fascists -Had to be careful about showing your support for the Republicans/Loyalists -The Soviet Union supported the Spanish Republic -If you supported the Republic then you were suspected of being communist -Felt that there should have been more public attention -Didn't know as much about Germany and the rise of Nazism -Knew about the German American Bund and Father Coughlin -German American Bund was an American party that supported the Nazis -Father Coughlin had a radio show espousing pro-German views -There were concerns that Germany was using Spain as a testing ground for its military (00:05:36) World War II – September 1, 1939 to December 6, 1941 -Noticed more public attention given to World War II as the United States prepared for war -Lived near the SKF Ball Bearing Plant in Philadelphia -Noticed more activity at the factory as America prepared for war -On September 16, 1940, Congress enacted a draft for men aged 21 years or older -Father was still in the National Guard -Family was patriotic and ready to serve the country if necessary (00:07:23) America's Entry into World War II -Remembers being in school on December 8, 1941 -Students talked about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th -Unaware of anyone enlisting while still in high school -Vaguely aware of U-Boats prowling the Eastern Seaboard and sinking merchant ships (00:09:35) College & the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) -Went to Pennsylvania State University and joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps -In the ROTC he learned about marching and map reading -Required to do two years of ROTC, but the second two years were optional -Entered college in the fall of 1942 -Expected to join the military either by enlisting or by getting drafted -Started off by studying pre-med then went on to studying psychology -Also took a radio course -Professor felt that he should learned a practical skill for the military �-Learned about radio technology and operating radios -Finished his first year of college (00�:12:22) Enlisting in the Army -Joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps while in college -Male students were encouraged to join -Able to stay in college until you were needed for military service -More freedom to choose the service branch -Volunteered for active duty and joined the Army -Inducted at Fort Meade, Maryland -Took tests and qualified to be a radio operator -Led to being assigned to the Signal Corps (00:14:35) Training at Camp Crowder -Sent to Camp Crowder, Missouri, for Basic Training and Signal Corps Training -Received Radio Training -Learned how to string wire and operate a switchboard in Signal Corps Training -Sent to Camp Crowder by train -Long train ride from Fort Meade -Had basic, uncomfortable barracks -During field exercises he got covered in ticks and chiggers -During Basic Training he rose early and ate breakfast -If he didn't have kitchen duty then he drilled and marched -Learned how to fire and maintain a rifle -Everyone had to do some cleaning and some kitchen duty -Adjusted well to life in the Army -Felt that the Boy Scouts had prepared him for it -Enjoyed camping and being outside -Time in the ROTC also prepared him -There was a lot of physical training -Running and going on the obstacle course -Drill sergeants worked to instill a sense of discipline in the recruits -Take orders and get tough (both physically and psychologically) -Imposed arbitrary penalties if you broke a rule -Extra kitchen duty, extra guard duty, picking up cigarette butts, etc. -He stayed out of trouble -Allowed passes to go off base -Not much to do -There were a few bars and a USO Hall hosted dances -Qualified as a radio operator -Learned about British and American radio procedure -How to communicate with the British on the radio -Didn't realize it at the time, but this was in preparation for the invasion of Normandy -Helped teach incoming recruits about British radio protocols (00:24:53) Engineer Training -Had an Army General Classification Test score of 130 (or 135) -Meant he would be sent to a college for specialized training -Very high score -For example, only needed 110 to go to Officer Candidate School -Placed in the Army Specialized Training Program to learn how to be an engineer -Sent to Colorado State University for testing �-From Colorado State he went to the University of Denver for engineer training -University of Denver partnered with Regis College to train soldiers in the ASTP -Jesuit priests were excellent professors -Great experience, but he didn't enjoy the calculus class -Received college credit -Stayed for one term -Had classes from morning until night -Allowed to go into Denver -Welcoming community -Fell in love with Colorado and the Rocky Mountains -Went on dates with local girls (00:29:40) Joining the 42nd Infantry Division -ASTP was shut down because the Army needed more infantrymen than specialists -Some men, including Allan, went to create new divisions as opposed to being replacements -He went to Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, to join the reactivated 42nd Infantry Division -Unit had served in World War I with Douglas MacArthur -Originally comprised of National Guard units from all over the country -Led to it being known as the “Rainbow Division” -Some officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) had served in Alaska -Experienced a culture clash between the NCOs and the new enlisted men -Most of the NCOs had only graduated high school, or had not graduated high school -Most of the new enlisted men were college educated -The NCOs had disdain for the “college boys” -Initially assigned to K Company, 242nd Infantry Regiment -Trained on the Browning Automatic Rifle -Ironic, because it was one of the heaviest weapons, and he was one of the smallest men -Transferred to Headquarters (HQ) Company, 242nd Infantry Regiment -Operated the radio for the regimental commander -Got to ride in the commander's jeep -Transferred to the Cannon Company of the 242nd Infantry Regiment -Each infantry regiment had a cannon company made up of 105mm artillery pieces -Similar to the howitzer, but smaller, more maneuverable, used for close support -The Cannon Company had a fire control center and forward observers -He strung wire between the observations posts or worked at the fire control center -Received more infantry training while at Camp Gruber -He was part of the USO Regimental Band and played the saxophone -Able to get out of dirtier, or undesirable work because he had rehearsals to go to -Visited Tulsa on passes and began dating a girl there (00:42:17) Deployment to Europe -In November 1944, some of the infantry regiments were selected to deploy to the European Theater -The 242nd Infantry Regiment was one of them -Went to New York City and boarded a troopship -Converted freighter that was capable of holding 1,000 men -Everyone got seasick on the voyage -Had submarine drills -Sailed as part of a convoy -Passed through the Straits of Gibraltar -High level of U-Boat activity -If a ship fell behind the convoy had to keep moving �-One ship fell behind and got torpedoed -Bad weather on the crossing -Spent as much time on deck as possible to help with the seasickness -Got two meals a day (00:46:11) Arrival in France -Landed at Marseille, France, in late November/early December 1944 -Sent to a camp north of Marseille -Cold, and set up on rocky ground -He'd been taught how to drive in Oklahoma, and was ordered to drive a jeep to the camp -The road leading to the camp was icy and steep -Driving a brand new jeep, he went into a skid and hit a wall -He was unharmed, but the jeep was severely damaged -Gathered equipment (00:50:04) Battle of the Bulge -Initially assigned to the 3rd Army to help with the fighting in Belgium -Got to drive a jeep north instead of riding in a truck or a boxcar -The 42nd Infantry Division was reassigned to the 7th Army -In late December 1944 the Germans threatened the Alsace-Lorraine and the city of Strasbourg -This was part of Germany's final offensive, “Operation North Wind” (Nordwind) -The division went into the area around Strasbourg in late December 1944 to help defend the city -French forces were in the city and needed assistance -Cannon Company set up on the Rhine River and fired across the river at German positions -French pulled south into the Colmar Pocket to drive out the Germans -Note: This Allied maneuver happened in the middle of January 1945 -Cannon Company sent out patrols and captured some German soldiers -He had learned some German in college and was able to serve as an interpreter -One POW showed him a leaflet that said Germany was using old men and boys -The POW then pointed at Allan because he thought Allan was a teenage boy -POWs told him that they had been told the 42nd Infantry Division troops were convicts (00:56:05) Operation North Wind (Nordwind) -Germans launched Operation Nordwind on December 31, 1944 -German forces led by Heinrich Himmler -Strike into Alsace-Lorraine to distract the Allies from the fighting in Belgium -Last major German offensive of the war nd -42 Infantry Division was part of Task Force Linden -Defended a 30 mile stretch of territory -Unprepared -Lacked artillery and tanks -Had some tank destroyers (lightly armored anti-tank vehicles) -Regiment moved north and the Germans attacked their position in early January 1945 -Faced superior German tanks -He was on the top floor of a train station directing artillery fire at tanks and armored infantry -Trying to use the 105mm cannons as direct fire as opposed to artillery -American tanks were forced to retreat -He stayed behind as long as he could to direct artillery fire so U.S. tanks could retreat -Risked being overrun and killed or captured -Received the Bronze Star for that action -Finally retreated and just before he reached the jeep a mortar destroyed the jeep -Company commander was killed during that German push �-Damaging to morale because he was one of the most liked officers -Regiment was situated on the old Maginot Line -As the Cannon Company retreated, an African American tank destroyer unit covered their retreat -Went head to head with the German tanks without breaking rank -First black soldiers he saw in Europe -Has tremendous respect for them -Finest soldiers he fought with -Cannon Company successfully pulled back -Stopped the German force attacking them -Led to the unit receiving a Distinguished Unit Citation -One man in the division, Vito R. Bertoldo, received a Medal of Honor -American forces blunted the German offensive, costing the Germans resources and soldiers (01:08:11) Advancing Toward Germany -Got refitted and replacements -Moved to Hagenau, France, near the German border -Had a close call in Hagenau -Trying to maintain communications with the forward observers and division artillery -Wires set up near a factory needed repair -He volunteered to go into the open and repair the wires -Did so under German shelling and received another Bronze Star -Americans were terrified of two German weapons: the 88mm artillery and the PPSh-41 “Burp Gun” -88mm artillery could be used against planes, tanks, and people, and as regular artillery (01:11:50) Crossing the Rhine River -In March 1945 the 42nd Infantry Division crossed the Rhine River at Worms into Germany -The 42nd spearheaded the liberation of Wurzburg, Schweinfurt, and Nurnberg in April 1945 -At Nurnberg they painted a rainbow on a wall (symbol of the 42nd) that is still there -Painted a rainbow in at least one place in each town they passed through -At Schweinfurt they were tasked with capturing an underground ball bearing factory -Allies tried to bomb the factory, but it proved ineffective -Ground forces had to take the factory, but it was surrounded by 88mm artillery -After intense fighting they took the city and the factory -Encountered Volksturm and Volksgrenadier units comprised of old men and young boys -Witnessed the mass surrender of hundreds of German troops (01:15:32) Liberation of Dachau & the Holocaust -The 42nd liberated Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945 -They were en route to Munich when they encountered the camp -Dachau was the first concentration camp, originally used for political prisoners -Commandant of the camp surrendered to the 42nd Infantry Division -Still doesn't have the words to fully explain in detail what he saw at Dachau -On the approach to Dachau he saw dozens of boxcars filled with corpses stacked like cord wood -Learned that they were prisoners being transferred from Buchenwald -Only a few survivors -Germans had executed most of the prisoners before they reached Dachau -Ordered not to feed the prisoners because it could kill them -Eventually went into the camp -Learned that some of the division soldiers had executed some of the guards -Healthier prisoners armed themselves with shovels and beat the guards to death -Learned the prisoners were priests, ministers, Poles, political prisoners, gypsies, gays, and Jews -Saw the crematoriums �-The Holocaust Center has asked him to go around and talk to high school students about Dachau -Tell them what he saw -Speaks with another veteran that liberated a camp and survivors of the camps -Later retraced his steps in Europe with his son -At Dachau he saw two busloads of young German soldiers -Recruits being shown the camps -Prove it happened, never allow it again, and refuse an order if necessary -The sights and smells overwhelmed him -Didn't stay in the camp because they still needed to pursue retreating German forces -There were rumors that German soldiers moved into the mountains and civilians would take up arms -Ordered to go house-house to collect weapons and capture stragglers -Approached a house in the town of Dachau and the man said that he wasn't a Nazi -Allan searched the house anyway and found a Nazi armband -Angered by how the Germans plead ignorance about the concentration camps -Parents were non-observant Jews, but the Nazis would have seen him as “racially” Jewish -Considers himself an atheist, but it wouldn't have mattered if they knew -Knew of American Jewish soldiers captured and either executed or mistreated (01:30:12) End of the War -Advanced into Salzburg, Austria, at the end of the war -Divided Germany and Austria into occupation zones -Went into Kitzbuhel, Austria, but left after it became part of the French Occupation Zone -Moved to the village of Lofer, near Salzburg -Saw the reopening of Mozart's house and theater -Watched the first performance of Mozart's music since the Nazi occupation -One man in his unit acted as the manager for the performance -Allowed Allan and his friends to watch the performance from box seats (01:33:24) Occupation Duty Pt. 1 -At the end of the war he had a lot of “points” -Needed 85 points to return to the United States -Awarded based on combat, dependents, length of service, and commendations -Had two Bronze Stars, combat time, Combat Infantry Badge, and years in the Army -Spent the winter of 1945 in Austria -One of the first to leave from his unit -Able to communicate with Germans and Austrians because he could speak German -Useful for bartering -Spoke French which allowed him to trade with the French -Traded K Rations for fresh bread and wine -Used cigarettes to barter with the Germans (01:35:18) Capture of Luftwaffe Base & Other Prizes of War Pt. 1 -Went into a Luftwaffe base near Munich and faced no resistance -Entered the commandant's office and the commandant surrendered to him, a corporal -Gave Allan his pistol, sword, and his ceremonial dagger -Had a Walther P-38 pistol and binoculars from a German officer -Hid his prizes in his jeep (01:37:18) Exploring Germany -Friend had relatives living in Ohm, Germany -He and his friend traveled to Ohm and met his friend's aunt -Stayed in the aunt's house and got to sleep in an actual bed -Visited while the war was still being fought �(01:38:40) Occupation Duty Pt. 2 -SS troops were rumored to be hiding in the mountains, attempting to regroup and resist -Sent to look for telephone wires and see if they led to SS encampments -Helped the Germans reestablish telephone lines -Never encountered any groups of SS soldiers, but was prepared to fight if necessary (01:40:05) R&R -Got a three day pass to Paris -Stayed in a fancy hotel -Got a three day pass to Switzerland (01:42:10) Occupying Austria -Stayed in Lofer, Austria, during the winter of 1945 -The people skied everywhere, and even skied to church -He and friends tried skiing -Remembers Austrian children laughing at how ridiculous they looked -In Salzburg he was billeted in a man's house -During December 1945 he came down with a terrible cold -The man gave him sugar cubes soaked in schnapps which cured his cold (01:44:15) Other Prizes of War Pt. 2 -He and a few of his friends found a stock of calvados (French apple brandy) -Supposed to turn over alcohol to the regiment for safe keeping -He and his friends took a few sips from each bottle before loading it onto trucks -Led to them getting drunk and getting yelled at by their superior (01:46:15) Contact with Home -Had few opportunities to write home -Wrote only while on R&R or during a lull in the action -Father worried when he didn't hear from Allan for a while (01:47:12) Coming Home & End of Service Pt. 1 -Boarded a truck and went to a “Cigarette Camp” near Le Havre, France -Boarded a troopship in Le Havre and sailed back to the United States (01:47:47) Life after the War Pt. 1 -Returned to Pennsylvania State University -Had college credit from Army Specialized Training Program -Graduated in two years (01:48:15) Coming Home & End of Service Pt. 2 -Voyage home was better than the voyage to Europe -Discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey -Encouraged to join the Reserves -Offered promotion and benefits if he joined -He declined and was lightly punished for it -Menial duty and watching educational videos -Some of his friends joined the Reserves and had to fight in the Korean War (01:49:56) Living Conditions in Europe -The winter of 1944-1945 was one of the worst winters on record -Lacked appropriate clothing, and a high number of men suffered from trench foot -He would go to the rear to collect more telephone wire -Noticed rear personnel had better clothing and shoes for the winter than front line soldiers -Deeply incensing to know they had better gear than combat troops -Sergeant that served in Alaska taught him to change his socks as often as possible -Put your socks under your armpits to dry out one pair of socks while wearing the other pair �(01:52:00) Life after the War Pt. 2 -Returned to Pennsylvania State University and majored in psychology -Worked for the student newspaper and became the editor-in-chief -Met his future wife who was a journalism major working as the news editor -Spent a lot of time together -He took some journalism courses, but never decided to major in journalism -Interested in mass communication and the psychology of communication -Joined the National Student Association and became an officer in Madison, Wisconsin -Part of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality; Civil Rights activist group) while in college -Led a campaign to integrate barber shops at Pennsylvania State Univeristy -Sent to the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, for the National Student Association -Got into national public relations for the National Student Association -Started a national student newspaper -Worked closely with the University of Wisconsin -Continued his graduate work at the University of Wisconsin -Great experience -Worked with national media (Time, CBS, and NBC) -Wrote op-ed pieces for New York Times -Became the Director of Communication Services at the University of Wisconsin -Did that for ten years -Produced a video with a “kinescope” (video recording device) -Video for college course on American Government for American servicemen -Part of “correspondence courses” (precursor to online courses) -After Sputnik he was prompted to go to Washington DC for the University of Wisconsin -Went to New York City for the University of Wisconsin Interview ends abruptly @ 02:02:37 � 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_OstarA1935V Title A name given to the resource Ostar, Allan W (Interview outline and video), 2016 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-05-31 Description An account of the resource Allan Ostar was born on September 4, 1924, in East Orange, New Jersey. He went to Pennsylvania State University in fall 1942 and joined the Reserve Officer's Training Corps, then joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps. He volunteered for active duty and was inducted at Fort Meade, Maryland. He received Basic Training, Radio Training, and Signal Corps Training at Camp Crowder, Missouri, then was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program. He received Engineering Training at the University of Denver and Regis College until the ASTP was disbanded. Allan then received orders to go to Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, to join the 42nd Infantry Division. He was initially assigned to K Company of the 242nd Infantry Regiment, then transferred to Headquarters Company, before winding up in the Cannon Company. In November 1944 the 42nd went to New York City for deployment to Europe. They arrived at Marseille, France, in late November/early December 1944 then traveled north to help the French defend Strasbourg and the Alsace-Lorraine. During "Operation Nordwind" he received a Bronze Star for staying behind to direct artillery fire and another Bronze Star in Hagenau. In March 1945 he crossed the Rhine River into Germany, and took part in the liberation of Dachau on April 29, 1945. At the end of the war he entered Austria, and served in Austria as part of the occupying force. He left Europe in late 1945 (or early 1946) and was discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Ostar, Allan W. 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 World War, 1939-1945--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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/69c0eec712275fa5f158d6dfa06b5e19.m4v 2474cf52e618daf68182a74ecff884c5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5e96e06d6348ece2cbe26ce861da9553.pdf 8c76cbc7719ee28ba4c799eb3607e8be PDF Text Text O’Rear, Nancy Grand Valley State University All American Girls Professional Baseball League Veterans History Project Interviewee’s Name: Nancy O’Rear Length of Interview: (46:51) Interviewed by: Frank Boring Transcribed by: Chelsea Chandler Interviewer: “If we could begin, what is your name, where were you born—” Nancy Kellogg O’Rear. Interviewer: “And when and where were you born?” Ivanrest, Grandville. Really it’s part of Grandville, but in Ivanrest. They used to call it that. (1:03) Interviewer: “Okay, and am I going to get a date of the birth by any chance?” Sure. 1/7 of ‘38. Interviewer: “Okay. What was your early childhood like growing up in that area?” It was great. It was great. My father worked for the railroad. My mother was a stay-at-home mom. I had just one sister a year older than I, so we had a wonderful, wonderful growing up. Interviewer: “Were you in a farm area, or where you had people around you? Or what was the environment? Give us an idea visually of what it was like to be growing up in that area.” Well, in that area—My father had chickens, but that’s about it. Just chickens. He made a little doll—a little house out there on the chicken feed. My mom, Wendy, would take—after the feed is gone—would make us girls blouses. But nothing else. 28th Street at that time—Of course, it wasn’t 28th Street, but it was busy. It was busy, but there was a great, big field in front of us. The house. And the main—The big 28th Street. (2:15) Interviewer: “Did your father get the newspaper? Did you have a radio?” We had a radio. Yes. And my father had newspaper. Interviewer: “Okay. So he kept up on at least the local and what was going on around and…?” Yes, yes. �O’Rear, Nancy Interviewer: “Okay. Did you get a chance to listen to the radio as well?” Us girls—He would let us girls hear a few programs. Sure, sure. Interviewer: “Okay, and where did you go to school?” Well, after we lived in there, my father moved into town, and we moved up to Burton Heights. And us girls went to the elementary school there. Burton Elementary. Then we went to South High. Interviewer: “Okay. Now what were the types of things you were studying?” Well, geography. I loved that. My sister loved history. But math and all your kind of common grades, you know. Interviewer: “Yeah. This is a trick question. We’ll get to it later, too. Any sports?” Oh, brother. Sports. I was my dad’s boy, and my sister was all girly. But for Christmas I wanted nothing but a mitt and a ball and a basketball. And ever since I can remember. Interviewer: “Wow. But at school were you able to play any sports?” No. Nope. They didn’t have any—They had no sports in school. No summer sports. Once in a while out for recess us girls would get in a—like a kickball, and we’d run the bases. But that’s far as that would—that is. (4:07) Interviewer: “Okay. Now did you get a mitt at all?” Oh, certainly. My father made sure on Christmas I got a mitt. A small mitt because I was younger then and a small ball. And my dad would play catch with me. He didn’t have a mitt, but—Until later that I got a nice, big mitt, you know. Interviewer: “Sure. But your first introduction was, as a very young girl, you’re playing catch with your dad.” Right, right. Interviewer: “Okay. Did your—Your sister wasn’t interested in doing this?” No, no. Interviewer: “Okay. Were there other girls in the neighborhood that you played with?” There was one. Just one girl that—But she kind of lived a little far away, so she didn’t come over too often. �O’Rear, Nancy Interviewer: “Okay. All right. Was there any boys’ teams around you?” As I got older there were but not that I remember. There was any boys’ teams neither. Interviewer: “Okay. When did you first hear about this group of women baseball players?” Well, I got an uncle that—He tried out for Tigers. Detroit Tigers. And we were at my grandparents’ house, and him and I were playing catch. And he was throwing the ball pretty hard. And my grandfather says, “How come, Nancy, you never went down to a Chick game?” “A Chick game?” I says. “Wow. Yeah.” And he says, “And it’s right down the street from me but not far from you.” He says, “Would you like to go tonight?” And I said, “Oh, you betcha.” Interviewer: “So tell me how the day went.” So we went that night. My recollection, they lost, but oh my gosh, my world is opened up. I wanted to play with them. I wanted to be a ballplayer like them. (6:08) And so that’s when we started going every single night. I wouldn’t miss a night. Away games. At first I had to read it through the newspaper, but it wasn’t long that I could—I got on the buses with the girls. Interviewer: “Okay. We’re getting ahead of ourselves here. All right. So you go to your first game, and when you came home, what was your…?” Oh, I was just lit up like a candle. My dad said, “How did you like that?” And I went, “Oh, Dad. How come you never told me about the Chicks?” Well, he’s busy working at the railroad, and that night, you know, you come home. And he just never thought of it, I guess. And he says, “Is that something you like?” And I—“Oh my goodness. That’s something I love.” I loved to play the ball. Interviewer: “Well, it’s wonderful your father encouraged you. So from that point on, he made it a point to let you know that they were going to play somewhere?” Yes, yes. Yes, he did. And my grandfather. They’d say, you know, “Got a game tonight.” “Okay, Grandpa.” And Dad would say, “Yep. You can go.” You know. So we would meet every home game and then away games. And my dad would say, “Better read this in the paper, Nancy.” You know. “See what they did.” And oh, I—That’s what got me started reading. I read that sports section every single day. Interviewer: “Wow. So let’s walk through this slowly. Your first game and then you started going at first to the home games because you’re not traveling yet. I don’t want to travel yet. We’ll get to that. Okay? So your first home game. Then, roughly, when was the next home game? Within a month? Within a week?” (8:10) No, I think it was the next night. It was the next night, but I think they played three games if I can remember. Three games home. I went to every one of them. Yep. �O’Rear, Nancy Interviewer: “And this was the Chicks playing against—Do you remember who they were playing against?” No, I can’t remember back there. I don’t remember. Interviewer: “That’s okay. About what year was this?” I think 1951. Well, I started—I think Grandpa took me in ‘50, but I really think it was the end of the—going towards the end of the season. So it was ‘51 that I really made sure I was there every day. Every game. And yeah, I thought that was really fantastic. “We’ve got a girls baseball team right here that close.” Interviewer: “And how old were you? You’re already a teenager by this time?” I might have been thirteen, fourteen. Fourteen. And then I asked my dad if I could watch them practice because it wasn’t far from school. And I said, you know, “I’ll get my homework done when I get home, but could I go down and watch the girls play practice? During, you know, their practice?” Well, he—“Sure.” He encouraged all of that. Yes. So then I started going down from school and watching the girls practice and kind of got close to the field and kind of start talking with them a little bit. Interviewer: “Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. Okay. So let’s try to remember what you’re feeling like when you actually made that first—” (10:06) Oh, that was—That was just—It was just fantastic, you know. It was fantastic. Interviewer: “Well, what happened? You were sitting there in the bleachers. They’re playing.” And they were playing. They’re practicing. Now they’re practicing, you know, and they’d come in after a while. And I’ve got to get a little bit closer to the game, and I, you know. You get down by the field and, you know. “Hey, Ziggy. That was a pretty good catch you had out there.” And Sadie Satterfield, you know. I’d say, “Boy, you’re doing great out there in that field, you know. Let’s get a home run tonight.” You know. So they got to know, you know—And then they, you know—Pretty soon it was, you know. “What’s your name?” And I told them my name. Just a couple of them, you know, and it was—It was