439 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2328ef49e20484a8eaa119da272d321a.pdf 4f05184f37d8702b61ba3a9beb21762b PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indulgentia 1482 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_A130Indulgentia1482 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kaufmann, Johannes Description An account of the resource Indulgentia 1482 by Johannes Kaufmann. Printed in Bamberg by Johann Sensenschmidt circa 1482. Letter of indulgence for promoting the war against the Turks. Major fragment containing 18 of 21 lines. Broadside. [ISTC cik00008200, GW M16234] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Bamberg: Johann Sensenschmidt Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1482 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection: BX2280.G47 K38 1482, A130 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e1f5b952ead37ec35c1284a989102734.pdf 4f05184f37d8702b61ba3a9beb21762b PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Incunabula Description An account of the resource The term incunabula refers to books printed between 1450 and 1500, approximately the first fifty years following the invention, by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz, of printing from moveable type. Our collection includes over 200 volumes and numerous unbound leaves from books printed during this period. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1450/1500 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Incunabula Collection (DC-03) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United </a> Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource text Language A language of the resource eng it la nl de Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Indulgentia 1482 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_A130Indulgentia1482 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kaufmann, Johannes Description An account of the resource Indulgentia 1482 by Johannes Kaufmann. Printed in Bamberg by Johann Sensenschmidt circa 1482. Letter of indulgence for promoting the war against the Turks. Major fragment containing 18 of 21 lines. Broadside. [ISTC cik00008200, GW M16234] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Bamberg: Johann Sensenschmidt Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Language A language of the resource la Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1482 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection: BX2280.G47 K38 1482, A130 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/679c4940410066c7892e5c0d20e94344.pdf 81778ff7da6695a46fe6f144d2934045 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Korean War Vernon Kayser Total Time – (07:50) Background               He was born April 23, 1933 (00:20) He lived on a farm in Caledonia, Michigan (00:35) After high school he took an apprenticeship until he was drafted (01:06) He was in the 10th Engineer Battalion o He was located at Fort Benning, Georgia for the majority of his time (01:25) He spent 16 weeks in basic training at Fort Pickett, Virginia (01:37) He then went to 8 weeks of leadership school until he was transferred to Fort Jackson, South Carolina (01:53) o He was then sent to Columbus, Ohio He graduated from high school where he played varsity football and was captain of the track team (02:28) At first it was lonely being in the military His battalion did construction work o They built bridges, pontoon bridges, went on maneuvers, etc. He built an insignia for the engineers (04:10) In his free time, soldiers would go and visit different towns in the area, go swimming, etc. (04:22) He served from 1953-1955 (04:56) His experience in the service had a large effect on his life – it would not hurt anyone to have training like that (07:07) The service gives the individual a different view of everything � 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 KayserV1392V Title A name given to the resource Kayser, Vernon (Interview outline), 2012 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kayser, Vernon Description An account of the resource Vernon Kayser was born April 23, 1933 in Caledonia, Michigan. He was drafted and served in the 10th Engineering Battalion. He was sent to Fort Pickett, Virginia for sixteen weeks of basic training and then spent eight weeks of leadership training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. His battalion built bridges, pontoon bridges, and went on maneuvers during the Korean War. He served from 1953-1955. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Barney, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-05-23 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/92cbd0d6c4523c07c7ffd33d0bc41490.m4v 44d0987d44e56edc44d2c8e134136f80 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b854b2e7f292d2d85e5f32f43b2dc26f.pdf 17ee39963f4afa69206a89efa890c4b7 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Jim Keatley Vietnam War 2 hours 9 minutes 47 seconds Part 1 – 1 hour 11 minutes 30 seconds (00:00:40) Early Life -Born in Bremerton, Washington, in 1945 -When he was nine months old the family moved to California -Father had been interning in Bremerton as a machinist -Got a job at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California -Lived in an old mining town until the base had civilian housing -Grew up in China Lake -Graduated from high school in 1963 -Attended San Diego State University for a while then transferred to Bakersfield College (00:02:48) Getting Drafted -Granted a draft deferment while he was at San Diego State University -Lost his deferment when he transferred to Bakersfield College -Draft board said he would be drafted at the end of the school year (most likely in 1966) -Had a draft physical in December (most likely 1965) -Basic physical examination -Got a summer job and decided to wait to get drafted -Quit a week before his brother's wedding then decided to wait to get his draft notice -Kept waiting for his draft notice, and after two weeks he called his draft board -Told him they forgot about him and would send him his draft letter -Received his draft notice three days later -Reported to a local bus station to be taken to the induction center in Los Angeles -Walked up to the counter and talked to the Specialist 4th Grade (Spec. 4) at the desk -Handed over his papers and the spec. 4 berated him for being late -Jim defended himself by saying he reported on time as instructed -A sergeant came over to assess the situation -Decided Jim was in the right and relieved the spec. 4 -Placed in an old motel for a night -Reported to the induction center the next day for processing (00:09:16) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Ord, California, for basic training -Arrived at mid-afternoon -Placed in barracks for the night -Assigned to guard duty -Two spec. 4s tried to get into the barracks -Jim stopped them and asked their business -Said they wanted to teach a new recruit a lesson -Recruit left his footlocker open, they would steal from it -Jim told them they wouldn't do that and took down their names -They attempted to proceed with their theft -Jim turned on the lights and woke up everyone �-He then told them to leave or face 45 angry recruits -Spec. 4s left without incident -The next day his sergeant talked to him about the situation -A week later, his sergeant told him the situation had been dealt with -Applauded Jim's action and promoted Jim to squad leader -Sergeant also had the spec. 4s demoted for their action -Did a lot of physical training -Getting prepared for combat -Psychologically breaking down and rebuilding the recruits -Be disciplined, learn to survive, and keep your comrades alive -He was in good physical shape -Helped him get his life in order -Did what he was told even when it was frustrating -For example, they usually had Sunday afternoons to themselves -One Sunday afternoon, the sergeant said he wanted to inspect their personal boxes -Meant they lost that Sunday afternoon (00:17:40) Advanced Infantry Training -Assigned to Infantry at the end of basic training -Sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for advanced infantry training (AIT) -Arrived at Fort Polk in late 1966 -Fort Polk had “Tigerland” (a training area set up like a Vietnamese village) -Received mortar training -Went on field exercises -First night in the field he and the other men were ordered to dig a foxhole three feet deep -Due to the water in the ground he only dug down eight inches and hit water -Meant he had to sleep in about two feet of water -Had an infiltration range -Go from Point A to Point B without getting “captured” -Given a map -If they were caught, they would be sent to a mock prisoner-of-war camp -He was traveling with a group of six or seven other men -Walked into an ambush -Taken to the prisoner-of-war camp -Gave his name, rank, and serial number -Interrogator wanted his unit name and Jim refused -This prompted the interrogator to punch Jim in the chest -Interrogators continued to slap and abuse Jim for not answering their questions -Brought to a flag pole, sat down, and tied up -Interrogators kept slapping him, kicking his arms, and stepping on his chest -Despite the abuse, Jim refused to answer -Chaplain came up to him and asked him for his unit, and Jim refused -Chaplain untied him and told him he could leave the camp -Jim was wary, at first, then left and trucks brought him back to base -The prisoner-of-war camp experience taught him to survive -Trained with the M14 rifle, the Light Anti-Tank Weapon, the .50 caliber machine gun, and bazookas -Learned how to sight and fire mortars -Learned how to calculate targets -Taught them nothing about Vietnam -Some of the instructors had been to Vietnam, but didn't talk about their experience �-Taught about some booby traps and what to look for -Received CS gas training -Placed in a room while wearing a gas mask, then the room filled with CS gas (tear gas) -Once the room was filled with gas they had to take off their gas masks -Received grenade training -Learned how to read maps -Took proficiency test and received a very high score -Granted a weekend pass to get off base, but he had no money -Broke his foot during AIT -Medic told him not to walk and gave him a note -Gave the note to his sergeant and the sergeant didn't believe him -His platoon helped him march back to camp -Returned to Fort Polk and got two days of kitchen patrol duty -Went to sick bay to get his foot treated -They didn't believe him, so he went back out for training -Did 2 ½ weeks of training with a broken foot -AIT lasted eight weeks (00:33:04) Leave before Deployment -Went to California for a month of leave -Went to the hospital at the base at China Lake -Received x-rays and told that he had indeed broken his foot -Told he could have it re-broken and reset, but it would take months to heal -Decided not to have that surgery -Had foot surgery 15 years later -Parents and brother weren't happy that he was being deployed to Vietnam -He knew a lot of Americans were getting killed in Vietnam -Knew that the US was fighting against the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong (00:35:30) Deployment to Vietnam -Got on a bus and reported to a place near Fort Ord -Flown to Vietnam on a chartered jet -Stopped at Hawaii -Landed at Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam -Hot, humid, and sandy -Taken to a building and stayed there for two days (00:36:53) Assignment to 1st Cavalry Division -Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division in An Khe -Located in the Central Highlands -Verdant, beautiful region -Flown up to the base -He expected to be assigned to Charlie Company as an infantryman, specifically on mortars (00:37:55) Working in Battalion Supply -At the headquarters the new men were asked if any of them could type -He said that he could -Placed into the Headquarters Company for Battalion Supply -Battalion Supply had its own area on the base at An Khe -Office building, eating area, small shower, outhouse, barracks, and Quonset hut with supplies -Took over as a supply clerk -Had four days to learn how to do the job -Promoted to the rank of E4 (Specialist or Corporal) �-Worked with captain, lieutenant, sergeant, sergeant first class, and warrant officer -Captain, lieutenant, and sergeant were usually at LZ English -Jim was placed in charge of handling the supplies at An Khe and training a new private first class -Warrant officer and sergeant first class usually stayed on base, but busy with their own tasks -LZ English was also in the Central Highlands, about a 90 minute drive from An Khe -Took him four weeks to really learn the job -Officers and sergeants were supportive -Got only four hours of sleep each night during that four week period -1,200 men depended on him to know how to do his job and do it well -In charge of supply paperwork and insuring that the troops got their supplies -Helped two officers that had lost some material in a fire -The Army wanted to hold them responsible for the costs -Jim managed to get some supplies to make up for the material lost -This allowed the two officers to have their records cleared -Stayed at An Khe for six months (latter part of 1967) (00:47:04) Contact with Vietnamese Civilians -Vietnamese civilians worked on the base at An Khe -Remembers one funny incident involving a Vietnamese cleaning woman -The outhouses at An Khe had three toilets, not separated by walls -He went to use one of the toilets, leaving a space between himself and the other man -A Vietnamese woman was sweeping around the outhouse -She came inside, sat between the two men, and used the bathroom -Shocked Jim how nonchalant the Vietnamese were about things like that -Vietnamese civilians on the base mostly cleaned or did other maintenance work -Brought laundry to a Vietnamese family living in the town of An Khe -Family was grateful for the American presence -He learned about some of the Vietnamese culture (00:49:49) Prostitution & Drug Use -There was a brothel in An Khe -Drugs were available in An Khe -Knew some men that visited the brothel -Dangerous because some of the women could be agents for the Viet Cong or North Vietnamese -Men contracted diseases -Saw men going on patrols and getting high beforehand, or using while on patrols -Saw it as unacceptable in a combat zone -Putting yourself in danger and putting others in danger (00:51:48) Guard Duty at An Khe -Pulled guard duty one night at An Khe -When he was on guard duty he was stationed in the “green zone” -Open space, well-lit, surrounded by barbed wire, and with a few bunkers -Aim was to keep intruders from getting past the “green zone” into the base -While on guard duty he saw a jeep approach with a sergeant and a lieutenant -Lieutenant was still wearing his lieutenant medal (two gold bars), and had his sleeves rolled up -Clearly an officer, and a target for the Vietnamese -Jim ordered the two men to halt and identify themselves -The two men didn't stop -He challenged the two men two more times, and they refused to stop again -Jim loaded his rifle and ordered the men to stop again -The sergeant stopped, but the lieutenant kept walking �-The lieutenant approached Jim and started yelling at Jim for pointing a rifle at an officer -Jim told the lieutenant he broke protocol and was drawing too much attention -Jim told his commanding officer about the incident the next day -Asked his commanding officer what would've happened if Jim had shot -Jim would have been tried by the Army and charged with murder -He would've been fined a carton of cigarettes for the crime -He would've then been given a carton of cigarettes to pay his fine -Meant Jim would have been protected from actual prosecution (00:58:20) Supply Networks -Soldiers came to him to ask for supplies which allowed him to create a network with other troops -One officer wanted 1,200 spare uniforms and 1,200 spare pairs of socks for the battalion -Men needed to be able to change their clothing to avoid skin infections -Jim worked it out and got the supplies -He had enough clothing that the men could change their clothes every day -Had another sergeant come from the maintenance battalion asking for a new pair of boots -Jim had a few extra pairs of boots that would fit the sergeant and he gave them to the man -The sergeant worked in the kitchen -Two hours later a truck pulled up with four soldiers -They unloaded a refrigerator and gave it to Jim -Filled with soda, beer, chicken, and steak -Gift to Jim from the sergeant for getting a pair of boots -Men networked to get extra supplies so they could sell those supplies on the black market -Jim always saw his networking as a way to help the unit, not himself -One friend needed a gun cleaning rod for his rifle -The friend went to the supply tent at LZ English and was told he needed a requisition form -The supplies at LZ English were basically free for the taking -Jim went out to LZ English and told the man at the supply tent not to ask for requisition forms -The men in the field needed supplies for survival without bureaucracy in the way (01:08:33) Traveling to LZ English -Unsafe to drive between An Khe and LZ English -Remembers driving between those two places and taking fire from a bamboo patch -An armored vehicle came up to Jim's convoy and dealt with the enemy force -Roads between An Khe and LZ English were made of red clay -This clay produced dust which lowered visibility and made driving dangerous -Had mirrors shot off of his jeep when he drove between An Khe and LZ English -Remembers while traveling between the two places he saw a water trailer on the side of the road -The soldier in charge had most likely stopped off to get a bite to eat -The men in the field needed that water -Jim picked up the trailer and brought it base Part 2 – 58 minutes 12 seconds (01:11:33) Stationed at Dak To -Never experienced any infiltrations or attacks while stationed at An Khe -4th Infantry Division got hit hard while at Dak To -Remembers talking to a Specialist 4th Grade in the 4th Infantry Division -Placed in charge of a company of 21 men -Note: Company usually consisted of 200 men led by a lieutenant -The 12th Cavalry Regiment went to Dak To to relieve the 4th Infantry Division �-Stopped at a village en route to wait for the convoy to assemble -Vietnamese man and his son came up to the convoy bearing fruit -Wanted his son to know the Americans were there to help -Proceeded to Dak To with tanks and armored personnel carriers -When he arrived at Dak To he was told that he was expendable -Base was taking fire when they arrived -A Vietnamese shell hit a plane near the ammunition dump -Caused the plane to explode which then caused the ammo dump to explode -When he arrived at Dak To he spent two hours loading dead bodies onto trucks -Given weapons left behind by the 4th Infantry Division -South Vietnamese troops had been ordered to deal with the North Vietnamese troops -The South Vietnamese left when the ammo dump exploded -Fortunately, the North Vietnamese didn't attack when the South Vietnamese left -Remembers looking up at night and watching helicopters firing mini-guns at enemy positions -The tracer rounds burned red and looked like a single red line from the helicopter to the ground -Stayed at Dak To for three or four weeks -Marines tried to take a nearby hill from the North Vietnamese -Tried assaulting from the bottom of the hill and lacked proper supplies -Cavalry landed on the top of the hill and worked down it rather than fight up it -Marines were typically under-equipped and used outdated helicopters -Stayed at Dak To the entire time that the 12th Cavalry Regiment was there (01:21:18) Stationed at Quang Tri & the Tet Offensive -Received orders to move to Quang Tri -Traveled as a convoy -Stopped in Da Nang -Stayed at the Air Force reception center -Hadn't showered or had a hot meal in three or four weeks -Air Force had a buffet and encouraged the soldiers to eat to their fill -Felt like being in the United States -Stayed there for two days -Passed through Hue shortly after the Viet Cong were pushed out of the city -Note: This would've been at the end of January 1968 during the Tet Offensive -Saw destroyed Vietnamese vehicles -Buildings pockmarked with bullet holes -Reached Quang Tri -Heard a rumor that the North Vietnamese were moving toward Quang Tri -Intended to push out the Americans wipe out the city -Quang Tri was predominantly Catholic -North Vietnamese equated Catholicism with capitalism and imperialism -Caught a few North Vietnamese soldiers -Interrogators brought them up in helicopters -One of the prisoners refused to talk, so she was thrown from the helicopter -The other two prisoners decided to tell everything they knew -Learned that three regiments of North Vietnamese soldiers were moving toward Quang Tri -This allowed American forces to intercept the North Vietnamese and stop them -Saved Quang Tri from certain destruction -Happened shortly after the Tet Offensive (01:27:15) Rules of Engagement -There were certain rules of engagement governing which towns could be attacked �-Remembers being in headquarters and there was mortar fire coming from a village -A gunship requested permission to fire on the village -Headquarters denied permission, but the gunship opened fire anyway -Ground forces investigated the village after the incident -Found mortars, machine guns, and recoil-less rifles -Knew some groups of American troops that crossed the demilitarized zone in North Vietnam -American ground forces forbidden to enter North Vietnam -Too many rules made it impossible for the United States to ever win the war (01:29:15) Interactions with Army of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) -Saw ARVN units at Dak To and Pleiku -ARVN troops at Pleiku stole some material from American troops -Chased them down and got back their possessions -Noticed ARVN troops watching them with a machine gun -Had no respect for ARVN soldiers -Respected the Montagnard soldiers -Montagnard: Ethnic group of hill people that fought for the United States -Tenacious fighters, disciplined, pro-American, and followed orders (01:31:35) Cities in Vietnam -Passed through the city of Kontum while en route to Dak To -Mud plaster buildings painted orange and brown -No modern buildings -Busy city -Saw ARVN soldier with a face scarred by burns -Asked what happened to him -He had been with the North Vietnamese and was wounded by a gunship -After that he defected to South Vietnam and joined the ARVN (01:33:55) R&R -Went to Manila in the Philippines for his R&R -His brother had married a Filipino woman -Got to meet his sister-in-law's family -Enjoyed his time with them -Always interested in learning about different cultures -His sister-in-law's family welcomed him with love and hospitality -Remembers them making breakfast for him -Beer, eggs, and meat wrapped in banana leaves -Filipinos thought Americans drank beer with every meal -His sister-in-law's father told Jim about the Japanese occupation of Manila -Learned about the atrocities committed by the Japanese -He was walking home one night and found a rosary in the rubble of a building -Hid it during the war -Gave it to Jim (01:38:13) Contact with Home & Meeting his Wife -Had a lot of contact with home -Wrote his mother at least once a week -Friend got a birthday card from his fiancee's two girl friends -Jim started writing to one of the girls -Talked about religion in their letters -She was Christian and he was not at the time -Led to his perspective changing while he was in Vietnam �-Wrote to the girl for about nine months, and started writing each other every day -After his tour he was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado -Girl moved to Boulder, Colorado -He went and met her -First time meeting in person -Eventually led to them getting married (01:43:37) Evidence of the War & Supply Work in Quang Tri -Saw a lot of bloodied, burned, or otherwise damaged material being disposed of -Reminded him that he had to just keep doing his work to keep the soldiers supplied -Kept doing the same work every day until he left Vietnam -Remembers seeing an Army funeral in Quang Tri for 28 soldiers killed in action -Somber experience -Saw gunships fly over to salute the fallen soldiers -30 minutes later the base took incoming fire (01:46:28) End of Tour -Received orders to fly to An Khe -Did some paperwork and sat around for a couple days -Went back to Cam Ranh Bay and boarded a chartered Japanese airliner -Men cheered when they took off from Vietnam -Landed at Fort Lewis, Washington -Did more paperwork -Received orders for Fort Carson, Colorado, for the last six months of his enlistment -Told to expect protestors and ignore them (01:48:15) Anti-War Protestors -Given a month of leave before reporting to Fort Carson -Met up with a friend from the Army in Los Angeles -Some anti-war protestors heckled Jim and his friend, but they ignored them -In Colorado he heard some men talk about harassment from protestors (01:49:49) Stationed at Fort Carson -While at Fort Carson, Colorado, he was placed in battalion supply -Had a maintenance soldier helping him -Essentially a day job -Battalion supply was run well and efficiently -Awarded a Bronze Star at Fort Carson for doing his job exceptionally well (01:51:22) End of Service -Had made the rank of sergeant within six months of being in Vietnam -At the end of the tour he was offered a promotion and a raise of $10 -Also meant he would have to go into combat and have to extend his tour -Decided to leave Vietnam, take his six months of stateside duty and get out of the Army (01:53:03) Life after the War -Got a job as a credit collection manager for Sears -Did that for two years -Had converted to Christianity by this time -Troubled him to go to people's houses and threaten them with reposession -Decided to quit the Sears job and return to college -Studied Wildlife Management at South Dakota State University -Moved to South Dakota with his wife -Graduated as a wildlife biologist -Taught Sunday school while in South Dakota �-Showed him that he loved teaching -Decided to join the Student Teacher Association at South Dakota State -Became president of the association after attending one meeting -Wanted to get into the teaching program, but had a GPA of 2.99 -Program required a 3.0 -Applied anyway, and was accepted -Applied for wildlife jobs and teaching jobs after he graduated from college -Offered a job at Lansing Christian School in Lansing, Illinois -Took the job and worked there for two years -Got a job at Zeeland Christian School in Zeeland, Michigan -Taught there for 22 years -Remembers helping a wayward 8th grade student with a terrible home life -Rewarding experience and he wanted to help more children like that -Got a job at Vanderbilt Charter Academy in Holland, Michigan -75% of the students there were considered “at risk” (future crime, drug use, etc.) -One of the best jobs he ever had was working with those students and helping them -Became the assistant principal of the academy and that was the best job he ever had (02:07:22) Reflections on Service -Time in Vietnam made him more selfless and aware of other people -Tried to help and save as many men in Vietnam as possible -That attitude carried over into civilian life -His experiences in Vietnam and immediately afterward led him to convert to Christianity -Made him realize that there is more to life than himself � 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 KeatleyJ1919V Title A name given to the resource Keatley, James (Interview outline and video), 2016 Description An account of the resource Jim Keatley was born in Bremerton, Washington, in 1945. In the summer of 1966 he received his draft notice and received his basic training at Fort Ord, California. Upon completion of basic training he was sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana, for Advanced Infantry Training and completed that after eight weeks. After a month of leave he was deployed to Vietnam, arriving at Cam Ranh Bay. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, of the 1st Cavalry Division in An Khe. He was assigned to Headquarters Company and worked in Battalion Supply insuring the men in the battalion received enough supplies. For six months he worked in An Khe and Landing Zone English. The 12th Cavalry Regiment relieved the 4th Infantry Division at Dak To, and he stayed there for three or four weeks. From Dak To the unit moved to Quang Tri and he spent the remaining five months of his tour at that base. Upon returning to the United States he received a month of leave and spent the last six months of his enlistment at Fort Carson, Colorado, working in battalion supply. He was discharged at Fort Carson (most likely in late 1968) with a Bronze Star and the rank of sergeant. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keatley, James G. 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 United States. Army Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-02-11 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7ca00e33edd83093bc38728cb01d6d7f.mp4 e478d1c77c6e815a5eff4bca08c56448 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f23c838d7d2de7c6297d979201f4a0ae.pdf a1962c92a9c3a3a1616293cb5957e137 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Richard Keberle (28:44) (00:04) Background Information • When Richard was younger he broke a lot of his toys • His family did not have much money during the Depression • He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in November of 1931 • His father was a maintenance supervisor • His mother worked for a short time during World War Two • He went to school at West Technical high school (3:50) Activities at School • Richard often played marbles with his friends • He did not get involved in any sports, but did enjoy lifting weights • He was interested in airplanes while he was in high school but was not sure if he would be going to college or joining the service (7:20) Pearl Harbor • Richard was only about ten years old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor • Many people did not even know where the base was even located • He graduated from high school in 1950 (8:30) The Korean War • Richard joined the National Guard after high school • Many people became part of the Air Force after it was renamed after the Air National Guard • They were phasing out the P-51s and bringing in new jets • Richard started out as a mechanic and then went on to do clerical work • They changed the Air Corps to the Air Force around 1951 and everyone was issued new uniforms (13:00) The National Guard • Richard joined the National Guard in eleventh grade and just trained on weekends • He worked as a civilian employee in the Air National Guard in Michigan after high school • He eventually became aid to a General who had been an Ace in World War Two • The General made him Master Sergeant (18:40) Life After the Air Force • It was tough to make any money for a living for a long time • He tried owning a gas station, a car-sales company, and eventually ended up doing well in the restaurant business • He also worked as a salesman for Sysco Foods after he sold his restaurant � 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 KeberleR Title A name given to the resource Keberle, Richard (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keberle, Richard Description An account of the resource Richard Keberle was born in Ohio during the beginning of the Depression. His family did not have very much money and he joined the National Guard in eleventh grade. After graduating from high school, Richard spent more of his time in the Air National Guard, which eventually became part of the Air Force, serving between 1949 and 1954. Richard remembers the changes that took place while the Air Force was being created. Keberle served as a clerk and did not fight in the Korean War. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer) Collins, Carol (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Veterans Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-05-15 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c2cc37fe55f82d5c0636e3c660e382cd.m4v 315533310f586ba2703039cac688576a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2a0e4ac1680d613e25570f86efdfc951.pdf 3091b92eec2e298cf76384f5100b623c PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Robert Keegstra World War II 40 minutes 55 seconds (00:00:32) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 20, 1919 -Grew up in Grand Rapids -Lived in several different houses that his father built -Father worked in the retail lumber business -Started his own company, Keegstra Lumber Company, in Grand Rapids -The Great Depression was difficult for his family -Father only brought home $25 a week, the rest went to keeping the company open -Had customers -Those that couldn't pay worked off their debt -Attended three different grade schools -Graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School in 1937 -Took a year off after he graduated -Worked for his father -Hitchhiked around the United States -Saw the East Coast -Went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids -Studied there for two years -Majored in economics and business -Decided to transfer to Northwestern University in Chicago -Prior to transferring to Northwestern, he went to a program in Indiana about selling Bibles -Tried to sell Bibles in small towns in Texas, but he didn't make any money doing that -Attended Northwestern University for one year (00:04:55) Enlisting in the Navy -Got drafted when he was at Northwestern University -Had tried to enlist in the Army Air Force in Detroit -Turned away because he didn't meet all of the physical requirements -On the day he was supposed to report for the draft he went to Detroit and joined the Navy -Enlisted on August 7, 1941 (00:06:22) Basic Training -Went to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training -Part of basic training was figuring out where you would work the best -Accepted that, either way, he had to serve (00:07:02) Yeoman School -He knew how to type, so he volunteered for Yeoman School -Meant he would be doing secretarial-type work -Keeping track of where sailors were on base and filing other paperwork -Note: A wide range of administrative and clerical duties -Sent to Toledo, Ohio for Yeoman School -That school lasted 16 weeks -Graduated and made the rank of yeoman �(00:07:54) Stationed at Naval Air Station Glenview Pt. 1 -He did so well in Yeoman School that he could select where he wanted to be assigned -Selected Naval Air Station (NAS) Glenview in Glenview, Illinois -Near where his girlfriend lived -While stationed at NAS Glenview, he lived at his girlfriend's house and hitchhiked to the base (00:08:38) Start of the War -Remembers hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor on the news -Came as a shock because he hadn't followed fighting in Europe and Asia since 1939 -Knew that it was the beginning of America's involvement in the Second World War -Noticed food and gas rationing go into effect -Remembers blackouts at night -Either had to turn off your lights or put up thick curtains to block out light -Meant Axis bombers couldn't see where their targets were if they made it to the U.S. -On the coasts it was so enemy subs couldn't see the silhouettes of ships (00:09:57) Stationed at Naval Air Station Glenview Pt. 2 -Worked at Glenview as a yeoman -It was not a large base -Place where Naval Aviators trained (00�:10:34) U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen School -Had three years of college and decided that he wanted to advance himself in the Navy -Sent in paperwork for U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen School (officer training) -Sent to Abbott Hall at Northwestern University for his officer training -Lasted 16 weeks -Studied navigation and gunnery -Received physical training -Learned about the different components of the Navy -Did so well with his school that he stayed at Abbott Hall and served as a navigation instructor -Graduated from U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen School on the morning of October 30, 1942 -Promoted to the rank of ensign -Got married that same night -Served at Abbott Hall as an instructor for a year (00:15:15) Stationed in Hollywood, Florida Pt. 1 -In January 1944 he was sent to Hollywood, Florida to serve as a navigation instructor -Wife and daughter were able to go with him to Florida -Lived off the base -Instructed there for a year and a half (00:15:48) Getting Married -Had a military wedding -All of his groomsmen were officers that trained at Northwestern University -His best man was his roommate when he went through officer training (00:16:26) Stationed in Hollywood, Florida Pt. 2 -Hollywood is south of Fort Lauderdale -On the coast of the Atlantic Ocean -Meant they had to have blackouts at night -Remembers a tornado went through Hollywood -Filled the hotel on Hollywood Beach with sand -Students lived in the hotel -He and his family lived in an apartment two or three blocks from the hotel -Lived in the city of Hollywood in the winter, and lived at Hollywood Beach in the summer �-Had maid service in the apartment -Knew U-Boats were near the coast -Naval Aviators and ships did training maneuvers off the coast -Most likely kept the German submarines away -Took students out on the water navigation training -Sailed to Nassau, Bahamas -Borrowed two boats from the Coast Guard and sailed to Havana, Cuba for the day -Training for the students, but recreation for the instructors -Mix of classroom work and practical training concerning navigation -Didn't do too much gunnery training -He didn't have a car at first when he moved to Hollywood -Went up to Grand Rapids, bought a used car, and drove it back down to Florida -Wife stayed in the apartment and took care of their daughter -The navigation school in Hollywood closed after a year and a half (00:21:19) Assignment to the USS Savannah (CL-42) -Assigned to the USS Savannah (CL-42) -A light cruiser -Went to New York City to board the ship -When he arrived he discovered it was in dry dock receiving repairs -After a few days of waiting around he received new orders -Sent back to Hollywood, Florida for Radar Training -Wife visited him for a few days -Received one month of training -Went to Rhode Island to bard the ship -Joined the ship in early March 1945 (00:23:07) Duty aboard the USS Savannah -Worked in the Combat Information Center (CIC) -Tactical center of a warship that processes information for the ship's area of operations -Received further radar training aboard the Savannah -If a plane was coming he could see it on the radar scope -Went to the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Florida for training -Chance for pilots to get used to being launched off the ship's catapult -Operated in the Gulf of Mexico for the remainder of the war -Had been on a larger ship on a larger body of water before -Took a passenger ship across Lake Michigan to Chicago when he was a boy -He didn't get seasick on the Savannah but his stomach felt uneasy at first (00:26:12) Possible Transfer to Pacific Theater -Considered requesting a transfer to the Pacific Theater -Wrote to a friend serving in that area and asked him what he thought about that idea -Advised Robert not to do that (00:26:37) Rationing -Everyone, civilian and military, was treated the same during the war concerning rationing -Had grocery stores for military personnel at the places he served at -Wives were allowed to shop there -Could also go to Miami to get groceries when he was stationed at Hollywood, Florida (00:27:39) Stationed in Hollywood, Florida Pt. 3 -His duty in Hollywood was similar to a regular civilian job -Pulled guard duty at the dorms some nights -Never had any intruders or troublemakers when he pulled guard duty �-Navy moved families into the hotel when the tornado happened -One family to a room with one bed -Meant a four-person family had to share a one bed hotel room (00:29:38) Visiting Havana, Cuba in the Navy -Allowed to get off the Savannah at the various ports the ship stopped at -Remembers going ashore at Havana, Cuba -Able to explore the city -All of the Cubans he encountered were friendly people -In 1945 there were no signs of revolutionary activity (00:30:36) Visiting Havana, Cuba as a Civilian -Visited Havana again in the 1950s while the revolution was underway -Fidel was gaining power throughout the country -Armed guards everywhere -Not allowed to take pictures (00:31:34) End of Service -Discharged from the USS Savannah on October 22, 1945 in New Orleans -Sent north to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for his final discharge -Asked if he wanted to stay in the Navy Reserve, but he declined (00:32:48) Life after the War -Went back to Northwestern University -Graduated with a degree in business marketing -GI Bill helped him get through college -Got a job with an electric company in Chicago -Managed various railroad accounts and filled their orders -After two or three years he was transferred to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Worked for the electric company for a total of three or four years -Father planned on retiring from running Keegstra Lumber Company -Robert wanted to stay in Grand Rapids to raise his children -He quit the electric company job and bought Keegstra Lumber Company from his father -Managed the family business for over 25 years until he sold it and retired -Kept in touch with his best man -Lived in Marquette, Michigan, so he was able to drive up and visit him once in a while (00:36:06) Spirit of Grand Rapids Honor Flight -Event began around 5 AM on May 16, 2015 -Served breakfast at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids -Chartered plane was filled with veterans and their sponsors -As well as prominent local politicians and business leaders -Had been to Washington DC before, but never got to see the nation's memorials like he did on that trip -Had a wonderful time and felt they were all taken care of well -Had dinner in Washington DC in a WWII mess tent -Returned to Grand Rapids and went to East Kentwood High School -3,000 people welcomed them home and thanked them for their service (00:38:43) Reflections on Service -Felt he had very good duty because he didn't have to go overseas or see combat -Feels that he did his share by helping to train other servicemen -Recognizes that a lot of men had it terrible during the war -Believes that fighting a war effectively means this: -90% of your manpower is dedicated to logistics and training, 10% is dedicated to fighting -Very thankful that he enlisted in the Navy �� 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_KeegstraR1930V Title A name given to the resource Keegstra, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2016 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-02-27 Description An account of the resource Robert Keegstra was born on April 20, 1919 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He enlisted in the Navy on August 7, 1941 and received his basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois. He went to Yeoman School and after 16 weeks graduated as a yeoman in the Navy. He was stationed at Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois when the war began. In the summer of 1942 he went to U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen School at Abbott Hall at Northwestern University and graduated from that training on October 30, 1942 with the rank of ensign. He stayed there and worked as an instructor for a little over a year, then was transferred in January 1944 to Hollywood, Florida where he worked as a navigation instructor. In March 1945 he joined the crew of the USS Savannah (CL-42) and trained in the Gulf of Mexico through the summer and early fall of 1945. On October 22, 1945 he left the ship in New Orleans and shortly thereafter was discharged from the Navy at Great Lakes Naval Station. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keegstra, Robert 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. Navy 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> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2cbe1d2721cc97323e958d8bad3274dc.mp4 e036abac35d2bc114b41eaa1e6ef636a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/df2cf00a239f5ceeb03c4d324e89f56f.pdf 8675aacea96a448ef3ddd6c2f9fb3a5f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 1] FRANK BORING: What were you doing prior to joining the military? BUSTER KEETON: Before I joined the military, I was going to college, Colorado College in Colorado. The Navy was sending through recruiters for cadets for the cadet program down at Pensacola. Right after graduation, I got the word that I’d been accepted. So, we had to report to Oakland, they called the naval reserve base at that time. So that’s where I reported and I got my 8 hours of flying, and they turned me loose and I got the three bounces and then I was on my way to Pensacola. After a month, why then I reported down to Pensacola in the fall of 1938. FRANK BORING: What was it you were doing in Pensacola? What kind of flying? What kind of airplanes? BUSTER KEETON: The airplanes we flew, we had five squadrons at that time at Pensacola. There was the first squadron Sea Plane squadron, single engine on floats and the second squadron was the same kind of airplane, N3N’s which is a Navy version, built by the Navy. Then the SN which was a Stillman trainer and that was squadron 2. And then in squadron 3, why we had land planes where we started getting gunnery practice and those were the old observation planes and they scout - beginning of the dive bombs. Then in squadron 4 was Sea Planes - twin engine sea planes. Then from squadron 4 we �went to squadron 5 where we got an instrument flying an SNJ’s and then the little bit of fighter flying of which we got the old Boeing F4V4 which is the same as the army B 12. FRANK BORING: Who were some of the people that you met during your stay there in Pensacola? BUSTER KEETON: Well, there’s people I met while at Pensacola. Of course Tex Hill and I were classmates. John Hennessy was a classmate. Christman who was ahead of me a couple of classes, but came from Colorado. Talking about all of these boys landed in the American volunteer group. Bob Neale and Jack Newkirk and I lived in wing 3 the same wing. Bill Fish, who I knew, he lived upstairs some place. There’s more but I can’t think right now who they might be. FRANK BORING: What was it that interested you to get involved with flight, with airplanes to begin with? BUSTER KEETON: Well, actually the first, I don’t remember how young or how old I was, but Lindberg on one of his barnstorming flights before he made the trip across the Atlantic. He did that in 1927, so it probably had to be around 1924 or 25, I would have been about 9 or 10 years old. He made a forced landing - we had a farm just south of town in Southeast Colorado. He made a forced landing on this brand new hay field, kind of burnt my Dad up a little bit. He didn’t like his hay field - and so to make up for it, why I maneuvered some way to get a ride and that was the first time I ever saw an airplane and it ended up I got a ride out of it. From then until the Navy came recruiting through, I didn’t think much about it, because I didn’t have the opportunity. But when they came thru I was ready. Why I really don’t know. FRANK BORING: Begin by saying Lindberg on one of his barnstorming tours had a forced landing and then tell about how your father got burnt up and how you maneuvered a ride and that’s what got you interested in flying. �BUSTER KEETON: Lindberg on one of his barnstorming flights cross country before he made his trip across the water had a forced landing on my dad’s farm and landed in this new alfalfa field and sort of tore it up pretty good and coming out of that why I finagled a ride somehow. I’m not sure now how. But I got a ride and that was my first airplane ride. I think that that stuck with me and got me interested in flying and eventually I ended up in aviation. I spent 40 years of it. FRANK BORING: Your still in Pensacola, what were you doing just before you heard about the opportunity in China? What were you actually doing before you heard about the opportunity in China? BUSTER KEETON: That would be in San Diego. When I heard about the American Volunteer Group being formed, Tommy Cole was my roommate. I think probably the first person who heard about the meeting with this retired, Commander - retired Navy Commander. So Tommy Cole and I went over. He was having a meeting someplace on the island. We went over but the commander wouldn’t have anything to do with us because we were patrol plane pilots and he was looking strictly for fighter pilots at that time. Later on he couldn’t get enough fighter pilots so they started taking dive bomber pilots and that’s when Bob Neale, Tex Hill and a couple more of the boys signed up and then later on why they couldn’t get enough dive bombers, so they started taking patrol plane pilots and that's when Tommy Cole, Pappy Packs and my two roommates and myself and a few more of the boys like Benny Foshee they accepted us and we got to go. FRANK BORING: What was the interest you had... why would you even attempt to go and talk to this guy? BUSTER KEETON: I think several things. One thing is China, I’d never - I really didn’t know anything about China. A lot of the boys, like Rector had read Kipling all of his life. I don’t think I’d ever even heard of Kipling. China sounded like a good thing, plus the fact the squadron and �everybody on North Island pretty well knew that war was coming and when or how we didn’t know but this was a way to get into it quicker and help get it over with or something. Plus the fact that it was exciting, something different. I really don’t know what the number one answer is but I think just a lot of everything. FRANK BORING: Were you talking about the opportunity to the other guys. I mean was there bull sessions about China and Tex Hill telling you a little bit or Ed Rector telling you a bit? BUSTER KEETON: Before we signed up with AVG, Tommy Cole and Pappy Paxton and Betty Foshee and a couple, three of the other boys that didn’t go yet. Several conversations before they wouldn’t accept us and after they accepted us, and we all thought it was a great idea happy to go. Plus we weren’t getting as much flying and the main thing was we all wanted to be fighter pilots and we couldn’t, we were patrol plane pilots and I think really down if you got to the bottom of it that’s what it was mostly, getting to be a fighter pilot. FRANK BORING: What did you know about Japan at that time? BUSTER KEETON: The only thing I can remember about Japan at that time, is you would hear from different people in various places that we were selling all of our junk to Japan and a lot of the people especially the military people were thinking, which turned out to be correct that they were taking all of this junk and building into armament, eventually which they used against us. And how they did it and what shape, I’m not familiar with. It turned out that that’s when they built ships. I’m sure they didn’t build airplanes but I’m sure they could have built ships or something of that type. FRANK BORING: What was it about fighter airplane, the whole idea of being a fighter pilot that attracted you? BUSTER KING: I think being a fighter pilot, every pilot, especially when you are starting out to fly, wants to be a fighter pilot. I’ve never run into a �pilot yet in the beginning but what he wanted to be a fighter pilot. You’re young and full of “you know what” and that’s the best way to go. You don’t want to sit up in the big old sea plane and wallow around - you want to get out and be a fighter pilot and if you go to war why then you start shooting bullets and flying around. I think, later on you go into the airline or the bomber or the sea plane patrol or something, but in the beginning why the fighter pilot’s it. FRANK BORING: Did you ever get a chance to see the film footage that was shown before movies about the bombing of Chinese cities. Sometimes if you go to see a movie, they would have newsreels in the beginning. Do you recall ever seeing or did it ever affect you what was happening in China? Once you made the decision to go and they’ve gone thru the process of looking for fighter pilots and couldn’t get those and went to other ones and finally got down to accepting you, what was the process of resigning your commission? Was it an easy process or was it difficult - from the military point of view, letting you out of the military? BUSTER KEETON: To resign from the military at the time got to where I asked for my resignation, it was no problem what so ever because there had been so many before. The word had been sent down from the white house - President Roosevelt himself to let these people go. So I had no problem what so ever. All I really had to do was go up and ask for their resignation what I was going to do and the commander gave me the papers, I gave them to the squadron commander and as far as I know that’s all there was to it. I don’t remember anything more than just being anything more than just that. FRANK BORING: Once the decision had been made and you had already signed your papers, what did you tell your friends and family about what you were doing? Did you get a chance to talk to family members or friends? �BUSTER KEETON: Oh, yeah, before we went to China, I’m not exactly sure what we did tell them. It certainly wasn’t going over to do what we were doing, but I haven’t given any thought to that for so long, I’ve forgotten what it was, but it was something about maybe flying patrols up and down the Burma Road or something like that. Definitely not what was in the contract and that we were going to be in a fighting or shooting war. Nothing like that. I guess that’s about it. Can’t think of anything else. FRANK BORING: Was that out of concern of them worrying about you or… BUSTER KEETON: No, no. Everybody seemed to think it was a good idea. As far as I remember, my friends I knew in Southern California where I was based in the Navy. I remember we made a quick trip back to Colorado and saw my folks and friends there and they all - so whatever I told them they thought it was a good idea. I’m not sure what I told them now. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 1 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton discusses what he was doing prior to joining the military and when he first learned of the opportunity to work with the American Volunteer Group in China. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c2f2ff7ccffd24e3b65aa382a363d80b.mp4 1be9d20ea99a525390ec8fb07b031b86 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/77ead83d0b1675d4b3679979cd801cf5.pdf 5c6f0fea73316c18df776ffcf2898bca PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 2] FRANK BORING: If you could just talk about the days that you spent with these people before you actually went to China. BUSTER KEETON: Before our boat sailed out of San Francisco, we had about three setbacks. So every time we’d have a setback, I’d go back down to Southern California where my friends were - Andy and Doogie Devine, and Lou and Linda Crosby, and Tuffy and Liz Goff. How I met these people was through Lou Crosby who I went to college with back in Colorado. Then Andy and I when I was stationed at North Island, we went sword fishing and both caught a sward fish and this is quite a story in itself. We both caught one at the same time and thank gosh we had a good boatsman, finally we got them both in and usually you have to cut one loose. So I’d make a trip up to San Francisco to catch the boat and it would be delayed another week and I’d get on an airplane, fly back down. We would spend our time, well, we’d either go fishing or we didn’t play golf in those days, I don’t know, just sitting around telling lies and laughing at those people. That Andy and Tuffy are two of the funniest people that you ever met. And later on in life they were good friends to Phil Harris who Mave [?]. And I finally met and the three of them, I’m telling you. Something else. But that’s where I was spending most of my time, before we finally caught the ship and we took off. �FRANK BORING: When you, in September of 1941, is this the same period of time that you met John Wayne? BUSTER KEETON: Yeah, but I can’t remember where we met him. Late at night in some bar. One night when it was late we were in some bar in Hollywood we ran into John Wayne. I don’t know, at the time, I didn’t think much of him. Why, I really don’t know because later on I had a chance to meet him several times with Andy. In fact, several times when I was flying the airline - the old Boeing 377 from Paris to New York, I had him up in the cock pit for the whole trip and he couldn’t be a more delightful individual. So it goes to show, the first meeting isn’t always the greatest. FRANK BORING: In 1941, September you had some meetings with the CAMCO Representative, the actual representative from CAMCO. Do you recall what it was they were telling you to expect? What they expected of you? BUSTER KEETON: When we had a meeting with the representatives before the CAMCO people before we took off, I’m really not sure what all went on except they told us what would be the procedure aboard ship and then when we got to Rangoon why we’d get our pay checks for the money that hadn’t been advanced to us previously and how our money - we would get so much and then the rest would be sent home to our bank. Pretty much they did a good job, they filled us in on I think everything they possibly could have. I thought the relationship was real good at that time and most everything they told us - meeting in San Francisco and what happened on the ship and what happened in Rangoon and then on up to Toungoo. Everything they told us pretty much turned out to be the fact. FRANK BORING: Did they state that you would have passage to China and then return passage at the end of the year? �BUSTER KEETON: As I remember, they said that we would have passage to China and yes, we’d have passage back to the United States. I’m almost positive that that was the statement that was made. Whether that was in the contract, I’m not sure because I haven’t seen the contract. Whether I ever saw one, I’m not sure. FRANK BORING: On the 24th, the Boschfontein departed from SF and in your diary you talked with Al Anderson. At the time you didn’t really know what was going on in the Far East but after talking to him he gave you a very different outlook on the Far East. Can you recall the conversation you had with him or what was it about the Far East that was different as he told it to you since he’d been there many times? BUSTER KEETON: The conversation I had with Anderson if I can remember it correctly, he had lots of experience in the Far East and actually I knew nothing about it and another thing if I remember correctly, he filled not only myself but several of the boys in that the Japanese were good pilots. They weren’t all wearing glasses and couldn’t see and they couldn’t shoot. He said they were very good pilots, very good at bombing and they shot straight. Of course, maybe it was joking between people, we’d always heard that they couldn’t shoot straight and all of this. Later we found out that they could shoot pretty straight. FRANK BORING: What was your impression of your fellow travelers on this boat? Not just the AVG but also some of the other people. BUSTER KEETON: There were several very, very interesting passengers. I don’t recall exactly everything about them, but there were quite a few missionaries of course and the missionaries were very interesting people, in fact it was one that had been a bishop in a church right close to where I lived, where I was growing up. But the other people were going over to fly for the Dutch in Dutch East Indies and very, very charming, very intelligent people. We had some very good relationships. I haven’t given it much thought lately, but �for years afterwards, I often wondered what happened to all those boys, some of the missionaries too. FRANK BORING: What kind of impression did you have of some of these guys who were going to China? I know you knew some of them already, but what was your first impressions of some of these guys you were with? BUSTER KEETON: I thought that the guys going over were all real clean cut and good guys. Some of them a little ornerier then others. We, I don’t like to talk about places, people - I might have said something in my diary about maybe Boyington drank too much or always wanted a fight or something like that. Which was true and then Prescott and Gun [?] all got in a little scrap and Smith who was the senior officer who always got us up for reveille wasn’t very well thought of. But all in all they were a fine bunch of people, all just real good. Charlie Bonn I remember that’s the first time I met him and George Burgard - just a real bunch of good guys - Jack Croft. We had a few scraps, seven weeks on a ship and a little drinking going on now and then and a few poker games, you get into some arguments. I remember Gun [?] and Prescott - they had a good argument one night but those things happen. FRANK BORING: Just for the flavor of it, in terms of worrying about Boyington or anyone like that, I can tell you right now that everyone’s talked about Boyington. The secret’s out. It’s not that we’re looking for dirt or we’re trying to stir up anything, we’re trying to get any incident on the boat that sticks out in your own mind from your own personal experience? BUSTER KEETON: Well the King Neptune is probably the thing that sticks out the most when we passed the, not the International Date Line, but the Equator. �FRANK BORING: Start from the beginning and say what about the King Neptune sticks out the most in your mind? Continue on from there. Just tell us as much detail as possible. BUSTER KEETON: What sticks out in my mind mostly on the boat trip was the King Neptune Court held when we passed over the Equator. They had the king and the queen as I remember, Charlie Bonn was the Queen and I’ve forgotten who the King was - maybe it was Rossi, I’m not sure. They’d stand you on the side of this pool and put you on this chair and then they’d slap this fish in your mouth and then they’d put some other gunk which didn’t taste very good. So everybody I think had a couple of beers, so we’d put up quite a fight to try to keep from getting shoved into the pool off of this chair. I think we all had a great time, it was a great day. Later on why, that as far as I can think is the most vivid thing on the trip. The rest, we’d stand watch up in the crow’s nest. We were always playing handball and after we got down to the warm part of the country in the swimming pool So everybody kept pretty active besides we weren’t drinking and playing cards all the time although we did a lot of it. FRANK BORING: You were at sea for quite a while, then you had a couple of stops on the way before you made it to Rangoon. Do you recall any of the shore leave or any of the time you spent off the ship? One of the places was in Bali right? BUSTER KEETON: Well we stopped off on the route first was Honolulu which was a very short stay and I had the duty so I had very little time although I finally got a hold of an old classmate I’d gone to college with. Then I went back and stood duty for the rest of stay in Honolulu. Our next stop was Surabaya in the Dutch East Indies and while there the ship was to go on up to Batavia and drop off a lot of the equipment they were hauling and then come back to Surabaya and then we’d take off for Singapore. While the ship went up to Batavia why we, several of us took a trip over to Bali and that’s quite an experience. We got on a train and took down to the - I �forgot the name of the estuary or whatever it was - then we got on a barge and had native cows, chickens and everything else. We got on the other side and we got on this bus and the same thing - cows, chickens, ducks whatever they could get on and then we had I think about a two or three hour ride up to Kuta Beach. This was a place that this gentleman from Southern California, L. A. or something place had gone over there a few years before and it was a beautiful beach. He had set up a little restaurant with some cabins and so on, so that’s where we stayed for I think it was two nights, possibly three. We’d go in to the little village and we’d do some shopping and some swimming. Then we’d take pictures of the Balinese girls, at that time the first we knew of that went around topless. Good stay. Then of course we were back to Surabaya and then on the ship and up to Singapore. FRANK BORING: As an American who had never been to the Far East, what was your reaction to this foreign country and these people wandering around in strange outfits and whatnot? BUSTER KEETON: Well on Bali, we went to see what they call a monkey dance and at the time it was pretty fantastic. I’ve pretty much forgotten the story of it, but it was something great. Then we went to another little place where the young males at a certain young age had to have their teeth filed off and boy that was weird. We went to the place where they laid the little male boys down and then this guy would file their teeth. Didn’t seem to hurt them but I don’t know how it kept from it. Then well, there were some more things there, I can’t recall at this time. FRANK BORING: When you returned to the boat, did you arrive in Rangoon soon after that? Did anything happen between Bali and Rangoon? BUSTER KEETON: From Bali, we went back to Surabaya and then Surabaya there had been these three people who had been in the same squadron that I’d been in in San Diego and they were instructors for the Dutch Navy there. Flying patrol planes and well, any type of plane and �one of the individuals who was there, Robby Robinson was engaged to Ann Nagel who was the movie actor at that time quite famous. He couldn’t get her out there and he couldn’t get back and he was really homesick plus lovesick. We spent quite a bit of time there and there was a place to go and have fun - course that Dutch beer was awfully good - called Chez Willys. We would usually meet there for lunch and they had the greatest prawns and Heineken beer. There were quite a few other Americans there too. From Surabaya we went to Singapore and we were in Singapore for three days and from Singapore, we went on to Rangoon. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 2 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton describes his experiences leading up to the journey overseas, the initial meetings with CAMCO, and traveling aboard the Boschfontein as they headed to Rangoon. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/71886425d88e1389e6e01d355047d001.mp4 4fc160f7f54353a86d619e2f23103fd3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d07c82e07a3d204583cc4bb6c8a5b043.pdf ca043b4f17628c5c7155e2357025b8bb PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 3] FRANK BORING: If you could tell us about your visit with the Sultan, please? BUSTER KEETON: When we landed in Singapore, course everybody headed for the Raffles Hotel so they could get a Singapore Sling of which most people had heard about While there, the Sultan of Johore was having a little party and he invited all of us to join in on his party and while we were joining in on the party he had asked us if we’d like to come over and see his palace and all of these grounds which were very beautiful and so on. He said that he’d been having so much trouble with the British recently that they wouldn’t let him stay in Singapore overnight anymore so he had to leave before dark. But he had all the arrangements made and the cars to pick us up. I think there must have been 8 or 9 maybe 10 of us and the cars picked us up the next morning at the hotel and took us to this next little island. We went across this estuary, a bridge there and that was the Sultan’s place and whoever it was handed him a piece of paper and he read it and they opened up the gates and then we had guides. A very beautiful palace, fantastic!! Very similar, I would guess to the one down south, I can’t think of the name of it. Then the grounds just beautiful grounds, flowers of shapes and bushes and plants so we had a very pleasant day and back to Singapore and then we went out to the new world and had the new world, the old world and mostly it was sort of a dance hall and then back to the ship and we took off for Rangoon. �FRANK BORING: What was your first impression upon your arrival in Rangoon? Were there people there to welcome you from the AVG or CAMCO? What was your general impression? BUSTER KEETON: When we arrived at Rangoon there was somebody there from CAMCO with instructions and I’m sure that they had the cars available or Taxis and took us right up to CAMCO office where we were to sign in and make out some pay slips and do some paper work. When I walked in the office, the first person I saw was Ethel Sarkisian who was the wife of one of my old school mates back in Colorado and I had no idea that she was in that part of the world. So I got to talk to her and she told me about the terrific accident she’d been in coming down the Burma Road. They were going up the road in a truck and another one coming down and they got pushed over the bank. She lay there, I think for around 12 or 13 hours if I’m correct with her pelvic broken and several bones and course her face was kind of messed up. But anyway that was kind of a pleasant surprise and she had survived this and you could hardly tell that she’d been thru this ordeal. But Sarkisian was out of town at that time and he, which I found out later on, was starting up free Danish underground, which later on would pass thru China and behind the Japanese lines to do demolition and so on. But then, we only spent two or three hours at the CAMCO office and got right on the train and headed for Toungoo which was to be our training base. FRANK BORING: If you can go back to that time of getting your first impression of walking off and there’s the base at Toungoo. What did you see around you, what was your first impression of what you saw? BUSTER KEETON: Well, actually when we got off of the train at Toungoo, it wasn’t too bad in my circumstances cause if I remember correctly the first two people I saw were Tommy Cole and Pappy Paxton who I lived with at North Island so I didn’t give much thought to what, although it seemed like it was awfully hot. Course it was night too. The railroad station which turned out to be one of the best spots in �town why that’s where we landed. Then we got on the lorries or trucks the back of the truck with our baggage and headed out to Kyedaw to the airport and then. At night it didn’t look too bad because they were just regular barracks with the netting and so on but finally after we talked for a long time, finally got in the rack with mosquito netting around, it wasn’t long before flashlights were flying around and guys were shooting their 45’s trying to get these rats crawling around. So it was quite an awakening and course we were kind of worn out but anyway we woke up in a hurry wondering what was going on. FRANK BORING: What happened the next morning? What was the initial introduction if you will to the AVG? BUSTER KEETON: I think the next morning they had a reveille or I don’t remember exactly how it was done. We were awakened and then we all went to the mess hall, had breakfast and then the new recruits, as I remember we were taken or walked, I think we rode our bicycles down to the hanger and that’s where we first had the encounter with the old man Chennault. He didn’t have too much to offer as I remember at that time. Just welcomed us to get squared away and get you trained here in a real short while and get you underway and then we checked in with a squadron and I checked in to squadron Two which Jack Newkirk that I’d know back at Pensacola was the squadron leader and most all day was just going to the squadron and the old man welcomed us and they told us what to do and then of course, I was fortunate, Tommy and Pappy were both in the Second squadron which I was signed to. They told me everything to do or what to do so it made it very easy. There was no problem whatsoever. FRANK BORING: In your diary, you mention right around the beginning period, you got sick. Apparently you got pretty sick. Do you recall? Was it the food? BUSTER KEETON: Was this at Toungoo? I don’t recall, I don’t... �FRANK BORING: You got some boils on your arms. Here you are arriving in this camp and all of a sudden you got some physical problems. BUSTER KEETON: It seemed like the darn hands and arms were all broken out and I went down to Doc Gent or Prevo might have been Doc Rich. He used, what do you call that velvet stuff? They don’t use it any more but he painted my whole arms with it - they were sore. I don’t know might have been today you call it psoriasis. Whether that was it or not, I don’t know or it could have been a fungi of some kind. FRANK BORING: What was the food like? BUSTER KEETON: At Toungoo, I didn’t think it was too bad. It was a lot better than what I expected. It wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad. Because Chennault pretty well had it you know, got cooks in the restaurant and the service was good. We had such fantastic food on the boat or the ship I should say it didn’t compare to that. But hell, in the long run, it was better than what I expected. FRANK BORING: We will be talking about Chennault throughout the interview, but if you can recall what struck you the most about Chennault. BUSTER KEETON: Course we’d heard so much about, I guess we called him, he was a Major at that time, but I think we called him Colonel Chennault and the first impression to me was that his features were very much like the old Indian Head. You know we used to see in the Cigar Store corner. Very distinguished. Seemed to be a man who knew what the heck he was doing and how to do it. He impressed me very much. I don’t know quite else what. FRANK BORING: Could you describe the first training experiences you had in November? What was your pilot - what was the first training experience, especially considering you’d never flown a P40 �before? If you could give us an idea of what those early training days in November were like. BUSTER KEETON: The first thing that I can recall at this time was Tommy Cole took me out to P40 and I think we spent a good three or four hours just going over everything about the airplane. Then it was, within a day, then we were told because they’d had some accidents that all of the people who’d come in on the last ship that hadn’t flown fighters, would be getting some training in the two seater, a two seater airplane and we would get take offs and landings and we had some time to go out and stunt a little especially because the propaganda was that the P40 was real hard to land because of the narrow landing gear. So, I think it was possibly four or five days before any of us got our first flight. Then we got a few hours, but I remember I was delayed because of the arm thing and Doc. Gentry if I’m correct, wanted me to take it easy and he felt it might have had something to do with nerves. Possibly, I certainly wasn’t nervous. Anyway so I missed probably a couple of flights and if I remember correctly we were supposed to get either four or five flights and we’d go into the P40 and get our checkout. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 3 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton discusses his first impressions upon arrival in Rangoon and later at the base in Toungoo, in addition to his initial introduction to the AVG. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/90ebf6c27104c38e96e169d8133d4c58.mp4 689088ef6f4ff42e2c61f2f1df53e408 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a5152efa58c02d690f53da89e84febcd.pdf 1d483d8c56c9047c37cf60d2596a507d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 4] FRANK BORING: Let’s talk about your impressions of his lectures. What kind of things did you learn? Did he impress you as somebody who knew what he was talking about? BUSTER KEETON: The lectures that Chennault gave to all of the new pilots coming in was quite impressive to me of course coming and being a P boat pilot. Especially the tactics were altogether different than what I had gotten in Pensacola. One thing was we were, instead of the three plane element why, we would be flying two planes element and the other thing that I remember definitely is that you [?] with the I-97 and I-98 or I-99 whichever it was, could we have a fight with. There was no way that the Colonel kept telling us… There’s no way that you can dogfight with the small Japanese fighters because they could turn insight of you and just the best maneuver was to get an advantage shot and then if they whipped around on your tails then you could come back and try and get them again. That’s the first time that I’d heard of such a tactic then. Course talking to the people that had been there before that had gone thru the instructions said that was the way that we were going to do the fighting when we had to do it and it turned out in the long run that was the maneuvers that was used all the time that we were in combat with the Japanese. BUSTER KEETON: Well, I would think that he was a very good teacher because he’s real determined and insightful and he had a lot to say and oh, �Chennault. Chennault was a real fine teacher from the fact that he was straight forward and everything he had to say about fighter tactics and ah, what he had learned by observing the Japanese when they were fighting the Chinese and the Chinese fighting the Japanese. And uh, I thought he was one of the best I’d ever uh, had the privilege of being around. FRANK BORING: Could you give us an idea of your first experience with the P40? Just comments about when you got a chance to actually get into the cockpit and familiarize yourself with it. BUSTER KING: My first experience flying a P40, I was shaky because especially the army pilots were telling us what an awful hard airplane this was to fly and you Navy boys coming out of P Boats why you’re going to find this more than you can handle. I was a little shaky. The first flight up - nobody was more surprised than I was when I came down and made a good landing. Thank gosh. It was just like any other airplane once you got used to it, why it was a fine flying machine. Very fine airplane, fact I don’t think we could have any better. I guess the 51 would have been better if we’d of had it but we didn’t have it and there’s nothing that I know that would have been a better airplane than the P40 under the circumstances. FRANK BORING: Once you had a chance to fly it and to land it, how did you look at the other pilots that were flying with you? You mentioned about [Thomas] Cole who was flying with you. You saw [Thomas] Cole coming in for a landing and you said he did a typical Cole stunt. Do you know what that meant? That’s a direct quote from your diary. BUSTER KEETON: I can’t… FRANK BORING: Were there any of the things when you watched other pilots take off and land, did you think I’m not going to do that? Or I should learn that... �BUSTER KEETON: Well, we had some pilots that had some bad experiences. Especially one that came out of the patrol planes which probably gave most of the patrol pilots a bad name was Conant. Very fine guy but he had a lot of trouble flying the P-40's especially landing it and he ended up I think tearing up about 3 of them. Not landing them correctly. The pilot would say ground looping which meant that he didn’t land the airplane like he should have and messed up the landing gear. In some places did damage to the wing and the prop and the props were pretty precious. But I tried to watch everybody especially on the landings until I got familiar and then as soon as I got familiar, the airplane was not a bad airplane to land at all. Just be careful. Fly it don’t let it fly you. FRANK BORING: Let’s stay with the P40 and your experiences with the P40. Can you give us a sense of what it was like to fly the P40? Give us an idea of what it was like. BUSTER KEETON: The P40 was a lot different than any airplane I had flown, actually had ever flown. All of the land planes that I had flown in the Navy were much lighter, not as heavy. In fact, didn’t have near the speed that the P-40 had so even in the air in the first flight, it was quite a different experience and it took two or three hours and then fake dog fights with other people to really get the feel of the airplane and once you got the feel of it why then it flies like any airplane. After a few flights I got into a fake dog fight with a couple of the boys and did alright which surprised me I was quite happy with it. FRANK BORING: When you got into it, was it like you turned a key or something? BUSTER KEETON: Well, I’m trying to think and isn’t that something I don’t recall. FRANK BORING: One of things that you mentioned is these fake dog fights; I understand that there was a real close call with Tex Hill one time. Can you tell us about that? �BUSTER KEETON: Tex Hill and I had a close call, gee I don’t...can’t think when that was. I remember poor Ol' Tex had a long landing one time at night. FRANK BORING: Can you tell us about that one? BUSTER KEETON: Yeah, they’d gone out on an alert as I remember and coming in why, all we had was lanterns along the side of the run way and Tex come in and he just was a little bit long and crashed off the end of the runway. We were all scared and he was ok and the airplane wasn’t hurt too much. It was very fortunate. It was just long with the lighting we had it was excusable for anyone to do something like that. FRANK BORING: During this period of training, you got a chance to meet some of the people outside of the pilot group and whatnot. You mention in your diary about playing cards with the Greenlaw's. Can you tell us anything about them, your impressions of them? BUSTER KEETON: At Toungoo I ran into Olga and Harvey Greenlaw. Harvey was second in command. Down at Toungoo, I only remember seeing Olga probably two or three times. But Harvey I would see quite often because he was out on the line quite a bit. But I never had too much conversation with Harvey for some reason or the other. I really don’t know exactly what he did except he was second in command. Apparently I guess he was supposed to do what the colonel told him to do - Chennault. I, later on, I used to think that Harvey didn’t carry out the orders too well. Even after I moved up to China, I never saw too much of Olga. I don’t know. FRANK BORING: Here’s a group of almost 300 men, a couple of nurses and here’s Olga Greenlaw. What was your impression of having this very attractive woman there? Did you have any reaction? BUSTER KEETON: No, I never saw her that much. I guess I was at the wrong place at the wrong time at the right time or the right place at the wrong time. I never saw Olga too much and you know actually except �with the arm problems I had at Toungoo, I never saw the Joe or Red Foster too much. They stayed pretty much to the hospital. Anyway they did a great job and everyone was very proud of both of them. And I think everybody was proud of Olga for what she did. I think she probably might have done more for the group by keeping some records than the Army did. FRANK BORING: You mention in your diary, what you call the foolish behavior of some of the pilots in Toungoo. Here was a group of guys free from the military and now out in the middle of the jungles of nowhere and your learning to fly planes and everything and some of them took it a little more seriously than others. Do you have any comments about your observations of the pilots? BUSTER KEETON: I probably boned down quite a bit in trying to learn the airplane. When I got in I’d try to fly it better than some of the other people because I’d come out of patrol planes and I hadn’t flown land planes in about 3 years and everything had been sea planes from what all of the boys would tell you how hard it was to fly. I worked a little bit too hard and maybe some of the guys who were taking it easy why maybe I thought they were goofing off or something. But in their own right, maybe they weren’t. FRANK BORING: You had come out of the military environment with uniforms, rank, and certain steps you had to do throughout your time in the military. Give us your idea between the military as you knew it and the AVG. BUSTER KEETON: Actually at the beginning of the AVG at Toungoo was pretty much I felt the same as military. We had a commanding officer Colonel Chennault and everyone respected him. We had a squadron leader and a vice squadron leader and we had a flight leader and of course at that time I was a wing man. So it pretty much resembled being in the military and that’s sort of the way I looked at it. And I know that there were some people that didn’t they figured they were all civilians and they could do what they wanted to do and some of �them did. But I personally, I kind of looked at it as a military operation which you pretty much had to make it successful. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 4 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton discusses his appreciation of General Chennault's teachings for new pilots and his first experience flying a P-40 plane for the AVG. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7c911e1462fbf0bfa99a01bab9133d20.mp4 35337c80e1e1ca646737dd2c8fa976b6 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/323df9b83274367b510f9b7c51bb85dc.pdf 15ff7152dba2dcfe4bb92c577767a847 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 5] FRANK BORING: Give us an idea of the differences of the types of things that were done in the military and the types of things that were done with the AVG. BUSTER KEETON: Well, in the AVG, there was no saluting; there was sort of a muster type but not really a muster type. We didn’t line up for the mess hall and the relationship between the pilots and the MX was not military type, it was more or less “How ya doin’? How’s it goin’? The airplane ok?” We had no uniforms, we wore any kind of a uniform. Some wore a fatigue, navy fatigues other army fatigues. Some just what we had brought along. So in that respect it was strictly a civilian outfit. On the other side we still sort of observed a military type operation. FRANK BORING: What was your relationship with your crew chiefs or your mechanics as you put it? BUSTER KEETON: My relationship with my crew chiefs was just first class. We had great crew chiefs. Johnny Carter did most of the crewing on the airplanes I flew and he was one of the best. A good crew chief, a real gentleman. FRANK BORING: Give us an idea of what it was like to go onto your airplane with the crew chief waiting? What kind of conversations did you guys have? �BUSTER KEETON: Well, a conversation with a crew chief mostly you just wanted to know if the airplane was ok and then you’d ask how things were going and if there was anything wrong with it why if you had an alert it would be ok. Just mostly you were both interested in the airplane. So that’s what most of the conversation was about, in my experience anyway. FRANK BORING: There was an incident of someone forging their name to get some supplies, you thought some unscrupulous individuals on Chennault's staff. Do you recall any of these incidents of people you thought were not doing the same kind of job you were? BUSTER KEETON: At this time, I’m sure there might have been people doing things maybe to take advantage, but at this time I can’t recall and I can’t think of instance. FRANK BORING: You would have a pretty strong reaction to Pearl Harbor happening which in your part of the world was December 8th. Your first reaction and comment was that the military base got caught by surprise and one of your quotes I like very much you were commenting on the [?] silk admirals which you thought were going to make a mess out of things. Could you give us your first impression, your reaction to hearing about Pearl Harbor? BUSTER KEETON: Well my first reaction was I didn’t believe it. I thought that somebody got something on the radio or somebody’s pulling a joke. I didn’t think that at first we’d actually get caught and I felt like for some time that we weren’t prepared in the Navy like we should have been, because it just looked like the war was coming and we should be doing more. I made the mistake probably of saying it and putting it in my diary - about the [?] so bad [?] - guess that’s probably what a young ensign would say if he didn’t have to stand up to them. But I was amazed I react, it just didn’t seem it could possibly happen, but it did. �FRANK BORING: You mentioned that Chennault gave a rather enthusiastic talk about this is war, this is the real thing. Can you recall or give us an idea of what it was that Chennault was telling you at that time? BUSTER KEETON: If I remember correctly, after Pearl Harbor it happened. Chennault called a meeting. First he put one of the squadrons. Went on alert and he called a meeting of the rest of the people and said “Now we’re in war and the only thing I can remember from the speech outside of that we’re in war and we’ve got to snap to and do our job, was that we’d probably be moving to Kunming and take over the fight for the Chinese hitting the Japs from the backside of which they had all of north side and east China and we would probably get into actual combat and things might be differently now than what we’ve been led to believe, that our job would just be protecting the Burma road. FRANK BORING: Can you give us comments about the British that were there in Rangoon? What were your comments and what did you observe about how they were dealing with the war time situation? BUSTER KEETON: My personal impression of the British in Burma was that they were not actually fighting a war. They were enduring a war, putting up with a war. It seemed like the war was getting into the way of the things they wanted to do, rather than fight a war, such as take time off for tea in the middle of the afternoon even if there was an alert. Or there should be things done. I’m sure most of the other guys thought the same - you’re not going to win a war this way. FRANK BORING: On December 10th, there was an alarm and given the fact that Pearl Harbor had just happened and Chennault had made this speech about the fact that you were now at war and things were going to be different, you commented on this waiting or an attack you said “half anxious and half amazed.” I wonder if you could give us an idea of whether you were aware of the risk that was involved. That you felt vulnerable being in this airfield and �perhaps not ready to take on the Japanese. Could you recall those early days when an alarm went off and what was your reaction? BUSTER KEETON: My reaction the first alert we got, I think probably was more an amazement and not really as concerned as I should be because I wasn’t really sure what was going on. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but later on the bomb started coming down and strafed why it was a different story. You needed to hit the ditch and you knew what was coming and thank god you got in the right ditch. If you were caught on the ground. FRANK BORING: You made notations in your diary; you definitely were not ready for combat. Hadn’t had enough flight time. Can you give us an idea, especially since alarms were going off and Pearl Harbor had happened? Give us your own personal feelings about being ready for combat. BUSTER KEETON: Well, definitely when Pearl Harbor happened, I hadn’t had enough time in the P-40, I felt in my own mind to actually go into combat. On the other hand, I had had enough time in the airplane that I think that if I had gone into combat, I could have done a fairly good job. I wouldn’t have been an ace pilot like the boys that had flown it and had a lot of time, I know that. But still on the other hand, the best way to learn is to get in and be a part of it. Once you have the mechanism of the airplane set up and the fire power which I didn’t have completely at that time. FRANK BORING: Do you recall there was a forced landing of a DC 3 during this period of time, about the 22nd of December? Do you recall that happening? BUSTER KEETON: BTC a forced landing? It was a forced landing at Toungoo, if I remember correctly. I remember the forced landing, I forgot actually what happened, but it worked out alright. I remember that, but I’ve forgotten what caused it. �FRANK BORING: On the 24th and then Christmas day in Burma, there was concern about the number of planes that were ready to go up. At this time, I guess you were helping to check out the airplanes. BUSTER KEETON: The 24th of December, I was the only flying pilot stationed still in Toungoo. Eddie Goyette, he was the head man at the station and I was doing all of the test flying and getting all of the airplanes [?] sided plus whenever we’d get an alert, if I could get in a plane fast enough before they bombed, why I’d take off hoping I’d find one that I could shoot down. I’d rather shoot him down then me of course. That was the job I had there. I didn’t ask for it and how I got it, I have no idea. I think possibly because I didn’t have enough experience in the P-40 and that’s why I don’t know if Newkirk decided I should stay there or whether Goyette had requested me. Because Goyette was not going to fly in combat or do any flying unless it was absolutely necessary. FRANK BORING: Now also during this time, newer pilots were coming in and some were taking it a little less seriously. You actually caught Grow drunk in the cockpit trying to start it up at 12:30 in the morning. Could you tell us about that incident please? BUSTER KEETON: I don’t remember the exact circumstances, I suppose I had to go out that early in the morning, in the middle of the night almost, why I’ve forgotten, but anyway here was Cliff, this airplane tanked to the gills trying to get it started. He couldn’t quite hack it, thank God he couldn’t. Or I’m sure he probably would have banged it up and might have killed himself. But Cliff was alright, he was just young and he’d had a lot of land plane experience, well I don’t knew a lot, that he thought he was a pretty competent pilot. FRANK BORING: You also made references to Raines and to Donovan. Their behavior was apparently pretty wild too. Can you comment on that? �BUSTER KEETON: Well, I’ve forgotten the reason that Raines and Donovan were there at Toungoo. I’m trying to remember but I don’t know there’s a lot of things that we all had to buckle in and do and it wasn’t all flying it was a lot of other. I can’t think - well there were a lot of things that had to be done besides just standing by on alert or taking up hoping you could get up before they’d come over with a raid. Goyette had had a couple of discussions with the two individuals and they were kind of dogging it at the time, no doubt about it. I think they realized it later on. FRANK BORING: Give us an idea of what your duties were at the time. Your journal referred to like supervising repairs. You were a pilot and there were crew chiefs to do all kind of work, I don’t understand why you were having to be careful about the engines and what was wrong about the engine. BUSTER KEETON: When I was at Toungoo I was doing lots of things. Probably a lot of things I wasn’t supposed to be doing. We had two fine mechanics there, Walker and Kenner, if I remember two real fine mechanics. We had amour, a big moose a great one. We were all in the thing together and I, to be honest with you I was probably just a one man air force there, because if anything came over or they wanted an interceptor observation plane, why I was always taken off and hoping I would see one which I never did ‘til later on around Feb. 3rd. But I was doing a little bit of everything just to keep the base going. Of course after Christmas why that’s when they’d bring up the shot up airplanes and we’d try to get them repaired and we’d ferry them back down to Rangoon or mostly ferry then back down and sometimes Goyette would go along on those flights. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v05 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 5 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton discusses the differences he experienced serving in the military and the AVG, in addition to his reaction to the news of Pearl Harbor and the days that followed. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5fb908e38222601141752c0ff174d981.mp4 cf2840d173c827acdf33b3b68dcea92d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/259ede99d6db770a3541bee02f8694a0.pdf b3badfcd17e9eaa009e333a4aab44fca PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 6] FRANK BORING: The crew chiefs fixed the airplanes and you would check it out? BUSTER KEETON: Actually I probably was a little bit supervising. We had great crew chiefs, but you kind of had to coordinate between the crew chiefs, the amours and then Goyette. He was running the station, most of his stuff was sending messages and getting messages between Rangoon and Toungoo and Toungoo and Kunming. So I would presume that probably I was the coordinator between the crew chiefs and the amours and myself to get the airplanes fixed so they could go back to combat. FRANK BORING: You refer to taking off a distributor cap that was having a problem and you were checking out distributor cap. Did you actually have to do repairs yourself? On the airplanes? BUSTER KEETING: No, I didn’t do any work on the airplane. All I did was try to coordinate between the crew chiefs , the amours and of course we had a lot of, not too many in Toungoo, but we had some of course the Chinese that were fantastic at getting the when an airplane was shot up getting the holes patched together, they were fantastic. FRANK BORING: Let’s go into the conditions as much detail as possible. Mention the Chinese and what they did and how you were coordinating the work and the working conditions they were under. �BUSTER KEETON: The working conditions at Toungoo were not the greatest. One thing is the weather, the other was we’d keep getting a little scares of some of the Burmese were not too friendly with the English and were possibly might get a little sabotage. To try to get an airplane put together they had to rob from other airplanes and do patch work of which sometimes you’d think just couldn’t be done but somehow they got done and I really don’t know a lot of times how things got done. Somehow we did it. But due to the people who really put out. They worked night and day and they, the ones that worked, were all first class people and they really put in a job. FRANK BORING: Let’s talk about an airplane that’s brought in, that’s been shot. What kind of things did you have to do to get it back in the air and who did it? BUSTER KEETON: The crew chiefs we had there would take it into the boondocks and really start to work on it there. They did all the work and they got the airplane to where with the help of the Chinese and some Burmese employees they’d get it into flying condition. Then we’d take it over to the amours and they would bore sight the guns and I think we were down to about 300 yards then, we would bore sight them in. Then I would take the airplane up and if it was on an alert, which we would try to do but to keep down the amount of flying time. If it was an alert why then I’d have to take it up and check it out anyway. Normally it didn’t take a long checkout - pretty quick 30 minutes, I would say is about the average. Take the airplane down and notify Rangoon that the airplane was ready and usually I’d fly down and pick up another one that was in bad shape and bring it back. FRANK BORING: What is bore sighting? BUSTER KEETON: Bore sighting is when you have all of the guns in the ,like in the old P40 B, we had the Two 50's thru the prop and the two 30's in each wing and we would have them coming into a small circle as small as we could get it at 300 yards. All of the bulls coming in, so �that would be the focal point when you got in combat. If you got a guy at 300 yards why you had all of them hitting him and pretty close to the same spot. I’ve forgotten how small that circle was we tried to get them in but it wasn’t too large. FRANK BORING: During this period of time you had airplanes coming and going and personnel and whatnot. Did you know what was going on? Was there enough communications that you knew what was going on in Kunming and you knew what was going on with the other guys? BUSTER KEETON: I knew quite a bit. Not as much as Goyette. He handled all of the paperwork and what he told me or if he’d show me a message and then we had a telephone connection when it worked between Toungoo and Rangoon. I had a pretty good idea of what was happening, not any of the details, but generally. FRANK BORING: In one case, you mention in your diary that you actually decoded a message from Brett to Chennault. Do you recall? BUSTER KEETON: The message I saw was decoded probably by the British or Goyette. I do think probably I saw that message. Mostly we heard about what was happening back in the U.S., was from the war correspondents. And they had ways of getting information in and out. FRANK BORING: Could not hear the interviewer due to faulty tape. BUSTER KEETON: Boy that I recall real well. Boyington just was really gassed and he was having trouble starting to sing and I don’t know if Goyette had sent me out there I’ve forgotten. Anyway, I was out there and I got on the wing and started talking to Greg and he and I had been fairly good friends on the ship going over. We had one argument, but as a rule we got along pretty good, and so except for one night on board ship I talked him out of it and got him out of the airplane and he was so used to the gills and of course Croft?, he’d do �anything Boyington did so he was no problem. But he slept it off; I think the next day and flew up to Kunming. FRANK BORING: Does that come back to you now? BUSTER KEETON: One night, we’d, I hadn’t had a drink but I was in the john on the throne and Boyington come in and he was pretty loaded to the gills. He said something like get the hell out of there or something and then he slammed the door to the john. So the john had a bar up above so I grabbed a hold of the bar and I kicked the door open with both feet and hit him right in the nose and to this day, I don’t think he ever knew what happened to him. Knocked him out cold for about 5 or 10 minutes. But never had any problem with him after that and he never knew what had happened so quick and he was so drunk he never knew what happened. But he could raise hell. He was the best hell raiser actually I ever knew. FRANK BORING: During this period of time, I wonder if you could comment on learning about the death of Christman. BUSTER KEETON: Bert Christman, yea that shook me quite a bit. He was a real fine, I didn’t know him as well as the other boys even though we both came from Bosen [?], Colorado because he was four or five classes ahead of me at Pensacola and he lived on the upper deck and I was down on the lower deck. But all of the conversations I’d had with him at Toungoo he was very helpful and he clued me in on a lot of things about flying the P40 that were a great help. And then another about flying, formation. I’d had one flight were I flew formation on him and was just fantastic. It was quite a blow and of course then Tommy Cole when he went in why that was a real blow because Tommy and I had been real close. And not knowing whether he was shot down from the ground or whether or exactly what happened, well it was hard to take at that time. FRANK BORING: Also during this period of time, we are talking late January, was the first mention of induction of the AVG. That the AVG would �somehow be inducted into the army or the air corps. Do you recall the first rumors that there was going to be a change? BUSTER KEETON: I don’t recall the first rumors at any place except when we got up into Loiwing, Lashio, Magwe. Then that’s when the rumors kind of started flying around. FRANK BORING: One of the things we found kind of interesting is a lot of the things that you picked out to mention in your diary. You mentioned having your first glass of milk since SF. Do you happen to remember that? BUSTER KEETON: I remember going up to this place where they had - the British had some dairy cows and I’d forgotten all about that. Quite a feat - get a glass of milk in Burma. So the British did some good things that were there. FRANK BORING: You apparently did some duck hunting during this period of time. BUSTER KEETON: Yea, we took a day off, I think. Yeager was his name. He and I we took a day off and went duck hunting. Neither one of us had shot a gun for some time, so we had a few misses but we got a few ducks. I can’t remember what we did. We brought them back and cooked them at the barracks or what. But anyway, we had a lot of fun, it was a great day. FRANK BORING: A little bit of celebrating done too with Keller and with Unger. Do you recall that particular period of time? BUSTER KEETON: I don’t recall. FRANK BORING: In February, things started to heat up. In fact, February 3rd, 1942, there was a bomb attack at Tiger Base and you got airborne and discovered you didn’t have any oxygen. Can you tell us about that incident? �BUSTER KEETON: Yea. I got up and had to turn the oxygen back in the baggage compartment and I forgot to turn it on in the excitement. I was trying to get up in the air. So when I got up course went to [?] down and put my oxygen mask on, I wasn’t getting any oxygen but we knew that there was airplanes in the area, so I kept on climbing. I was trying to climb up into the sun and to shoot somebody down if possible. Wasn’t too long, 15, 20 minutes something like that, maybe 30, I felt a little not nauseated, a little dizzy or something so I started - I figured I’d have to go down because I wasn’t getting any oxygen and I just sort of fell off and right below me is this twin engine airplane down there. I was a little woozy, I wasn’t sure if it was a bomber or what. Anyway, I still had sense enough to charge the guns and to open up on him. But I just kept on going because I knew I couldn’t pull back up and go up to the altitude without losing him. Well, I thought I’d lose my senses, I might have been able to but I didn’t take the chance. And so I went on down then and flew around a while way up north of the field and then came back and landed so I thought I’d shot him down. Wasn’t positive but I know there was smoke coming out of one or two of the engines and, but on the other hand, I wasn’t positive, but I believe it was the next day, that the head man of the village which was about three miles maybe four north and east of the airport at Kyedaw. Brought in a piece of a tail and an aileron off of an airplane that he said crashed the previous day. And the Japanese – not the Japanese - the English that were still on the base said it didn’t come off of theirs and our crew chiefs, plus whatever Americans we had there, didn’t recognize it at all. So we determined that that must of been the airplane that I’d shot down. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v06 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 6 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton describes his work coordinating repairs with crew chiefs and the working conditions in Toungoo, in addition to the loss he experienced with Bert Christman and Tommy Cole. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3483bdb051fbdefb24d126bebce43294.mp4 2386225c8c5f807f6add3a75d2b538f5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/20289fb7b06941b1bef9e87a1f0c3469.pdf 1e485d73e82a287e0ac4d2e70ee9913d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 7] FRANK BORING: Could you tell us what you knew about having an airplane confirmed? BUSTER KEETON: As far as I knew at Toungoo, to get an airplane confirmed it had to go thru the senior British officer because the British controlled the whole state of Burma. And China was supposed to be the same way, this is my understanding now and I could possibly be wrong, but we had a board and [?], usually if Chennault was there it was he plus a couple of the squadron leaders and maybe someone else on his staff. They would read all of the reports that were sent in and they would decide. In case of the airplane that I felt I shot down at Toungoo, the British didn’t confirm it and later on I don’t know how much later at least a month, when the board met, our AVG board met in Kunming?. They didn’t confirm it. But I kept hounding Jim Howard who was on the board - Bob Neale was on the board - they were the only two that were still alive and I kept asking them why and finally Jim Howard who had the records went all the way back thru and read all the record and I got a verifying letter. I got it upstairs. He says I don’t have any idea why the hell this wasn’t confirmed a long time ago. He sent all the material to Bob Neale and Bob Neale said the same thing so they confirmed it. That was 47 years afterward. I never got paid for it, but finally I got it confirmed and I feel in my own mind that I shot the airplane down. The reason why we didn’t go out and confirm the airplane when we were there, this was the time when we were �getting things ready to get out of Toungoo because we were getting bombed two or three times every day and strafed and we were going to have to get things out of there. FRANK BORING: Could you give us an idea of those last days, of the strafing and the bombing from your perspective? What was it like to be strafed and bombed? What did you have to do? BUSTER KEETON: The last few days at Toungoo were pretty hectic. We had some airplanes and we had the mechanics were trying to get them ready, loaded with equipment and so on and get on the road to go up the Burma road because I was the only protection they had then. One airplane if I could get off. It was pretty hairy, we were getting caught and they’d come over and we’d just head for the ditches you know. Or if we knew enough time, which we normally didn’t, why we’d normally jump in some kind of automobile or whatever...it was pretty hairy because we were getting caught on the ground and the field if we had time either bicycle or automobile or someway we’d get off the field because there most of their bombing was at the airport. But if we didn’t have time, why then we’d get in a bunk or in a ditch. Got to be a little hairy but finally we got most everything out and sent up the road. FRANK BORING: Do you recall about Swartz getting killed? BUSTER KEETON: Well, that was a little later up at the - he got hit at Magwe and I think it blew his thumb or part of his hand off and then he was injured some other places and then I don’t know the complete story - he ended up in India and that’s where he died. It seems though I think [?] trick said it wasn’t necessary. It seemed time got caught on the ground was - Fauth. But he was killed immediately there. FRANK BORING: (Inaudible question) BUSTER KEETON: To get to Kunming, we had two airplanes left at Toungoo. And Goyette said he would fly one but he wouldn’t fly any farther than �Lichou [?] / Lashio. So he and I took off and we flew to Lichou [?] / Lashio and Tex Hill had come down on CNAC or somebody. Maybe on the Beachcraft with Hennessy and so we overnighted there and Tex and I flew to Kunming the next day. I don’t recall - I guess that was the landing at Kunming. I’ve forgotten... FRANK BORING: You had a strong reaction to Kunming when you arrived there. It was very different than Toungoo. You noticed that went in for dinner one time and you noticed Chinese person spitting on the floor and you lost your appetite. What was an American's reaction to this Chinese City? BUSTER KEETON: The barracks where we lived were fantastic and the food was fantastic but the city was filthy. And some of the Chinese restaurants were filthy. The food was good, good as you could expect, I should verify that, but it was a little hard to eat when somebody just four or five feet away from me was spitting on the floor. It’s something I hadn’t seen before, that kind of a little hard to eat some chow that was good but not too good. A little hard to stomach. FRANK BORING: Do you recall the time you went to see Chennault in Kunming and asked him if there was a plane available that could reach Japan? You were thinking that American policy was not concentrating on Asia and if Chennault had the right supplies and the right amount of people, he could put an end to what was going on in China. BUSTER KEETON: For some reason, I think it was John Hennessy and I had heard that there was a twin engine airplane someplace and all it needed was to be fixed up and we got the idea that if we could get that airplane fixed up and got some bombs on it, then we would be the first people that would bomb Japan. The old man at first thought it was a hair brain idea, but then the more he thought about it, the more he thought it was a pretty good idea. But sometime in here why that airplane was destroyed and I’ve forgotten exactly how or what happened to it. We didn’t get to do it, Doolittle got in there first. �FRANK BORING: In one of the incidents that happened that shocked you and gave you an idea of some of the problems that the Chinese government was having was there was apparently a group of Yunnan soldiers who had a conflict with some central government soldiers and I wonder if you could comment on that and your recollection of the internal strife that was going on in China. Perhaps the problems that you saw facing the Chinese. BUSTER KEETON: The war lords soldiers they were fighting the nationalist Chinese and one day while we were on alert here’s all this shooting going on and we’re not sure exactly what it is and so we run out of the alert shack and here are the war lord soldiers and the nationalist soldiers having a battle right outside of our barracks on the Airport itself. This business going on between the war lords and the Generalissimo's armies. I don’t know enough about it to know really what it was and some of the other provinces were fighting and the Communists were fighting. Plus the Communists were fighting the war lords. It was something that I’m not well versed in to comment. Except this happened about three or four times while we were on alert and it might have happened more. BUSTER KEETON: I think what he was referring to was in China and the servants in the hostels and some of the coolies that were doing work around the airport and not the officers, the Chinese Officers and so on. Probably some of the Chinese that were working on the airplanes, not the mechanics but the others were doing various things. I think that that’s probably what he meant. That’s the only thing I can think of at the present time. BUSTER KEETON: Chennault told us not to get too friendly with certain Chinese people because they would lose respect for us as American pilots. Now this was not by any means all of the Chinese. Certain part of the Chinese I think the Coolies that worked on the airplane and the house boys and the some other types that supposedly look up to us. �FRANK BORING: Can you comment on your belief if that Chennault was given the right amount of airplanes, he could accomplish a lot more? BUSTER KEETON: I think without a doubt if we’d of had spare parts, more airplanes and some bombers we could have really stalked the whole nations of China and maybe Burma and French Indo China. Cause we could have hit them from the backside. Without the airplanes and the spare parts there’s no way to do it and especially as far as the AVG is concerned, we didn’t even have the spare parts to even do more than what we did and we could have done a lot more too. But without spark plugs and propellers, it’s a little hard to fly an airplane and tires were a difficult.... very hard supplies to get. FRANK BORING: Why do you think the US army didn’t give Chennault…? BUSTER KEETON: I really don’t know why. We would hear rumors flying like mad at Kunming. Rumors that a plane load of tires were coming in but they didn’t come in. Then we’d hear a plane load of spark plugs or propellers or so on, but they didn’t seem to ever get there, just enough to keep us going as good as we could go. We always had airplanes that could have been fixed if we’d of had the spare parts. FRANK BORING: Why do you think the American military didn’t supply all those things to Chennault? BUSTER KEETON: I really don’t know, at the time I thought they really didn’t want to supply it because the so called Generals were jealous of Chennault because he was getting so much publicity especially back in the states. They kicked him out of the army once and he was a civilian. Along about this time I guess is when he was being inducted back but he was going to be junior to all of the generals out there so... FRANK BORING: On Feb. 28th there was a big banquet by Chiang Kai-shek and Madame Chiang Kai-shek and Chennault got up and made a speech also. I wonder if you could tell us about that banquet? �BUSTER KEETON: I think that’s the banquet that the Generalissimo and the Madame gave. The Generalissimo gave a real good speech thru the interpreter. Madame gave a beautiful speech and I think isn’t that the one where she said “you’re my boys” or I forgot the famous expression, it’s been in several books. Chennault gave a fine speech about what we had done and so on and so forth. Actually it seemed like they were throwing a lot of roses more so than we’d actually done. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v07 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 7 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton discusses their last days in Toungoo during a period of strafing and bombing and how General Chennault didn't receive adequate supplies at the time. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/86d1027364a879ccb8f93f97a9af4a53.mp4 daa82c0d9579a8f3452a1481c016b20f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f25e8ae35da6e38cc52cfd831982f11.pdf 3e7cb7ecfc921e541505fd074630ee5b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 8] FRANK BORING: Give us the details of the escort of Chiang Kai-shek after this banquet? BUSTER KEETON: After the banquet, the next day I think the Madame and the Generalissimo were flying back to Chungking to Kunming and Chennault, I don’t know whether he left earlier to go to Lashio but anyway Harvey Greenlaw decided that it would be a good idea to put on a little show for the Generalissimo and the Madame and escort them part way to Chungking so there was Frank Lawlor was supposed to lead the flight and the flight with Boyington and Geselbracht and Gil Bright and Layher. It might have been one more, but I don’t recall now, but anyway they talk off and do a slow roll and Lawlor did the first slow roll and his baggage door came off and he almost crashed but because he was such a fine pilot he brought it out. But he had to come back and land of course, so then that put Boyington in command flying his escort part way to Chungking. After they left, the DC3 I presume is what it was or a DC2. They headed back to Kunming and was flying the wrong route and got completely lost and all five - four then finally ended up landing wherever they could. I think Gil Bright finally flew his airplane out - they might have been one other - that finally they got out - they might have sent the truck for one or two of the other. One of them was pretty messed up and I think lost it completely, but anyway it turned out to be a fiasco. I think Boyington’s excuse was that his compass was off 20 or 30 degrees which seems a little �weird that he wouldn’t find it out before he started home. He was flying along the escort in one direction and you think he’d of know about it then. Anyway it was a fiasco. FRANK BORING: What was Chennault's reaction? BUSTER KEETON: I think if I remember correctly, Chennault came back the next day and he was really hot. I think he was upset with Greenlaw for having the escort and of course he was upset with Boyington for getting lost and losing all the airplanes. He was really upset actually. FRANK BORING: During March, things started to change in the AVG, the morale was getting lower because there was more incidents of crashing planes. At this point, pilots were threatening to resign. Chennault got everybody together and gave a lecture about promising to stay together as a unit. Do you recall? BUSTER KEETON: Well, there was one down at Loiwing when he got the group together and there was - we were doing a lot of low level flying over the Jap lines and to give and the Chinese lines to give morale and it was - we went out to escort some Blenheim's back down to Chiang Mai which we had already done a mission down there it was very successful. This was to go and there were a lot of things, I think actually all the pilots wanted to do was have a meeting and see if they could get Chennault, Generalissimo and Stilwell all on the same flight length. Things got a little confused at different times because Chennault would tell us one thing and then be overruled by the Generalissimo or by Stilwell. FRANK BORING: You knew Hastey - he had a few plane crashes or something like that BUSTER KEETON: I think actually he cracked up three or four airplanes - three I guess. All of them not necessary at all. [?] got two or three at Toungoo checking out and then Hastey got another three, not �called for and Boyington had five. Probably the old man almost sent him to the grave for loosing those airplanes unnecessarily. (break) FRANK BORING: If you could give us the details of your involvement in the Chiang Mai raid. BUSTER KEETON: We took off at Kunming and 10 of us - and we flew to Loiwing and supposed to gas up and get out of there that night. Anyway, we didn’t get out we stayed overnight. The next day we flew down to [?] and we had a stay over. The night before we went out and put lanterns because they had no night lights or any runway lights. Put out lanterns across the runway and I remember this talking the night before they’d probably lose more on the takeoff then they would on the strafing and bombing. That’s what I thought of when they were taking off. I was the last one to take off. Nobody cracked up yet. But anyway we joined up the four Newkirk, Geselbracht, Lawlor and myself. We were supposed to join up with Neale and they would hit Chiang Mai and we would go 15 miles south and hit this other little field. What happened is we didn’t join up and Newkirk took off and we followed him and so we got over Chiang Mai ahead of Neale but just enough to alert him a little bit. We missed the field or I’m sure we’d of gone in and strafed and went on south trying to find the other little field. We didn’t find it or if we did I didn’t see it but then Newkirk started strafing warehouses and then there was a train on the track just beside these warehouses. Then there was a whole line of storehouses or something and we pulled all those apart and then we were coming back up and I was fourth man - the last man and Newkirk was coming around. I was back here and he went down and about here I saw a ball of fire over to the right and I didn’t realize what it was. , I thought maybe it was a weapons truck afire or a tank or something. On this strafing mission at Chiang Mai we had set a lot of storehouses or barracks or whatever along this railroad afire and had pulled up. Newkirk’s leading, I was behind and they pulled �around and while I’m back here Newkirk’s apparently is here because Geselbracht and Lawlor and about here, I see a ball of flame down there and I’m thinking that Newkirk had hit a weapons carrier blown it up or a tank or something. Then I notice that Geselbracht takes off in the direction back to Heyho [?] or [?] back over the airport and then Lawlor goes and I’m following Lawlor. I get on Lawlor and then we’re coming over the airport where the other guys had hit and really they had messed him up real good. The flak then was every place. It was just all over the sky and so I saw Lawlor, apparently I thought he was hit and was going in but what he was doing was just diving down and I don’t know. I just kept going side to side and kept straight ahead. And finally I thought Lawlor had gone in because all I could see was just one little speck up there which had been Geselbracht. Finally Lawlor came in from the side and the three of us got back and Black Mack was hit by ground fire, anti-aircraft and of course he finally had to - he nursed his airplane along for a while and finally he had to bail out and he was captured. I didn’t realize until the three of us were together flying that that was Newkirk at We [?]. Instead of him hitting something amazing how you don’t realize things when you should right off the bat until a few minutes later. We were so concerned about all of that flak coming up, but it turned out to be a very successful mission. Our group didn’t do anything good, but the other guys really shot up a lot of airplanes on the ground. Neale and Bond and Boyington and Bartlett. FRANK BORING: When you returned back with just the three of you what was the reaction? What realization that Newkirk wasn’t coming back? How did that affect you those three airplanes coming back and you finally realized that that fireball wasn’t something else? BUSTER KEETON: Well, you were concerned and you were upset. Although I had to admit previously that Newkirk didn’t get along too good, but that had nothing to do with the fact that you’re real upset. He’s a squadron commander and he never dodged any mission or �anything. He did his share. He was a little bit of a showman but on the other hand he still did his share. FRANK BORING: In April, there’s a battle over Loiwing in which some of the P-40s got caught on the ground and Reed had something shot up in his airplane. Oil got covered up all over, he couldn’t see and you apparently led him back to safety. Do you recall that incident? BUSTER KEETON: Yea, Bill Reed either had oil on shot or sometimes they didn’t screw the oil cap on the oil tank firmly and that would come loose and that oil would spill all over the windshield and you’d be flying blind. But you could see out the side and Frank Lawlor and I and three New Zealanders and the Buffalos had taken off on this alert and we got up, it wasn’t too high, around 10,000 feet and we run into all these zeros. So we all scattered, because we didn’t have the altitude and then with them coming at you, it’s dog eat dog then. I’m not sure exactly where I ran into Reed but anyway there was no dog fight as far as I was concerned then but I ran into Reed and he had all the stuff and so he - I told him just fly on my wing and I’d take him back to the airport. So he flew on the wing and took him back and landed and made a beautiful landing and everything turned out alright and I flew back up to get back into the action and it turned out because then I ran into this zero, he was heading for home, apparently getting low on gas and I got him and got confirmed - got paid for 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v08 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 8 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton discusses a period of low morale within the AVG in addition to his involvement in the Chiang Mai raid. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e985d9c05ca6aaa7c065237a0724a0f2.mp4 e84e6d7227753148aca1a4cbab7362fa https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/12eaeb8436c4bf04bc111c4327b5be8b.pdf 1bbd7099a1b693e5c6354e9c628219a0 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 9] BUSTER KEETON: In the battle over Loiwing where all the zeros came in, I ran into Bill Reed, north of the field and his airplane - the windshield was completely covered with oil that had either come from a shot out line or a gas cap that wasn’t on tight. By communicating with him by radio which both of our radios worked, I told him to fly on my wing and I would take him back to the airport and he could make a blind landing just by flying formation. That he did and he made a landing and fortunately the whole thing worked out good for me because then I didn’t land I just kept on going and just climbed back up and I’m not sure the altitude now, but it wasn’t too high. I ran into this Zero who was heading back for, I‘m sure they came out of Chiang Mai. I imagine he was getting low on gas and I came up on the left side, rear left side and shot into his engine which I was trying to shoot into and it actually didn’t catch on fire but smoke came pouring out and finally he went in. And then I climbed on up to around oh, 18,000 feet and didn’t see anything and we got the all clear alert. Sometimes our radios worked real good and sometimes they didn’t work too good. FRANK BORING: At about that time, you became known as the white feather. BUSTER KEETON: That was a bad moment, because everyone had lots of respect for the General, of which he was going to be, At that time maybe he’d already had his commission in the army air corps and it was a tough thing but on the other hand, everybody had done a good job �and it was just a bad moment. Still, it upset everyone to think that we were white feathered because no way was anybody in the group that I knew anyway that would sew it in. Well, I don’t know at this stage of the game, I don’t know how to explain it, because we all admired the old man an awful lot. He was under a lot of pressure. He had pressure from the Generalissimo, he had pressure from Stilwell, he had pressure from Brereton. And Bissell and Ambreth? In India and McGruder in Chungking. Everybody was a little bit on edge. FRANK BORING: Did you notice a change in his attitude - in his way of doing things after he got the promotion to General? BUSTER KEETON: I think there was a change. Of course, we didn’t think it was for the better, but you could tell there was a change. It was back military type the way things were handled and away from more the relaxed way we’d been operating under. It was then very successful under the relaxed way and that’s the way we wanted to finish out our contract under. FRANK BORING: It’s important that we bring out with Chennault the change occurred when he received the commission. BUSTER KEETON: I think that most of us felt after Chennault received his commission that things changed to a little more military type more so then the relaxed type that we’d been operating under. More like going thru the chain of command, not too much but there was change that you could feel it. And it was, I guess, for the better because the army was coming in sometime and they would have to take over. Had to get back to the regimentation. I remember what led up to the white feather incident, it was some missions that were set up one was five or six P-40's to fly formation or cover for five Blenheim's. And I’m not sure who all was assigned to this, but it was to go down and bomb with these five Blenheim's, go down and bomb Chiang Mai. To escort Blenheim's which was almost impossible to even stay in the air in a P-40 because you couldn’t fly that slow. A �lot of the Z guys though the mission wasn’t called for and they thought it ought to be called off. Now, the mission didn’t go off and I’m not sure why. I think the Blenheim's were supposed to come in from someplace in India or someplace in North Burma and they got lost or something. But the mission didn’t go off and if I remember correctly that’s what the reason for it was. I can’t think of anything else. FRANK BORING: On May 21st, you actually met Bissell. Bissell was promoted over Chennault by a day. I wonder if you could comment on the meeting of him and any impression you had on the fact that Chennault was not promoted at the same time Bissell was. BUSTER KEETON: Everybody felt even going in or not, that Chennault should have had the seniority over Bissell because he’d been out there. He’d spent all these years in China. As far as going back in army history, maybe Bissell was senior to Chennault. I don’t know. Anyway, our reaction was that Chennault should have been appointed the senior man. In fact, we all felt that he should have been the man that was running the whole show in China, not Stilwell or Brereton. Or Brett or McGruder. It should have been Chennault running the show. FRANK BORING: What was your impression of Bissell? BUSTER KEETON: A meeting was called, I presume by General Bissell in Hostel 1 of all AVG people. The idea of it was to induct everybody or anybody that they could get into the army. The impression that Bissell left on everybody and I go along with it definitely is he made sort of an ass out of himself because he tried to railroad us in by saying we would get no help out of China to get home. No transportation. We’d have to pay our own way. When we got off the ship, whatever harbor it came into why we’d be met by the draft board and inducted into the [?] army. A lot of people were on the fence about going in. That made everybody sort of teed off and they said so and they told him right there. No way. �FRANK BORING: What did you tell him? BUSTER KEETON: I’m not sure. I don’t even know whether I have it in my diary or not. I said well, I don’t know. I can’t quote it. FRANK BORING: Maybe give us a sense of it. BUSTER KEETON: My feeling definitely was after that I wasn’t going to go into the army air corps and China then. I was going to come back and well, at that time I wasn’t sure later on I thought I’d go back into the Navy where I came from. But when a person tells you, you know you’ve been fighting a war and then they tell you that you’re going to have to walk home, pay your own way and the contract we’d signed well they weren’t going to let us work out the contract. The contract that we’d signed I’m almost positive, said that we’d get transportation home. But he said we wouldn’t get any and we didn’t. FRANK BORING: Why would he talk to you guys like that? BUSTER KEETON: I don’t know. The whole thing, now as I look back on it, then at the time I guess we thought the whole thing was not done correctly. It should have been sort of an individual thing instead of a railroad job. They were going to railroad you into going into the army instead of making it attractive. Just pushing you into something, you wasn’t sure you wanted it or not. I think at first I was very much on the fence but after Bissell made that speech, I wasn’t on the fence anymore. I was heading home. FRANK BORING: Do you think that people like Bissell were...? BUSTER KEETON: I think that there was animosity between Bissell and Chennault. I think Bissell was jealous of Chennault because Chennault was getting all of this glory and he was getting nothing plus the fact that Chennault had a way through the Madame to the �Generalissimo and he could pretty much get his way in China which Bissell or Brereton or McGruder - none of them could do that. And they were all, they didn’t like that. Guess if I’d been in their shoes, I wouldn’t either. I think that's the reason for the animosity between them or part of it any way. FRANK BORING: Also inherent in this insult, if you will, is the US and the British up until this time had not really done a lot of the fighting. The AVG was doing the fighting. The British as you know, were in India taking their tea breaks and the US had not really given a lot of support in the way of hearts, supplies you know major support. What was your reaction to - from the point of view of you knew you were fighting the battle, you knew you were fighting the war and Chennault was put in a position where he talked about the white feather and Bissell comes in and he states that “There’s a war on”. That’s one of the things he told you. From the perspective of you personally, because you had already seen that the US wasn’t doing as much as they really should have. The British weren’t and the AVG was the only one really fighting, what was your reaction to the attitude that the military was giving you at this point? BUSTER KEETON: Very disappointing. We were Americans. We all felt like we’d done a good job. We were very disappointed and we were a little bitter. The fact that we weren’t getting more help. Maybe from all the rumors and all the information we could get, we could have gotten a lot more help. That might be rumors. Maybe our thinking was wrong. No way I could confirm it, but we all felt like we could have gotten more help. FRANK BORING: One of the things that you talked about in your last days, was some things that you witnessed that kind of shocked you. Apparently there were some Chinese bandits that were rounded up by the military and you witnessed the execution of those bandits. Do you remember that incident? �BUSTER KEETON: Those were thieves if it’s the thing I’m thinking. Oh yea, they stole some wire or something off the telephone wire or something. They took them out into a vacant lot and well, they paraded them all over Kunming. Whether they pulled them in rickshaws or what I’m not positive but anyway, with these awful horns blowing and then they took them to this vacant lot and bent them over and shot them in the back of the head. Kind of gruesome, but I think they still do that in China. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v09 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 9 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton describes the change that occurred when General Chennault received his commission and how operations became more regimented during the last days of the AVG leading up to the army's invovlement. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0574a7efdc053a8391e9eb8374c18782.mp4 7986a342cda7ba1f028ed3cf13bb48ed https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0bf588aece3861742afd13505da1a919.pdf d4f4a69ee5136d186435484321e90446 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Special Collections & University Archives RHC-88 Fei Hu Films Flying Tigers Interviews Interviewer: Frank Boring Interviewee: Robert B. “Buster” Keeton Date of Interview: 05-29-1991 Transcriber: Frank Boring [TAPE 10] FRANK BORING: What was it like to be in Kunming thinking they might be breaking thru any day now? BUSTER KEETON: The Japanese were coming up the road really coming fast, that we’d begun to think that maybe they’d be in Kunming in not too long a time. But then the Chinese army when they blew up the bridge. They caught a lot of refugees on the west side and then we did a lot bombing and strafing along the bridge along Salween and sometimes we weren’t sure whether the Chinese or Japanese were shooting at us - or both of them. Anyway, I think that we did a lot of good work there and we lost some good men. We lost Bob Little there. In fact loosing Bob Little shook Bob Neale more than anything I’ve ever seen shake him. But then, the Chinese strength and with our help we held the Japs at the Salween River and that stopped them. Then a director led this squad I was on and we bombed and strafed this - they had a bunch of Chinese cornered and that broke that up and let all of the Chinese get back into the action. We did a lot of good work on that Salween deal. FRANK BORING: A lot of army replacements were coming in from the US and in one case, you talked about a Lieutenant Colonel Sanders who wanted a group of P-40's to go off and fly a mission and you knew there were problems to begin with and it turned out to be a disaster Can you recall that? �BUSTER KEETON: I remember one incident where Col. Sanders was bringing in some P-40's I believe from Dinjab [?]. And he got lost and Caribou King who was a radio operator, threw the net we had and they tracked their planes we had all the way. I’m not sure whether they were east of the field or west of the field but anyway Sanders thought he was the opposite of where they were and Caribou King said you’re over here because the net had told him where they were. So they had a little discussion and finally Sanders took Caribou's word for it and they came in and found the airport. It was quite an argument. Caribou King was a character. He could have cared less whether it was a general or president of the US. FRANK BORING: Look at the last day, July 4, 1942 in your diary. You said it was probably the longest day of your life at that time. What was the last day like? What happened and what was going thru your mind? BUSTER KEETON: Looking back on it, I think several things. I was still down at Kunming; I didn’t get up to Kweilin. Everybody in the 3rd squadron at Kunming was leaving. They weren’t staying for the extra two weeks. I kind of felt like I hadn’t done too much and I’d have liked to stay for the two weeks, although I wasn’t about to stay. I think we had to buy our tickets on CNAC, we couldn’t get out on Army transport. Just a lot of things plus the fact that you’re leaving. A lot of people had already gone. And it’s a breaking up of the group. I think a combination of a lot of things. I can’t think of anything more but that’s part of it anyway. FRANK BORING: Do you remember, the feelings that you recall of that day? BUSTER KEETON: I can’t. Actually, it was kind of sad and on the other hand it was kind of a joyful day. To see that you were heading home and not knowing when you were going to get there, but at least you were going that way. FRANK BORING: The trip home was quite difficult. I guess there was some anger on your part that they didn’t live up to their part of the bargain of �allowing you to go back home. Do you think Chennault was involved in keeping you from going home? Do you think the orders came from him or Stilwell? BUSTER KEETON: Chennault had something to do with that. It seems to me that when we got to Karachi and went out to the airfield and some major or somebody told me that they had word that we were not supposed to be given a transportation ride on anything and the word had come from Chennault. That upset the few of us who were there. There were quite a few of us. Later on, I think that probably came from somebody else. I just don’t think he would say that or do that. But that’s the information we got and that really upsets you. FRANK BORING: What do you think the AVG accomplished in that year period of time in terms of the Chinese and in terms of the Americans? What do you think the AVG as a group accomplished? It was a period in Chinese history, it was a period in American history, it was a unique period in which people worked together. Where do you think the AVG fits in terms of that period? BUSTER KEETON: I think the AVG kept the Japs from taking all of China and if they’d have taken all of China, they would have taken all of China before the US army, air force, and the navy and so on could get in a position to stop them. If they’d of taken all of China, they’d have taken a lot of India, maybe all of it and if they’d of done that, who knows what would have happened. As far as the AVG, what they did and so on, I think we were very fortunate to be at the right place at the right time, under the circumstances, doing a fairly good job of stopping the Japanese. I think the raid on Chiang Mai slowed up the whole process of the advancement of the Japanese and the other one was the Salween River. In fact, I think the Salween river thing kept the Japs from taking China. By then the army, air force and so on got in and that was the beginning of the end of the war. �FRANK BORING: What do you think the AVG did for the morale of both the Chinese people and the American people in the US? BUSTER KEETON: The morale of the places of where we were staying, boy they changed it a tremendous amount. Kunming - places like Yunnanyi. I didn’t get to Kweilin, I don’t know, but - Loiwing until we lost Loiwing. The morale of the people while we were there was terrific compared to what we were told it was before. As far as the US, I wasn’t here, but I think they thought it was doing a pretty good job. Maybe that was all due to the war correspondents. I don’t think so; I think we did a pretty good job. FRANK BORING: The final question and a very personal one. You’ve accomplished a lot of things after AVG. You got a nice home here, you found a wonderful wife, you’ve built a life for yourself that went beyond what happened at the AVG. What I want to ask of you Buster, what was it that you accomplished personally? What did you get out of the AVG that carried you on to the person you are today? BUSTER KEETON: That’s a tough question. I don’t know how to answer that question correctly but I got a hell of a lot out of the AVG and what it was I don’t have enough language to really say. Except I think it made a better man out of me, made a better pilot out of me. It builds up for me to carry on to what I as after. If not it had a hell of a lot to do with it. FRANK BORING: What do you think personally? BUSTER KEETON: What I personally feel now or back then? Camaraderie of the group is still tremendous. We still have it everybody had the greatest far as I know. We all have a great, great friendship and everybody thinks they accomplished a lot. A terrific job. All of them ended up as squadron group commanders at least two or three tours of duty over there. But we all have great respect for each other and that’s the important thing. �FRANK BORING: What do you feel you accomplished over there? Your own personal evaluation of yourself during that time? BUSTER KEETON: I think I did a good job. I don’t think I did a fantastic job. I’m proud of what I did, I’m certainly not ashamed of it and I don’t know what else to say. FRANK BORING: When you look back at that time, how does it fit in your life? Is it something that has stayed with you? BUSTER KEETON: Oh, definitely. The time I spent in the AVG had a lot to do with how I conducted my life, how I conducted myself and I’ve always been very proud and happy. It’s one of the best parts of my life. In fact the whole thing. I wouldn’t change that or since then for anything. I think a lot of its luck. Being in the right place at the right time. Ending up with everything you got. � 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 Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. 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-88_Keeton_Buster_1991-05-29_v10 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keeton, Robert B. "Buster" Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1991-05-29 Title A name given to the resource Robert "Buster" Keeton interview (video and transcript, 10 of 10), 1991 Description An account of the resource Interview of Robert B. "Buster" Keeton by filmmaker Frank Boring for the documentary, Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers. Keeton served in the American Volunteer Group as a Flight Leader in the 2nd Squadron "Panda Bears." He joined the AVG in September 1941, and 2.5 confirmed victories in air combat against the Japanese. He remained with the AVG for one year, and returned to the United States in December 1942. In this tape, Keeton describes the experience of his last day as a part of the AVG and the breaking up of the group, in addition to his reflections on their accomplishments and their place in history. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (interviewer) Christopher, Frank (director) Fei Hu Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/65ecfc5d5214cdf99d6ddf3aadfe8e5a.mp4 88bdd2ccb53fc0914d3cfe94a961ec10 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3f6e657103b5058980cb58a9451976e3.pdf 932251fbaf95ab03bfa145460d2e9942 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Kenneth Kelly (01:47:10) Background • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Born on a farm in Coopersville, MI. (0:24) One of nine children, six boys and three girls (00:30) His father, Asa Kelly, was a WWI veteran. (00:36) His mother was Hazel Easterly, who came from a family with thirteen children. (00:42) Big families were common in those days, as more children helped work on the farm. (00:53) Graduated High School in June of 1943. (00:58) Enlisted in the U.S. Navy construction battalions, the Sea Bees. (1:13) Born on 8/21/1925. (1:19) His family did relatively well during the Depression, despite having a large family. Everyone at the time was in a similar situation. (1:38) Suspects his parents may have had a harder time than the children. (1:52) His father was a school teacher. His mother died in 1937. (2:04) His eldest sister graduated high school the same year his mother died. She acted like a surrogate mother to the younger children. (2:06) Recounts that his father did have a harder time during the depression. (2:30) Three of his brothers served in the Army during WWII (2:45) Father was stationed at “Camp Custer,” which was later “Fort Custer.” (3:00) His father was a Lieutenant during WWI. (3:16) During WWI Asa confiscated a set of dice from some gambling soldiers, and took them home after the war. (3:23) Kenneth's oldest brother went to MSU (all but one went to MSU) and enrolled in the ROTC program at MSU. His brother graduated in 1941. (3:44) His brother was sent to Camp Custer for training. (4:06) Asa and Hazel were married when he was training in Camp Custer, and their eldest son was born in Battle Creek. (4:19) Kenneth spent fifty years selling overhead cranes and monorail equipment. (4:37) After Fort Custer became an industrial park, Japanese and German firms invested in the area. Kenneth sold equipment to these firms. (4:47) Comments on the irony of selling equipment to the Germans and Japanese, when he had fought them in WWII. (5:04) Kenneth did not participate in ROTC, he had only gone to High School at that time. ROTC was not a high school program at the time. (5:16) Enlisted as an apprentice seamen. (5:31) Pre-Enlistment • • • • Served two years, seven months as part of the Navy's construction team. (5:34) Many boys at his high school were worried about being drafted right after graduating. (5:50) Eight to ten boys at his school enlisted prior to graduating. Upon their return from the war they were given diplomas, despite not finishing school. (6:04) Pearl Harbor was attacked when he was sixteen. (6:31) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • At the time of the attack, he was at home listening to a radio show on a Sunday afternoon. The attack was interrupted with an announcement. (6:44) Had no idea where Pearl Harbor was located, but the radio soon informed them. (7:04) The attack took everyone by surprise. The war was brought home to them in a way they had not expected. They had known that President Roosevelt was helping the British, but being very young he hadn't read up about the situation in depth. (7:22) People became even more worried about the draft. (7:54) Some men enlisted in order to avoid being assigned to the Army when they were drafted. (8:07) Men drafted into the army usually became “dog faces” or infantry. (8:09) Worked part time at a local gas station. (8:26) Gasoline was rationed at the time, so he had to learn how to handle the ration coupons. (8:37) The ration was four gallons per week. (9:08) Four gallons per week was not very much, but it was enough for most people to get by at the time. (9:10) A few people cheated the system. (9:25) The gas station was frequently audited by government officials in order to prevent cheating. (9:43) While he was still in high school, he researched the different military branches in order to decide which to enlist in. (10:07) The Navy looked like the best branch for him. The Navy usually had clean beds, good food, and clean clothes. (10:52) A few times in the South Pacific he had to struggle. The lack of fresh water was the most frequent problem. (11:08) Training • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Camp Perry, near Williamsburg, VA was the start of his training. (11:36) Almost all of the Sea Bees were trained at Camp Perry. There were 350,000 Sea Bees in WWII. (11:50) A battalion was formed by eleven hundred men. (12:00) He arrived in Camp Perry in August, left in late October or early November. The next location was in Gulfport, MS. (12:31) At the Tampali Bay base he was given advance training. (12:31) Military training—marching, how to salute, and obey orders was trained at Camp Perry. (12:40) At Tampali Bay, he was given infantry training. The Sea Bees were very involved during invasions. (12:55) The infantry training was for self-defense. (13:26) Primary duty of the Sea Bees was to build bases for other operations. These bases were used by all branches of the military. Most of the bases were in the Pacific. (13:36) Continued his infantry training. (14:07) Went out on bivouac. (14:21) He was surprised at the cold weather in Mississippi. He thought it would be much warmer. (14:36) The tents they slept in weren't fire-resistant. (14:50) They had to get firewood, and store it in the tents. (15:07) Men were put on duty to watch for tent fires. (15:07) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • When he was on guard duty, he often stole wood from other tents. (15:48) Practiced invasions on an island in the Gulf of Mexico. (15:56) While in Mississippi, he went on “liberty” for twelve to twenty-four hours. He usually went to New Orleans during his leave. (16:00) He enlisted at age seventeen. He turned eighteen during training. (16:34) Couldn't drink because he was only seventeen. (16:54) The Navy Blue uniform had three stripes on the collar, and three on the cuffs. Many men in the Navy rolled back there cuffs past the stripes. One day as he was on liberty, some military policeman stopped his group of friends. His friends all had there sleeves rolled back, but he did not. As a result his friends were taken to the holding pen for being out of uniform. Afterwards, he always kept his cuffs unrolled. (16:58-17:45) Camp Perry is still around, but in a different form. He tried visiting the area again twenty-five years later, but was not allowed in. He found out it was the training base, or “Farm” for the CIA. (18:19-18:43) While in Camp Perry the men were formed into battalions. (19:03) He was in the 127th battalion. They trained as a battalion from that point forward. (19:08) The Navy needed men immediately in the Pacific, and they asked the battalion to select men to send out early. The battalions selected men they didn't like. As a result, one of his friends was selected, but he was not. His friend talked him to volunteering. His action was following the advice of a chief petty officer. (19:2519:56) [DVD skips] (20:24-20:28) [DVD skips again] (21:00-21:13) The term “polliwog” was a Navy term for someone who hadn't crossed Equator. Someone who had was called a “shellback.” When he crossed the equator he was given a certificate, and subjected to an initiation. (21:30) His initiation was simply being squirted with sea-water. Some of the other men were smeared with axle grease. The initiation was usually more severe, but there were so many recruits involved it was difficult. (21:34) Had to bow to a man dressed as King Neptune as part of the initiation. (22:17) He purchased some war bonds for $18.75. They matured into $25 bonds later on. He used the bonds to finance part of his wedding. (22:38) Shipped out • • • • • • • • Took off for the Pacific, through the Panama Canal. (23:23) The only time he had fresh water showers was while crossing the Panama canal. The fresh water was from a nearby lake. (23:37) Stopped at the Galapagos Islands, but did not go ashore. (23:55) The destroyer escort had to refuel. (24:00) Destroyer refueled again in Tahiti, and again in New Caledonia. While in New Caledonia, US Navy airplanes flew overhead. One of the planes had engine problems and crashed in the ocean. The men on the plane deployed an orange raft and were picked up by the destroyer. (24:16) New Hebrides Islands were among the first islands used as advance bases. The islands were used to build up supplies and troops. (25:17) At the Espiritu Santu Island he was taken off the boat. There were no barracks on the island, so they slept in a church. (25:52) Had a steel helmet, and a 1933 Springfield rfle. (26:36) �• When sleeping in church, he slept on a pew and used his backpack as a pillow. He slept cradling his rifle. (26:45) • He was put on another ship, this time an LST (Landing Ship Tank) and went to Guadalcanal. They stopped for one day, and were put on another ship. (26:58) • Next they were sent to Kuko Beach. (27:11) • Spend two weeks in New Guinea. (27:19) • Put to work at New Guinea. He worked nights at the ammunitions facility loading and unloading ammunition onto trucks. (27:38) • Got a bad sliver while working, and went to sick bay for treatment. Despite the medical treatment and disinfectant he came down with a severe infection. Part of his finger had to be removed. (28:08) • He was put on another ship, which was a badly maintained “rust bucket.” He still had not seen any combat at this point. (28:50) • Headed for the Admiralty Islands on a convoy with two destroyer escorts. (29:05) • His ship's engine stopped running. All the men were told to watch for submarine periscopes. One of the destroyers came back to check on them, but the other ships kept going. (29:22) • The radio on the ship was also nonfunctional, so the men on the destroyer and the convoy had to use megaphones. (29:50) • They didn't know how long the delay would be. (30:23) • The destroyer had to keep up with the rest of the convoy, and would not be able to stay behind permanently. (30:42) • Experienced electricians on board the ship were able to fix the problems. (30:55) • They managed to catch up with the rest of the convoy. (31:07) • Sailed onto Los Negros islands. (31:15) • Time spent in transit was three months. The battle they had been sent to assist in was still on-going. (31:23) Medals and Symbols • Received a medal for the Asiatic Pacific Theater. He also received two battle-stars, one for the Admiralties, and one for Okinawa. He also received a victory medal and a Good Conduct medal. (31:53) • The symbol with eagle and a circle was put on the uniforms. (31:57) • in 1995 he received a pin as part of the reunion. The inscription reads A grateful nation remembers, WWII 1995 1945.” (33:38) • Joined the 78th Sea Bee regiment, which was one of three in the area. The 40th and 2nd regiments were also used. His initial battalion was split three ways to join the other battalions (34:01) • The symbol on his sweatshirt was drawn by Disney artists in 1943 before he joined the 78th. The 78th had been based in Oxnard, CA and some men had asked the artists to draw them a symbol. The symbol is a fighting bee with a tommy-gun, a monkey wrench and a hammer. (34:16) • The new members of the 78th were not well liked by the older members. The senior members had been deployed from October to November of 1943, and when the new recruits came they knew they wouldn't be going back home soon. (35:49) Admiralties • The men were given tents, which were sixteen feet by sixteen feet. He was part of C Company. They were told where to put the tent, and given stakes. The wooden stakes did not work because of the ground, so they had to get new metal reinforced stakes. (36:42) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • He was on a sandy beach, with palm trees. (37:47) The trees were coconut palms. He enjoyed the pleasant weather, 150 miles from the Equator. (38:20) Most of the men walked about shirtless, in shorts and a cap. Many had sunburns. (38:51) The camp was near a captured air base. It was the first area they had taken. (39:05) Expanded and enlarged the existing air field for four engine bombers. (39:22) The Japanese airfields were not large enough for the large planes, such as the B-24 bombers. (39:23) The bombers began their raids at any hour, but often very early. (40:18) Around 4:00 AM they heard a loud crash, so they went to check the fuel supplies. They had fuel for the bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, and other construction equipment. (40:35) A plane crashed into the nearby Sea Bee (40th regiment) and exploded. Thirty men were killed, and seventy wounded. (40:59) The area was a mess. He and some others found four unexploded bombs in a whole near the crashed bomber. (41:35) The Sea Bees included older men with construction experience. The average age of the Sea Bees was 37, the average age of the Marine Corps was around 23. Twentyfive men in his regiment were WWI veterans. (42:05) The Sea Bees had learned to improvise with building materials and food supplies. They cut down trees to build a dock in the area. (42:47) Some of the lumber from the mill was inconsistent, although it was good quality overall. They usually used tropical woods, like teak. (44:02) The Sea Bees were often complimented by higher officers because of their speed. Kenneth explains they used shifts to work 24/7. Also, the men didn't have much else to do. Work was a way to relieve boredom. (44:28) End of the war • When the war ended he was driving a tractor at 2 AM in Okinawa. He had been deployed for eighteen months. (45:06) • In Okinawa, he worked on an airfield for B29 bombers. (45:49) • The airstrip was two miles long. (46:00) • It was impossible to hear the air raid sirens over the noise of the tractors. They only knew of an air raid when shots were fired. (46:19) • During bombing raids, most of the Sea Bees hid under their tractors. They were never hit by the bombers as they were after the ships. (46:59) • Heard people cheering while he was running the tractor. He talked to the antiaircraft men, thinking that perhaps there had been a raid, and was informed that the war was over. (47:20) • He shut down the tractor and went back to camp. He was scolded for quitting early. (47:37) Back in the Admiralties, earlier • Worked on the dock at the Admiralties. The Admiralties was the largest base, it was constructed for invasion and re-taking of the Philippines. The area had good harbor facilities. (48:00) • Worked under General MacArthur. (48:44) • While he worked at the dock there were many types of ships: Navy, ammunition, tankers, troop ships, hospital ships, and little boats. (49:00) • One of his friends told him “hey, look” and he saw a huge pillar of smoke and flame. �(49:18) • He had to get under shelter, so he hid underneath a crane. (49:37) • An ammunition ship with three hundred men on board exploded. The hull of the ship was later found with the dead men. Seventy-five men on other ships were killed by debris. (49:58) • Quonset huts were used as a multi-purpose building, everything from barracks and hospitals to warehouses. (51:27) Pictures, Miscellaneous stories(51:59-1:10:46) • The official term of the tents they used was a “shelter-half,” each man carried half a tent which he joined to other