just—Oh, gosh. I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to stay right there with them, you know, which I did. I did see the game that night and the next night. Interviewer: “Was there a point where—You’re going to the practices now. That they started to recognize you?” Yeah, a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, they, you know—I don’t remember if there was a shortage or what happened, but they invited me out on the field. And, of course, I took my glove to school every day, so I could have it ready in case there was a ball come my way, you know. Yeah, I liked to �O’Rear, Nancy play catch, you know. I think I wanted—“Can I play catch with you?” And I—They said, “Why, sure.” I can’t remember why, but—“Yeah, you can play catch.” Interviewer: “Were there more people in the stands during practice?” There were a few. Interviewer: “Okay. So you kind of stood out.” (12:01) Yeah, yeah. There was a few that come down to watch the practice, you know. That’s—So that, you know— Interviewer: “But they were adults?” Oh, yeah. Mostly adults. Yeah, mostly all adults. Interviewer: “Okay, so you pretty much stuck out because you were the young kid.” Oh, yeah. Young kid, you know. “What’s she doing?” And it seemed to me that I can really— Liked it was—I don’t know if it was Ricketts. I know it was one of the girls threw, and I jumped as high as my little legs would jump. And they had said, “Wow.” You know. “You ought to play with us tonight.” And I said, “Boy.” I wished I could, you know. Well, then after that night and the next night, you know, and then it was—I’d go down by the field again, and then it was like, “You coming out here, or are you going to sit in the bleachers?” Well, I thought, “Boy. Come on, Dad. You ought to come down just to practice to watch your daughter.” You know. But I knew that I couldn’t play with them. It was off the field when the game started. But I played catch with quite a few of them. I kind of watched how they did their things. And yeah, one day the manager, you know, he says, “Oh, why don’t you—Kid.” I think he called me “kid” for a while. “Why don’t you get out in outfield?” Well, I liked third base and catching, and going out in outfield was like, “Oh my gosh.” And, of course, the first one I missed, and I’m thinking, “Oh my goodness.” Well, then he hit a couple more, and pretty soon then I caught them just like the girls did. You caught them, you know. And I’m thinking, “Oh my goodness. I’m out here playing catch with the big girls.” You know. (14:03) So that’s—I really—How I really got to go there, to get in with them, and then at—My dad—They asked me if I wanted to go to some of their away games, which my father kind of frowned at first. But I think it was the next year he said, “If you want to go, you can go.” So I went to Kalamazoo. I went to Muskegon. South Bend, Indiana. Interviewer: “Well, what was it like—All right. First of all, they’re all in uniform. They’ve got those skirts and all that. What were you wearing?” Well, I took shorts to school. Yeah. Just put on some shorts at the end of school when I—After school. Put on my shorts and just a top and walk down there. Begged my dad for some cleats, you know. But the first year he didn’t say anything, but pretty soon I’d say, “Dad, I’ve got to have some cleats when I’m out there.” And you know. And I think he was a little proud, too, you know. So I got cleats. I got a bigger glove, and then I had to oil it and get it all fixed up so I could get out there on the field with those girls. �O’Rear, Nancy Interviewer: “Now we found out—Dr. Smither and I found out in our interviews with the All-Americans that several of them started out fairly young—as early as their teens—and they were recruited in different ways as you know. Okay. Was there any talk about your being recruited?” Well, the manager had said to me, you know—He asked me my age and what—And had I been graduated from high school. No, I wasn’t graduated yet. “Well, as soon as you graduate, you’ll be on the field. You come down here.” But that doesn’t really mean I was going to be with the Chicks. (16:01) Of course, that was my preference. But he said, you know, “You be here.” He said, “As soon as you graduate from high school.” Of course, that made me so happy. So—Oh my goodness. Couldn’t wait to tell Mom and Dad about that, you know. Interviewer: “What was their reaction?” Oh, they were thrilled. Yeah. Even Mom, and Mom never went to a game. But then Dad started going more to games with Grandpa, and, of course, Grandpa was on cloud nine. And they were—They were happy about that. They were really happy. Interviewer: “I’m just curious. Because they made good money. In some cases, some of these women were making more than their own father was making. Was that at all part of the discussion, or was there…?” There wasn’t nothing really discussion about money to me. I didn’t need any money. If I could just play, that was the big thing. No, nothing was really mentioned about—Just the manager, you know, asking me all the questions, and he said he’s been watching me. And a couple times he’d say, you know, “Get down here.” If I’m just getting back there from school, I had things I had to set down, but—“Get out here on this field.” Which it surprised me because—Of course, there wasn’t any other young girls, or there wasn’t—I don’t even think there was young boys that were out there, but I thought, “Gosh. Here I stood out with all these—” There was—A lot of elderly would, you know, come there to watch the game, but I was happy. Oh my gosh, was I happy. Interviewer: “What were the crowds like at the actual game, not the practice?” Oh, they had four to five thousand people. They had a big crowd. They had a big crowd. (18:02) Interviewer: “And there’s a lot of sense of excitement.” Oh, definitely, definitely. Interviewer: “So, as a kid, you’re in the middle of all that yelling and that noise and you knew that you’d actually been practicing out there. Now you’re standing—sitting there in the stands with all of them.” Yes. Right. And then you had some of these guys come out, you know. “Well, when are you going to get a chance to play?” You know, they had been there watching the practice. “Well, I �O’Rear, Nancy haven’t graduated from high school yet, so I will be there as soon as I graduate.” Well, then they start asking, “Well, how old are you?” You know. And you get to kind of meet some of the people that were out in the crowd, you know. Interviewer: “At that point—Let’s take you to the point where these things are happening. People are asking you questions like this. The managers have. Did you seriously think that you could actually make a career?” Oh, certainly, certainly. Interviewer: “So you wanted to be a professional ballplayer?” Ballplayer. You betcha. I took balls on the dime. I did everything. Yes, I was going to be a professional baseball player. Girls baseball player. You betcha. Interviewer: “Now your father finally agreed to let you go on a road trip. You mentioned Kalamazoo as an example. What was that like? I don’t want just, ‘I got on the bus, and they were talking.’ I want—Bring us to that little girl getting on that bus. What was that like?” Oh, that was such a thrill. You don’t care if you eat, drink. And there was some of them—And maybe I did, too. Complained about the heat because they weren’t air-conditioned in those days. And I would sit with maybe this one, you know, and we’d yak away. And then I’d go across the—If there was a seat across there, I’d go over there and talk to them. And I says—I wanted to get their ideas about the ball games and about—and a little bit about them, too, because I know a lot of them come from farms from different places. And we talked a lot, you know, about them. And yeah, it was a—It was a thrill. Oh my goodness. (20:15) Interviewer: “What was their reaction to you? You’re not a ballplayer.” Right. At first, I was—I wondered the same thing, you know. “What are they going to say?” Because I had this girlfriend. She went once in a while with me, too. And, you know, none of them—Couple of them asked me, “Are you going to play someday?” “Why, certainly.” “What positions do you like?” They didn’t seem to mind that I was in—I figured interfering with them getting on the bus while they’re, you know, going to their ball game that—And a few asked me my age and positions I like. And, “Did you ever try outfield?” And, “If you’re catching, you know, and you see this girl coming towards you, you know, it’s like—Do you get nervous? You going to get her out?” And, you know, and then—Just baseball talk, really. And I didn’t see any of them—If they did, they didn’t show it. Interviewer: “Do you remember any in particular that you kind of got a special liking to?” Well, yes, I did. I did. I kind of think I favored Renae Youngberg, third base. Gabby— Interviewer: “Because you wanted to be a third base person. Aha! Yeah, yeah, yeah.” �O’Rear, Nancy Yeah, right. Yeah. I wanted all the pointers, you know. Gabby Ziegler was a second baseman, Lefty Voyce was on first base, and—But Gabby Ziegler and Connie Wisniewski out in the field and Sadie Satterfield out in the field, you know. You kind of—Renae and Gabby I think were a little bit, but I tried to talk to all of them, you know. I wanted to be—hear from all of them. (22:04) Interviewer: “Well, you mentioned that there’s no air conditioning on the bus. What else? What else was going on on the bus? Was there singing? Was there talking? I mean, there’s talking, obviously, but—” Lot of talking, and there were some that were napping. And there were some that were just kind of peeling an apple and kind of eating a snack or whatever, you know. Interviewer: “What was the bus driver like?” Oh, he was fun. Funny. He was funny. He was—He was great. Interviewer: “Do you remember who he was?” And I don’t remember. Yeah, I don’t remember his name. Nope. Interviewer: “But he was just part of the group?” Oh, yes. Right. Yeah. And he made sure all the baseballs and the bats and their uniforms all got out of the bus and everything, you know. Interviewer: “So once you arrived at a field, whether it was in Kalamazoo, what was the procedure? When we did the interviews with the different girls, we were so much concentrating on the games, but the bus trips they talked about. But what was it like for you to—You’ve arrived. You’re going to go play—They’re going to go play a game. You’re going to be part of it. What was—What were you thinking when you were getting off the bus, and what did you expect?” Well, just, you know, to see the different fields is one thing you learn right away, and some of the fields you knew that the Chicks liked better than the others, of course, you know. Interviewer: “And they would talk about that?” Oh, yeah. They would talk about that. Interviewer: “‘Oh, we’re at Kalamazoo.’ Or, ‘We’re at—’ Okay. Yeah.” Yeah. “Oh, goodness. We’re going to have to play there in Fort Wayne.” And, you know. And, “They got those slugger sisters on there.” And oh, yeah. You could hear all them talking. We’d get to the field, and, of course, I’d always get my pop. And I always could sit as close to the— Actually, there weren’t even seats. We kind of sat on the ground to the bleacher that the girls �O’Rear, Nancy were on, and there was never any complaints about that. (24:10) I always thought, “Boy, I hope I don’t get hit with a ball because then they’ll probably kick me out of here.” But yeah. It was. It was a thrill, you know. And I’d run right out on that field after the game if they had won, and I’m thinking, “Oh, boy. Is this going to be allowed? Because I’m not even a player yet.” You know. But they didn’t complain much. No, nothing. None of them did, you know. Just—I guess they just figured I was a girl learning how to play baseball and come along with them, you know. Interviewer: “Well, some of them started out at the same age you were at, you know. We were surprised. Dr. Smither and I were surprised to find that some of them were thirteen, fourteen years old. I mean, that’s—Had no idea.” Yeah, that was quite a few years before I was in that. Interviewer: “Now these away games in Kalamazoo, for example, did you just drive back to Grand Rapids?” They did. They would drive back to Grand Rapids. South Field. My dad would kind of know, listening to the game if he could, that—about what time we’d get back. And then he’d pick us up. He’d pick me up. Make sure I didn’t walk home. Interviewer: “Would he know—Well, he would listen to the radio, so he knew how the game turned out, right? But could he tell by the way you looked whether you won, or…?” Oh, certainly. Oh, certainly. I’d jump all over the place, you know. “Okay. Calm down, Nancy. We know they won the game today.” Definitely. Interviewer: “So what happened if they lost?” Well, he didn’t really say a whole lot. I’d get in the car, you know, and—“Well, they didn’t do so good tonight.” “Yeah, I know, Nancy. I hear they lost, but there’s always another game.” You know. He alway said there was always another game. Interviewer: “Your dad sounds like quite a guy.” (26:02) Oh, he was, he was, he was. He didn’t get married until he was thirty-six, you know, and then by—In his forties, they had my sister and I. And oh, yeah, we were his pride and joy. Interviewer: “Yeah. My grandfather worked for the railroad. I still have his watch.” Oh, yeah. I had his watch, but I turned it over to our oldest son. Interviewer: “Ah, okay. Yeah, yeah. Did you go to any away games that required overnight?” No. No, I couldn’t. If they did, I couldn’t have gone. My dad wouldn’t allow that. No. �O’Rear, Nancy Interviewer: “Because we got great stories about how they stayed with other people and whatnot. Yeah, it makes sense that your dad wouldn’t want you to do that.” Yeah, my dad wouldn’t like that. No. Interviewer: “So you’re going to these games now. You’re considered almost like their mascot. You’re the one that—You’re always allowed on the team, and so when they do the practice and whatnot, you could play with them as well. Did you get any sense—We’re talking ‘51 now, right? ‘51, ‘52. We know that it ended in ‘54. Were you going with them all the way through that period? ‘51, ‘52, ‘53?” Yes. Oh, yes. Interviewer: “Did you notice any sense either through them talking or just a sense? Because people—When you’re in a bus together, or you’re on a field together, there’s a sense you feel. That things were changing?” Well, no, I can’t really say I did. Maybe it was because I didn’t want it to happen, so you just kind of—“Oh, that’s just talk.” You know. “That’s just talk.” No, I didn’t until my mom said, “You’ve got to hear the radio this morning.” Interviewer: “Okay, but you said, ‘Talk.’ There was talk.” There was talk, but it’s something that you—“Oh, yeah. That’s way down the line. Way down the line.” You just—Something you didn’t believe. You didn’t believe it. (28:06) Interviewer: “One of the things that the women told us—the girls told us—was that there was a point where they noticed that not as many people were coming to the games. Did you notice that?” Yes, yes. Yes, we did. Yes, they did. Interviewer: “And so what was your—I know we’re going back a long ways, but can you remember your emotions? You went to a game, and you knew there’s a lot of people there. You’re going to a game, and there’s a lot of people. And at some point there’s not as many people. Did you notice that?” Yes, we did, and we kind of talked about it, too. What was going on that there wasn’t as many spectators in the seats, you know? Well, no, we—You talked about it, but that was, you know—I didn’t really put it that there was anything coming to an end to it. Interviewer: “Yeah, yeah. Did you follow Major League male baseball?” I did as I got—Last couple years as I was with them. Oh, definitely. Yeah. Interviewer: “Okay. Because you had newspaper, and you had radio.” �O’Rear, Nancy Yes, my dad always was listening to the Tigers. Always. Interviewer: “All right. So at what point did you realize that things were not going to be the way you thought it was?” Well, that last year a couple of girls had said something, and I says—And I think it was Renae, too. Said something about—“You know, we’re not going to be playing much longer.” “Well, why not? I want to keep playing.” “Well, the war’s ending, you know, and there’s been talk that the girls will be done.” Oh my gosh, that broke my heart. Oh my goodness. What could we do now? “I’m not even on there yet. Don’t tell me that.” You know, I—“That ain’t what I want to hear.” Broke my heart. (30:08) Interviewer: “You were convinced—from what you’re saying—that—And you had a better reason to believe you could actually get on the team. Some of the girls that we talked to knew about girls that wanted to get on the team but couldn’t get on the team. But they didn’t have that kind of intimate relationship. So I can’t even imagine what it must have felt like to realize—Because you really thought that at some point you were going to get hired, and you’re going to get your uniform, and you’re going to actually play.” Right, right, right. I even talked to some of the girls about—“What number could I—am I getting? You girls got this number, and you got that number. I wonder what number—You know, do they just give them out? Do they ask you?” I didn’t even think about money because money—I didn’t care, right? I wanted to play ball. That was my big—My main thing was to play ball. Interviewer: “Yeah, yeah. So when did it actually come to an end?” Well, my mom said one morning, “Nancy, you’ve got to listen to the radio.” And at that time for some reason I thought it was about the Chicks. It was about the girls playing ball because otherwise she never really pointed out anything on radio. And I heard it, and I cried. And I cried. And I went to the ballfield, and I wasn’t the only one. There were some of them that were crying, too, you know. But that was the way it was going to be. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t—I think I cried a week. My mom or father—One of them said, “There’s other things.” “What other things is there than playing baseball? I can’t go join the men’s team.” Well, you know. “What can I do?” (32:05) “Well, you can, you know—You’re going to graduate from high school, and then you’ll figure on from there.” That was our— Interviewer: “Yeah. Was there a goodbye to the team? Did you get a chance to say goodbye?” Well, we—We had a—what the ladies called a—What did they call it? Where we got together at one of the ladies I met there. To her house. Like a slumber party more or less. To her house. And the Chicks. Pretty near all of them were there. And we all hugged. We all cried. I think some even cried because I didn’t make the team. I had a feeling that they’re thinking, “Nancy, you didn’t even get on our team, and look at—Now it’s ending. And you would’ve been such a good �O’Rear, Nancy player.” And you know. And I think that even the manager had even mentioned that, you know, he was going to make sure he got me on the team. I felt I would have made that team. I knew I was going to make that team. But we had a farewell. We had a—what we kind of called it a slumber party. It was a—Everybody was there. And we had a luncheon. We ate, and then we cried. And that was it. They still had a few more games to play, but it was hard going after knowing there wasn’t going to be anymore ball—girls’ ball games. It was hard going. I went naturally because that’s where I lived. That’s where—My mom used to say, “Nancy lives at the ballpark.” My sister, Donna, lives home, but Nancy lives at the ballpark. And it was true because you know. (34:05) Interviewer: “So once the league ended, and there was no more games there, did you still play ball with anybody?” Mostly just catch with my girlfriend. We’d get out in the street. Play catch. If we’d seen some boys over at school playing, we just went in and started playing. I don’t know if they liked it that we did, but we did. Interviewer: “You probably were better than they were.” Yeah, yeah. Some of them—“Get home. Get out of here.” They used to call me Muscles when I was younger, you know. I don’t know why, but—“Oh, Muscles. What are you doing over here? Get on home.” Yeah. Better than some of them that were playing. But we wanted to play. But we’d just end up playing catch out in the streets, you know. That’s all we could do. There was nothing else. I wrote to a lot of the girls. After the end of the season, I got all of their addresses. I’d write letters. I would receive letters. For a long time. Of course, that gradually stopped after a while. I even know who bought that bus. I don’t even know her name. From Jenison. I’ve got her letter with me yet. Interviewer: “You have the letters?” Letter from her. She bought the Chick bus, you know. And I was always going to go over there, or ask her if I could. But, you know, would that bring back too many memories? I just didn’t go. Didn’t go. Interviewer: “Do you know if that bus still exists?” Well, this has only been maybe four or five years ago that she wrote me. It was after—I had that article in the paper that she wrote me and said that they had bought the bus. But I don’t recall— I’d have to read it again—if she still had it, or they had just bought it after the Chicks sold it. I don’t know. (36:17) Interviewer: “Okay. Yeah. So what did you do after it was all over with?” Well, started dating, you know. You don’t date when you’re in there. And there were a few that had husbands, and their husbands would come to the games, you know. Some had children. I started working at Oven Fresh Bakery there on 28th Street, and later on I met my husband. He �O’Rear, Nancy was my foreman, so I probably shouldn’t say that. But I met him, and we started dating. And pretty soon after a few years we got married. Had our children. Watch every one of our children play ball. Watched all of our grandchildren play ball. And living out in Jamestown, so that’s— They went to Hudsonville High School. All the kids. I’ve got a grandson that right now—He’s— He just got married a year ago, but he calls me when there’s any change in the Tigers. “Oh, Grandma. Have you heard this? Did you know they traded away this one?” And him and his wife—I know they go to every game. And he used to take me to a lot of the opening day games. Lagging grandma along with them. I was the slow one behind, but he would wait for me. He was a wonderful kid. He still is. Interviewer: “My father was a very good baseball player, and he taught me in Little League to do something that most little kids didn’t know how to do, and that was to lift your leg and actually throw it like a professional. So I became very good. Did your kids know your passion and your love for baseball?” (38:14) The older ones. I think they did. Now our oldest one—He played all through, and he was even coach to one of my younger sons. And then he moved up. Got married and moved up to East Jordan, and he was a coach of the eighth graders. And for quite a few years. And then now he lives in Alaska, and he’s still coaching the grandkids. Interviewer: “One of the things we found out from several of the girls that we interviewed is they never even told their kids they played professional ball. Did you tell your kids early on that you actually played?” I don’t remember. I don’t remember. I do remember one time we were at a picnic, and the kids were playing ball in the field. And the ball came to me. Well, it rolled over by me. And I picked that ball up, and I threw it back to the field. And my kids was like, “Where did you learn to throw a ball like that, Mom?” “Well, you know, I’ve got a story I’ve got to tell you.” And then that’s when the kids learned that—Most of it. That I played ball. And then I started showing my craft books to the kids and everything, and they were very interested. And you know. “Boy, I didn’t know—” Some of them didn’t even know they had a girls’ team. “Baseball?” You know. And softball like at school. “But baseball?” You know, and, “Like the Tigers?” And, “Baseball.” You know. And, “What were they wearing?” “Well, these are the uniforms. Your mom would have had one.” You know. “Oh, Mom. Would you have worn one?” I said, “You betcha. You betcha. I would have worn one in a minute.” (40:09) Brings tears to my eyes. You don’t know what number you might have had. You don’t know your uniform, you know. You knew the colors and that sort of thing, but yeah. You don’t know if you would’ve played for a year or two and been traded. Yeah, those are things that is a question in my mind for quite a few years, you know. Interviewer: “Yeah, but you got the opportunity to play with them, though, and that’s very unique.” Right, and that was—Oh, that was such a thrill then. And to be right—rubbing shoulders with them in the buses and you know. “Oh, we’re going to get a hamburger.” Well, you know, when you’re on a bus, you know. “I’m going to stop and get a hamburger.” “I’m going to get one, too.” �O’Rear, Nancy You know. “Hey, I’m one of you.” You know. And they didn’t treat me any different. They just knew I was too young, but they just—They didn’t really treat me any different except when a game came, I had to get off the field. Interviewer: “Did you have any idea that this was something historic at the time?” No, no. Interviewer: “They didn’t either.” No, no. Did you know that they moved from South Field out to Bigelow Field and then had a fire? Had a big fire? And gosh. My dad then did take us out there because we couldn’t walk there. And I got all the pictures of that and going over the gloves and everything, and it was so sad. But then they got to come back to South Field, so that was really good for me. But I felt sorry for the girls, you know. Their gloves, their shoes. Everything was there. Yep. (42:10) Interviewer: “And you actually were there when they saw all that devastation?” Oh, definitely. Yes. Yep. I helped them kind of go through the debris and stuff, you know, that they had there, you know. And you couldn’t see the sizes of shoes, so you don’t—Or some would recognize that— “That’s my shoe there, but I don’t know where the other one is.” Or something like that, you know. And I tried what I could, and yes. Oh, yes. I was part of them. I was them. I was them until that day. Until that day. Interviewer: “When did you first realize that you were part of something really quite extraordinary in American history?” Well, I guess I didn’t. I didn’t know. Interviewer: “What about when the movie came out?” Oh, that was one thing. Gosh. I picked up my girlfriend in Grandville, and we went and seen that. And oh, we couldn’t wait until that movie came out. And we went, and I picked her up. Went down there. And I think since then I’ve seen it about twelve times. Interviewer: “I’m up to about fifteen, so I’ve a couple on you.” Yeah, and you’ve got some on me. Look at there. But yes, it was awesome. God, they got— “They’re going to make a movie out of that. Oh my gosh.” You know. That was phenomenal. That was great. I thought it was great. Interviewer: “What did you think of the movie?” I thought it was pretty good. Yeah, I thought it was—You know, it was good. �O’Rear, Nancy Interviewer: “Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Once we started—Once Dr. Smither and my—you know, our team started working on the project, we realized how many historical inaccuracies were in it, but it didn’t matter. I mean, they didn’t start off with hardball and—But it still captured the spirit of it.” Yes. Of the girls and of the playing and of the—Yes, yes. Yep. (44:07) Interviewer: “I really enjoyed it, too.” Yeah, I enjoyed it. I just wish my dad would have lived long enough to have seen it, but he didn’t. But all my kids did, and I’m sure most of all the grandkids. Oh, yes. Interviewer: “Did you find out at some point that they’d been finally inducted into the Hall of Fame?” I heard they were. Yep. I would like to go down there. I’ve never been there. Gosh, I’ve been to Alaska, but I haven’t been down there. Interviewer: “Oh, you should go.” Oh, I want to go so bad. I’ve told my husband, and then when we start vacations, we kind of forget that. And we shouldn’t. And we shouldn’t. I want to go down there so bad. Interviewer: “Well, now you have this on tape. You can show it to him, and say, ‘Look. Wait until the last part. I got something here at the last part I want you to see.’” You’re right. “Fred, you can’t turn it off now. I want to go down there.” Interviewer: “Yeah. Looking back on that experience—And I want you to know from me personally that whether or not you played or not, the fact of the matter is you were there.” I was there. Interviewer: “You were there in a way that very few—I don’t even know of any other girl that I know of that actually had that kind of experience. Looking back now, what was that experience like to you?” Oh, it was wonderful. It was wonderful. We talk a lot about at the house now and with the kids, and now they’re asking questions, you know, and different things. And it was wonderful. It was just wonderful. I just wish it could’ve went a couple more years, but it didn’t. I’m happy that you’re doing this. I really am, and I’m so happy for that. That you’re doing it. Interviewer: “Well, we’re happy that you’re doing it, too. It takes a lot, and I just want you to know that I’ve interviewed several of the girls myself. And the things that they said, the passion they had for the game, how much they loved it, and how much it affected it. And I don’t know how you’re going to take this, but I can tell you from my own personal �O’Rear, Nancy experience of dealing with an interview—with Dolly Konwinski and all the different girls that I interviewed—you have the same passion. You have the same, exact—Everything that you’ve been talking about is very much the same as what I got from talking to the other girls. Yeah. I think you were part of them.” I was. Thank you. Thank you. I was. Interviewer: “Thank you so much for coming in.” Thank you so much. Grand Rapids Chicks. � 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 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Interviews Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was started by Philip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, during World War II to fill the void left by the departure of most of the best male baseball players for military service. Players were recruited from across the country, and the league was successful enough to be able to continue on after the war. The league had teams based in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, and operated between 1943 and 1954. The 1954 season ended with only the Fort Wayne, South Bend, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Rockford teams remaining. The League gave over 600 women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball. Many of the players went on to successful careers, and the league itself provided an important precedent for later efforts to promote women's sports. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/484">All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Collection, (RHC-58)</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> Subject The topic of the resource Sports for women World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Oral history Baseball players--Minnesota Baseball players--Indiana Baseball players--Wisconsin Baseball players--Michigan Baseball players--Illinois Baseball for women--United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-58 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 Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-10-02 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) 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_ORearN1915V Title A name given to the resource O'Rear, Nancy Kellogg (Interview transcript and video), 2016 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-01-21 Description An account of the resource Nancy O'Rear was born on January 7, 1938 in Grandville, Michigan. She grew up in Grandville and Grand Rapids, Michigan, and in 1951 she started following the Grand Rapids Chicks, an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team. From the 1951 season through the 1954 season she practiced with the Chicks, befriended the players, and traveled with the team to away games in Michigan and Indiana. There were plans for Nancy to join the team once she graduated from high school, but with the team's disbanding in 1954 those plans were scrapped. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource O'Rear, Nancy Kellogg 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.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Baseball players--Michigan 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c6ce9afaaa287280d74dc687c587310b.m4v 2f2afa2b9a76d38b22197d90b7c13e8a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/800d2359ba11b2e81c9141e16d5b6b0f.pdf 5289da9fd6bb82b23b1e09e0932f76d9 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Raymond Novakoski Vietnam War Era – Stateside Service 43 minutes 3 seconds (00:00:40) Early Life -Born on January 25, 1951 in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Grew up on the northeast side of Grand Rapids -Attended Catholic Central High School -Graduated in 1969 -Father worked at Packaging Corporation of America -Mother was a housewife and took care of the family -Father involved with Polish heritage groups in Grand Rapids -Father served in World War II as a 2nd lieutenant -Fought in the European Theater (00:03:02) Vietnam War Pt. 1 -Didn't pay a lot of attention to the Vietnam War -Had high school friends whose brothers were drafted -Saw a lot of protests and opposition to the Vietnam War on the news (00:03:42) Enlisting in the Navy Reserve -Attended Davenport College for a short time -Decided that college wasn't right for him -Lost his draft deferment status -In July 1970 he realized that he would likely get drafted -Didn't want to get drafted -Took a placement test at the Navy Reserve Center in Grand Rapids -Told he could serve as a hospital corpsman -Enlisted in the Navy Reserve as a hospital corpsman -Received his draft notice after enlisting in the Navy Reserve -Went to his recruiter who took care of the problem -Enlisted in August 1970 (00:06:33) Basic Training -Went to the Navy Reserve Center in Grand Rapids prior to basic training -Received uniforms and stenciled his name and serial number on them -In the fall of 1970 he went to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois, for basic training -Received two weeks of basic training -Shorter than the standard eight weeks of basic training -Navy Reserve basic training was more relaxed than regular Navy basic training -Quartered in clean barracks -Had a fixed schedule -Stood watch at night, folded clothes, and made his bed aside from training -Learned to work as a team -Introduced to military discipline -Taught to think of himself as a part of a group -Remembers a few minor instances of hazing and drill instructors yelling at recruits -Not as intense as in the Army or the Marines though (00:10:42) Corpsman Training �-Received two weeks of Corpsman Training at the Great Lakes Naval Station Hospital -Got accustomed to working in a hospital -Remembers helping a Vietnam War veteran that was at the hospital with a chest wound -Changed his dressings and talked to him about his family -Never experienced hostility for being a Reservist (00:13:09) Reserve Service in Grand Rapids -Returned to Grand Rapids after training and checked in with the Navy Reserve Center -Reported to the Reserve Center once a month for a year -Served with regular people -His dentist was in the Navy Reserve -Worked with him on dental checks -Most of the Reservists were younger men -Worked odd jobs in Grand Rapids until he was called up for active duty (00:15:30) Corps School -Active duty started on August 22, 1971 -Went to San Diego for Corps School at the naval hospital -Arrived early and was sent to a holding base on 32nd Street in San Diego -Placed in a barracks and someone stole his shoes -Stayed there for three or four weeks -Spent a lot of time doing nothing, but sometimes helped in the sick bay -Corps School started in September 1971 -Assigned to a barracks near the naval hospital -Learned how to draw blood, give shots, and conduct first aid -Had a recreation center and Balboa Park near the naval hospital -Able to go to downtown San Diego -More freedom than when he was in basic training -Only had to report for classes in the morning then had the nights to himself -Practiced giving shots to each other -Corps School lasted from September 1971 to the end of January 1972 (00:20:25) Stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola -Given two options: receive a random assignment, or pick your destination -If you picked your destination you had to pay your own way to get there -He selected Key West, Florida; Pensacola, Florida; or Memphis, Tennessee -Assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida -Returned to Grand Rapids for a few days -Drove down to NAS Pensacola -Had a hospital and barracks -NAS Pensacola largely functioned as a training base for naval aviators -Worked at a ward in the hospital and worked in the emergency room a few nights -Eventually went to work in the front office of the hospital -Became a driver for a captain -Completed his time at NAS Pensacola by working in the Ear, Nose, and Throat clinic -Didn't get too many Vietnam War veterans at the hospital -Mostly treated Navy retirees and personnel dependents (spouses and children) -Did end of life care and stabilized retirees before they went to Bethesda Naval Hospital -Brought a woman to the hospital so she could deliver her baby (00:25:17) Civilian Community of Pensacola -Community enjoyed the Navy's presence -Provided opportunities for the community �-A lot of people lived in Pensacola that had served in the Navy -Didn't experience any hostility from the civilian community in Pensacola (00:26:04) Morale at NAS Pensacola -Good morale at NAS Pensacola -Personnel felt safe and appreciative that they could serve at NAS Pensacola -Enjoyed helping active duty personnel and retirees -Majority of men did their jobs and did it well (00:27:14) Vietnam War Pt. 2 -Community was stable in Pensacola -Anti-war and racial tensions weren't problematic at NAS Pensacola or in the city -Heard some racist sentiments off-base, but nothing extreme (00:28:27) Medical Work at NAS Pensacola -Remembers treating an older man -Pumped cold water into his stomach to help stop the bleeding -Gave morphine to keep him comfortable until he died -Remembers treating one younger man with leukemia (00:29:34) Driving for the Captain -Driving for the captain was relatively easy -Only asked that Raymond opened the door for him and washed the car daily -Remembers driving the captain and an admiral to meetings -Once he dropped them off all he had to do was wait outside (00:30:18) Ear, Nose, and Throat Ward -Enjoyed working in the Ear, Nose, and Throat Ward -Assisted doctors with procedures -Helped with the removal of adenoids and tonsils -Mostly treated the children of naval personnel -Some personnel needed their tonsils removed -One man had cancer on his ear and had to have it removed -Helped create a prosthetic for the man (00:33:20) End of Active Duty -Did two years of active duty and had four years of Reserve obligation -Military downsized in the 1970s, especially after American involvement in Vietnam ended in 1973 -Prompted to reenlist -Offered benefits -He wanted to stay at NAS Pensacola and continue his work as a hospital corpsman -Told he couldn't do that if he reenlisted, which prompted him to get out of active duty -Active duty ended on August 21, 1973 -Returned to Grand Rapids, Michigan (00:36:30) Life after Active Duty -Got married before enlisting -After active duty he got a job at General Motors through his mother-in-law -Started working there in September 1973 and got laid off in January 1974 -Took a test at the Post Office and got a job through the United States Postal Service -Got a job as a clerk -Daughter was born in February 1974 -Stayed with the United States Postal Service for 30 years (00:38:30) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Taught him teamwork -Learned how to be organized �-Realized that he needed to follow orders and laws even if they didn't make sense -Better for society if he followed orders and laws (00:39:23) Reserve Service after Active Duty -Did two years of active reserve service and one year of inactive reserve service -Active reserve: Train for two weeks a year -Inactive reserve: Training was optional -Learned that if he signed up for two weeks at the end of the fiscal year he wouldn't have to go -First year of active reserve he went to Groton, Connecticut for his two weeks of training -Brought his wife and daughter with him -Worked in the sickbay at the hospital -Second year of active reserve he didn't have to do two weeks of training -During inactive reserve he opted out of training (00:41:36) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Felt he fulfilled his service obligation and did what he had to do -Impacted his life in a positive way and hopes that he had a positive impact on others (00:42:13) Veterans' Groups -Was part of American Legion Post 258 in Grand Rapids -Served as the financial officer, 2nd vice commander, 1st vice commander -Served as post commander for one year -Transferred to American Legion Post 459 -Part of the United Veterans Council -Served as the adjutant and as a senior vice commander � 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_NovakoskiR1789V Title A name given to the resource Novakoski, Raymond Francis (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-06-25 Description An account of the resource Raymond Novakoski was born on January 25, 1951, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He enlisted in the Navy Reserve in August 1970. In the fall of 1970 he reported to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois, for two weeks of basic training then received two weeks of Corpsman Training at Great Lakes Naval Station Hospital. He stayed in Grand Rapids for a year then began his active duty service on August 22, 1971. He attended Corps School in San Diego from September 1971 through January 1972. He was stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida where he worked in the naval hospital and also served as a driver for a captain. His active duty ended on August 21, 1973, and his time in the Navy Reserve ended after two years of active reserve service and one year of inactive reserve service. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Novakoski, Raymond Francis 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. Naval Reserve 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0db393dc3ccc4215e418ff7a51921646.m4v 4b2c4b159e958aa5d2c28b7edb324255 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5cd64fa81870e82212f9ae359c158be0.pdf 8a584d5eeb9f4417074466910f738023 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Kenneth McCloud World War II 59 minutes 55 seconds (00:00:18) Early Life -Born on May 5, 1920 in Tennessee -Grew up in Tennessee -Neighbor was Sergeant York -World War I hero -Means that Kenneth most likely lived and grew up in Pall Mall, Tennessee -Sergeant York served as the commander of the local Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) -Father was a teacher -Able to do it with a high school education -Mother had met his father in school -He had two brothers and three sisters -One brother was severely wounded in Germany during the war -Worked at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Plant after the war -Other brother served in the Air Force and made a career out of it -Ran an Air Force hotel in Libya until Gaddafi seized control -Father helped save his grandfather's farm -Never got paid back for that -Father had to stop teaching in 1935 because a college education became a requirement -State still granted him a pension -The Great Depression was horrible and many people were truly hungry -Father was seen as a leader in the community and helped whenever he could -Only man in town that had a high school education -Everyone went to him to resolve issues -Also worked as a justice of the peace and presided in a small claims court -Another neighbor became the Secretary of State during the war (00:10:38) Start of the War -Father kept up with news about the fighting in Europe and Asia -When Kenneth got out of high school he wanted to enlist in the Navy -Father advised him that the war would eventually come for him anyway -Father could see that a war was coming to the United States -Father got a weekly paper from Washington D.C. whick kept him up to date on current events -Working in Alcoa, Tennessee when he heard news about the attack on Pearl Harbor (00:13:10) Enlisting in the Army -Tried to get into the Army Air Force as a pilot, but he didn't have good enough depth perception -Enlisted in the Army on February 10, 1942 �-Placed in the Signal Corps because he had some electrical skills (00:14:27) Work with the Army Air Force Overseas -Went overseas with a P-38 unit -Had famed aces Richard Bong and Thomas McGuire and he knew both of them -Bong died after the war while testing flying the P-80 Shooting Star -McGuire died during the war over Negros Island -During the Battle of the Philippine Sea -Remembers when a plane crashed and destroyed a bunch of tents, but only the pilot died (00:16:30) Basic Training & Signal Corps Training -Went to Fort Oglethorpe for processing and induction -Note: In the interview Mr. McCloud says it is in Tennessee, but it is actually in Georgia -Stayed there for a week -Sent to Joplin, Missouri for basic training and Signal Corps training -Possibly Camp Crowder -Had trouble adjusting to the Army and got in trouble a lot -Punished with picking up and piling heavy rocks -Introduced to radar in Signal Corps training -Trained with older British radar -Learned how to plot targets and the location of friendly aircraft -Sent down to Florida for telephone training (00:21:40) Overseas Duty in the Pacific Theatre Pt. 1 -Took part in the liberation of the Philippines -Got deployed to New Guinea in late 1943 or early 1944 -Deployed with a signal unit -His duty was to maintain the generators used for radar -Went in once an area was secured, but not void of enemy forces -Flew from island to island via C-47 cargo planes -Helped transport jeeps -Could fit two jeeps on a C-47 -Had to make sure the jeeps were tied down or it would cause problems (00:24:32) Deployment to the Pacific Theatre -Went by ship to New Guinea -Took 21 days to reach New Guinea -Seas were rough at times -Got seasick on deployment and returning home -Sailed to New Guinea on the USS Carlisle -Had submarine alerts -One time it was only a whale -Always happened in the early morning -Did submarine drills almost every day -Sailed from San Francisco to New Caledonia to Australia then to Finschafen, New Guinea (00:27:08) Overseas Duty in the Pacific Theatre Pt. 2 -Stayed in Finschaefen, New Guinea until the invasion of Hollandia �-Spring of 1944 -Gradually pushing Japanese forces back toward Japan -Remembers flying down a valley on one island in a C-47 -Close enough to the ground that the Japanese could shoot at them with rifles -When they landed there were 45 holes in the plane -Made sure to get out of that valley in a hurry -Japanese were deeply entrenched on the islands, especially in New Guinea (00:29:53) Living Conditions Pt. 1 -Living conditions were pretty rough -A lot of times they would be in mud up to their knees -Remembers driving a jeep through mud and he started sinking -Mud went up to his waist -Australians and Americans pulled him out (00:31:21) Interactions with Australian Troops & Natives -Australians were good men -Only country he would ever want to move to because they were rugged like Americans -Had no contact with the natives in New Guinea (00:33:00) Combat in the Pacific -Japanese would attack their camps -Sneak in at night and slit a few soldiers' throats -Wake up in the morning and find the soldier next to you door -Demoralizing, but you had to keep going -Japanese forces would get pushed up into the hills -They would come out of the hills and harass American camps (00:34:42) Unit Assignments -Part of the 553d Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion -Eventually got reassigned to the 559th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion (00:35:15) Overseas Duty in the Pacific Theatre Pt. 3 -From Finschaefen, New Guinea flew to Hollandia, New Guinea -Went there once an airstrip was secured -Had fighter escorts when they flew from one island to the next -Got to Hollandia in spring/summer 1944 after the initial invasion (00:37:14) Living Conditions Pt. 2 -Living conditions were slightly better in Hollandia, New Guinea -There was more material available in Hollandia -Never short on supplies -Anything they needed they could get -Got supplies shipped shipped from the U.S. via Australia -Realized that the U.S. has always been able to take care of itself (00:38:53) Liberation of the Philippines -Stayed in Hollandia for about six months then went to the Philippines -The worst fighting he saw was when the Japanese sent in paratroopers from Formosa (Taiwan) -Didn't know how to fight them -Marines were sent in to help fight off the paratroopers �-Captured a few and learned that it was a suicide mission -Didn't see many Japanese prisoners of war until they got to the Philippines -Most Japanese forces were killed in action though -Used the Japanese prisoners for manual labor -Treated with respect even though they were the enemy -Filipinos were scolded for spitting on Japanese prisoners -Stationed on Leyte in the Philippines -Remembers visiting BayBay, Leyte -Nice place that had restaurants and hadn't been damaged by the Japanese -Transported Filipino civilians -Relationship between Filipinos and Americans was good -Still has a lot of respect for the Filipinos -Especially after everything they endured under Japanese rule -Got to the Philippines in November 1944 shortly after the invasion of the Philippines in October -Transported jeeps from New Guinea to the Philippines -Stayed in the Philippines until the end of the war (00:47:42) Occupation Duty in Japan -Sent to Japan for occupation duty in Osaka -Had to use pontoon bridges to transport vehicles from ship to shore -Then had to drive over a mountain to Osaka -Japanese civilians never attacked American soldiers -Treated American soldiers with deference and honored a conqueror -There were miles of rubble in Osaka -Industrial sectors were destroyed, but residential areas were (mostly) spared -Got to visit Kobe and Tokyo -Stayed in Japan for only five weeks -Means that he probably got to Japan in October 1945 (00:53:06) Coming Home & End of Service -Went to Yokohama for a week then boarded the SS Ernie Pyle -Sailed home with some of the men that had been with Ernie Pyle when he was killed -Seas were rough on the way home -Felt like riding an elevator -Had Thanksgiving Dinner 1945 on the way back to the U.S. -Didn't get seasick until the man next to him threw up at dinner -Pulled into Seattle in late November/early December 1945 -Sent to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas -Stayed there for a week -Got discharged on December 15, 1945 -Got home in time to celebrate Christmas 1945 with his wife -Married for more than 70 years Interview Ends at 00:59:55 � 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_McCloudK1760V Title A name given to the resource McCloud, Kenneth Edward (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-05 Description An account of the resource Kenneth McCloud was born on May 5, 1920 in Tennessee. On February 10, 1942 he enlisted in the Army and was placed in the Signal Corps. He was processed and inducted at Fort Oglethorpe then went to Joplin, Missouri (most likely Camp Crowder) for basic training and signal training. He was deployed to the Pacific Theatre in either late 1943, or early 1944, and was sent to Finschaefen, New Guinea. He stayed at Finschafen until spring 1944 following the invasion of Hollandia. During his time in the Pacific he was part of the 553rd Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion and later the 559th Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion and his duty was to maintain the generators used for radar installations. In November 1944 he was sent to the Philippines and was stationed on the island of Leyte until the end of the war. Following Japan's surrender in August 1945 he was sent to Osaka, Japan for occupation duty (most likely in late September/October 1945). He stayed in Japan for five weeks then returned to the United States. He was sent to Camp Chaffee, Arkansas and was discharged on December 15, 1945. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource McCloud, Kenneth Edward Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jones, Adam (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/89ea6f04d0c0b10d963a0a0f5b1bd160.m4v 0e7ffdca13fae3bf0be5684072dac540 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3e2e54b46492edf5a95d9a95feb15a7c.pdf a953af64355b55c895f21be56dbd158f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Raymond Lantz World War II 1 hour 15 minutes 38 seconds (00:00:08) Early Life -Born on September 26, 1922 in Washington, Illinois -Father managed a farm there -Didn't live there very long -Lived in Constantine, Michigan and Elkhart, Indiana growing up -Went to high school in Three Rivers, Michigan -Did not complete high school -Dropped out in junior year -Father worked as a barber during the Great Depression -Father worked on commission -Charged 25¢/haircut and got 15¢ from that -Had to support five children with that money -Left high school when he was sixteen, or seventeen -Went to work -Worked on farms and then at a door manufacturer -Paid $30 a month at the farms, but also got three meals a day and a bed (00:03:48) Start of the War & Getting Drafted -Working in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was on his way home to Constantine, Michigan -Driving in the car and heard the report on Pearl Harbor on the radio -Knew about the fighting in Europe and Asia and that Hitler was basically conquering Europe -Working for a sheet metal company when he received his draft notice in November 1942 -Reported for his physical exam, and after getting accepted was given 14 days of leave (00:06:20) Basic Training & Cook School -First stop was Camp Grant, Illinois for processing -Sent there by train -Sent to Camp Beale, California for basic training -Took a week to get there by train -During the war they sold tickets, but it didn't mean you would have a seat -Had to stop and let other trains go by that were carrying raw materials -Camp Beale was thirty miles north of Sacramento -First part of basic training consisted of exercises, marches, and getting fit -Did a 32 mile march in eight hours carrying a 46 pound pack -He was part of B Company, 83rd Medical Battalion, 13th Armored Division -His duty in that unit was as a cook -Had volunteered for KP (Kitchen Patrol) duty to keep from marching -Sent to Cook School -Trained for 16 hours a day -Eight hours of classroom work, and eight hours of kitchen work �-Had to learn how to cook, about nutrition, and how much food to prepare -Had to work around boundaries set by rationing -Government put together a 30 day menu -Food supplies largely depended on their location -Remembers cooking a lot of sheep once -The rations they got were nutritious, if anything -Had a good variety of vitamins and minerals (00:14:12) Stationed at Camp Beale, California -Stationed at Camp Beale for one year -Could get passes to go off the base -He visited St. Mary's, California -Small town near the base -He was married at the time -Wife wrote him every day and he wrote back when he could -Wife stayed with his parents and her parents -Wife helped the war effort by working on a farm -After basic training he received 14 days of leave to go home -Seven days of visiting and seven days of travel -Remembers one cook being 42 years old, but the majority of the men were young draftees -Went on maneuvres with the unit -Their job was to cook on a mess truck -Had gasoline stoves -Had to get up an hour early to pump air into the stoves -Stayed over night in pup tents -Also had to dig foxholes -Cooks received rifle training just like infantrymen -Trained with the M1 Garand and later received the M1 Carbine -Oldest daughter was born while he was at Camp Beale -Got to see her when she was only three weeks old -Wife and daughter came out to visit him -They lived off base for a few weeks then returned to Michigan -Had a Class A pass -Meant he could leave whenever he wasn't on duty -Worked from 3AM - 10PM (00:22:11) Stationed at Camp Bowie, Texas -Sent to Camp Bowie, Texas after one year at Camp Beale -Reassigned to the 54th Evacuation Hospital -Working as a cook for that unit -Did not go to Camp Bowie alone -All of the cooks got the flu when they went to Camp Bowie -He and the mess sergeant were the only healthy ones -Mess sergeant burned himself trying to light a stove -Raymond managed to prepare, cook, and serve breakfast on his own -Then he came down with the flu and had to report to the sick bay -Camp Bowie was close to Fort Worth, Texas �-Only about 50 or 60 miles away from Fort Worth -Able to visit Fort Worth -Stayed at Camp Bowie until they went overseas -Stayed there for nearly one year -Lived off the base in Texas -Had the rank of Technician 4th Grade (T4) (00:28:54) Following News of the War & Contact with Family -Main source of news was the Stars & Stripes -Didn't have good radio reception -All of his brothers were in the service along with one brother-in-law -A sister-in-law was in the Women's Army Corps (WACs) -Kept in touch with each other while in the service -Father wrote him a postcard every day -Father wrote each of his sons a postcard every day (00:31:44) Deployment to Hawaii -Knew that eventually he would get deployed -Left Camp Bowie in late 1944 -Went to Seattle, Washington to ship out -Deployed with the 54th Evacuation Hospital -Destination was Hawaii -Got there by ship -As a cook, he had to work on the ship -Did the best that he could with what he had available -Tried to give the soldiers what they wanted -A lot of men got seasick on the trip to Hawaii -Combination of bad weather and men not having sea-faring experience -Took a couple weeks to reach Hawaii -Sailed with three other ships -Zig-zagged to avoid getting torpedoed (00:35:44) Stationed in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii -Stationed in Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii -A more permanent base than Camp Bowie, or Camp Beale -Had an actual kitchen to work in -Met up with his brother in Honolulu -Had a pass for four, or five, days -If you could see your relatives you were given extra leave time -Had figured out that his brother was coming to Hawaii -Did this by piecing together information from censored mail -Went to Pearl Harbor almost every day for a month waiting for his brother's ship -Soldiers' wives would come to the mess hall to eat sometimes -Had one tablecloth specifically saved for the wives' table -He didn't provide food for the entire 54th Evacuation Hospital -Provided food for his own company, not feeding the doctors -Cooked for officers on a rotating schedule (00:42:56) End of the War & Deployment to Japan �-Left Schofield Barracks in 1945 -Stayed in Hawaii during the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa -Read about the invasions in the Stars & Stripes -Crossing the Pacific Ocean when the atomic bombs were dropped -Sailing toward the staging area for the invasion of Japan -Sailing on board a Landing Ship, Tank (LST) -Cooked while on the LST -Ran into a bad storm en route to Japan -The swells were so high that they blocked out the ship behind them -One man was so sick that he couldn't move and just laid in a pool of vomit -Raymond tried to help by giving the man soda crackers and water -Man had to be dropped off en route otherwise he would have died -Raymond didn't get seasick -Got close to being seasick, but didn't throw up -After Japan surrendered they sailed up to Japan on September 4, 1945 -Only two days after September 2, 1945, the date of the formal surrender of Japan (00:50:13) Occupation Duty in Japan Pt. 1 -Disembarked in Tokyo Bay -Took over a barn and turned it into a kitchen -Used lye water to clean the building -Set up stoves -Lived on K Rations for a couple days while the stove got set up -Used gasoline for the stoves -There wasn't much left in Japan -Remembers Japan had been flattened by bombing -Every major road intersection was bombed out -Entire country was in bad shape -Saw Japanese civilians -Felt sorry for them -Understood that the people couldn't be blamed for the attack on Pearl Harbor -Had Japanese civilians working in his kitchen -One Japanese boy named Jimmy served as his interpretor -Had lived in San Francisco before the U.S. entered the war -Jimmy's family returned to Japan in 1941 shortly after Pearl Harbor -Jimmy had received training to be a kamikaze pilot -Japanese civilians were so hungry and desperate they collected trash to eat -Stayed in Japan for a few months (00:56:40) End of Service Pt. 1 -Received points during service -Points awarded based on rank, dependents, length of service, and combat seen -Had amassed 29 points at the end of his service -Hawaii was considered overseas duty because Hawaii was a territory at the time -Meant getting points for not being Stateside -Originally needed 85 points to be discharged, then it got reduced to 50 points �-Had to stay in Japan for an extra 30 days because the unit didn't have a replacement cook (00:58:53) Occupation Duty in Japan Pt. 2 -Never got to see any of the Japanese cities -Figured that it wouldn't be worthwhile since the cities were in ruin anyway -Went for a walk and found a burned out building in the countryside -Next to it was a large piece of sheet metal on the ground -Covered a hole in the ground where five, or six Japanese were living -Gave a Japanese civilian a loaf of stale bread to take home -Some men would go off base and get into trouble -Drinking and fraternization were the biggest problems with GIs in Japan (01:03:15) Life after the War Pt. 1 -Owned a sheet metal company for thirty five years after the war -Did that without graduating from high school (01:05:46) End of Service Pt. 2 and Coming Home -Left Japan in early 1946 -Took a ship back to the United States -Arrived in Seattle, Washington -Wasn't a big ship and had poor ventilation so the ship stunk -Boarded a train in Seattle, Washington -Worked as a cook on the train -Had a kitchen set up in the box car -Did that from Seattle to Chicago -Didn't mind working on the train -Got discharged at Camp Grant, Illinois in February 1946 -Took a train from Chicago to Grand Rapids, Michigan (01:09:07) Life after the War Pt. 2 -Went back to work at the sheet metal company that he worked at before getting drafted -Did that for 17 years -Started his own sheet metal company -His old manager came to work for him -Installed heating ducts all over the United States -Had 62 people working for him -Worked on some of the buildings at Grand Valley State University and Ferris State (01:11:36) Reflections on Service -Had nightmares and lashed out at his wife after the war -It was difficult for a couple years -Developed from being in a state of constant stress, plus ingrained combat training -Had a job to do and did it and just tried to take it in stride -It was hard coming back and readjusting, but getting his job back helped with readjusting � 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_LantzR1786V Title A name given to the resource Lantz, Raymond (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-06-23 Description An account of the resource Raymond Lantz was born on September 26, 1922 in Washington, Illinois. He was drafted in Grand Rapids, Michigan in November 1942 and went to Camp Grant, Illinois for processing. He was sent to Camp Beale, California for basic training, and then became a cook in B Company, 83rd Medical Battalion, 13th Armored Division. He was stationed at Camp Beale for a year, and then went to Camp Bowie, Texas where he was reassigned to the 54th Evacuation Hospital. He stayed in Texas until late 1944 when the unit was sent up to Seattle to be deployed into the Pacific Theatre. They sailed to Hawaii and he was stationed at Schofield Barracks until late summer 1945. They sailed up to Japan and arrived on September 4, 1945 two days after the formal surrender of the Japanese. He was part of the occupation force in Japan for a few months working as a cook. He returned to the United States in early 1946 and got discharged at Camp Grant, Illinois in February 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lantz, Raymond 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 World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/11fe2e61f6e8bcd3822fbf44431dd1d9.m4v 7df1cb0de0e30b3afe2964a574867b07 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2bf4b607f64982516e8124fc01667fd3.pdf 71583053503407aee2afe9b4e4b10194 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Bernard Lakowicz World War II 1 hour 5 minutes 5 seconds (00:00:27) Start of World War II & Getting Drafted -Young when Pearl Harbor was attacked -Remembers playing pool with his friends when he heard the news -He was eighteen, or nineteen, when the attack happened -He and other young men decided that they needed to serve their country -There was a freeze on enlistment immediately after the attack -Got drafted in February 1943 -Sent to Kalamazoo, Michigan for processing -Most likely Fort Custer -Sad about the attack on Pearl Harbor, but didn't know what it was -Happy to go fight, initially, but then hesitant after hearing about the fighting -Took his Army physical in Kalamazoo (00:02:54) Basic Training -Took a train to Camp Grant, Illinois -Stayed there for two days -From Camp Grant went to Fort Lewis, Washington for basic training -Joined the 44th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis -Stationed at Fort Lewis for nine months (00:03:31) Joining the Army Air Force -In November 1943 he volunteered for the Army Air Force -Sent to Sheppard Field, Texas -Took exams to see if you'd be good as a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, or bombardier -Stayed there for a few weeks -Sent to Kansas State College in Manhattan, Kansas -Taking courses pertaining to be an airman -Received four months of pre-flight training (00:04:36) Infantry Training -Removed from the Army Air Force and placed back in the infantry just before D-Day -Sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri -Received some more training at Fort Leonard Wood -Placed in a division with men from the Army Air Force and Army Specialized Training Program -Some of the smartest men in the Army -Men were disgusted about being placed in the infantry and made it known -Called to formation and addressed by a man named Sergeant Duck -One man said, "Quack, quack" as a joke -The sergeant looked irritated, but didn't react to it -The infantrymen initially looked down on the former airmen and former ASTP men -That is until he and the other airmen proved that they could be infantrymen �-Received four months of training at Fort Leonard Wood -Note: He was assigned to K Company, 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division (00:07:11) Amphibious Training -Sent to Camp San Luis Obispo, California for amphibious training -Their first phase of amphibious training was in rubber rafts -Sent to Camp Callan, California for additional amphibious training -Learned how to launch invasions from regular ships with LCIs (Landing Craft, Infantry) -Didn't like going from the relative safety of being in an aircraft to being an infantryman -Realized after the war that airmen were in equal danger -Additionally, only 78 men were killed in division, and 400 were wounded -This was out of 15,000 men -Note: The 97th sustained 178 Killed in Action; 669 wounded in action (00:09:46) Deployment to the European Theatre -From Camp Callan he was sent to Camp Cooke, California -Preparing to deploy to the Pacific Theatre of Operations -Got issued winter uniforms and new orders for the European Theatre of Operations -Sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey around New Year's Eve 1944 -Boarded troopships bound for Europe -Took ten days to cross the Atlantic Ocean -Placed in a camp for two weeks then moved to the frontlines -Note: Most likely at Camp Lucky Strike in France -Arrived at Le Havre, France -Note: 97th arrived on March 2, 1945 (00:11:22) Advancing into Germany -Crossed the Rhine River at Bonn, Germany -This would have been on April 3, 1945 -Their objective was to close the Ruhr Pocket in the Ruhr Valley -Neutralized the remaining Germans in the area -After the fighting in the Ruhr Pocket they advanced on Czechoslovakia -They were on the frontlines, shooting and being shot at by German troops -One day they were surrounded and ordered to dig in -He was called up to be a message runner -Left his foxhole and gave it to another soldier -He was only 25 feet away and a shell hit the foxhole killing the other man -Initially counted himself lucky, then the survivor guilt set in -The day after the foxhole incident they encountered German anti-aircraft batteries -The batteries were being used as anti-personnel positions -A tracer missed him by only six inches -So close that he felt the heat from the round -Two days later they started to move on Dusseldorf, Germany -This would have been in late April 1945 -Encountered huge factories and found mass quantities of hidden gold -There were huge wooden pallets of gold in the basement of factories -Most likely worth millions of dollars -Also found stolen art �-Had no idea what the Nazis were planning to do with the gold and art -Took German prisoners of war in Dusseldorf -Germans knew that they had lost the war -There were hordes of prisoners and they didn't know what to do with them -Passed them onto another unit that could handle the Germans -He personally took German soldiers into custody NOTE: From 00:17:40 - 00:18:15 the tape skips (00:18:16) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -One of the men from his unit wrote about his experiences -Mentioned the soldier killed in Bernard's foxhole -Forty years after the fact and it still caused him to lose sleep thinking about that event -Thought about how it could have been him (00:19:03) End of the War in Europe -On April 12, 1945 President Roosevelt died -They were in a little town that they had just taken over -Soldiers had fled so quickly that they left their dinner on the table -Everyone was shocked about the President's death, no one knew that he had been sick -Always remembers April 12 as the anniversary of President Roosevelt's death -Moved on to Solingen on April 17, 1945 -Near the end of the war they started taking a lot of prisoners of war -Moved into Czechoslovakia near the end of the war -This would have been on April 25, 1945 -Took more German prisoners -Had so many that they didn't know what to do with them -Found a brewery and got a keg of beer after a soldier threatened to shoot the brewery owner -Didn't personally see a concentration camp -Headquarters Company found one though -Talked to one soldier that said it was terrible and the stench was unbearable -Aware of the German atrocities -Made him, and other soldiers, want to kill more German soldiers -Did not kill any German prisoners out of anger though -Validated their being in Europe -Stationed in Czechoslovakia for only five days -Knew that the soviets were going to take over Czechoslovakia later on -The 78th and 69th Infantry Divisions were scheduled to move into Czechoslovakia -Had seen heavy fighting and were given that duty as a relief (00:26:04) Redeployment & End of the War with Japan �-His division received orders to return to the United States to be redeployed to the Pacific -Moved to a town in Germany on the border of Czechoslovakia -Stayed there for two days -Went back to Le Havre, France -Left Le Havre on June 16, 1945 -Sailed back to the U.S. and landed in Boston -This would have been on June 24, 1945 -Nobody liked the prospect of being redeployed for the invasion of Japan -His division would have been one of the first units to land -Given thirty days of leave before reporting to Fort Bragg, North Carolina -Realized that they needed to finish the war -He thought about being redeployed -Focused more on being back in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Visited his sister, brother-in-law, and parents in Grand Haven, Michigan -Reported to Fort Bragg and went to Fort Lawton, Washigton -Crossing the Pacific Ocean when they heard the news that the war was over -Remembers all of the soldiers being happy that the war was over (00:29:54) Post-War Occupation Duties -Spent 30 days on the ship while docked in the Philippines -Only got off the ship once for four or five hours -Sailed up to Yokohama, Japan -Had heard about the atomic bombs, but didn't know much about them -Learned more about the bombs after he came home -There were some Japanese civilians that would talk to him -Majority of them were friendly -Realized that the Japanese to blame were the militaristic fanatics -Placed in a camp for a month and a half -Selected for Military Police (MP) training -After completing that training he was assigned to a vehicle checkpoint in a small town -Checked trucks that passed through the town -At night he would make sure that none of the GIs went to the local brothel -Did that for two months before being sent home (00:32:15) End of Service & Coming Home Pt. 1 -Sent home after two months of MP duty -Arrived in Fort Lawton, Washington and took a train to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin -Got discharged there (00:32:41) Japanese Civilians -While he was in Japan one of his jobs was to guard a fuel depot -Japanese civilians would try to sneak in and steal some gas out of desperation -He took pity on them and would give them a few gallons of gasoline -Befriended one teenage Japanese boy -He brought Bernard a homemade English-Japanese phrase sheet -Some civilians would try to speak English and strike up conversation with U.S. troops -He believes that most of them were fine with surrendering -They knew that resistance to an Allied invasion would have meant certain death -Most civilians would have only been armed with basic, wooden tools �(00:34:55) End of Service & Coming Home Pt. 2 -Received his discharge papers at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin -Told that if he waited another day the Army would pay for a ticket home -He was anxious to get home and decided to hitchhike back to Grand Rapids -Parents were really happy to see him -They didn't know that he had been discharged -His two other brothers had served in the military during the war -One brother had awful survivor's guilt after the war -Had allowed another man to take his place on the frontline and was killed -Younger brother had served on a landing craft in the Navy -Served near the end of the war -Volunteered despite not being able to be drafted due to being the yongest (00:37:41) Life after the War -He was treated normally by civilians -Didn't get asked questions about his service, and didn't get special treatment -Atributes this to the fact that so many other young men also served -Just came home and started his life again -Enjoyed seeing other men in his neighborhood that had served in the war -Only one man from his neighborhood had been killed in action -Went back to work at the factory that he worked at before the war -Took a test to get into the Postal Service as a mailman -Passed the test and worked as a mailman for twenty seven years -Got married on June 21, 1947 -Wife was already engaged, but she ultimately chose Bernard -Married for sixty seven years -She died on July 4, 2014 -All of his other relatives have since died -There are only twenty two men left from his unit -144 have since passed away -He was able to find seventy five of the men that he served with, after the war -Excited to go on the Talons Out Honor Flight to Washington D.C. in May 2015 -Brother-in-law will escort him to Washington D.C. -He served in the Navy during the war -Note: At the time of this outline being written the May 2015 Honor Flight has taken place (00:46:23) Reflections on Service -Doesn't believe that people care about things that happened "a long time ago" -Troubled by the lack of belief that things like the Holocaust happened -There are some things that he would rather forget and not talk about even 75 years later (00:48:17) Photographs and Medals -Photograph of K Company, 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division -Taken at Camp Cooke, California sometime in 1944 -Photograph of Bernard while he was in the Army �-Collection of medals that he was awarded during his time in the service -Seen and identified: Bronze star, Army of Occupation Medal, American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Two Battle Stars, 97th Infantry Division patch, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Sharpshooter Badge, World War II Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal -Can opener used to open C Ration cans -Romanized Japanese-English common phrases translation sheet given to him by the Japanese boy � 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_LakowiczB1784V Title A name given to the resource Lakowicz, Bernard (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-15 Description An account of the resource Bernard Lakowicz was drafted in February 1943. He went to Kalamazoo, Michigan (most likely Fort Custer) for processing, and from there went on to Camp Grant, Illinois and then on to Fort Lewis, Washington for basic training. Joined the 44th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis and was stationed there for nine months. In November 1943 he volunteered for the Army Air Force and trained at Sheppard Field, Texas and Kansas State College, Kansas. Prior to D-Day he was removed from the Army Air Force and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for infantry training where he joined K Company, 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division. He received amphibious training at Camp San Luis Obispo, California and Camp Callan, California. He and the rest of the 97th deployed to the European Theatre out of New Jersey in early 1945 and landed at Le Havre, France in March 1945. The 97th moved up to the frontline and crossed the Rhine River at Bonn, Germany in April 1945 and advanced steadily through Germany closing the Ruhr Pocket and taking thousands of German prisoners of war. The unit stayed briefly in Czechoslovakia and then got redeployed to Japan for occupation duty. He was sent home in early 1946 and got discharged at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lakowicz, Bernard Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Childress, Jim (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a18300bc603b8bb9160d71508207e05b.m4v 298747f3e7d17c0aaf8f7741be8ce788 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d758c39b1ac6454f732c49d18c388459.pdf 567b0a474657b3dca6c064c839934c6d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Marv Kuzawa World War II 49 minutes 04 seconds (00:00:18) Family and Reactions to Pearl Harbor -Born in 1921. [No born on date is stated, but 21 at enlistment in 1942 would be 1921] -Shocked and concerned about the news from Pearl Harbor. -Enlisted into the Navy. -Oldest brother was in the Navy. -Hoped to join him however he was placed in the Seabees. -Reaction at work to Pearl Harbor: surprise and worry. -Five brothers. -Oldest brother was in the Navy long before War. -Other three brothers went into the Army. -One in France, one in Alaska, and one within the US. -All three returned home. -Mother and sisters often worried with all five of them in the military. -In retrospect: glad to have done his job, however war is senseless. -Twenty-one years old at the time of enlistment. -Graduated from Union High School 1940. -Enlisted in 1942. -Sent to Camp Perry Virginia for training. -Lasted for 6 to 8 months. -Next he was sent to camp in California, then shipped out to Kodiak, Alaska. (00:09:38) Alaska – Kodiak and Aleutian Islands -Time from enlistment to shipping to Alaska - about 8 to 10 months. -Took some adjusting to Alaska’s extreme colds. -Built roads and living quarters. -Stay on Kodiak Island lasted about a year. -After Kodiak, they were sent to one of the Aleutian Islands. -Island was uninhabited. -Built roads, and an airstrip. -Stay lasted about 6 months. -Upon completion of the job, transferred to 14th Construction Battalion. -Difficult to leave friends that had been made. -Seabee comrades were from all over the country. -Downtime in the Aleutian Islands: playing chess, wood carving, artful wood burning, and rarely skiing. (00:17:15) the Pacific – Hawaii and Japan -Next shipped out to Honolulu Hawaii to build Quonset huts. -This job lasted six months. �-This was two years after Pearl Harbor, however visible damage remained. -After Hawaii, they shipped to Okinawa Japan. -This was two weeks after the invasion from the Marines and Army. -One instance: working building docks while Zero planes were being chased and attacked. -Rescued a ship full of crewmembers that had become stuck on nearby rocks. -Arrived on Okinawa May 1945. -In Okinawa until November of 1945. (00:25:00) -The reaction to the nuclear bombing in Japan was welcome in expectation that the War would soon end. -Never expected to be sent to Japan. -People expressed surprise at the wide scale damage this new type of bomb could do. -Not close enough to areas of combat to say much about the battles going on. -They would give local children “treats”, and expressed trust. -Given notice to return home in November. -During time between end of War and November spent a lot of time reading books. -Traveled home on the USS Topeka to Washington state where he took a train to Chicago. -Discharged at Great Lakes in Illinois. -Met his brother by coincidence, and took the train home together. -Reaction to veterans, as well as himself, in Grand Rapids was welcoming and happy that the War was ended. -Overwhelmed by attention his time in the military receives. -Appreciative of those in the military that never returned. [34:00 to 47:00] [This portion features photos from his military career. Unfortunately the sound is so choppy I can’t make out anything that’s being said. Perhaps everything from 34:00 onward need not be in the document?] -Full name: Marion “Marv” Kuzawa. -Always went by Marv. -Didn’t even know of his legal first name until seeing his birth certificate upon enlistment. � 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_KuzawaM1880V Title A name given to the resource Kuzawa, Marion (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-11 Description An account of the resource Marv Kuzawa enlisted in the Navy in 1942 at the age of 21. For basic training he was sent to Camp Perry, Virginia. Eventually he was placed in the Seabees and sent to Kodiak Island and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to construct infrastructure for the War. After being transferred to the 14th Construction Battalion, Marv was sent to Honolulu Hawaii to build Quonset huts where the effects from the Pearl Harbor attack were still evident. In May of 1945 Marv arrived in Okinawa Japan to construct infrastructure for the ongoing invasion, and he was present in Okinawa during the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In November 1945 he left Japan on the USS Topeka and coincidently met up with his brother as they were both discharged at Great Lakes military base in Illinois. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuzawa, Marion Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Childress, Jim (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c00297a8894e22ee3797fd79a10e8b11.m4v 37f497b1e1baff90b3bf89692fa82645 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aa8dbabb714f1ee4a3ff44991bc32709.pdf ff1dfb7492b70e9e162e6aeaa508fa3f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Alfred Kowalewski World War II 1 hour 8 minutes 9 seconds (00:01:13) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Memorial Day, 1925 -Father had lived in Poland and Russia before moving to America when he was 18, or 19 -Mother was born and raised in Grand Rapids -Older brother was killed in action in World War One just before the Armistice -Family was paid $300 by the government -Father worked at a furniture factory -He was a meticulous worker -Had three sisters and one brother -Brother died in 1972 from a heart attack -Older sister died in a car accident -Husband and her children survived the crash -Other sister is still living -Other sister has since passed away from cancer -Went to St. Isidore's Catholic Elementary School -Went to Catholic Central High School -Graduated from there in 1942 (00:08:07) Enlisting in the Navy -He studied at a National Youth Administration school in Grand Rapids -After graduating from high school in 1942 -Welding and machine school -Decided to go into the Navy as opposed to getting drafted -Enlisted in July 1943 -Given a basic physical exam to make sure he was healthy enough to serve (00:10:23) Basic Training -Sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training -Enjoyed basic training -Did a lot of marching -Did gas training with tear gas -Learned how to put on a gas mask in a gassed environment -Received survival training -How to use pants or a sheet as a floatation device -Discipline didn't bother him -Tried to volunteer to be a tailgunner on a torpedo plane at the end of basic training -Not old enough (00:12:11) Diesel School -Sent to Chicago for Diesel Mechanic School -Stayed there for six weeks -Visited his aunt a lot and went to Mass �-One time sat through three Masses waiting for his aunt to pick him up (00:13:30) Amphibious Training -Sent to Little Creek, Virginia for amphibious training -Got up in the morning and started the landing craft -Went out on Chesapeake Bay for maneuvres -Half of the landing craft wouldn't start -Did that for six to eight weeks -Sent to Fort Pierce, Florida for advanced amphibious training (00:14:29) Deployment to the European Theatre -Went to Panama City, Florida to wait for a ship -Got redirected to New Orleans to pick up a ship there -Received more training there -Boarded a ship and sailed up the East Coast -Went to Nova Scotia then sailed to Iceland -On April 6, 1944 at 2:30 in the morning he was in the engine room of his ship -Part of a 40 ship convoy -Heard explosions -General quarters were sounded and he went to his gun position -Germans had torpedoed the ships on each side of his ship -Couldn't stop to help any of the men in the water (00:17:00) Training in England to Prepare for D-Day -Went to Falmouth, England -Operated out of Weymouth, Portland, Southampton, and Plymouth -Training how to move supplies between England and France -Heard reports of Landing Ship, Tanks being sunk off of Slapton Sands, England -Happened on April 28, 1944 during Operation Tiger; preparation for D-Day -The ships were attacked by German E-Boats (similar to PT Boats) -Over 700 men were killed in the attack -Note: 946 killed, 200 wounded -The attack during Operation Tiger was kept secret for years (00:19:37) D-Day Invasion Pt. 1 -Started loading troops and supplies for D-Day -England was a massive staging area on the eve of the invasion -Ships, guns, and supplies spread out all over England -Saw British Spitfires flying out to intercept German bombers -Started moving across the English Channel, but had to turn around due to bad weather -Orders changed and they received word to launch the attack on June 6, 1944 -Unreal to see 5,000 ships sailing toward France -His ship was carrying 25 tanks as well as jeeps and soldiers -Had breakfast on the morning of June 6 and a priest held Mass for everyone -Boarded a landing craft along with 30 infantrymen and they were lowered to the water -Rendezvoused with the other landing craft waiting for the order to attack -Received the order to invade; they formed a line and charged toward the beach -Water was deeper than expected -Men stepped off the landing craft with 70 pound backpacks -Half of them drowned before they got to shore �-German machine guns opened up on them immediately -Soldiers were ripped apart before they got to shore, body parts flying everywhere (00:23:22) Stationed on Omaha Beach Pt. 1 -After the beachhead was secured his crew stayed on Omaha Beach for about one month -Unloading supplies from ships to sustain the advance into France -Remembers a massive storm on June 19, 1944 that sank more ships than the Germans on D-Day (00:24:30) USS Cheboygan County (LST-533) -He was stationed on the USS Cheboygan County (LST-533) -Landing Ship, Tank (nicknamed Large, Slow, Target by the men) -Carried 25 tanks -Carried two Higgins boats (landing craft for infantry) -Could carry 32 infantrymen and 4 sailors -Had a plywood body and a steel ramp -Very little armor and no protection from machine guns or mines -Underwater Demolitions Teams tried to clear out the mines -Unable to get all of them though -Saw a Higgins boat vaporized by a mine on D-Day (00:26:33) D-Day Invasion Pt. 2 -The sector he landed at on Omaha Beach was the place where 2,000 men were killed -Most likely Easy Red -His position was the engineer tending to the motor on the Higgins boat -Not allowed to try and rescue the wounded, or recover the dead during the invasion -Had battleships bombarding the German positions -Could feel the concussions from the artillery -Tried to get tanks ashore using a large inflatable skirt -Called Duplex Drive tanks (nicknamed Donald Duck tanks) -Dropped off too far from shore and only two made it to shore -Communications were limited to walkie talkies and hand signals -Remembers that it was chaotic and there were bodies everywhere -Explored Omaha Beach after the invasion -Saw bodies and personal possessions scattered everywhere -Saw family photos, realized the men had been husbands and fathers -Got no sleep, and just had to keep going -General Eisenhower prepared two letters -One saying the invasion failed and he took full responsibility -The other saying the invasion was successful and a new front had been opened (00:33:00) Stationed on Omaha Beach Pt. 2 -Stayed with the Army on Omaha Beach as Allied forces advanced inland -Slept in a pup tent and ate canned soup -Also had K Rations and C Rations to eat -Liked C Rations better because they had more substantial food items -K Rations were basic and meant for survival �-Ate better when he was on a ship -Spam, fruit cocktail, and bread (00:35:17) Prisoners of War -Brought 700 German prisoners of war to England -Mix of German regulars and Polish conscripts -Some of them spoke English -Brought 300 liberated Polish prisoners of war and 18 Polish nurses -He could talk to them because he was raised speaking Polish -They were surprised that an American spoke fluent Polish -They thought he was in the Polish Navy -Remembers a Polish prisoner talking to an American soldier -Pole asked if the American was a German -American said yes and the Pole started choking him -Didn't understand that the