halves. (53:26) • Patrol Nat Balintae disappeared during the war. Nat had painted the pictures he showed to the interviewer earlier. (54:10) • While on board, they had a ship-store. At the ship-store they could buy toothpaste, candy, and other items. The store ran at a profit and used the proceeds to create a log book at the end of the war. (55:00) • Phoebe the Sea Bee was in the book, also by Disney. (56:52) • Was in an article by the Grand Rapids Press. (57:19) • His eldest brother was in the Army for thirty years. (57:38) • Ran into his second eldest brother at Okinawa. (57:50) • Has a Japanese pistol from Okinawa. The pistol was based off the German Luger. His brother was in the invasion of Okinawa, and often patrolled behind enemy lines in the anti-tank platoon. He came across a dead Japanese officer and a dead girl. They believed the man had shot the girl and them himself. (59:91) • [Tape switched] (59:36) • In the Grand Rapids Press, there was a picture of him before he joined the Navy. (59:44) • Picture of the Gulfport, MS Sea Bee reunion. (1:00:00) • New Sea bees were also at the reunion. (1:00:26) • They picked coral out of the sea, and used it like concrete. The coral was crushed and then bonded like concrete. (1:01:57) • He operated a “sheep's foot roller.” (1:01:31) • Aleut Island, built an airfield on Panan Island. (1:01:39) • Has a picture of the airfield, which one of his comrades obtained online. The website indicating wrongly that the airfield was built by British and Australians. (1:02:52) • Picture of the cemetery and th chapel. (1:03:39) • The Sea Bees did a lot of earthmoving and drainage. (1:04:13) • Constructed a water tower, which converted salt water into freshwater. (1:04:38) • Has the original plans for Okinawa. They were never fully implemented as the war ended. (1:06:31) • Picture of the exploded fuel pumps, and of an explosion used to mine the coral. (1:07:06) • In November 1944, he was disappointed at not being sent on leave to Australasia. (1:07:45) • There was a brothel in Noumea, which was on the French island of New Caledonia. The US Navy had a special room at the brothel. (1:08:32) • Their chapel was multi-denominational. They held Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish services. (1:08:50) • A picture of a Japanese small craft which was re-built and used by the Navy. (1:10:00) �• • • The camp was about fifty feet from a cliff overlooking the ocean. (1:10:39) Was nominated President of his WWII association. (1:11:00) Two of his grandchildren are GVSU graduates. (1:11:42) Training • Was not trained by WWI veterans. He was trained by members of the US Marines who had served in Panama. (1:11:53) • The Marines hadn't had much experience training other Sea Bee units. The Sea Bees did not respond well to the Marine trainers, as it was full of older experienced construction men. The Marines often cursed at the Sea Bees during training, which the men objected to. Eventually, the some of Sea Bees challenged the Marines to a fight, and won. (1:12:20) • The Marines stopped cursing at the men. (1:13:20) • His commanding officer was a WWI vet, and so were some of the military policemen. (1:13:39) • WWI vets talked somewhat about their experiences in WWI. Most conversation was based on living conditions around the country. (1:14:15) • It was easy to tell where someone was from, based on their accents. (1:14:48) • Believes he was trained adequately for his experiences. (1:15:42) Time in Transport • Took three months for them to get to the assigned location. (1:15:54) • Exercised using calisthenics. (1:15:54) • One of the men on the ship developed spinal meningitis, and parts of the ship were quarantined. (1:16:12) • As a result of the quarantine, they always went to the mess hall last. (1:16:20) • No one else came down with meningitis. The one man who had it recovered. (1:16:46) • Two meals a day. One day they found worms in the beefaroni and complained. They were then given new food. (1:17:22) • The men were often stinky. The saltwater showers and lard-based soap left them unpleasantly greasy, so they showered less. (1:17:35) • Two typhoons while they were in Okinawa, which sink some ships. It also split their tent. (1:18:22) • Tent curtain was kept up most of the time, because of the heat. Everything got wet as a result. (1:19:20) Interaction with civilians • Had direct contact with citizens. (1:19:32) • The Admiralties were all black. (1:19:38) • He sometimes visited civilians, but not frequently. Other men visited more frequently. (1:19:51) • Most of the people were friendly to the Americans. (1:20:06) • Believes this is still true today, mostly. (1:20:20) • Okinawa was more developed. (1:20:43) • Okinawans are not Japanese, and generally dislike the Japanese. He found this out during the reunion. (1:21:00) • During the war, the Japanese told the Okinawans horror stories about the Americans—that they would kill all the men, and rape the women. (1:21:27) • Okinawans moved with the Japanese to avoid the Americans. (1:21:45) • The US Navy was ordered to attack the Japanese • 140,000 civilians were killed in addition to 100,000 Japanese, 9,000 US Army and �• Marines, and 5,000 Navy. (1:22:00) Truman used two atomic bombs. Some of the men worried the Japanese might have atomic bombs. (1:22:50) Leisure • He was allowed to on “liberty” a few times, but he had nowhere to go. (1:23:30) • On the way the way to Okinawa he spent about a week on a small recreation island. (1:23:48) • The recreation island had tennis courts, basketball courts, and he could drink all the beer he wanted. (1:24:20) • Remembers many of the Navy men getting in drunken fights on the island, but that was just good fun at the time. (1:24:34) • Had a pretty good time at the Navy camps. (1:24:50) • Built a base facility to take care of minesweepers. (1:25:04) • The kitchen (where?) had an ice machine. While on active duty the men where allowed two beers a week. He and his friends usually saved up the beer for time off. (1:25:27) • On Sundays they would get the beer, ice from the kitchen, buy cigars and play poker. (1:25:53) Communication/visits his family, other remarks • He was able to keep in contact with his family through the mail service. (1:26:15) • The mail was censored, so he couldn't tell his family where he was located. (1:26:21) • Despite being a teacher, his father did not write many letters, and the letters he did write were only a few paragraphs. (1:26:34) • His aunts on his mother's side sent him letters frequently. (1:26:45) • He managed to find out his brother Dale was on Okinawa, and that his cousin was on another nearby island. He found out from his aunts. (1:27:16) • One day an Army chief came into the base with two grubby soldiers. The men entered the officer tent, and came out shortly after. The two soldiers then removed their helmets, and one of the men was his brother Dale. (1:27:56) • Dale had used the truck ID numbers to find him. Dale had come to the area to visit some wounded men as well. (1:28:55) • Kenneth visited his brother frequently, but had to take a gun with him every time he left the base (1:29:17) • During every battle he was given a gun, which he had to return at the end. (1:29:37) • Did not have any kamikaze scares with during his various voyages. (1:29:52) • He did not directly interact with the Japanese. He was only involved with the Japanese during the frequent air raids. (1:29:55) • The Navy frequently played movies at night in an outdoor theater. He quit one of the movies early because of an air raid, but other men stayed at the movie. (1:30:20) Reunion • The reunion was a wonderful experience for him. (1:30:44) • He flew in on a plane from Osaka, Japan. (1:31:07) • Got off the plane at the Naha airport, which was the capital of Okinawa. (1:31:07) • There were forty to fifty people waiting for them, they all clapped. They were glad to see the Americans return. (1:31:33) • Each night of the reunion had a special ceremony, with different services. Five wreaths were thrown in the water for the dead. (1:31:49) • A memorial hospital in the area was named after a sailor who had been awarded a �• • • • • • • • • • • medal of honor. The sailor was at the reunion. (1:32:12) Went jogging in Osaka. They stayed at a fancy hotel. The flight was going to leave at 11:00. He was jogging with an eighty-five year old, and he was seventy at the time. The man was his room-mate at the hotel, and had been a shipmate during WWII. (1:32:54) He went down a long street, and intended doing a loop around a traffic island. Instead he got lost, and all the street signs were in Japanese. (1:34:01) Came across a taxi, asked for directions. Had to ask for directions multiple times. Eventually he came across a woman who gave him elaborate directions in perfect English (1:34:44) He had left around 6:00 AM, the hotel had a checkout time of 7:00 AM. He got back to the hotel, and his room mate had put his bags outside the room (1:34:54) His roommate’s grandson was in the Marines. He had a broken ankle and had accompanied them on the reunion. (1:35:45) The Commander of the Navy was at the Reunion, and introduced to the grandson. (1:36:10) The Okinawans had a special ceremony for the dead (from the earlier mentioned battle). They listed off the names of each person killed, it took three days and two nights. (1:36:24) They had built a remembrance garden full of trees and pillars. Each pillar was inscribed with the names of the dead. (1:36:50) At the ceremony, Americans and Japanese planted trees together in the garden. (1:37:10) His brother died in 1985, he missed him at the ceremony. (1:37:25) He was in Okinawa for a week. Post-War life • Spent twenty-two years in the Reserves. (1:37:40) • Trained men for Vietnam and Korea. (1:38:48) • Enlisted 1947, began taking a commission in 1949. (1:37:54) • Retired from the Reserves in 1969. (1:38:06) • Trained men in Muskegon, Flint, and Lansing for a short time. (1:38:09) • Was the President of Kelly Sales and Engineering Co. He went to college at MSU. (1:38:30) • Started the business in 19693, operated until 2002. (1:39:00) • Sons joined in the business. (1:39:11) • The business closed in 2002. He retired from the business in 1990, but he still works as an engineer. (1:39:22) Opinions on the War in Iraq • He doesn't think the draft would be appropriate for the war in Iraq, as there are sufficient numbers of volunteers. (1:39:53) • His grandson is in the Army, and will be leaving for his second tour soon. (1:40:07) • Is of the opinion that enlisted men and women accept their job and duty. (1:40:15) • Believes they are welcomed by the Iraqis, especially the youth. (1:40:31) • A unit of Sea Bees is deployed in Iraq, re-building infrastructure and improving existing infrastructure. (1:40:37) More post-War • After the war he was still very young. Discharge was based on a points system, and he had few points due to his age. (1:41:22) • He came home for thirty days near Thanksgiving. He went to a Navy field and �• • • • • • • • • • became military policeman afterwards. (1:41:53) He rode trains from Chicago to Buffalo and back in order to track men. (1:42:16) Had a lot of free times while he was an MP. (1:42:32) Spend most of his free time looking for girls, as did most of his friends. One of his friends had a fake ID he used to buy liquor, and was caught. And jailed for seven days (1:42:48) When they were looking for girls, they weren't really looking for sex, just dance partners and a good time. (1:43:21) He went to a roller-skating rink, and was told the Aragon ball-room in Northwest Chicago would be a good place for girls. (1:43:28) Went to the place, a band was playing. It was a nice place. (1:43:46) It was a special party at the ball-room, so there were no girls without escorts. He complained to the girl running the candy corner, and she gave him the phone number of two of her girlfriends. (1:44:04) He talked to the girls, and they both showed up. He got to pick which one he danced with because he'd made the phone call. He picked Ruth, and married her that September, which was eight months later. She was from Winfield, IL. (1:44:44) He has three sons, seven grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. (1:45:16) Three of his brothers were in the service. Two of his brothers married women who were in the service. His second eldest brother married a woman who had been in the Women’s Army Corps, and his eldest married an Army nurse. (1:45:32) • Ruth had three older brothers in the military. His two sisters married Army men. (1:46:37) � 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 KeithE Title A name given to the resource Keith III, Elvin W. (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keith, Elvin W. Description An account of the resource Elvin W. Keith III was born on April 14, 1933. He went to Westchester State Teachers College and then joined the Marines. He started out in the platoon leader's class and then was promoted from a Field Commander to the Company Commander. Elvin was stationed in Vietnam and was assigned to the Motor Transport Battalion of the Third Marine Division. After Vietnam he was stationed at Camp Lajune, North Carolina where he trained to become a Regimental Motor Transport Officer. After his time in the service, Elvin began working for the FBI in Texas and he now teaches classes in Michigan at Baker College. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ericksen, Wallace J. (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Marine Corps Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-11-24 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/795d8375c7c32d5a3ca24fa4e2fc7356.mp4 f70135ee015bf6d568f0d422c42babe0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9694e99afb4555581c8327f709776c91.pdf 4a060f5c0d5ec17afcde4c1d6e3d0e03 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Robert Keith World War II 32 minutes 39 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on September 20, 1926 -Grew up in Grand Rapids and attended Grand Rapids Public Schools -Father worked for a railroad company in Grand Rapids -Mother was a housewife -His father had steady work throughout the Great Depression -Started off working on steam engines, then switched over to diesel engines -He had two siblings (00:01:20) Start of the War and Following the War -Doesn‟t remember where he was when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor -Doesn‟t remember there being any significant changes at school -He knew that he would eventually have to serve and was fine with that (00:02:04) Enlisting in the Army Air Force -He enlisted in August 1944 before his eighteenth birthday that September -Graduated in January 1945 before he reported for duty -He was officially in the service by March 1, 1945 -Needed a parent‟s signature because he wasn‟t eighteen -Parents were okay with it because it was better than getting drafted -He went into Cadet Training -Program that would prepare recruits to be an office, or a pilot -It was near the end of the war though, so he did not complete that -Wound up getting sent to a technical school to be an airplane mechanic (00:03:50) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois to be inducted -From there he was sent to Keesler Air Force Base near Biloxi, Mississippi -Went there by train -Slept in the seats of the train cars -It was an interesting trip for a young man -Training consisted of a lot of calisthenics, marching, and learning to take orders -Treated well by the drill sergeants -Received training with the .45 caliber pistol and submachine guns -Received tear gas training -Learning how to react quickly to a gas attack -It was cool in March and the barracks didn‟t have heat or air conditioning -By the summer it was hot and humid (00:07:13) Technical School -During the summer he went to the technical school to become an aircraft mechanic -This was also at Keesler Air Force Base -Classes were from midnight to 6AM �-Had to sleep in the heat of the day (00:07:39) Downtime during Training -They were allowed to go off base -There wasn‟t much to do in Biloxi though -There were bars and you could play slot machines (“one armed bandits”) -Gambling was illegal though, so sometimes the slot machines would „disappear‟ -Did not notice anything in the way of racial tension -This was most likely because communities and the military were still segregated (00:09:12) Stationed at Keesler and Langley Field -He was at Keesler from March 1945 to September 1945 -He was transferred to Langley Field, Virginia due to his records being lost -Spent two months there -After that he was deployed to Germany (00:09:50) End of the War -On VJ Day (August 15, 1945) the base was closed down and they were kept on base -On VE Day (May 8, 1945) they were in the field bivouacking, so nothing major happened (00:10:44) Deployment -He was deployed to Europe in November 1945 -He was en route on Thanksgiving Day 1945 -Remembers President Truman promising turkey for every U.S. service member -They were served sauerkraut and frankfurters on the trip over -Sailed over on a converted ocean liner -It took seven days to sail from the United States to Le Havre, France -When they reached Le Havre he remembers seeing the scuttled ships half sunken in the harbor -From Le Havre they were taken to a rail yard and placed on boxcars -Took ten days to go from Le Havre, France to Munich, Germany -On the way over they were following a hurricane, so it was a rough voyage -There were swells that were over twenty feet high -A lot of the men got seasick -Never got a chance to go on deck due to the weather (00:12:22) Travelling across Europe -Travelled in boxcar‟s without beds -This meant that they had to sleep on the floor of the boxcars -Got only two hot meals during the ten days of travel -There weren‟t bathrooms on the train, and didn‟t stop at bases with bathrooms -Just had to get off the train and go somewhere when the train stopped -Stopped first at a building in Furstenfeldbruck -There was no heating, no hot water, and the windows were smashed out -Received their assignments there (00:13:33) Stationed at Landsberg Air Base -He was assigned to a former Luftwaffe air base called Landsberg -He was stationed there with a small group of men -Initially shared the base with Army Engineers for about a month -Living conditions on the base were good -Engineers had repaired the facilities and they slept in the Luftwaffe quarters -Had a nice room and shared it with two other men �-The base had two primary functions -Repairing Allied aircraft -Destroying German bombers -During his time there he worked on C-47s, A-26s, a P-47, and bush plane type aircraft -His job was to do engine changes -When he first got there the entire end of the runway was occupied by C-47 transports -Worked on those until they were all gone -Purpose was to get them operational (00:16:33) Recreation in Germany -There was very little to do on the base in terms of entertainment -Sometimes they would get a movie, and it would run for the entire month -Base was too small for USO performers to come through -Protocol on the base was pretty relaxed though, which made up for the lack of entertainment -Allowed to report for duty at any time -Close enough to Munich that he could borrow a vehicle and go into the city -In the summer he would go up to into the German countryside and go camping -Brought a tent, K-rations, and a keg of beer -On the base they had access to beer all day, all the time -If they didn‟t want beer they could go into Munich and buy cognac (00:18:10) Contact with Germans -They had German cleaning ladies that did their laundry -He and other soldiers gave them food because the Germans were basically starving -The economy in Germany at the time was a barter system based on cigarettes -For example: a haircut might cost two cigarettes -He had very little contact with the German civilians besides the cleaning ladies -There were still a lot of German prisoners of war on the base when he arrived -Didn‟t have any contact with them though -After three months they were released and sent home (00:19:13) Evidence of the War Pt. 1 -Most German cities that he saw had been reduced to rubble -Train tracks had been targeted during Allied bombing campaigns to deny movement -That‟s why it took ten days to get from Le Havre to Munich -The buildings at Landsberg were intact save for bullet holes in the walls from strafing runs (00:20:11) Receiving News and Contact with Allied Forces -They weren‟t able to receive much news -Especially nothing about the burgeoning Cold War tensions -Only news source was a radio -Stationed in the American Sector, so he didn‟t see any other Allied forces (00:20:43) Evidence of the War Pt. 2 -Got a chance to go up to Frankfurt to visit a friend who was stationed there -On the way up had to pass through Augsburg while the city was on lockdown -There had been a grenade attack on an American jeep in the city -Got escorted to the train station by American military police -Saw Munich, Augsburg, and Frankfurt and all of those cities were in ruin -The German civilians were living in the rubble �(00:22:22) The Men He Served With -He was serving with other men that had gotten into the service at the end of the war -The officers and enlisted men had an amicable relationship -Protocol concerning rank was not heavily enforced -He was allowed to do things that technically required a higher rank than he had (00:23:36) Visiting Switzerland -During his time in Germany there was a tour of Switzerland organized by the Army -He volunteered to go on that -Lasted one week -First city he saw was Basel, Switzerland and toured the city via bicycle -Switzerland was untouched by the war -He was treated well by the Swiss -Always interested in talking to American soldiers -The tour was organized and paid for by the American government (00:25:14 Payment -He was paid in German deutschemarks, but they were essentially useless -Could only use them at the PX (Army general store) on the base -Trading with Germans was done using cigarettes anyway (00:25:49) Crime in Munich -In Munich there was a lot of crime -German women would lure American soldiers down to the riverfront -When they got there, German men would mug the American soldiers -Troops weren‟t technically allowed to carry firearms off the base -The military police would allow you to carry a concealed firearm off the base -That was the only way you were allowed to leave the base (00:27:02) Coming Home and End of Service -He left Germany in September 1946 -Got discharged in October 1946 -Did not spend a full two years in the Army due to a reduction in forces -He was one of the last men to leave Landsberg besides the officers -Left out of Bremerhaven, Germany -The voyage home had rough seas, but was otherwise good -The ship had been taken by the Allies after WWI -Served better food, allowed to explore the ship, and go up on deck -Pulled into New York -They were taken to a base and he was put on KP (kitchen patrol) duty -Serving steaks to incoming soldiers -After he was done with that he was allowed to go off base -From there he was sent back to Illinois to be discharged -He hitchhiked back to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Remembers just walking into the living room -Went back to work shortly after getting discharged -Went to Grand Rapids Junior College (now Grand Rapids Community College) -Student there for two years -Transferred to the University of Michigan for one year -Studied mechanical engineering �-Transferred to Western Michigan University for two years -Studied business administration -Got a job in accounting -Moved to Alpena and worked there for eighteen years -Worked for a Canadian company called Abitibi -Manufactured newspaper -After Alpena he moved back to Grand Rapids (00:31:21) Reflections on Service -It gave him the chance to experience what it was like to be in the service -Felt that the military just wasn‟t for him -Didn‟t like being restricted and living a regimented lifestyle -Understands how it works for some people -Just didn‟t fit well with his personality � 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 KeithR1747V Title A name given to the resource Keith, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Robert Keith was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1926. He grew up in Grand Rapids and in August 1944 he enlisted in the Army Air Force, almost a month before his eighteenth birthday. He reported for duty on March 1, 1945 and was processed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He was sent to Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi for basic training and then a technical school where he learned how to be an aircraft mechanic. His time there ended in September 1945 and he was sent to Langley Field, Virginia for two months. In November 1945 he was sent over to Germany where he was stationed at Landsberg Air Base near Munich doing engine changes on a variety of aircraft, but the major focus was on the C-47 transport plane. His time in Germany ended in September 1946. He returned to the United States and was discharged in October 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keith, Robert 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 Air Forces Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-04-22 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/07f0e6dc43746931a3690af30f2367c7.mp4 5dc77942d8053aa2e780e3a718dcaed3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2becb78cc72f3e08bb134f14bcd5ae87.pdf 814bbe3c46490c1072b21df8cb490ed7 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Herman Keizer Pre-Vietnam, Vietnam War, and Post -Vietnam 2 hours 12 minutes Interview begins @ 00:03:30 (00:03:32) Early Life -Born in Chicago, Illinois on May 21, 1938 -Oldest of seven children -Had lots of opportunities growing up in Chicago -Moved to the suburb of Cicero at the age of six -Went to a Christian Reformed school until second grade -Went to a Lutheran grammar school after second grade -Good teachers and small classes -Went to J. Sterling High School in Cicero -Had a full time job at the time and also went to school -Wanted to go into the ministry -Was heavily involved in the church at a young age -Started teaching Sunday School -Considered going to the Calvin College Seminary -Wanted a Classically driven education -Calvin was also Christian Reformed so it was their denomination of belief (00:09:11) Calvin College -Took a year off after high school to save money -While at Calvin he worked part time jobs -Went broke by the first part of his senior year -Had no frame of reference for a higher education -Came from a family and an area where higher education was nonexistent -College was foreign to him, and difficult (00:11:39) Draft and Training Overview -One year before graduation got drafted in 1962 -Taking a break from college made him liable to be drafted -Was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training -Chaplain’s wife heard him singing during a service and told him he should join the choir -Chaplain asked him if he wanted to become a Chaplain’s Assistant -Went to Fort Dix, New Jersey for Clerical Training -Sent to Fort Belvoir, Virginia for a permanent deployment (00:13:45) Details on Basic Training -Goal is to strip you of your identity -Same haircut, same uniform, act the same -You start to become a soldier gradually -It felt like a series of small graduations at the end of each week -Learning how to march, handle a rifle, and live in the field �-Took a twenty mile march at the end of field training -Army struggles with making it seem like you’re part of a constant team -Needs to instill a cohort system for bonding (train together, fight together) -There was not a lot of emotional conflict -Studied to be a chaplain and trained to be a soldier -A Chaplain’s Assistant meant he would protect the chaplain (00:18:16) Military and Chaplaincy -Being in the military helped to push him towards the end goal of becoming a chaplain -Saw how instrumental chaplains were in the military -Ran into clergy from all different faiths -Enlightening experience, the differences didn’t matter -Saw cooperation without compromising of faith -Remembers that chaplains were important for the morale of soldiers (00:22:40) Cuban Missile Crisis and Fort Belvoir -Knew of trouble in Vietnam, but the main concern was Cuba -Got deployed to Florida in the event that an invasion was launched -Helped engineers at Fort Belvoir get ready to move down to Florida Coast -Worked full time with the chaplain at Fort Belvoir -Would have had to go in with the first wave if Cuba was invaded -Chaplains would have been extremely necessary and would have needed protection -Confidentiality was key and instrumental for advocacy amongst the soldiers -With confidential information he could challenge officers that were being unethical -Confronted a 4 star general once -Tremendous sense of excitement and foreboding during the Cuban Missile Crisis -Only twenty miles away from Washington D.C. -Heard news about Cuba in real time because of how close he was to the capitol -Nuclear strike was a very real threat -Was ready to go fight if necessary -Knew severity of nuclear warfare -Threat of nuclear holocaust was an everyday part of civilian life -Saw tapes that showed the extreme power of a nuclear weapon (00:31:38) JFK Assassination -Just got off guard duty at Fort Belvoir when he saw the report that JFK had been assassinated -Immediately told his company commander -Held memorial services -Busy time because of planning for memorials -Fort Myer and Fort Belvoir engineers built the first eternal flame -There wasn’t a lot of time to reflect or mourn the president’s death -Tremendous increase in paranoia over Russian and/or Cuban involvement in JFK’s death -Community involvement in the march to Arlington Cemetery was stirring (00:34:34) Returning to Calvin College -Returned to Calvin College to pursue an education in the Seminary -Got married to a nurse from Blodgett Hospital in 1964 -Finished Calvin in 1965 -More discipline and older age was helpful in completing studies -G.I. Bill helped to negate the major monetary concerns �-Had a clear direction as to what he wanted to get out of college -Spent three years in the Calvin College Seminary after that -Confined area for studying scripture, theology, and ethics -Took comprehensive exam -Hebrew, Greek, and theology were major subjects -Exams helped pull the knowledge together -After comprehensive exam took classical exam (00:39:20) Military Requirements for Chaplaincy -Being a chaplain in the Army required formal education -A Masters in Theology to be specific -Needed to be a part of a religion that has constituency and can sponsor you -Army wanted to curtail fraud -Needed to have endorsement from religion that could be retracted if necessary -Kept people who weren’t equipped to be chaplains out of that service -Had to be able to have a split allegiance to both the U.S Army and Christianity -Would not compromise faith for orders -Graduating from Seminary was just one step -Had to go through Classical and then on to being ordained (00:45:51) Becoming a Chaplain and Fort Gordon, Georgia -Parents supported chaplaincy decision -Wished he would have aimed for getting a church instead though -Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church called him for chaplaincy -At this point also got Captain’s Commission from the Army -Got ordained and endorsed -Had to go active duty -Deployment was to Fort Gordon, Georgia -Didn’t know anyone that was already there -Chaplains that hadn’t already gone through basic training weren’t forced to go through that -Instead they were given physical training and an education on the Geneva Convention -Having military experience was helpful at Fort Gordon -Could get right into his chaplaincy -Soldiers trusted him because he was trained -Fort Gordon was a signal center at the time -Wide array of people were there -Fort was active twenty four hours a day (00:51:40) Deployment to Vietnam -Buildup was happening -Knew that within six months he would have to go to Vietnam -Did four months of signal school -Did two months of physical training to be prepared to be in a combat zone -Was flown to Vietnam in a chartered commercial flight -Landed in Tan Son Nhut Air Base -Noticed that Vietnam had its own smell -Food, feces, and the smell of open sewage -Senses were bombarded getting off the plane -Hot and humid as well �-Assigned to the 1st Infantry Division northeast of Saigon -Specifically assigned to the 1st Battalion of 26th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division (00:54:54) Lai Khe -Sent to Lai Khe -Former rubber plantation in southern Vietnam near Saigon -Met the chaplain that he was replacing -Warned of and briefed on the difficult times that he would experience -Was greeted by Colonel Radcliffe -Told that he could move freely between the base camp and Lai Khe -Keizer requested that he would be allowed to go out into the field -Colonel resisted at first and then acquiesced -Given the rundown about being in the field -He was allowed to pick units that he felt needed the morale boost the most -Admired the abilities of commanders -Could organize and manage the artillery, air, and ground movements -Had to deal with uncharted jungles (01:03:26) In the Field-The 1st Time -First time in the field was uneventful -Secured a positioned so that other troops could move in -Discovered signs of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese presence -Felt good not causing problems by being there -Could be a soldier and a minister -Gave affirmation the commander and eased his wariness (01:05:38) In the Field-The 3rd Time -Third time that they went out they made contact -Point man stopped because he saw a booby trap -Claymore mines were set off remotely by the Viet Cong -Viet Cong opened fire but weren’t able to wound or kill anyone -U.S. troops reacted immediately and killed fifteen V.C. -Remembers that the engagement was loud, and heard bullets going over his head -Seeing the damage of a Claymore mine was unsettling -There was fear, but being afraid was healthy and helpful -Moved the V.C. bodies, searched them for intel and tried to pick up the trail -Kept moving trying to stay on their trail -Slow, persistent, and deliberate -Never found them -Spent two days in the field and then returned to the firebase (01:11:05) Discovery of a Base -Bulldozer collapsed into a bunker while clearing foliage -Five story deep tunnel system used by the Viet Cong -Complex and intricate (hospital, communications, and sophisticated flue system) -Found a cemetery -Finding a cemetery indicated they were on top of a large base -Viet Cong were extremely dug in and tenacious (01:13:30) International Relations -Did not have a lot of contact with South Vietnamese troops at first �-After the U.S. special forces and the South Vietnamese Army invaded Cambodia contact with the South Vietnamese increased -There were racial tensions between local indigenous people and the South Vietnamese -Interacted with the Australians -Replaced chaplain that was going on R&R -Not a lot of South Vietnamese chaplains -South Korean chaplains were fairly common (01:16:45) Daily Routine in Vietnam -Services were not bound to Sundays -Where the chaplain went and when he went was when the service was -He and a Catholic priest would fly out together from their base camp everyday -Upon returning he would eat dinner, shower, and then go to the hospital until midnight -During services in the field there was cooperation -Protestants guarded the Catholics and vice versa -Tried to bring Jewish literature and incorporate Jewish scripture for Jewish soldiers (01:19:33) Cambodia -Discovered that they were in the middle of a Viet Cong training ground -At night they got hit by mortar and rocket fire -Sustained a concussion, skull fracture, and shrapnel wounds -Had to fight through the night -He was given a flak jacket and a .45 pistol -Went and tended to the wounded -Aided medic who was treating a soldier that was severely wounded -Prayed and comforted the soldiers that were mortally wounded -Stayed on the base and was treated there -Wanted to stay with the soldiers -Conducted a memorial service the next day (01:25:57) An Khe and Coming Home -Returned to An Khe after Cambodia -4th Infantry was being rotated into An Khe -Helipad had been altered -Pilot wasn’t accustomed to the different helipad -Helicopter crashed -He fell out and broke both of his arms -Went to the hospital at An Khe -Stabilized there -Move to Camp Zama, Japan -Further stabilization, surgery, and medical processing -Sent to the Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Illinois -Stayed there for five months -Got to reunite with his wife, parents, and see his son who was nine months old (01:28:54) Fort Carson and Background on Drugs & Alcohol Program -Sent to Fort Carson, Colorado -Acted as a hospital chaplain -Still needed to meet with physical therapists because of broken arms -Went to a variety of Ivy League schools to gather info for drug & alcohol program �-Was eventually sent to the Pentagon to deliver information and program outline -Problems existed in Europe concerning race relations and drugs -Sent to Wurzburg, Germany as a special advisor for the commander of the 4th Infantry Division -Cocaine and heroin were prevalent in Vietnam -Extremely pure and also very cheap -“A $5 habit a day in Vietnam was $100 a day in New York.” -Alcohol was also a major problem amongst soldiers (01:32:45) Drugs & Alcohol Program Details -Worked with clinical psychologist and psychiatrist in a detox ward in Germany -Program was not meant to be a medical model -Just a way to get the command involved with the issue at hand -Put together briefing -Believed that it would take a combination of leadership from best lieutenant colonels and education -Taught about urine analysis and drug education -Saw unethical conduct in Schaffenburg, Germany -Commander was concerned about maintaining reputation -Didn’t want to be seen as a commander of drug users -Needed to know how to help them -Briefed the Commander of Army Europe on the situation -Got assigned to train drug abuse counselors all over Europe -Established a drug education school in Bremerhaven, Germany -Ran it for two years (01:36:31) Chaplaincy in the States -Returned to the U.S. -Went to chaplain advanced course -Learned how to serve commanders at the next highest level -Selected for advanced civilian schooling -Sent to Columbia University Teachers’ College for one year -Got a Master’s in education -Spent two years in the faculty at Brooklyn -Spent two years in Fort Monmouth -Was part of the staff at first and then became a trainer -Supposed to go back to Europe -Wound up getting placed in a newly formed position -Served Deputy Chief of Staff Maxwell Thurman -Got invited to social functions thrown by Thurman -Worked for him for three years -Wrote papers for the chief of staff concerning leadership -Wrote a paper detailing the conduct for helping Army families (01:41:45) September 11, 2001 -Was working at the State Department -Special advisor to the ambassador for International Religious Freedom -Coworker came in and said that the World Trade Center had been hit -Saw the second plane hit on live TV -Bomb warning went off in the State Department to evacuate �-Had to go through a special computer shutdown procedure for security purposes -Was prepared to go over to the Pentagon to address the Unified Chaplains over lunch -Saw smoke pouring out of the Pentagon -Advised State Department employees to go home -Walked over to the Pentagon -Volunteers were gathering to go and gather the dead -Some was asking for a person with mortuary experience -He helped to establish a basic mortuary -Went into the center courtyard of the Pentagon and helped the firefighters there -Started to visit surrounding hospitals (01:45:04) Post 9/11 -Asked to help with security the next day at the State Department -Compiled list of countries that were active in the World Trade Center -Helped to discern that it was not an attack on America, it was an attack on the world -Lost a lot of good friends in the Pentagon on 9/11 (01:48:50) Reflections on Service -Spent forty years in the Army -It gave him the opportunity to be able to work for soldiers and their families -Got to be responsible for all of the chaplains from all of the branches in Europe -Saw monumental occurrences in modern history -Rwanda, the Ivory Coast, Bosnia, and Kosovo -Was able to see firsthand the fall of the Soviet Union -Helped reestablish chaplaincy positions in Eastern European countries -Sense of accomplishment being able to see first chaplains graduate from those countries -Feels like he is part of a distinguished legacy of servicemen � 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 KeizerH0437V Title A name given to the resource Keizer, Herman (Interview outline and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keizer, Herman Description An account of the resource Herman Keizer was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1938 and grew up in the suburb of Cicero. He attended Calvin College in Michigan and was drafted in 1962. He trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training, and on to Fort Dix, New Jersey for clerical training, and was deployed to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, where he served as a chaplain's assistant. He was on standby during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After completing seminary at Calvin College he became an Army chaplain and served in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division at the time of the Cambodian incursion in 1970. After the war he served as a high ranking chaplain in Europe, the United States, the State Department, and the Pentagon until his retirement. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-07-25 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9ca3630009c72e45b29d92f0ddf141c3.mp4 94ddd7a297b098d7f0311da31b12630f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9f585b40bd3ecb7bb0f0fad2134afd62.pdf 37c928fb35cb8be14ac746efe7dafabf PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Herman Keizer Cold War/Vietnam War/Peacetime/War on Terror 1 hour 43 minutes 13 seconds (00:00:49) Early Life -Born in Chicago on May 21, 1938 -He was the oldest of seven children -He had four sisters and two brothers -His father was a truck driver -His mother was a housewife (00:02:02) Getting Drafted -After high school he attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan -He completed his junior year and then funds ran out -Decided to take some time off to work and get more money -Because he left school he lost his draft deferment -He had been studying to be a minister -He got drafted in 1962 (00:02:38) Training -Received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky -Went to Fort Dix, New Jersey for further training -Stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia after training was complete -He was there during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy Assassination -Basic training was a unique experience -Remembers that the first thing that happened was his head was shaved -Quickly adjusted to being called by his last name -First week of basic training was comprised of running and physical training -Second week dealt with bayonet training and weapons training -Learning how to shoot and maintain your rifle -Went out on bivouacs during basic training -He was made an acting sergeant because of having three years of college -Basic training lasted eight weeks -During basic training he actually gained weight -He could never do the long runs because he didn’t know how to pace himself -Trained to become a chaplain’s assistant (00:06:16) Seminary -After he got out of the Army in 1964 he went to the Seminary at Calvin College -After he got out he also got married -He graduated from Seminary in 1968 (00:06:32) Cuban Missile Crisis -He was going to be part of the first wave into Cuba if the U.S. invaded -Preparations were being made by the chaplain -Where to set up on the beachhead and what to expect -It was a scary time �-His job as chaplain’s assistant was to carry a rifle and protect the chaplain -He also helped the chaplain get set up for services -In a combat situation he would have defended the chaplain and assisted the chaplain -Helping to tend to the dead and dying (00:08:06) Assassination of President Kennedy -He was just getting off guard duty at Fort Belvoir when he heard the news of the assassination -Went and alerted his first sergeant -He went over to the chapel -Knew that a lot of soldiers would be looking for spiritual guidance during that time -Remembers when engineers from Fort Myer, Virginia set up the Eternal Flame -He also worked as a chauffeur for the bishops and cardinals coming to see President Kennedy -Because he was their driver he was able to go to the front of the line to see his body -He sang at a memorial service for the president -Everyone was stunned and wanted to talk about what had happened -It was a difficult time for the troops because they had lost their commander in chief (00:10:07) Civil Rights Movement -He had received training in riot control during the Civil Rights Movement -Never actually saw any racial violence during his time at Fort Belvoir -A lot of soldiers talked about inequality (00:11:05) Reenlisting as a Chaplain -After he completed Seminary in 1968 he reenlisted -He was allowed to become a chaplain faster because he had already served two years -He went through Officer Training -Consisted of getting back into shape, learning how to be professional, process paperwork -He knew that he would probably get sent to Vietnam -The war was losing public support by the time he reenlisted -At Calvin College he had learned about the “Just War Theory” -He was against the war, but didn’t express his own opinion to the troops -The “Just War Theory” had three parts: -What was the rationale for going to war? (I.e. just cause or last resort) -Discrimination and proportionality (Avoiding killing civilians) -Working on returning to a state of peace after the war (00:15:18) Stationed at Fort Gordon -Before being deployed he was sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia -First was stationed at the Signal School -Then went on to the basic training camp to get back in shape before deploying -He worked alongside Catholics and other Protestants without any problems -He was stationed there for six months (00:16:58) Deployment to Vietnam -When he got deployed his wife was seven months pregnant -He left the United States out of California -From California they flew to Hawaii -From Hawaii they flew into Saigon, South Vietnam (00:17:29) Joining the 1st Infantry Division -From Saigon he was bussed to the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters at Di’An -He received his orientation there �-During this time he was issued his gear -From Di’An he was sent to Lai Khe -It was a former Michelin rubber plantation -He was stationed there for five months -After he was there for five months the 1st Infantry Division began to leave Vietnam (00:18:53) Joining the 4th Infantry Division -After the 1st Infantry Division left he was going to be sent to the rear -The 4th Infantry Division needed a new chaplain -He volunteered to take the position -He enjoyed being part of the religious unit that he was in (00:20:22) In the Field -At first his commander didn’t want him to go into the field -He was able to convince his commander to let him go -He wanted to be out with the troops -He would fly out into the field aboard Huey helicopters -He either went when the troops went or later during a resupply run -He remembers seeing two soldiers get decapitated by a helicopter -They didn’t duck when they left the helicopter (00:22:23) Enemy Contact & Being in Cambodia -When he was with the 4th Infantry Division he went into Cambodia -First time that he saw North Vietnamese tanks and artillery pieces -He went in with the first company to establish a firebase -They found an abandoned medical center -It was six stories underground -It had been built with primitive handmade tools -They also discovered a sapper training area -Two days later their firebase was hit by sappers -He remembers a rocket propelled grenade exploded above where he was sleeping -The force was strong enough to blow off his flak jacket and rupture his air mattress -He ran around tending to soldiers wearing only his helmet and a flak jacket -The only defense he had was a .45 caliber pistol -He was in a few major engagements as well as a number of firefights -During his time in Cambodia he was wounded -He also fell out of a helicopter at 150 feet when the rotor blade hit a high tension wire -The soldiers always took care of him well when he was in the field -During one operation they went into a valley and found a small North Vietnamese farm -Killed the North Vietnamese soldiers and took over the farm (00:27:34) Other Dangers -While he was in Saigon someone dropped a grenade in the gas tank of his jeep -It had tape around it that would decay from the gas and then explode -He had to deal with a hysterical and armed soldier that was on a base -This soldier had been walking point for ten months (stressful and high risk position) -The soldier’s wife and the soldier’s friend had had an affair -Herman faced down the crazed soldier and tried to talk him down -The soldier ran to get another gun and Herman punched him, knocking him out -The soldier was eventually evacuated to Walter Reed Army Hospital �-He was then medically discharged -Because of Herman’s actions he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal -Highest non-combat medal (00:32:00) Duties as a Chaplain -He started his days at 5 AM and went out to the field -He would then return with the last helicopter back to base -He would then clean up, eat, and visit the hospital and morgue until midnight -Usually only got about five hours of sleep each night -He would conduct three services each day -He would serve communion as a symbol of suffering, but also hope -If there were a lot of casualties chaplains would only go to the hospital -His job as a chaplain was to tend to the soldiers that were going to die -He remembers one Jewish soldier that he prayed with -They prayed the 23rd Psalm together and then the soldier died -He did not like to visit the morgue because he saw the mangled bodies of soldiers he knew -He would conduct final confessions and bless the Catholic dead with Holy Water -This was if the priest was absent (00:36:53) Maintaining Stability and Faith -If he wanted to remain sane he would have to take care of himself too -Made sure that he took time eat, sleep and relax -He had a friend in Saigon that he would visit and go golfing with -During times of crises soldiers either turned to or away from God -Most soldiers took comfort in faith (00:40:10) Getting Wounded and Helping with the Wounded -When he fell out of the helicopter he broke both of his arms -He managed to land in elephant grass though which helped break his fall -He was sent to Tan Son Nhut and from there to Camp Zama, Japan -After he was stable enough he was sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois to recover -Prior to the helicopter accident he was wounded in Cambodia -He had been hit with shrapnel, but those were minor injuries -He remembers when a Chinook helicopter accidentally landed on a truck carrying soldiers -He helped pick up body parts and conduct the memorial service -He was sent to Great Lakes Naval Station in 1970 -After recovering he was sent to Fort Carson, Colorado in November 1970 (00:43:31) Keeping in Touch -He still keeps in touch with the men he met in 1st Battalion 26th Infantry Regiment 1st Division -He attends reunions -Receives Christmas cards and a newsletter -He is part of the 1st Division Society (00:44:38) Downtime, Viet Cong, and Contact with Family -He didn’t have much downtime when he was in Vietnam -His son was born while he was in Vietnam -Remembers that the birth was actually announced by a Viet Cong soldier -The Viet Cong soldier had found out the news through the Red Cross -The barber that he went to was eventually killed during a night patrol -He had defected to the Viet Cong �-The day before the barber was killed he had given Herman a shave and a haircut -He communicated with home by way of letters and tapes -There was, at the minimum, a two week delay in getting letters or tapes from home -He didn’t get to see his son until he got to Great Lakes Naval Station -He was nine months old at the time and was terrified of his father -Writing letters home was cathartic -Enjoyed getting the tapes because he could hear his wife and child (00:48:33) Dealing with the Drug Problem -When he got back to the United States he was a captain -At Fort Carson, Colorado he worked with soldiers that had drug addictions -He started to work on an amnesty program for the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division -He did this while in Vietnam and would send soldiers to Saigon to detox -Did the same thing while he was in the 4th Infantry Division -He used what he had learned to Vietnam to help at Fort Carson -He attended Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and USC to write up a guide for the military -A more comprehensive and practical approach to deal with alcohol and drug abuse -He was sent to Wurzburg, Germany to help in the hospital there -Helped to set up a drug program there -He also reformed the system while he was there -Officers were protecting soldiers that were abusing drugs to keep a good reputation -He started a school in Europe for all of the branches of the armed forces -Teaching drug counselors how to properly deal with drug abuse (00:52:10) Working in the Pentagon -After Europe he returned to the United States and attended Columbia University -Worked as part of the faculty there until 1982 -He went to the Pentagon to work for General Max Thurman -He wrote a paper for him on leadership, families, and ethics -Presented his work to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Army -While he was working at the Pentagon he was a major and then promoted to lieutenant colonel (00:53:58) 25th Infantry Division -After the Pentagon he was