American's heritage was German -The Poles had tattoos on their arms from when they were in a German prison camp (00:38:08) Stationed in England -After a month on Omaha Beach he returned to England aboard a Liberty Ship -Upon returning to England he boarded the USS Cheboygan County -Sailed between England and France delivering supplies -Got to visit London twice -Saw Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Coronation Chair -Germans started to use V1 and V2 missiles against England -Targeted London most of the time -The British people took all of it in stride -Learned they were good people that would do anything to help their allies -Got to know some British civilians and soldiers -Went to pubs with them -Remembers that the English had superb ale (00:41:13) Battle of the Bulge -On Christmas 1944 he sailed with the LST-533 to Le Havre, France -Sailed up the Seine River to Rouen -Armed and ready to fight if necessary -Mission was to bring supplies to Allied troops fighting in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge -Belgians and Allied troops were desperate (00:43:44) Contact with Family -Able to write his family a lot -The day after D-Day he wrote home and told his parents about the invasion (00:44:17) Reflections Pt. 1 -Enjoyed England and the English people -Never felt terrified during his time in the Navy because he always had a love of adventure -Felt that joining the Navy afforded him more safety -Felt natural being in the Navy since he grew up fishing and being on the water �-Had a lot of good men in his crew -Mix of Minnesotans, New Yorkers, and Michiganders; everybody got along -Had a good captain (00:46:04) Downtime -A lot of men gambled to pass the time -Played cards and threw dice -Heard about one soldier that made $2000 before D-Day -Spent it all because he didn't think he would survive the invasion -Got to go home on leave before being deployed -While waiting to go overseas he was in New York -Boarded a train and learned it was going to Canada -Eventually got off the train at Buffalo, New York -Shared a bottle of whiskey with a Canadian soldier (00:48:37) End of Service, End of the War, & Post-War Duty -Got disharged in March 1946 -Came back to the United States in late May 1945 -War was still being fought in Japan -In December 1945 the crew of LST-533 received orders to take supplies to Florida -Crew was angry that Christmas leave was cancelled -Sailing out of Providence, Rhode Island -Ran into a bad storm off the coast of New York -Had to turn back because the ship was taking on water -Ship was put in dry dock and the men got to have Christmas leave -In July 1945 he got 30 days of leave -Preparing to go to the Pacific Theatre for the invasion of Japan -At the end of his leave the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered in August -People were running around in Grand Rapids celebrating the end of the war -When the war ended all of the men expected to be discharged immediately -Learned that they needed 85 points to be discharged -Points given for length of service, combat, rank, and dependents -In March 1946 he went from New Jersey to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois -Got discharged there (00:52:48) Coming Home -Took a train from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana with his friend -Friend decided to drive him back to Grand Rapids from South Bend -Ran out of gas around 3AM and they pushed the car to a gas station -Friend had to turn back and Alfred hitchhiked back to Grand Rapids -Parents were happy to see him and celebrated his homecoming (00:54:46) Reflections Pt. 2 -People were willing to sacrifice for the war effort -Men enlisted without hesitation -Civilians donated scrap metal, grease (to make explosives), and live on rations -Father and sister worked at a B-24 factory -Relatives and and men from his neighborhood were in the service �-A classmate was was overboard in the Atlantic Ocean -A cousin was killed in action -A neighborhood friend was killed in action when the USS Houston sank -People gave up a lot to help out during the war -After the war, things improved and jobs came back -Believes that the Great Depression prepared people to help each other and live with less -Working on farms with his brother and brothers-in-law prepared him for work in the Navy -People helped each other, and he feels that we have lost that -He was able to talk about his experiences without problems, but most men didn't -Feels that the war traumatized other men more -Initially tried to get into the Army Air Force as a pilot -Took the test and passed, but there weren't any open slots -Enlisted in the Navy after that -In retrospect, he's glad that he didn't become a pilot since so many died in the war (01:02:36) Monkey Story -While working on Omaha Beach he spent some time sleeping on a ship -The man in the bunk above his had a pet monkey -The man was away on duty and the monkey was screeching -Al grabbed the monkey and covered it up like a baby, and it fell asleep with him (01:04:34) Life after the War -He didn't use the GI Bill after the war -Went to work after getting out of the Navy -Worked in an automotive factory for a while and various other jobs -Met his wife, Helen, and started a family -He was part of the American Legion for a while, but got busy with raising his children -He is now part of a new veterans' organization -Still busy around the house though and babysitting his great-granddaughters � 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_KowalewskiA1779V Title A name given to the resource Kowalewski, Alfred Eugene (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-06-05 Description An account of the resource Alfred Kowalewski was born on Memorial Day, 1925 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In July 1943 he enlisted in the Navy and was sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training. He went into Chicago for Diesel School then on to Little Creek, Virginia to receive amphibious training. In March 1944 he boarded the USS Cheboygan County (LST-533) and sailed to England. En route he witnessed the sinking of multiple ships in their convoy. He trained in England preparing for the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 and on D-Day took part in the invasion. He served aboard a Higgins boat as an engineer and helped land troops at Easy Red Sector at Omaha Beach. He helped with supplies on Omaha Beach after the beachhead was secured and then operated out of England helping transport supplies and troops to mainland Europe and also bringing German prisoners of war, and freed Allied prisoners of war back to England. During the Battle of the Bulge he transported supplies to Allied forces in Belgium. In late May 1945 he returned to the U.S. and prepared for the invasion of Japan. After Japan surrendered in August 1945 he was stationed on the East Coast until he returned to Great Lakes Naval Station in March 1946 and got discharged there. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kowalewski, Alfred Eugene Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Moore, Deb (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/78707961d3dc4f133b4ab87a3825cfa9.m4v 1cb2c534c22a43348483e25cb6e025ab https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cee18bd22ed62733710bd96a18d6ad76.pdf 7e5380deaa535f7d22c63b1888ee71fa PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Donald Klooster World War II 41 minutes 51 seconds (00:00:20) Early Life -Born in Munster Indiana -Attended grade school at Munster Christian School. -Drafted in 1943 at age 18. -Served for three years. -After the War graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, after a half year. -Father worked to sell produce in Hammond Indiana. -Maintained work through the Great Depression. -Siblings consisted of three brothers and a sister. -Older brother, Fred, became minister teaching at Calvin seminary. -Deferred from military service due to being a minister. -Brother Jerry became a medical doctor. -Younger by two years. -Served in Navy out of Chicago. -In his youth hadn’t kept track of news about the War. -Worked on family farm in his youth, driving produce to Chicago. -Jim: younger brother by 2~6 years. -Served in the military post WWII with no combat encountered. -Sister: the youngest sibling, worked at home. -Graduated high school in 1942. -Remembers learning of the news from Pearl Harbor. (00:05:15) Drafted into Service -Drafted on March 18th 1943. -Sent to Camp Atterbury, Indiana for basic training. -Encountered a friend from home as they began training. -No prior experience with guns. -Discipline took a little getting used to. -One humorous example: promoted to Private First Class but quickly demoted for resisting guard duty. -Eventually returned to PFC status. -Basic training lasted around 8-10 weeks. -Volunteered for Airborne. -Sent to Fort Benning Georgia for parachute training. -Training: jumping from gradually increasing height. -Highly meticulous preparation of the parachute into the mechanism. -Women’s Army Corps members also on hand to pack and prepare parachutes. -Being part of the paratroopers qualified for extra pay, $4 more a month. [I think this is what they’re saying but it’s hard to hear] �-Training: running for several miles at a time. (00:10:00) -Training highly focused on the care and preparation of the parachutes. -Went on four training jumps. -Followed by a 14 day furlough, after which preparation began to ship out. -No knowledge that anyone was injured during training. -One bad experience: stepped out of plane in training jump a wrong way which led to him spinning as he fell. -Airborne training lasted around two months. -During airborne training was assigned to Headquarters Company, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. -After training had no information yet whether they would go to Europe or Pacific. (00:14:15) the Philippines and Invasion of Corregidor -Sent to the Philippines. -Plane landed on Negros Island. -Uncertain but believes they were likely flown directly from Georgia. -Prior to the Philippines, made a brief stop in New Guinea. -Philippines invaded in late 1944. -First stop Mindoro Island. -Did more training, including shooting, at the base on Mindoro. -Didn’t follow news of the War in depth, but knew generally the US was doing well. -Invasion of Corregidor. -February 1945 combat jump in Corregidor. -Island layout was a “sniper’s paradise”. -Heavy use of tunnels made invasion difficult and costly in lives. -Certain Japanese were using explosive rounds. -Winds caused some paratroopers to land in the ocean. -Suffered casualties amongst their unit. (00:20:00) -An explosive round nearby caused shrapnel damage to the shoulder. -Received a bronze star with Philippines liberation ribbon. -Japanese would come in waves out of the tunnels at Malinta hill. -A tactic of the Japanese: at night threw rocks the size of grenades interspersed with occasional live grenades. -February 21st, a Lieutenant used a tank to fire directly into a Japanese tunnel. -Ammo cache explosion caused a huge amount of destruction as massive debris injured or killed allies as well as enemies. -Encountered MacArthur as he arrived to the island. -Not too impressed. -Due to his shoulder injury he is sent home before the War ends. -Arrive home summer of 1945. -Discharged in January of 1946. (00:27:30) Post War Life and Misc. Info �-Later in Calvin College joined the Veterans Choir. -Living conditions on the Islands were terrible. -Ate rations, not cooked food. -Received letters from his family at Philippines. (00:30:00) -Sold books after graduating from Calvin. -Worked for Hekman Biscuit Company in Grand Rapids (later became Keebler). -Then worked for a furniture company which was sold to Lazy Boy. -Photographer insisted on taking his pictures as his War experience made him well known. -After returning from Pacific, discharged from Camp Atterbury. -Not part of any other social military organizations. -Attended the Honor Flight in May 2015. -War experiences overall: -Scary and thankful it’s over. -Seeing new places, particularly poverty helps appreciate good living standard. -Speaking of native living conditions –didn’t encounter natives that he can recall. Mostly away from villages. � 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_KloosterD1879V Title A name given to the resource Klooster, Donald (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-18 Description An account of the resource Donald Klooster was born and raised in Munster, Indiana. He was drafted into the Army after turning 18 in March 1943. Donald attended basic training at Camp Atterbury Indiana. Afterward he moved onto Fort Benning Georgia for jump school and was assigned to Headquarters Company, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. His unit would be sent to the Philippines where they trained in flight jumps on Mindoro Island, and then jumped into combat for the invasion of Corregidor Island. When all was said and done he had encountered General MacArthur, survived Japanese grenade attacks as well as a tunnel cache explosion, and finally became wounded in combat from some explosive round shrapnel. He was awarded a bronze star with the Philippines liberation ribbon and sent home in the summer of 1945 due to his wound. After being discharged in 1946 he graduated from Calvin College and worked at a furniture company. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Klooster, Donald Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jones, Adam (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3fda278e6f0254fa41b42c37908ee67f.m4v fdcf768011541d5d2c15f411c09d2582 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b6a8aba5291e9c58f5afa1ba67c1bf71.pdf e9df42c2f3f2db2c219d4a642caefc12 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Barry Kleinjans Cold War & Peacetime (1960-1997) 1 hour 2 minutes 55 seconds (00:00:38) Early Life -Born in Holland, Michigan in October 1942 -Grew up in Zeeland, Michigan -Father was a Seabee in the Navy during World War II -Wasn't present during the first four years of Barry's life -Father became a general contractor after the war -Built hospitals, schools, and houses -Graduated from high school in 1960 (00:01:46) Enlisting in the Navy -Enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school -Influenced by his father's service in the Navy and the TV show Victory at Sea (00:02:07) Basic Training -Sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training two weeks after graduating -Subjected to the process of depersonalization -Breaking down the individual and building up the unit -Taught that you are a piece of government property -Went on marches -Took classes -Learned how the Navy worked -Learned about Navy protocols -Learned how to wash their uniforms by hand -High emphasis on discipline and following orders -Taught the history of the Navy -From the Revolutionary War to the Second World War -WWII and Korea were considered too new to be considered history -Met men from all over the country -Some were so poor that the first shoes they ever got were from the Navy -Some intelligent, college-educated men -Some black men -Adjusted well to the Navy -Understood that he was totally accountable for his actions -Received gas mask training -Shown how to put one on -Went into a room with a gas mask on, then the room was filled with tear gas -Had to take off their gas masks to get a sense of what a gas attack was like -Basic training lasted between six and nine weeks (00:07:32) Sonar School -Given two weeks of leave after basic training �-Sent to a basic school for sonar training in Key West, Florida in September 1960 -Arrived in Key West just in time for Hurricane Donna -There was a brand new school and new barracks -Used those to house civilians that were at risk for flooding -Patrolled the buildings looking for lost children -Hurricane destroyed the fresh water pipes in Key West -Had to go up the Keys to repair the pipes -The USS Bushnell helped with making the new fresh water pipes -He was placed on guard on a bridge into Key West -First encounter with the Red Cross and it was a negative one -Offered him coffee and cigarettes, but they were for sale not free -Supposed to be free for military personnel -Spent almost a year training in Key West -Learned about electricity, electronics, and sonar equipment -Training concluded with doing sonar training aboard a destroyer and "hunting" U.S. subs -Equipment was still pretty basic -Essentially the same technology from WWII with slight improvements (00:12:11) Duty Aboard the USS Thomas J Gary (DE-326) -Assigned to the USS Thomas J Gary (DE-326) out of Newport, Rhode Island -Converted destroyer-escort from WWII -Assigned to be a radar picket -Part of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line -Watching for Soviet bombers and submarines coming over the Arctic Circle -Spent 30 to 45 days on station -Then returned to port for 10 to 12 days to resupply and rest -Spent their winters in the North Atlantic -Spent their summers in the Caribbean Sea -Worked as a school ship for Key West -Did Liberty port calls throughout the islands -Had a picket station off of the Grand Banks -Had a picket station called GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom) above the Arctic Circle -Worked out of Scotland -On that station for 30 to 45 days at a time -Visited Germany, Denmark, and Sweden -Treated well by the people in those countries -First American ship that they had seen since WWII -American dollar was strong, so the locals welcomed spending of the dollar -Remembers one major storm in the North Atlantic -Water temperature was 28°F -Had to remain on station -Endured 40 foot waves for 10 days -Lost material and the ship was heavily damaged as a result �-Never lost confidence in the ship's ability to stay afloat -Knew that as long as they kept water out of the ship they would be fine -Paid attention to what the veteran sailors were doing -Couldn't do much during the storm due to the weather -Never heard much activity anyway -As a sonar operator the ship would send out a "ping" to find any Soviet submarines -The problem was those submarines could hear the "ping" and stayed away from the area -Stationed about that ship for two full years -After leaving the USS Thomas J Gary he retired from active duty in 1963 (00:19:15) Cuban Missile Crisis -They had just pulled in from serving around Northern Europe and he had leave -He was hitchhiking back to Michigan when he heard about the Cuban Missile Crisis -A week after being home he was recalled for duty and the USS Thomas J Gary sailed to Cuba -Part of the blockade stopping the flow of military supplies to Cuba -Attitude on the ship was optimistic -Believed they would go to Cuba, fight if necessary, and win -Tremendous amount of material and personnel in Key West -Could see the missile bases in the hills of Cuba -Tried to stop a Russian freighter, but to no avail -Remembers sailing outside of Havana harbor (00:21:45) Sinking of the USS Thresher -In April 1963 the nuclear submarine USS Thresher sank off the coast of Cape Cod -Sank in 8,400 feet of water -USS Thomas J Gary was sent as part of the search -Searched for about one month before being relieved -Joined by a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute ship to look for the submarine -Had a plan to use depth charges to create a seismograph to find the sub -He and one other sailor were tasked with preparing and launching three charges -Had to be tied to the ship and in three layers of clothing to do that -Depth charges fall at a rate of 28 feet per second -Set to detonate at 1,000 feet -First detonated at 500 feet -Second detonated at only 250 feet -Close enough to the ship to knock out lights -Third detonated at 1,000 feet -Rewarded with medicinal brandy for going out to do that (00:25:53) Extension of Service -Had the opportunity to extend his service -An Anti-submarine warfare officer from a sister ship offered a transfer to Barry -Could sail around the world aboard the sister ship -The catch was that he would have to extend for six months -Decided against it �-Had plans to go home, get a job, get married, and raise a family (00:26:58) Navy Recruiter & Vietnam War -Began work as a Navy recruiter in early 1964 -The draft was in effect and so many men tried to join the Navy he had a waiting list -By 1966 he had a three year waiting list of men trying to get into the Navy -As early as 1963 knew that there was American activity in Vietnam -Broke his ankle and had to be in the hospital at Newport, Rhode Island -Saw men in the hospital recovering from wounds they sustained in Vietnam -Two years before ground troops were sent in -Men in the Navy already knew that a war with Vietnam was on and going to get worse -Had a first come, first serve policy when it came to recruiting in the Navy -People tried to buy their way into the Navy just to get out of the draft -Only screening process they had was conducting physicals of recruits -Took pretty much anyone and everyone -Worked as a recruiter until 1967 -Admiral Zumwalt made some changes Barry didn't agree with and he decided to get out -Also had an executive, civilian job waiting for him once he got out (00:30:16) Navy Reserves -Stayed in the Navy Reserves, but stayed off active duty until 1980 -Did two weeks of training every year -Mostly pointless because it was only two weeks out of a year -Went to Key West for one training period -Installed radar on two PT-Boats -Both of them were used for torpedo recovery and fishing -Noticed technology advancing during that time -Moving away from vacuum tubes to solid state electronics -Progress was slow though due to a lack of proper funding (00:32:02) Returning to Active Duty -Worked in construction in the late 1970s, but due to a slow economy went broke -Had to move back in with his parents -Decided to do a voluntary recall to active duty -Got in when President Reagan was building the new 600 ship fleet -Planned on staying in for only two years -Got married during that time -Got offered a lot of money to stay in -Both factors contributed to him staying in the Navy -He was able to go in as a Petty Officer, 2nd Class (E-5) so he didn't have to be retrained (00:33:13) Assignment to USS O'Callahan (FF-1051) -Sent to Philadelphia to receive his orders -Wanted a ship and wanted a ship based on the West Coast -Got assigned to a Garcia Class Fast Frigate based out of San Diego -USS O'Callahan (FF-1051) �-Older ship, but it still ran -Got married and moved to San Diego and two weeks later was on a 10 and a half month cruise -Sailed to Hawaii, through the Aleutian Islands, and down through Japan -Buzzed by Soviet Bear and Badger bombers in the Aleutian Islands -Bombers locked missiles on them which was technically an act of war -Fortunately, nothing came of it -Sailed to Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, then to the Persian Gulf -Did a radar picket in the Indian Ocean for 108 days -Came back through Japan and picked up a battle group of 40 ships for WESTPAC -Total radio silence -Sailed up to Vladivostok then turned on their radios -Vladivostok thought it was an American invasion of eastern Russia -Soviets sent out bombers to intercept the battle group -After WESTPAC they sailed back to the U.S. and it took a month and a half to get back -Refueled every two days -Done to avoid ships running out of fuel like in WWII -Stayed in port for six months then went out for another WESTPAC exercise (00:38:46) Stationed in San Diego -Went out for the other WESTPAC exercise then left the ship in the Philippines -Received orders to go back to San Diego for school -Flew out of Clark Air Base in the Philippines -At an advanced sonar school in San Diego -Learned about new sonar equipment -More computers -Primitive by today's standards, but sophisticated at the time time -Course was so new the Navy hadn't created proper diplomas yet -Got temporary certificates that said, "You done good" (as a little joke) -Went to school from 9 AM to 5 PM, but also had some duties -Wife liked that better (00:41:07) Assignment to Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate (1) -Transferred from San Diego to Bath, Maine to pick up a new ship -Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigate -Note: Most likely the USS Carr (FFG-52) -Good ship, but cheaply made -On one occasion the superstrucure cracked down the length of the ship -Idea was that the ships could be easily broken down and salvaged -Although they were cheap they were durable -One ship was hit by a missile and another hit a mine -Both survived -Served aboard that ship in the 1980s -Home port was Charleston -Technically stationed there for two years, but only there for six months -Went to the Mediterranean Sea for a cruise �-First time being there -Spent a lot of time in Italy, Spain, Gibraltar, and Haifa, Israel -Didn't wear your uniform ashore -Civilians could still tell that you were in the service -Always went ashore with other sailors -Made a hobby of buying canes in ports -Enjoyed collecting them and they made for a good weapon (00:45:56) Assignment to Oliver Hazard Perry Class Frigate (2) -Transferred to San Diego in 1988 or 1989 and taught advanced electronics there -Received orders for another Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigate based at Yokosuka, Japan -Joined the ship in early 1991 -Sailed immediately for Subic Bay in the Philippines -Arrived as soon as Mount Pinatubo erupted on June 15, 1991 -Spectacular explosion that shook the ship -30 to 40 miles away from the volcano and the ship still shook -Had to hose ash off the ship -Four feet of ash fell on Subic Bay -Hurricane followed shortly after the eruption making the ash like concrete -Caused buildings to collapse under the weight -Dark as night at noon from the ash -There was a huge build up of static electricity which caused St. Elmo's Fire -Personnel from Clark Air Base were evacuated to Subic Bay -Helped bring the personnel to another base to be taken to Japan -Stayed at Subic Bay for a while -After that the Navy left the Philippines -Filipinos basically wanted the Navy to leave -Would have cost a fortune to rebuild Subic Bay and Clark Air Base -Remembers the Navy's last day in the Philippines -Said good bye to the Navy's favorite bar -Removed all Navy equipment from Subic Bay including the cranes (00:50:52) Presidents and Funding -Had plenty of money at the end of the Cold War -Through the Bush and Reagan administrations -During the 1970s the Navy had poor funding -Had to go to Radio Shack to buy electrical equipment -Funding was cut again during the Clinton administration -Remembers sitting in the Chief's Club in Yokosuka, Japan watching the '96 Election -President Clinton won the election -Next day three Master Chief Petty Officers resigned with 30 years of experience (00:52:58) Gulf War & Aircraft Carrier Service -Based in Yokosuka during the Gulf War and did cruises to the Persian Gulf -Completed his tour in Japan aboard an aircraft carrier �-Hated being on an aircraft carrier -Too impersonal, too loud, and it smelled -His berthing (bed) was right under the flight deck (00:55:37) End of Service -Left the Navy in 1997 -Got transferred back to the U.S. for instructor duty -Father died in 1996 -Navy was changing again -Yelled at a recruit for being out of uniform -Recruit handed over a "time out chit" -Meant Barry had to stop yelling at him -Barry ripped up the paper -Next day got reprimanded for yelling at the recruit -Tried to explain that recruits can't be sheltered (00:57:42) Son's Navy Service -His son got in trouble on the ship he was assigned to -Had developed a minor drinking problem and was being given the drug, antabuse -Caused a severe reaction if you even used alcohol-based shaving cream -Barry researched it and found the drug is only for severe, chronic alcoholics -His son and five other sailors were being given the drug as punishment -According to naval law, that was drug abuse -He challenged the executive officer about the abuse -Officer didn't appreciate that -Ship's doctor learned about the abuse -Confiscated the antabuse -Barry saw it as a leadership responsibility to address abuse (01:00:32) Life after Service & Reflections on Service -Returned to contracting after leaving the Navy -Better equipped to deal with people after the Navy -Learned that to get something done you didn' talk about it, you did it -Decided to get out of contracting during the Great Recession -He was drawing Social Security and retirement money from the Navy -Knew that younger men needed the business, so he retired � 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_KleinjansB1739V Title A name given to the resource Kleinjans, Barry (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-04-02 Description An account of the resource Barry Kleinjans was born in Holland, Michigan in October 1942. After graduating from high school in 1960 he enlisted in the Navy. He received basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois then received sonar training at Key West, Florida. While at Key West he also helped with recovery from the aftermath of Hurricane Donna. He served aboard the USS Thomas J Gary (DER 326) on the Distant Early Warning Line searching for Soviet submarines and bombers, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the search for the USS Thresher. He left active duty in 1963 and worked as a Navy recruiter in the Navy Reserves until he returned to active duty in 1980. He served aboard the USS O'Callahn (FF 1051), received advanced sonar training in San Diego, and served aboard two Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigates and helped with the evacuation of personnel when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991. He worked as an instructor in the U.S. until he retired in 1997. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kleinjans, Barry Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) 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 Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f9e9258c62c2caad4196a47dfbfc743a.m4v 93d1e455bc49490845b28365c1e3d93c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ddcdcf4496651d2fb1fb70409cee0527.pdf 74ca1c2e038626ac126acb78152e27a4 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Donald Kiefer Vietnam War 54 minutes 41 seconds (00:00:13) Early Life -Born in Delta, Colorado on December 20, 1948 -Family moved to Fort Morgan, Colorado -Lived there for a couple years -Moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado when he was in the first grade -Lived there until he got drafted -Father worked in construction -Mother stayed at home -Completed high school -Completed two and a half years at college -Started at Phillips University then went to University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (00:01:33) Getting Drafted -Got drafted when he was at University of Colorado-Colorado Springs -Didn't have enough credits to be a full time student -Meant that he didn't have a student deferment -Reported for duty in February 1970 -Received a physical in Denver, Colorado -Everybody there cooperated -Found out later that if he weighed five pounds less he wouldn't have been drafted (00:02:47) Knowledge of the Vietnam War -The Vietnam War was a major topic in college -Knew a fair amount about the war -Gulf of Tonkin Incident -Presidents of South Vietnam -Didn't agree with the war at all -Considered going to Canada to avoid the draft (00:03:37) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Lewis, Washington for basic training -Sent there via bus from Denver -Felt like it took forever -Arrived at Fort Lewis at 2 AM -Matter of fact greeting with no yelling from drill instructors -Assigned a place to sleep -Did a lot of testing -Wound up being assigned to the infantry -Given a uniform -Trained with the men that he was inducted with -Most were draftees �-A lot of physical training -Learned how to read maps -Received rifle training -Learned about the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) -Military law and punishment -Emphasis on discipline -Woke up before dawn and began training -Physically adjusted well to the Army, but had trouble psychologically adjusting -After a few weeks realized that his life was no longer his own -Remembers one recruit that just could not adjust to being a soldier -Hopes that that soldier was not deployed to Vietnam, because he would have died -Basic training lasted eight weeks (00:08:01) Infantry Training -Stayed at Fort Lewis for Infantry School -Focus on combat skills -Learned more about the M16 rifle, M79 grenade launcher, LAW, M60 machinegun -Received Escape & Evasion Training and more map reading -Had to go from one side of a wooded area to another without being "captured" -Found the exercise easy -Instructors tried to make it seem at least a little like Vietnam -Practiced assaults on "Cheeseburger Hill" (reference to Hamburger Hill in Vietnam) -Fake booby traps set up -Instructors fired rifles at them with blank rounds -Almost all of the instructors had been to Vietnam -Given passes to Tacoma while at Infantry School -Nothing to do except go to bars (00:11:02) Deployment to Vietnam -Given 30 days of leave -Reported back to Fort Lewis after leave -Sent to Overseas Replacement Station at Fort Lewis -Got a haircut, got his bags checked, and waited for a flight -Stopped at Clark Field, Philippines (00:12:14) Arrival in Vietnam -Landed at Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam in the middle of the day on July 1, 1970 -It was extremely hot -Assigned to an in-country orientation program -Lasted about one week -Went to classes and learned about how to survive in Vietnam -Received a little cultural training and that the Vietnamese people were not the enemy -Had to adjust to the climate -Remembers hearing an air raid siren -No one seemed to care -Learned that it was for incoming mortars �(00:13:48) Assignment to 101st Airborne Division -Sent to an in-country replacement station to get his unit assignment -Heard that the 101st Airborne Division needed replacements -Assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Evans -Flew up to Hue then took a truck to Camp Evans -Arrived there between July 13 and 15, 1970 -Assigned to Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment -Given weapons, ammunition, flares, and gear (00:15:40) Operating around Firebase Ripcord -1st sergeant wanted to go to Firebase Ripcord then go into the field -Soldier that had been there knew that it was not a good place to go -On July 18, 1970 he flew out on a helicopter for a resupply mission and joined Alpha Company -Most of the trip was peaceful -As soon as they got to the landing zone they started taking machinegun fire -He expected to take fire as soon as they stepped off the helicopter -Fell out of the helicopter and landed on his face -Assigned to 2nd platoon under the command of Lee Widjeskog -No one in 2nd platoon talked to Donald -Moved to a new area at night, set up camp, and sent out patrols -Alpha Company moved as a unit and operated as a unit -Company commander was Chuck Hawkins (00:18:57) Siege of Firebase Ripcord-July 18, 1970-July 21, 1970 -On July 18, 1970 a helicopter crashed on Firebase Ripcord and destroyed artillery batteries -Found a North Vietnamese communication line and tapped into it -Unit made contact with a North Vietnamese patrol and shot a tall, blonde soldier -Note: Most likely a Soviet advisor -Heard gunfire every day -Saw explosions on Ripcord -Moved with a squad (00:21:11) Siege of Firebase Ripcord-July 22, 1970 -Eventually, North Vietnamese units moved on their position and they engaged on July 22, 1970 -They were moving off the hill they were on and encountered the North Vietnamese -Within the first five minutes of fighting he got shot in the arm -Moved up a trail to join a defensive position -Lee Widjeskog sent him to a defensive position and told him to shoot anything beyond the line -Used up all of his ammunition during that fight -Saw muzzle flashes and movement in the grass -Saw an enemy soldier stand up to throw a grenade -Firefight on July 22 lasted six hours -At nigh fall he rejoined Alpha Company -Told to dig in for the night �-Received support from gunships -Dropped flares to illuminate the enemy positions -Knew that there were a lot of badly wounded men -Donald was wounded, but still able to fight -Didn't have any contact the night of July 22 (00:28:04) Fall of Firebase Ripcord-July 23, 1970 -The next day Donald helped collect the American dead -Placed on perimeter guard until Delta Company rescued Alpha Company -Able to watch the evacuation of Firebase Ripcord -More helicopters than he had ever seen -Delta Company came up to his sector on the perimeter -Had to create a new landing zone in the jungle because the other landing zone was under siege -Had to take the men out in waves -Severely wounded men were taken out first -He was among the first men out -Took 15 to 20 minutes to get back to Camp Evans -Remembers the men at Camp Evans cheered as they returned -Handed over the radio he carried out of the field -Took a shower and went to an aid station to get his arm treated -Told to go to the field hospital -At the field hospital they wouldn't treat him because it wasn't severe (00:32:18) Treatment for Wound -Sent to the hospital in Phu Bai to get his arm treated -Received stitches and his arm got infected multiple times -Wound up spending 70 days in various hospitals -Helped on work details at hospitals -Sent to an Air Force hospital and it was very nice -Sent to the 6th Convalescence Center at Cam Ranh Bay (00:34:22) Rejoining Alpha Company in the Field -Rejoined Alpha Company in October 1970 -Didn't know anyone in the company except the company clerk -Sent to Marksmanship School at Camp Evans for a week until A Company returned -Alpha Company returned for a stand down then he went into the field with them -There was no activity in the field -Walked from one area in the field to the next -Found abandoned bunkers, but no North Vietnamese soldiers -Operated in the field with Alpha Company until February 1971 (00:35:58) Stationed at Camp Evans -He was "short" so he was placed on perimeter guard at Camp Evans -Note: "Short" means that his time in Vietnam was coming to an end -Slept in a bunker on the perimeter at night -Worked for half the night and half the day -Noticed rampant drug use at Camp Evans -Use of marijuana and heroin �-No drug use in the field -Remembers one sergeant was addicted to heroin, but handled it well -Huge divide between black and white soldiers -Not bad on the perimeter because they had been in the field -Being in the field allowed for soldiers to bond better -In the rear there was definite racial tension -Disrespecful to each other -No fights though -Stayed at Camp Evans until mid-June 1971 (00:39:38) R&R -Had the chance to take R&R out of country, but declined -Wanted to save his money -Had an in-country R&R at Eagle Beach -Lots of alcohol -Filipino and American women performed for them (00:40:40) Leaving Vietnam Pt. 1 -Had "estimated times of departure" -Meant that there wasn't a solid date for when he left -Hoped that he would get out six weeks early -Got out two weeks early -A few days before he left he knew he was leaving (00:41:50) Contact with Vietnamese Civilians -En route to Camp Evans he saw Vietnamese civilians -Felt that they were just regular people -Never had any contact with Vietnamese people at Camp Evans -Went on patrols around Camp Evans and encountered civilians -Tried to sell the soldiers trinkets and drugs -Just trying to make a living -Never worked with South Vietnamese soldiers (00:43:04) Leaving Vietnam Pt. 2 -Sent to Cam Ranh Bay to wait for a flight out of Vietnam -Stayed in roach infested barracks -Eventually got a flight and flew out of Vietnam (00:43:46) Coming Home -Arrived at Fort Lewis, Washington -Given new uniforms and any medals that they deserved -Given a brief speech about coming home -Reminded about social niceties -Told they could get a free flight home if you wore your uniform -Didn't encounter any harassment or protestors -Landed at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado -Someone picked him up and brought him home (00:45:15) Stationed at Fort Riley -Allowed 30 days of leave then had to report for further duty -Still had six months of service to complete -Reported to Fort Riley, Kansas and was assigned to the Military Police �-Job consisted of riding around in a jeep or standing at a gate -Responded to only two complaints -Base was basically empty when he reported -Unit was responding to protests in Michigan -He was assigned to the 5th Army MPs -Lived on base and had a regular, eight hour schedule -No major discipline issues at Fort Riley -Only two instances of theft that he had to investigate (00:47:32) End of Service -No effort to make him reenlist -Army wanted soldiers to get out -Got discharged in early October 1971 (00:47:55) Life after the War -Moved to Boulder, Colorado and looked for a job -Work was hard to find -Took a couple months to find a job -Worked a job as a night security guard until he fell off a building -Parents owned a remodeling business in Colorado Springs so he went to work for them -As of 2015 still lives in Colorado Springs (00:49:19) Readjusting to Civilian Life -Took a while to readjust to civilian life -First 4th of July was difficult due to the fireworks -Didn't feel that he had changed, but people around him said that he had -Sleep was difficult due to nightmares -Wife tried to wake him up from a nightmare and he accidentally punched her -In 2010 he started receiving treatment for PTSD -Tremendously helpful (00:50:48) Reflections on Service -Gets a disability check from the Army every month, but doesn't feel that it's worth it -Doesn't feel that there were a lot of positives from serving in the Army (00:51:19) Ripcord Association -Wanted to know more about the Battle of Firebase Ripcord, but no one knew anything about it -Found a book that briefly talked about Ripcord -Looked for more information on the internet -Discovered the Ripcord Association -Connected with the men he served with at the annual reunions -Chance to validate his memories and know that what he experienced really happened (00:53:39) Treatment of Veterans -Didn't talk about his experiences in Vietnam after coming home -Learned that it was best not to talk about being a veteran -Glad that new veterans are treated better and welcomed home by their communities � 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_KieferD1889V Title A name given to the resource Kiefer, Donald David (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-10-09 Description An account of the resource Donald Kiefer was born on December 20, 1948 in Delta, Colorado. He was drafted while at University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and reported for induction in February 1970. He received basic training and infantry training at Fort Lewis, Washington. He was deployed out of Fort Lewis and arrived in Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam on July 1, 1970. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Evans and arrived there in mid-July 1970. He joined Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. On July 18 he went into the field and joined 2nd Platoon. He operated around Firebase Ripcord during the siege of the firebase from July 18 - July 23 and was evacuated to Camp Evans after Firebase Ripcord fell. He spent seventy days in various hospitals recovering from a wound to his arm and rejoined Alpha Company in October 1970. In February 1971 he was assigned to guard duty at Camp Evans and stayed there until mid-June 1971. Donald returned to the United States and served at Fort Riley, Kansas until he was discharged in early October 1971. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kiefer, Donald David 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 Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b1dfae166fe48c1398ebec6ef6d4f331.m4v a5254687118e05c71efdd2b9a221a140 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7a3290871b556825977b6200bb98de31.pdf b1e5c8a058779fb1083c97ea61822638 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Arthur Kerkstra World War II 58 minutes 53 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1924 -Grew up in Grand Rapids -Father was a gardener -Had four sisters -Doesn't remember too much of the Great Depression, but knew it was a tough time -Father had steady work during the Depression -Had an uncle on welfare -Uncle was ashamed of that and didn't want people to know he was on welfare -Went to Ottawa Hills High School then transferred to Davis Technical School -Played basketball in high school -Graduated in 1943 -Graduated in March 1943 because so many young men were going to serve (00:02:42) Start of the War -When Pearl Harbor happened he remembers the paper boys selling newspapers in the afternoon -The attack came as a shock to him -Didn't know much about the fighting already happening in Europe and Asia -Wanted to enlist in the Navy shortly after Pearl Harbor -Father did not approve -Reasons being that Arthur could not swim, and he would get drafted eventually -Proved true when Arthur did get drafted -Had no idea how long the war would last -Knew that it was a serious conflict though (00:05:15) Basic Training -Got drafted in March 1943 and reported for basic training shortly thereafter -Sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina for basic training -Had no idea what to expect -Drill sergeants were good -Remembers one drill sergeant, Sergeant Peters, who had been in the Army for a while -Learned how to do hand-hand combat -On certain days went on marches outside of the camp -Started off with 4 miles, then 12 miles, and finally 25 miles -Carried 80 pound backs �-Received weapons training with the M1 Garand -Went on the rifle range -First time he ever held a gun -Awkward at first, but he adjusted -Wound up being certified as a Sharpshooter (00:08:54) Mortar Training & Assignment to the 78th Infantry Division -Transferred to a mortar unit at Camp Butner -Received mortar training -Had men carry the shells, one man carried the baseplate, and the other man the tube and tripod -Once they reached their assigned location they put together the mortar -Fix the tube to the baseplate for stability, attach tripod to tube for aiming -Learned how to zero in a target with the mortar -Fired one round past the target, one round short of target, and one hopefully on target -Adjusted well to the Army -Homesick at first, but got over it -Stayed at Camp Butner for a year -Basic training lasted two monts -Subsequent ten months were spent training and preparing for deployment -Assigned to the 78th Infantry Division (00:11:22) Deployment to the European Theatre -Deployed in spring 1944 -Shipped out of Boston on a Liberty Ship -Held two thousand men -Went over as a part of a convoy -Had destroyers and destroyer-escorts protecting them from U-Boats -Had no U-Boat scares -Thought he was seasick -Turned out to be appendicitis -Had his appendix removed on the ship -Had to be strapped to the operation table and the doctor tied to the table -This was so that everyone was secure during the operation -Pulled into Liverpool, England -Had to be carried off the ship because he was still recovering from the operation -Sent to a hospital in England to recover more -Heard the planes going over on the eve of D-Day -Knew the invasion of Europe had begun -Medical personnel wanted servicemen healed and back into combat as soon as possible -Units needed replacements and the hospital needed the space (00:17:25) Joining the 4th Infantry Division -Joined the 4th Infantry Division in France shortly after D-Day -He left the hospital and went over to France on a Landing Ship, Tank (LST) -Sailed from southern England to France -Dropped off in the water and had to wade ashore at Normandy �-Saw piles of gas masks on the beach -GIs learned that gas attacks were not a threat, so they discarded their masks -Got to Omaha Beach roughly one week after the invasion -Saw abandoned German bunkers and bodies in the water -Not too much debris on the beach -4th Infantry Division was trying to advance into France to link up with paratroopers (00:21:21) Fighting in France -Fought in St. Lo -After St. Lo had to fight through the hedgerow country -Germans pulled back to St. Lo on D-Day and were holding their position there -80,000 German soldiers in the St. Lo area -They surrounded the Germans and laid siege to St. Lo and the surrounding area -Mid-July 1944 -Killed any Germans that tried to escape -Germans eventually surrendered -Fired so many mortars that the tube was red hot -Despite the strategic advantage they still lost a lot of men -After St. Lo they advanced through the hedgerows -Had to take one hedgerow at a time -Slow advance mixed with retreats -Fought against well-trained German soldiers and had to deal with lone snipers in buildings -Initially had to fight without tanks -Tanks were eventually brought in and able to help them with the advance -Took part in the liberation of Paris in August 1944 -Had to wait four hours for General Patton so he could go into the city first -They rode on the backs of tanks into the city -Parisians greeted them in the streets and threw bottles of wine to them as gifts -Bivouacked in the city dump -Mayor of Paris gave GIs shots of alcohol as personal thanks for the liberation -Remembers the Parisians were joyous that they had been liberated -Crossed the Seine River -Germans had destroyed the bridges spanning the river -Meant they had to cross the river on boats -Engineers eventually set up temporary bridges so vehicles could cross too -Advanced northwest -Encountered sporadic German resistance -Held up their advance -Once in a while ran into SS units backed up by Panzer (tank) units (00:30:06) Fighting in Belgium & Germany -Entered Belgium in fall 1944 (specifically September) -Encountered some German resistance -Entered the Hurtgen Forest on the Belgian-German border in November 1944 -Faced stiff resistance from the Germans and had to get replacements �-He lost half of his replacements en route to the frontline -Lost a lot of men in the Hurtgen Forest -Got assigned to be a rifleman on the front line (00:34:03) Getting Wounded -Got wounded in late November 1944 in the Hurtgen Forest -Had dug a big foxhole that three or four men could sit in -Had been in it for three, or four, days -Objective was to repel the German counter-attack -Got cut off for two days until help arrived -They were on the eastern edge of the Hurtgen Forest near a German town -Every day they dug the foxhole a little deeper -Covered it with logs and sand to protect them from artillery -Thought they were pretty safe -Rotated where they sat because some parts of the foxhole were safer -An artillery shell hit their foxhole -One man was killed immediately, Arthur and his best friend, Leo, were severely wounded (00:37:29) Recovery -He and Leo were evacuated to a first aid station -From the first aid station they were moved to a series of aid stations in France -Leo eventually died from his wounds -Spent a couple days at each station -Transported by ambulance to a hospital in France -Requested a minister because he thought he was going to die -Took a plane to England -Doctors operated on both of his legs to remove the shrapnel -Placed in traction to pull his legs back to their proper shape -In England for three months recovering (00:40:40) Coming Home -Returned to the United States in February 1945 -Pulled into New York Harbor -Got to see the Statue of Liberty -Placed on a train and went to a hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan Most likely Percy Jones Army Hospital -Stayed in the hospital for fifteen or sixteen months -Gradually recovering and receiving physical therapy -Parents were allowed to visit him (00:43:04) End of the War -Couldn't believe the war in Europe was over when Germany surrendered -Remembers it was a joyous time, but muted because of Japan's persistence -People went crazy when Japan surrendered -Remembers people in the street celebrating the end of the war -Strangers hugged and kissed each other -Everybody was ecstatic that the war was over and life could return to normal (00:45:42) Living Conditions, Contact with Home, and Contact with Civilians �-Food was bad sometimes -Had to eat rations when they were in the field -Slept in foxholes in the field -Some men slept in occupied buildings, but he never did that -Difficult to write letters home -Didn't want to upset his mother who was a fragile woman -Had very little contact with civilians -Once in a while went through a small town and saw some people -Remembers a little girl giving him a pin when they passed through a town -As of 2015 still has that pin (00:49:33) End of Service -Got discharged in April 1946 -Spent the rest of his time in the Army recovering in Battle Creek -Met his future wife in January 1946 -Allowed to visit home after a while -Medical personnel encouraged visits home -Felt it would help soldiers readjust to being civilians -Got discharged at Fort Custer, Michigan in April 1946 (00:51:21) Life after the War -Only weighed ninety eight pounds when he left the Army -Proposed to his future wife in March 1946 -Wanted to get married in the summer of 1946 -Mother-in-law advised they wait at least a year so they could get more established -Took the advice and prepared more for the wedding -Got married in June 1947 -Took some night classes through the University of Michigan -Used the GI Bill -Got a job as a time keeper at a factory in Grand Rapids -Keeping track of how much workers worked and how quickly they worked -Worked that job for a few years before getting into sales -Sat at the window at night and heard German planes going over -PTSD caused by the combat he saw -Had children after the war -Leo's parents came from Pennsylvania to talk with Arthur about their dead son -Leo had been their only child -Corresponded by letters for a few years (00:56:22) Reflections on Service & Honor Flight -Didn't take too much out of his time in the Army -Calls it a time of sickness -Reference to his appendicitis and wounded legs -Couldn't talk about his experiences for a while -Is now more open about his experiences, what he saw, and what he did -Going on the Talons Out Honor Flight in May 2015 has helped him open up -Enjoyed that trip and encourages all veterans to go on it �� 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_KerkstraA1857V Title A name given to the resource Kerkstra, Arthur (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-07-14 Description An account of the resource Arthur Kerkstra was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1924. In March 1943 he was drafted into the Army and was sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina for basic training. He received rifle training and later mortar training. He was stationed at Camp Butner for a year with the 78th Infantry Division before shipping out in spring 1944. En route to England he was treated for appendictis and was forced to stay behind while the rest of his division went ahead. He reached France a week after D-Day and joined the 4th Infantry Division. He fought in St. Lo, in the hedgerows, took part in the liberation of Paris in August 1944, and fought in Belgium and the Hurtgen Forest. He was wounded in late November 1944 and was eventually evacuated to the United States. He received treatment in Battle Creek, Michigan and was discharged at Fort Custer, Michigan in April 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kerkstra, Arthur Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jones, Adam (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a7fecd84721b8ea304167f3f1fc3a702.m4v f96d129cc573dc29a09b57fc137da723 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a4d50d1daa280483e1e2007f47200f93.pdf 17c99595aa53b89541c1fdfa0c90942b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Milo "Mike" Houghton World War II 58 minutes 56 seconds (00:00:15) Early Life -Born in Sand Lake, Michigan in 1924. -Grew up in Sand Lake as well. -After getting into a fight at school his parents elected to have him put into the military. -He was 17 at the time. -Restricted him to serving for four years. -Entered the service at the end of December 1941. -Father and mother were farmers. -Father owned their farm. -Raised turkeys and chicken and grew crops. (00:05:00) -Had some basic machinery. -Attended grade and high school until 17. -For the most part didn’t follow news from the War. -Decided to enlist to the Navy. -A neighbor was enlisting as well. Pearl Harbor and Brisbane Australia with the USS Sperry -Sent to Great Lakes, Illinois for basic training. -Training lasted about a week. (00:10:00) -Took a train from Illinois to San Diego, California. -Prepared to board the USS Sperry. -The ship was a submarine tender. -Worked as a crane operator on the USS Sperry. -Duration of stay in San Diego was less than a week before preparation was completed. -The Sperry was newly completed and launched. -He was never seasick at all. -The trip to Pearl Harbor took about a week. -Once at Pearl Harbor he observed the docked ships were giving off smoke. (00:15:00) -Saw his brother in Pearl Harbor when they arrived. -His brother was in the military aboard the USS Virginia in Pearl Harbor. -The attack on Pearl Harbor caused him to be thrown from the ship into the water. -He survived but was badly burned. -Their stay in Pearl Harbor didn’t last long. -The USS Sperry next headed to Australia. -Docked in Brisbane harbor. -Local people were very welcoming. �-No stops along the way. -The ship traveled by itself without a convoy. (00:20:00) -At that time the submarine torpedoes were powered by alcohol. -USS Fulton was their sister ship, across the port. -Often spoke to the submarine crewmen. -A particular Captain he got to know well. -He was well respected for the amount of Japanese submarines they would destroy. (00:25:00) -Were not allowed to have cameras to secure information about submarine technology. -Their stay in Brisbane lasted for quite a while. -During that time they were not attacked by Japanese aircraft. -Did not have access to news or communication from the US. -Did not stop at Pearl Harbor on the return trip. -Directly to San Diego. -After crossing the International Date Line, the veteran crew hazed the newer crew members. -Upon returning to the US received two weeks of leave to go home. South Pacific and Okinawa with the USS Kittson (00:30:00) -Took a train to Michigan with another military friend. -Upon returning to San Diego he was assigned to the USS Kittson. -He was assigned to the job of transporting the landing crafts. -USS Kittson was new at the time. -Group of Army soldiers would climb rope nets down to the boat. -Training for the Higgins boats took place in San Diego. -The boats took quite a bit of muscle power to row. -Especially weighed down with crew and materials. -He embarks on the USS Kittson. -The year is still 1944. (00:35:00) -Ship’s destination is for the South Pacific and Okinawa. -Can’t recall whether the voyage was solo or part of a convoy. -At Okinawa the Kittson picked up members of the US Army. -The first day present in Okinawa was a “beautiful day”. -When dusk came about the Japanese aircraft attacked. -His role was rowing the boats with men to and from the ships. -During this span of three weeks all he had to eat was rice. (00:40:00) -At Midway he recalls the sight of the Albatrosses near the runway. -Required him to chase them away from the danger of the runway area. -The type of boat he was manning was not retrieved to the carrier at night. -His boat stayed in the water the entire three week period. -Kamikaze pilots would fly so low that the pilots were recognizable. -During his time ferrying Army crew they did receive water from the ship or on land. (00:45:00) �-After Okinawa the Kittson was prepared and situated to be part of the invasion of Japan. -Since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the War it wasn’t necessary. Post War Life -After the War ended the military very much wanted him to re-enlist. -He had no interest in returning. -He was honorably discharged and given a Ruptured Duck lapel pin. -He was not given transportation home. -Had to hitchhike on ships back to the US. (00:50:00) -In San Diego he “hitchhiked” on a train, riding on the outside. -After his experiences in Okinawa he had contracted Jungle Rot. -After a Dr. treatment it soon cleared up. -After returning home he attempted to return to farm work. -Crops didn’t turn out as expected. (00:55:00) -Instead he became a carpenter. -Mostly building of small houses. � 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_HoughtonM1900V Title A name given to the resource Houghton, Milo (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-11-18 Description An account of the resource Milo "Mike" Houghton was born in Sand Lake, Michigan in 1924. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the Navy in December of 1941. At Great Lakes Illinois he received his brief basic training. He was bound for the USS Sperry departing out of San Diego, California where they headed to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack on Pearl Harbor had taken place so recently that ships were still smoking. There he was relieved to encounter his brother who was injured in the attack, but survived. Next the Sperry took him to Brisbane, Australia where they remained for some time. Eventually the Sperry returned to San Diego and Houghton would next be departing on the USS Kittson. In 1944 the Kittson traveled the South Pacific and on then to Okinawa. It was at the battle of Okinawa in 1945 where Houghton worked to ferry members of the Army to and from the ships. Although on board the Kittson and prepared to invade Japan, the end of the War made this unnecessary and he was soon honorably discharged thereafter. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Houghton, Milo 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 World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c810ea79e68bea047fd9156841adf1d7.m4v 3605d2991cdc8ac637e1e781550004d8 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c156fd49238f0d112ae905fa74da7e21.pdf abfeaeae3e0f5876944b7d424118a53d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Fred Guild World War II 1 hour 50 minutes 37 seconds (00:00:11) Early Life -Born in Gratiot County, Michigan on October 2, 1925 -Grew up in Gratiot County -Attended a one room, one teacher country school through the eighth grade -16 years old when he left school -Went to work for a company that made house trailers -Father did a lot of jobs to supplement the family farm during the Great Depression -Had a 25 acre farm -Had six siblings -Fred and his siblings helped on the farm -They were able to keep the farm through the Great Depression (00:02:29) Start of the War -Heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor on his father's radio -Kept up with the news of the fighting in Europe and Asia prior to Pearl Harbor -Didn't think the United States would get involved -Knew where Pearl Harbor was and why it was significant -War industry cropped up in the Saginaw area of the state -Mother went to work in a carbine factory -The company he worked for did not switch over to producing war goods -Wages were frozen though which led to Fred quitting -One brother went to work at one of the relocation centers for Japanese-American civilians -Followed his brother out west to do the same thing, but couldn't find him -Hopped trains back to Chicago then hitchhiked back to Michigan -Prior to enlisting he traveled around the country -On one occasion he spent nine days in jail in Texas for hitchhiking -Worked in Texas and New Mexico (00:08:59) Enlisting in the Army -Returned to Michigan and enlisted in the Army when he was only 17 years old -Had to tried to enlist in the Navy and the Marines when he was working in Florida -Denied because he didn't have his parents' permission -Enlisted in July 1943 and reported for duty in August 1943 (00:11:24) Basic Training -Reported to Fort Custer, Michigan in August 1943 -Sent to Camp Wolters, Texas for basic training -Received infantry training at Camp Wolters on top of basic training -Learned about rifles, mortars, and antitank guns -37mm antitank gun was effective against Japanese tanks �-57mm antitank gun was effective against German tanks -Received a lot of physical training and went on long marches -Some marches were twenty miles long and they didn't get back to camp until midnight -Even later in the summer it was hot in Texas -Men passed out due to the heat -Had to take salt tablets to help combat passing out -High emphasis on discipline and following orders -If you made a mistake, or failed to follow orders you were punished -Usually punished with cleaning toilets or other menial duties like that -He adjusted well to the Army and enjoyed it -Wasn't bothered by taking orders and was in good shape when he went in -Stayed in Texas until December 1943 -Got passes on the weekends to go to Mineral Wells, Texas -Got a tattoo even though he wasn't allowed to -This was because, as a soldier, he was government property -Got a Native American style mohawk even though that wasn't regulation either (00:17:37) Airborne Training -Signed up for Airborne Training -Had to watch an introductory video before committing to Airborne Training -Showed recruits subjected to intense physical training and tough instructors -Even with that information he decided to stay in -Thought it would be an interesting experience jumping out of planes -Sent to Fort Benning, Georgia -First couple weeks were spent doing eight hours a day of physical training -Had to run almost all the time -Crawled on infiltration courses -Crawling under barbed wire, through mud, while live rounds were fired over your head -Also had fake explosives set off next to you to make it even more realistic -He was assigned to a training platoon -Half of the men did not complete the training -Either washed out or were failed out of the program -Learned about how to use a parachute and how to properly jump out of a plane -Started out by jumping out of a 35 foot tower and sliding down a cable -Learned how to pack his main parachute and the reserve parachute -Had to do "penalty push ups" at random -Went up in a 250 foot high tower and slid down a cable while wearing a parachute -Learned how to land properly so you didn't break your legs -The 35 foot tower was designed to look like a C-47 transport -Introduction to the feeling of getting yanked out of a plane -Did his first training jump at 2,200 feet -He was the first man out of the plane -It went well -Parachute was hooked to line that opened the chute when you left the plane �-This was so you didn't have to worry about when to open your chute -Did 16 jumps during training because he enjoyed them so much -Only needed five jumps (four in the day and one night) to get your paratrooper wings -After the initial part of Airborne Training he was assigned to the Demolitions School -Only did it for a week then quit -Convinced to stay in and got placed with a different class -Learned all about explosives -Different types, how to set them up, and the actual chemistry involved -Four week course -Didn't like the men he trained with in the first class -Mostly men from cities -In the second class most of the men were from the country and he enjoyed their company -Found them to be better soldiers -Completed Demolition School in early May 1944 (00:30:18) Deployment to the European Theatre -Left out of New York on the RMS Queen Elizabeth -500 nurses and 18,000 troops aboard -Spent most of his time in the brig because of a minor disciplinary issue -Wanted to go to the brig so he could have some time to himself -Brig wasn't crowded -Talked with British soldiers and learned about England and their currency -Had escorts to a certain point then sailed alone (00:32:58) Stationed in England -Arrived in Glasgow, Scotland then took a smaller boat to Liverpool, England -Sent to Wiltshire County, England where the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment had its camps -Part of the 101st Airborne Division -E Company of the 506th made famous by the TV miniseries Band of Brothers -Joined the 506th just prior to D-Day, but he did not participate in the jump into France -Had a lot of free time in England -Went into London -Experienced the German buzz bombs being launched into London -One hit so close to his location it knocked plaster off the ceiling -Saw Buckingham Palace -Didn't hear too much about D-Day when it initially happened -Heard more about the fighting in France after the men returned in July -He was assigned to a demolition platoon in Regimental HQ Company of the 506th -30 men in his platoon -Heard stories from the veterans about the fighting they experienced in France -Went on marches at night and prepared for the next major operation -Function of the demolition platoon was regular infantry duty and demolition duty -This meant finding German positions and supplies and destroying those things �-Later in the summer of 1944 they prepared for Operation Market Garden -Allied invasion and liberation of the Netherlands -Learned about what his unit's duty would be once they got on the ground -Establish a position, scout the area, and destroy German positions and supplies -Trained with magnetic anti-armor explosives -Had to get under a tank and stick the explosive to the underbelly of the tank -Trained how to disarm and dispose of German booby traps and explosives -Objective was to capture a bridge in the Netherlands -In the case of the 506th it was the bridge at Zon (00:41:50) Operation Market Garden-Dropping into Holland -On the morning of Sunday September 17, 1944 they took off from England -It took four hours to get to the Netherlands -Remembers they changed directions multiple times -Men had to urinate in a bucket and the bucket got knocked over -He made the jump without a reserve chute because he didn't want the extra weight -Carried ammunition, supplies, explosives, grenades, rations, and his rifle into battle -Flew in formation with other planes -Once they were over the Netherlands his plane took three direct hits from antiaircraft fire -Could see flames from one of the engines going past the door -All 12 paratroopers and their supplies got off the plane successfully -Plane eventually crashed and burned -They landed ten miles from their drop zone -The group of 12 men got separated from each other and had to regroup -Fred found three other men from his group and linked up with them -He landed in a tree and lost some of his gear -Remembers the sky being lit up with antiaircraft fire (00:50:48) Operation Market Garden-Battle -Eventually made their way to Zon only to find the Germans had already destroyed the bridge -Stayed there for the night -Moved with the bulk of the 506th to the city of Eindhoven -Constantly had to deal with Germans capturing bridges and major portions of the highway -They would secure one area only to lose another area to the Germans -Went on patrols and launched assaults against the Germans until a stable line formed -Instructed not to take prisoners of war -Did not have the resources or the manpower to deal with prisoners -Ordered to fight until the Germans retreated or were all dead -Went on artillery scouting missions -Got incredibly close to German positions -Relayed the coordinates to a rear position with a radio -Radio called in the coordinates to mortar teams further in the rear -After the British got cut off in Arnhem the 506th helped get the British out of the area -Didn't see many German tanks or other vehicles in the area they operated in -Too many dikes �-Germans cut off the only highway [bridge] that led into Arnhem -Meant the British had to be pulled out on boats -Operation was supposed to take three days -Wound up fighting in the Netherlands until late November 1944 (00:59:26) Battle of the Bulge -Pulled back to an old French military base near Mourmelon, France -Only there a couple weeks before the Battle of the Bulge began -Did not get substantial supplies or replacements before fighting in the Bulge -Knew that at least three men from his platoon had been killed in Eindhoven -On December 16, 1944 the Germans launched their offensive beginning the Battle of the Bulge -Received orders to go to Bastogne, Belgium -He was supposed to get a tooth taken care of, but got sent to the front anyway -Took trucks up to Bastogne -It was cold and they didn't have proper winter clothing -Saw a lot of American troops going away from Bastogne as they went toward it -Mission was to get into Bastogne and its surrounding area and defend it -Important crossroads -They stayed outside the town and linked up with elements of the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion -Slept in foxholes and bomb craters -Remembers one German plane harassed their position -Low enough that Fred could hear the bomb release mechanism -The weather was bad and they couldn't get resupplied -Germans attacked them on the ground -Bastogne was effectively surrounded -Germans gave them two options: surrender or be wiped out -They shared ammunition and any supplies that they could scavenge -Hunted German tanks around Bastogne with tank destroyers from the 705th Tank Destroyers -Lost two tank destroyers on the first mission -The German tank they went up against was on the high ground -Rode on the tank destroyers when they were on the move -Got off when the Germans shelled them -Officer commanding the tank destroyers was incompetent -During the Siege of Bastogne around 40 German tanks were destroyed -On December 26, 1944 General Patton's Third Army broke the siege and they were saved -By the end of the Battle of the Bulge approximately 75% of Bastogne was destroyed -In late January 1945 they moved into the Alsace-Lorraine Province of France then Haguenau (01:18:25) Advance into Germany -Encountered pockets of German resistance as they advanced into Germany in spring 1945 -Captured Berchtesgaden, Germany in early May 1945 �-Found a lot of champagne -Captured a lot of German vehicles and used them to their advantage -At the end of the war groups of German soldiers surrendered as soon as they saw U.S. troops -Looked tired and hungry -Mix of young men, young boys, and old men -Even captured some women serving as clerks for the Luftwaffe -After they crossed the Rhine River in spring they encountered limited resistance -They were following other infantry units that were spearheading the advance -Got into Austria a few days before Germany surrendered -He went up a mountain in a cable car and went skiing -By that time the war was effectively over (01:22:20) End of the War & Occupation Duty -They were in Zell am See, Austria when Germany surrendered May 8, 1945 -Stayed in Austria until August 1945 -Went to Joigny, France after Austria -He left Europe by way of Antwerp, Belgium in December 1945 -Men with enough points could go home, or volunteer for more occupation duty -Men without enough points were sent to Berlin to join another unit for occupation duty -Needed 85 points to go home and be discharged -Awarded based on rank, length of service, combat seen, and dependents -By December 1945 Fred had enough points and was ready to go home -While in Germany and Austria he didn't see too many German or Austrian civilians -Quartered in a house in Austria -Family was not allowed to be in the house during the day, but could be at night -Went elk hunting in Austria and shared the meat with the civilians -Did that until a hunting party killed a farmer's cow and they were forbidden to hunt -Scavenged for extra food because they weren't getting enough rations -Captured an SS officer who was holed up in a resort -He had no intention of fighting, but didn't want to be captured -Carried a pistol with him whenever he went into town because he felt defenseless without one -Saw displaced persons and refugees -Remembers seeing the Landsberg Concentration Camp -Let the prisoners go because they pitied them -Found out many of them were not healthy enough to be on their own -Learned that those healthy enough wanted to exact revenge on their German tormentors -Had to collect the prisoners and bring them back to the camp for their own safety -Saddened the GIs, but they understood the practicality of that decision -Learned more about the death camps and concentration camps after the war was over -When he was at Joigny, France he got to see Paris and Marseilles -Also got to visit his brother who was at a camp near Paris (01:32:19) Coming Home & End of Service �-The voyage home was rough -Hit a lot of storms -One day they were only going one mile per hour -Also rough because he sailed home on a Victory Ship -Experienced 40 foot waves -Ship almost capsized multiple times -Took 12 days to get back to the United States -Pulled into New York Harbor -Sent to a camp near New York City -Some men went into New York for New Year's Eve, but he just wanted to sleep -Sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois and was discharged in January 1946 (01:35:45) Life after the War & Serving with the 82nd Airborne Division -Visited his family -Moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and got a job at Kelvinator -Became bored with civilian life and reenlisted in the Army into the 82nd Airborne Division -Given a 90 day delay en route before reporting to Fort Bragg, North Carolina -During that time met and married his wife -Assigned to G Company of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment -Lived off base with his wife -Worked in the offices in Fort Bragg -Stayed in the 82nd from April 1946 until October 1946 -Got sick with tuberculosis in July 1946 -Stayed in the Army for as long as he could -In and out of hospitals for two years due to TB -Got his high school degree through Alma High School -Able to test out of all the classes necessary to graduate -Went to Ferris State University -Got a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Teaching -Worked as a teacher for one semester then resigned -Four years after that he got a job as a principal in Mecosta Schools -Did that for a semester and planned on continuing with the job the year after that -Got offered a job for Lear Siegler and decided to do that instead of be a principal -Worked for them for 33 years -Gave presentations at Grand Valley State University on chemistry (01:46:06) Reflections on Service -Experience with explosives in the Army helped him with learning about chemistry in college -Enjoyed learning to work with people -Taught him to be fair and honest when working with people Interview ends at 01:48:38 � 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_GuildF1856V Title A name given to the resource Guild, Fred E (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-07-09 Description An account of the resource Fred Guild was born on October 2, 1925 in Gratiot County, Michigan. He enlisted in the Army in July 1943 and reported for duty at Fort Custer, Michigan on August 1943. He received basic training and infantry training at Camp Wolters, Texas until December 1943. He volunteered for Airborne Training and received that training and demolition training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was deployed to the European Theatre in May 1944 and arrived in England prior to D-Day. He was assigned to a demolition platoon of the Regimental Headquarters Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He trained in England with the 506th through the summer of 1944. He participated in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. In April 1945 they moved through Germany and captured Berchtesgaden and were in Zell am See, Austria from May 1945 to August 1945. He stayed in Joigny, France until December 1945 then returned to the U.S. from Antwerp, Belgium. He was discharged in January 1946 at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He briefly served with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina from April 1946 to October 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Guild, Fred E. 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 World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fcd0922656f106afdc66d0914418f588.m4v aba0d7576fb1ff80665b7532e4808f7c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0ee48380d63d2838083aa211c3cf95f4.pdf c467a0afec819cc016b783d1836112d5 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Richard Groggel World War II 59 minutes 35 seconds (00:00:33) Early Life -Born on July 22, 1924 in Kalamazoo, Michigan -Born in a house in Kalamazoo -Father worked as a grinder on a machine in the parchment department of a paper factory -Mother was into playing local sports -She was on a women's basketball team and a bowling league -He had four siblings -One older sister and three brothers -Mother's name was Esther -Father's name was Kurt -Sister's name was Dorothy -He and his brothers all served in the military -All of them survived the war -Went to Lincoln Junior High School -Went to Kalamazoo Central High School -Graduated in January 1942 (00:04:03) Getting Drafted -Tried to get into the Marines, but couldn't because his brother was already in the Marines -Got drafted into the Army in March 1943 -Sent to Camp Grant, Illinois for processing and induction (00:04:17) Overview of Service-Pre-Deployment -Sent to Camp Hulen, Texas for anti-aircraft training -Had to learn how to spot planes and differentiate between friendly and hostile planes -Went to Fort Davis, North Carolina for officer training -Graduated as a second lieutenant -Took ninety days -Officers produced from the program were nicknamed "ninety day wonders" -Helped train troops in California -Tried to get into the Airborne, but never got in -Got deployed before he could join the paratroopers (00:05:09) Deployment to the European Theatre Pt. 1 -Sent to Fort Meade, Maryland and boarded a ship -Sailed across the Atlantic Ocean -Had to zig-zag to avoid U-Boats -Landed at Liverpool, England (00:05:30) Training �-Had one semester at Western Michigan University prior to attempting to enlist in the Marines -Not his choice to go into the anti-aircraft, assigned to him by the Army -Had basic training at Camp Hulen, Texas -Difficult -Did a lot of marching -Had to do a five mile march -If you didn't complete it you didn't get a weekend pass -Had German prisoners of war working at Camp Hulen -They worked in the fields around camp -He had no contact with them -Received anti-aircraft training after his basic training -Had to learn all of the planes being used by both sides -Allies gained air superiority, so he was reassigned to the infantry -Sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for infantry training -Eight weeks of training -Days during training were eight hours long and started around 6 AM -Spent most of his time in the various bases he trained at -Went to Fort Davis, North Carolina for officer training -Second lieutenant -In charge of forty eight men -Never had a full strength platoon though (00:11:02) Deployment to the European Theatre Pt. 2 -Went to Liverpool, England -Crossed the English Channel and landed at Normandy, France -Landed there about six months after D-Day in fall 1944 (00:11:45) Fighting in France Pt. 1 -Moved into France and took up positions on the Moselle River in France -He was assigned to lead 2nd platoon -Ten men pulled from 1st platoon -Ten men pulled from 3rd platoon -At a disadvantage because he didn't have a full platoon -The 2nd platoon had a high turnover rate -Unit had lost a lot of men fighting at Metz -Moved across France toward Germany -Lost two men in the process -One man was wounded and had to be evacuated -Initially stayed in slit trenches on the frontlines -Small trenches you could stand or squat in -His feet were frozen after standing in a trench full of water -His platoon helped him get back to the rear -Pulled back for R&R -As soon as they got to the rear they were sent back to the frontline -Had nerve damage from his frozen feet (00:15:19) Deployment to the European Theatre Pt. 3 -Sailed to England on the SS Mariposa �-Soldiers played cards to pass the time -Crossing the Atlantic wasn't too bad -Crossing the English Channel was more difficult -Seas were rough -Had to go from one ship to another ship -One soldier fell between the ships, but was pulled out unharmed (00:17:16) Fighting in France Pt. 2 -Remembers hearing German buzz bombs shortly after arriving in France -Remembers the German 88mm artillery guns -Had to dive for cover as soon as you heard the incoming shell -Very little defense against the 88mm -When they returned to the frontline his platoon was assigned to a pillbox -Had bunks, food, ammunition and grenades in the basement -Had a soldier with a Browning Automatic Rifle guarding the rear door -Remembers when the Germans were only thirty five yards away -Platoon sergeant got wounded while at the pillbox -Germans probed their lines at night -They were cut off from their larger unit -German artillery knocked out their field telephone lines (00:23:15) Getting Captured -Decided to leave the pillbox to rejoin their unit -Got pinned down by nearby German soldiers -Some of the men suggested surrender -Decided it would be best to surrender rather than fight to the death -They surrendered on the far-western German frontier -They were told to come out of the pillbox with their hands up -Leader of the German troops said they had wounded his best friend -Richard thought they were all going to be executed on the spot -Taken back to a German bunker -Questioned by the Germans -He talked with the German officers and found them to be arrogant -One German soldier took his watch (00:26:20) Prisoner of War Pt. 1 -He was placed with other captured American officers -Guarded by two middle-aged German soldiers -Put on a 40 & 8 boxcar and taken to Koblenz, Germany -Arrived there around Christmas Eve 1944 -Remembers the Germans singing carols -There was an air raid when they got to Koblenz -Germans asked if they were from the Army Air Force -The prisoners told them that they were infantry -Had they been airmen the Germans probably would have shot them -Went across German to be registered as a prisoner of war -Given a POW dog tag -Taken by train to Oflag 64 in Szubin, Poland �-There were twenty four men in the boxcar -Stood, sat, and slept in eight hour shifts -Eight men stood, eight men sat, and eight men slept -Not fed -Passed through Berlin on the way to Poland -Arrived at Oflag 64 -Given some oatmeal -Quarantined for two weeks due to some of the prisoners being sick -Soviets were advancing so the prisoners at Oflag 64 were removed on January 21, 1945 -Moved to a Polish refugee camp -It was awful -Had part of a Red Cross parcel -Traded cigarettes for extra food -Poles were friendly -Slept in barns as they were marched across Poland -Some men tried to hide in haystacks -SS troops were called in to flush out the prisoners -First they used dogs, then moved on to shooting into the hay -One of the guards had lived in the U.S. and spoke English -He said he'd stay with the prisoners if they encountered the Soviets -He'd rather be captured with American prisoners than with other German soldiers -Marched 350 miles in forty five days -Walked all of that in the cold Given meager rations -Bad coffee and very little food -Once you got used to the coffee it was good -Arrived at Oflag XIII-B at Hammelburg, Germany on March 10, 1945 (00:35:50) Task Force Baum & the Hammelburg Raid -In late March 1945 a contingent of American infantry and tanks came to Oflag XIII-B -Force led by Captain Abraham Baum -Special mission to rescue General Patton's son-in-law John K. Waters -Unfortunately the mission was a failure (00:36:45) Prisoner of War Pt. 2 -Taken by train to a prisoner of war camp near Nuremberg -Witnessed a massive bombing raid on the city -The city was levelled after the raid -After Hammelburg they were taken to Stalag VII-A in Moosburg north of Munich -Germans told them if they stole anything they would be shot -Managed to sneak a chicken and cook it on a small fire -When he was at Nuremberg he ran into an old friend from Kalamazoo -Moved around to keep from being liberated by the Soviets -In one prisoner of war camp the mattresses were full of ticks (00:42:04) Liberation -Liberated by General Patton and the 14th Armored Division on April 29, 1945 -A lot of the prisoners cried tears of joy upon being liberated -Taken by C-47 to Camp Lucky Strike in France �-Examined by doctors and fed (00:43:13) Coming Home Pt. 1 -Taken by ship to England to collect war-brides before going back to the United States -Family didn't know he was a prisoner of war -Only knew that he was missing in action (00:45:30) Living Conditions as a Prisoner of War -Didn't get much food as a prisoner of war -Germans didn't have much food for themselves -Never saw organized beatings or torture at the hands of the Germans -Only saw abuse once when a German soldier hit an American prisoner -Had blankets -Men died from malnutrition -Allowed to play cards in the prisoner of war camps -Remembers watching some of the prisoners play bridge (00:48:06) Coming Home Pt. 2, End of the War, & End of Service -Took quite a while to get back to full health -Felt better after being fed at Camp Lucky Strike -Sailed from England to New York City -Given a sixty day leave after he got back to the U.S. -Visited his family -They were surprised to see him -He called his parents when he got back in the U.S. -Went down to Miami, Florida for part of his leave -In Miami on VJ Day (August 15, 1945) -Remembers everyone in the streets celebrating -It was overwhelming that the war was over -Stayed in his hotel room and thanked God that the war was over -Shortly after the war ended he was discharged in August 1945 -Had been in since March 1943 -Discharged with the rank of first lieutenant (00:54:18) Life after the War -Used the GI Bill at Western Michigan University -Initially planned on studying electrical engineering -Changed it to math and accounting -Worked as an accountant for a company that did electroplating -Worked closely with major car companies in Detroit -Had no lasting psychological or physical trauma from the war -Recovered from malnutrition after a few months -Met his wife at WMU -She was studying teacher -Married sixty six years -Had two sons and two daughters -Sue, Richard Jr., David, and Beth �� 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_GroggelR1877V Title A name given to the resource Groggel, Richard W (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-28 Description An account of the resource Richard Groggel was born on July 22, 1924 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In March 1943 he was drafted into the Army. He received basic training and anti-aircraft training at Camp Hulen, Texas before being reassigned to the infantry. He received infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia before receiving officer training at Fort Davis, North Carolina. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and trained soldiers in California before being assigned to an infantry unit. They deployed out of Fort Meade, Maryland in fall 1944 bound for the European Theatre. They moved from England to France and took up positions on the German frontier. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 Richard and his platoon were captured by Germans. He was moved to prisoner of war camps across Germany and Poland, he marched 350 miles across Poland and witnessed the failed Task Force Baum raid on Hammelburg prisoner of war camp. He was liberated from Stalag VII-A on April 29, 1945, and after recovery at Camp Lucky Strike, France he returned to the United States. He was discharged in August 1945 shortly after Japan's surrender. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Groggel, Richard W. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Moore, Deb (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d13cb198a34e9bf46c3637ae2f411234.m4v 1fcac04b5a39af9b4007ed9079ab1889 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8cfbaef382a8f004481e92b331ffd627.pdf 295cafede1f902e4a9487dc15ee54837 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Leonhard Grams World War II (Polish citizen; German soldier) 41 minutes 24 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life Pt. 1 -Born on May 20, 1920, in Adamow, Poland -Town 60 miles south of Russian border in eastern Poland -Had four brothers and a sister -He was the youngest (00:01:19) Beginning of the War Pt. 1 -Not long after the war broke out, they moved to German-occupied Poland -Left everything behind and lost everything (00:01:39) Early Life Pt. 2 -His parents were farmers -They were ethnic Germans living in Poland (00:01:58) Moving to German-Occupied Poland Pt. 1 -Fled Russian-occupied Poland to move to German-occupied Poland (00:02:21) Early Life Pt. 3 -Learned Polish and German in school -Before the war, Polish and German relations were good -After the war broke out, those relations deteriorated -Some Polish people killed ethnic Germans -Before the war, he worked on the family farm -All of his siblings had gotten married, so he stayed behind to help on the farm (00:03:28) Beginning of the War Pt. 2 -Didn’t expect there to be a war -Had been living as a Polish citizen -Witnessed the Red Army come into Poland -They protected ethnic Germans (00:04:48) Moving to German-Occupied Poland Pt. 2 -Family had to choose between living under Stalin’s rule, or Hitler’s rule -They decided to move to German-occupied Poland -Got another farm -Smaller than their original farm -Continued living with his parents (00:07:24) Stationed at Tempelhof-Berlin Field Pt. 1 -On February 2, 1941, he was drafted into the Luftwaffe (German air force) -Stationed at Tempelhof-Berlin Field in Berlin -Received his training there after he reported for duty -Part of an antiaircraft crew, but never shot down an enemy plane �(00:08:30) Stationed on Russian Front Pt. 1 -Placed in boxcars and taken by train to the Russian front -Tasked with catching saboteurs placing explosives on the train tracks -Never found anyone -Went to the Russian front in 1942 -Placed on the frontline and tasked with providing support to the frontline troops -Part of a security team -Went deep into Russian territory -Remembers it being cold and snowy -In 1943, the Russians began their counteroffensive against German forces -The Russians began hitting positions with airstrikes -During this time, he was on a machinegun (00:11:30) Getting Wounded the First Time Pt. 1 -In one airstrike, bombs landed on both sides of him, and he took shrapnel in his shoulder -Stretcher-bearers collected him, but fled because the Russian plane kept circling -Once it left, the stretcher-bearers came back -He was taken to a field hospital for initial treatment, but needed x-rays -He was then moved to a more sophisticated hospital in Kiev -Learned he had a broken arm -Would have had it amputated if it had become infected -Sent to an Austrian hospital, then sent to his parents’ farm for final recovery (00:14:50) Re-Drafted into Wehrmacht -Once he recovered, he was re-drafted into the Wehrmacht (German army) -Worked with horses, but not on the frontline -Stationed somewhere in Germany (00:15:43) Stationed at Tempelhof-Berlin Field Pt. 2 -Had subterranean barracks at Tempelhof to protect against air raids -By permission, they were allowed to visit Berlin -Spent most of their time training -Received some basic infantry training with rifles and machineguns (00:17:15) Stationed on the Russian Front Pt. 2 -On the Russian front, he slept on the ground -The Russian civilians he met were friendly -They worked as saboteurs, but nothing happened during his time on the front -Formed new units in 1943 to defend against the Russian counteroffensive -Russians attacked with their air force, and the Germans had no planes in Leonhard’s sector (00:20:12) Getting Wounded the First Time Pt. 2 -While in the hospital, he was basically immobilized due to his casts -Would’ve been allowed to walk around had he been mobile -In a cast for about three months (00:21:16) Getting Wounded Second Time Pt. 1, End of War & Getting Captured -At the end of the war, he was with a unit in Austria -Got shot in the leg �-Placed on a hospital train bound for a designated hospital city in Germany -Combination of wounded Germans and prisoners-of-war in that city -Kept on the train until May 20, 1944 (19450 when French forces took him prisoner -Note: Means he was possibly in western Austria -Brought to a Catholic church by the French forces -Sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in southern Germany once he recovered -Loaded onto trucks and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp in France -No food for three days -French farmer eventually brought them some food -Taken to a barracks and repaired them -Tasked with digging up landmines -After his third week of that work, he tripped a mine -Sustained burns on his face and side, and temporarily lost his sight -Taken to Germany and was treated by French and German doctors -Regained his sight -Treated in Heidelberg -Granted a temporary discharge by the French (00:27:00) Life after War – Living in Europe -Didn’t know where his mother, or the rest of his family lived -Later learned that his mother and one of his brothers lived in East Germany -Met a farmer and worked for him for two years until he found his mother -Granted permission to visit his mother in East Germany (once he located her) -Moved to West Germany -Had originally planned on getting married in 1944 -He got drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1944 -His girlfriend was placed in a prison camp in Poland in 1944 -Reconnected with his girlfriend in West Germany, and they got married in 1946 (00:29:11) Coming to America -Came to the United States in 1959 -There was no steady work in Germany -He took any job he could find, and most of it was temporary work in the summer -Attended college to learn how to weld -His uncle was living in Edmonton, Canada, and he encouraged Leonhard to move there -Go to Canada first, then go to America -One of his brothers lived in America -He had migrated there in 1955 -Brother encouraged him to try the United States first before going straight to Canada -Came to the United States without speaking English -Found welding work with an owner that spoke German -Worked as a welder for 31 years at Superior Steel -Found work as a cabinet maker after the first job ended (00:32:14) Air Raids in Berlin -In Berlin, they were supposed to prepare for and retaliate against air raids �-Remembers a dud bomb landing extremely close to him during a raid -Picked it up and tossed it away -During bombing runs at night, all he could see was smoke and flames *Note: Air raids on Berlin had begun in August 1940 (00:33:18) Getting Wounded the Second Time Pt. 2 -Wounded in Austria during ground fighting -Doesn’t know where the bullet came from, and thinks it may have been a stray round (00:34:10) News on the War -Given no information about the progress of the war -The truth was wrapped in secrecy -Constantly told they were making progress toward victory, even as Germany lost (00:34:42) War Crimes & Other Atrocities -Knew nothing about the concentration camps or the Holocaust -Older brother was beaten by some Polish boys after the war’s end -A Russian officer intervened and saved the brother’s life -Brought Leonhard’s brother to his unit -Allowed to go to East Germany -Polish government wouldn’t allow his family to leave -Via the Red Cross, his family eventually moved to East Germany -Future wife was held at a prison camp in Poland because she was an ethnic German -Interned in 1944 near the end of the war with other ethnic German women -They were stripped and whipped by Polish officers -Some of the women were taken by the Polish soldiers -He wasn’t very interested in politics, and on the farm, he didn’t pay attention to politics -Focused on taking care of his parents and helping them (00:39:22) Death of His Father -His father died in 1941 -He was allowed to go to his parents’ farm in July 1941 to help with their harvest -His father died shortly after he returned to his Luftwaffe unit in Berlin -Most likely sometime in later 1941 (00:40:40) Wehrmacht & Stationed on the Russian Front Pt. 3 -When he went to the Russian front, he was transferred into the Wehrmacht -Issued a new uniform when he went � 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_GramsL2088V Title A name given to the resource Grams, Leonhard (Interview outline and video), 2017 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-01-10 Description An account of the resource Leonhard Grams was born on May 20, 1920, in Adamow, Poland. After war broke out in 1939, his family moved to German-occupied Poland because they were ethnic Germans. On February 2, 1941, he was drafted into the Luftwaffe and served at Tempelhof-Berlin Field in Berlin. He served as part of an antiaircraft crew and witnessed multiple bombings of Berlin. He was sent to the Russian front in 1942, and was later wounded and sent to a hospital in Austria, went back into the army and was taken prisoner by the French at the end of the war. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grams, Leonhard 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 World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Germany. Army. Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e0657f64bf9b1fc609ee77cdbb37f37e.m4v 6ebf80ab5e1b5cc5cd361be94797b165 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fce123302ef0c60c013ec289b7e336ff.pdf 85f72a4ca4fb8e8a535de71bdf2ea4a5 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Gaetan Gerville-Reache U.S. Navy Length of interview: (37:25) (00:00) Early Life and Navy      (00:04)Born on October 8, 1976 Served in the Navy from 1998-2002 After nine months of training in Newport, Rhode Island, he became the main propulsion officer on the USS Benfold. He arrived on the ship in April 1999, just before the ship was deployed to the Arabian [Persian] Gulf (2:50) He went into the Navy on a scholarship program, he was committed for a minimum of four years (3:30) Deployment          (3:30) on the way to the Persian Gulf, they went to South Korea and Singapore. They arrived to the gulf in the middle of the summer. (4:40) he participated in operation southern watch, enforcing a no fly zone in southern Iraq. They were also enforcing an embargo on Iraq. Men on his ship boarded vessels that were trying to sneak supplies into Iraq. (7:00) they worked in tandem with an aircraft carrier. His ship had a powerful radar that would relay information to the aircraft carrier in the event of an unauthorized aircraft (8:00) He was able to visit Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Kuwait. He found that none of these places were much fun; people often kept to themselves (9:30) He kept in contact with his family by email and the occasional phone call. He missed his girlfriend and was always stressed from the work that he had to do (11:20) he had to stand watch on the ship from 2am to 7am. After that they had to complete their work day, eat dinner, and repeat the process. Gaetan lost over 25 pounds while he was deployed (12:30) When the captain was asleep, he would be responsible for the ship. (13:30) Gaetan took part in a stand-off with Iranians who would point missiles at his ship. However, this was common, Iran was always trying to assert their authority over the surrounding waters (14:30) When he was in South Korea, someone falsely reported that a vessel that had capsized. All they found when they went to look was a dead whale �       (16:00) Other than some tomahawk missiles that his ship launched, he cannot recall that there were any hostilities; however, they were always on alert (19:30) Gaetan remembers that there were around seven ships in his fleet. (22:30) If Gaetan could experience his deployment again, he would. He also states that he would rejoin the Navy if the United States ever went to war and needed experienced men. He was forced to grow up a lot and he is glad that he did. It is important to have effective and experienced officers, especially when you are new to the military. (26:44) Gaetan advises people than the military is not for everyone. It is also important to keep in mind all that the military does. (28:20) It is an honor to be a part of a group of men and women serving their country (29:30) 9/11       He was in San Diego on 9/11 getting ready to deploy that day. (30:00) His wife called him over to the television where he watched the attack (30:30) It wasn’t until he reached his ship that he realized that the United States was at war. When his ship left port that day, it was fully loaded. The one week training deployment turned into a three week endeavor. (32:00) they were monitoring Mexico and the Coast of California. Every ship that was able to float was sent out to sea. (33:10) The skies were completely quiet; Gaetan describes this as an eerie experience (36:00) though he was seeing messages coming through warning of possible attack locations, he could not relay any of the information to his wife. He could only tell her to stay off the freeways. � 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_GervilleReacheG1805V Title A name given to the resource Gerville-Re'ache, Gaetan (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-26 Description An account of the resource Gaetan Gerville-Reache was born on October 8, 1976 and served in the United States Navy from 1998-2002. He was deployed to the Persian Gulf as a part of Operation Southern Watch and served as the main propulsion officer on the USS Benfold. The objective of the operation was to enforce a no-fly zone and embargo on Iraq. He visited the ports of Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Kuwait. In addition to his experiences in the Persian Gulf, Gaetan recounts September 11, 2001 and how the navy responded to the attacks thereafter. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gerville-Re'ache, Gaetan Edward Alain Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Bursch, Michael (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cadde29ca7360d3146b7c7ce0f3695dc.m4v 3d91b48e3274fd7e005385e46ce47d3d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a75a77979ef08581d9a3df824b4d2289.pdf 45637a8940b8b46d143df5da9e25bd9e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Stuart Eppinga World War II 39 minutes 20 seconds (00:00:18) Early Life -Parents were immigrants from the Netherlands -Fell in love in the Netherlands -Father wanted to move to the U.S., mother did not -Made a compromise: he would go and get established, she would follow -Father came to Detroit, found work as a carpenter, and made a lot of money -Stuart had a brother that was eight years older -Mother died giving birth to Stuart -He weighed less than three pounds -Small enough to fit in a cigar box -Father found a nurse that spoke Dutch -They eventually married and she became Stuart's stepmother -Older brother, Jacob, was born in the United States -Became a pastor and worked at a Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids -Did that for thirty years -Step mother was excellent -Born on June 17, 1925 -Grew up in Detroit -Went to a Christian school for the first eight grades -Went to Southeastern High School in Detroit -Taught there after the war -Graduated in 1943 -Shortly after graduating got drafted (00:03:54) Life after the War Pt. 1 -Used the GI Bill after the war to go to college -Attended Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan -Wanted to stay close to his family and close to his wife-to-be (00:04:39) Getting Drafted -Got drafted into the Navy in 1943 -Reported for a physical during the draft process -After being deemed fit for service men were assigned to a branch of the service -The soldier giving out assignments would ask them what they wanted -Then he gave them whatever he felt like giving them -When Stuart got up to the soldier he said to give him whatever -Happy being assigned to the Navy -Loved being in the water, so it felt like a good fit (00:06:03) Basic Training -Sent to Camp Peary, Virginia for basic training �-Got trained by a Marine, and the Marines hated the Navy personnel -He will never forget his arrival at Camp Peary -Got off the train and saw hundreds of men from all over the country going to the camp -Enjoyed basic training -Liked being outside and doing exercise -Enjoyed the marches, the discipline, and getting up early -Had no trouble adjusting to the military -Remembers two men being discharged -One man was young, recently married, and was basically having a nervous breakdown -The other man got discharged due to having a bad back -Trained with rifles -Received gas training -Went into a building filled with mustard gas, wearing a gas mask -Ordered to remove their gas masks then the doors were opened to go outside -Crawled on an infiltration course -Crawling under barbed wire while a machie gun was fired over his head -Understood why they were forced to do what they were forced to do -It was the best physical shape he was ever in -There were accidents in basic training and men died -Remembers men panicking on the infiltration course, standing up, and getting shot (00:10:44) Stationed in Bermuda -Given a ten day leave after basic training to visit home -Reported to Norfolk, Virginia -Sent down to Bermuda -Most likely assigned to Naval Air Station Bermuda Annex -Leased to the United States by the United Kingdom -His duty in Bermuda was to help with the maintenance of the base -Base was home to PBY-3 seaplanes -Went on a few anti-submarine patrols with them -Got to see convoys sailing for Europe and Africa -Saw troopships surrounded by destroyers and destroyer-escorts -Could see the beautiful coral reef around Bermuda -Looking for U-Boats in the Gulf of Mexico and near the U.S. -Present for the capture of U-505 in June 1944 -U-Boat now at Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago -Remembers six Italian submarines coming into their port to surrender -Talked with some of the Italian sailors -Learned that they had been attacking German U-Boats -They were disillusioned with Mussolini's incompetent leadership -The submarines were from World War I -About thirty sailors per submarine -He got along well with the Italian prisoners of war �-For a while he ran a boiler that turned salt water into fresh water -Worked for the Welfare and Recreation Department -Enjoyed that duty because he enjoyed sports -Ran the sports program -Organizing basketball, baseball, and pool games -Wanted to go where the action was -Applied for the Underwater Demolition Teams (precursor to the Navy SEALs) -Never got accepted, and in retrospect is happy he didn't -Stationed on Bermuda for eighteen months (00:15:47) Stationed in Guam -Requested a transfer after eighteen months on Bermuda -Sent to Davisville, Rhode Island then sent to Norfolk, Virginia -Assigned to a ship in Norfolk that would take him to Guam -Sailed from Virginia to the Panama Canal to Hawaii to Guam -Lived in a tent on Guam as opposed to a barracks like he had on Bermuda -There were still Japanese troops on Guam when he was there -On Guam when Japan surrendered -On Guam he was assigned to guard a work detail of Japanese prisoners of war -Assigned them work and guarded them -Had them digging ditches and removing rocks to keep them busy -Never turned his back on them for fear they would rebel and kill him -The Japanese believed they should have died fighting -Food wasn't great on Guam, but it wasn't that good anywhere -Ate a lot of chipped beef (nicknamed "shit on a shingle") -It wasn't very substantial food -Didn't lose any weight, but didn't gain any weight either (00:18:42) End of the War & Coming Home Pt. 1 -At the end of the war he had enough points to go home -Needed eighty five points to go home -Points assigned based on length of service, rank, combat, and dependents -He was urged to volunteer for occupation duty in Japan, but he declined -Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise stopped in Guam -He boarded it and took it back to the U.S. -Attended a Bible study on the ship -Got involved in a singing quartet that sang every night on the deck of the ship -They wanted him to stay on the ship as a singer, but he declined -Sailed through the Panama Canal and through the Caribbean Sea up to Virginia -Took thirty five days to sail from Guam to Virginia (00:20:47) Reassignment to Guam-Train Ride -When he went from Davisville to Norfolk he took a train -He was assigned to the last car, but got called first for dinner -It was great food -So after he ate he moved up to the fifth car, and so on, so he could get six meals (00:21:50) Visiting New York and Hawaii �-When he left Bermuda he sailed up to New York and disembarked at Pier 92 in New York City -Navy lost his paperwork, so he was given a day pass every day until they found it -Went into New York every day -Became the de facto tour guide for servicemen on leave -Returned to New York City in 1947 for his honeymoon -The shoe shiner at the Statue of Liberty remembered him -Got to see a lot of Hawaii when he stopped there -A lot of men went into Honolulu to get tattoos -He got to see an old friend from Detroit -Went sightseeing in an ambulance (00:24:52) Dangerous Situations -Most dangerous situation he was in was on Guam -Had to be aware of their surroundings at all times -There were still Japanese troops holding out on the island -Never knew if they would take a shot at you -There were a few incidents where a Japanese soldier fired a few shots at them -En route to Bermuda they had to zig-zag to avoid getting attacked by a U-Boat -Went swimming in shark infested waters (00:26:30) End of the War & Coming Home Pt. 2 -Stationed on Guam for six months before going home -Usually had the same audience every night when he sang on the Enterprise (00:26:59) Visiting Richmond, Davisville, and New York City -Got to see parts of Richmond, Virginia -In Davisville he met some Dutch marines -Talked with them -Learned they had fought the Germans as part of the Dutch Resistance -Receiving training in the U.S. to go fight the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies -Became friends with one of the Dutch Marines -Took him to see New York City -They got free tickets to everything and free transportation back to base -He survived the war and they are still friends -Write to each other at Christmas -Stuart and his wife visited the man in the Netherlands -The man came to visit Stuart and his wife in Detroit (00:29:49) Downtime & Contact with Home -Saw a few USO Shows -Had a few outdoor theatres to watch movies -Swam and snorkelled in Bermuda -Wrote a lot of letters home -Wrote to his parents and to his girlfriend -Took a while to receive mail (00:31:42) Officers & Other Branches of the Service �-Noticed that officers in the Navy were arrogant -Didn't see that as much in the Army -Definitely didn't see that in the Army Air Force -Army Air Force also had the best facilities because it was still so new at the time -Marines got into the fighting first -Glad he didn't wind up in the Marines -Had friends and relatives in the Marines who got killed in action (00:33:03) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Feels that his time in the Navy was a very good thing -Had no idea what he wanted to do with his life -Navy gave him the direction and discipline he needed (00:33:26) Life after the War Pt. 2 -Taught at Southeastern High School in Detroit -Taught music there for twenty years -Worked as a counselor for thirteen years -Encouraged a lot of boys and girls to enlist in the military -They had no future in Detroit and no direction in life -Had a lot of them come back and thank him for that advice -Travelled a lot after the war -Navy provided them with quarters when he and his wife visited Bermuda -Wife really enjoyed that trip -Visited in the late 1970s (00:35:22) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Helped him mature -Believes that there should still be a draft -At least one year of service -Feels that it would provide discipline and direction -Especially beneficial for people coming from poverty or broken homes -Still corresponds with a good friend that he met in Bermuda (00:37:37) Life after the War Pt. 3 -No reunions -Is not part of any veterans' group -Got married in 1947 -Had four children -One lives in California -One lives in Holland, Michigan -One lives in Alto, Michigan -One is deceased -Died after three months INTERVIEW ENDS @ 38:23 � 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_EppingaS1873V Title A name given to the resource Eppinga, Stuart Dirk (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-09-02 Description An account of the resource Stuart Eppinga was born in Detroit, Michigan on June 17, 1925. After graduating from high school in 1943 he was drafted into the Navy. He received basic training at Camp Peary, Virginia and got assigned to Naval Air Station Bermuda Annex, Bermuda where he helped with maintenance, went on anti-submarine patrols in PBY-3s, and witnessed the capture of six Italian submarines and one German submarine. After eighteen months he requested reassignment and was sent to Guam. On Guam he oversaw Japanese prisoners of war being used for work, and was stationed there for six months. At the end of the war he had enough points to go home and returned to the U.S. by way of the USS Enterprise. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eppinga, Stuart Dirk Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Moore, Deb (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f7935da7c5606d1ca103588b44a0666e.m4v abd040056bcdb29957a7dd298c1647b9 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/df9975df33989472d7c5a9cf66457f00.pdf 99c80f2e87dc2d50d0af298253f60840 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Joseph Dubois World War II 14 minutes 32 seconds (00:00:11) Early Life -Grew up in Avery Island, Louisiana. -11 siblings. -One brother was in the military, the Navy. -Worked for Mc. Ilhenny Tabasco Sauce Company -Voluntarily enlisted to the Army Air Force. However the Air Force was full so he was placed in the infantry. -Not too difficult to get used to because of his physically active country lifestyle. -Basic training in Little Rock Arkansas. -Took 8 weeks. -Next, sent to Colorado Springs and placed in the 89th Infantry Division. -Stay in Colorado Springs lasted for ten months. -Continued with more training for about 8 months. -Took part in mock combat maneuvers for about 3 months. -Next, travelled to California mountains for a 3 month long mock combat maneuver. -Ate rations during this training. -Once this training was completed the Privates and PFCs were shipped out for D-Day. -Travelled to North Carolina to train a new Division. -He was shipped overseas in January, 1945. -Disembarked in France at the end of January. (00:03:25) Europe and Ohrdruf Concentration Camp -Gradually moved toward Luxembourg, and onward into Germany, then finally near the Czechoslovakian border when the War ended. -Returned to France after the War ended to Camp Lucky Strike. -After 2 months working at Camp Lucky Strike went to Austria until leaving for the US. -Returning to the period before the War ended: prepared to have crossed the Rhine River however another unit did so first. (00:06:15) -After crossing the Rhine, liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp. -The first concentration camp the US liberated. -Bodies everywhere. -Guards would shoot prisoners before the liberation was completed. -Large burials, burned bodies. -Made good friends in the military that endured throughout his lifetime. -On weekends went into town for things like USO dances. -Returning from the War was comforting, knowing he wouldn’t have to leave again. -Not difficult to transition into civilian life. �-He keeps in touch with the 89th Division Society. -Every two years there is a social gathering. -War time experience didn’t affect his life too significantly. -Learned to be self-supporting, truthful, kind. -89th Division fought along with Patton’s 11th Armored Division, 4th Antitank Battalion. (00:12:16) -Consulting with his military documents yields the following info regarding his military roles: -A Platoon Guard -Military service spanned from France, Luxembourg, Germany, and Austria. -Supervised the handling and distribution of rations, ammunition, supplies, and equipment. -Assisted Platoon Sargent in combat movement. [The interviewer is given several documents and papers listing more information about his service.] � 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_DuBoisJ1813V Title A name given to the resource DuBois, Joseph (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-04-10 Description An account of the resource Joseph Dubois was born in Avery Island, Louisiana in a family with 11 siblings. He worked at the local Mc. Ilhenny Tabasco Sauce plant in town. Joseph completed basic training in Little Rock Arkansas. He was placed in the 89th Infantry Division as a Platoon Guard, and continued participating in training combat maneuvers in California and North Carolina. In January of 1945 he arrived in France, travelling through Luxembourg, Austria, and Germany. After crossing the Rhine River, the 89th liberated Ohrdruf concentration camp. Eventually at the border to Czechoslovakia, he awaited with his Division for the Russians to arrive at the end of the War. Once the War had ended Joseph was stationed at Camp Lucky Strike, and then later Austria until leaving Europe for home. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dubois, Joseph Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Schmehil, Jacqueline (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image 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/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf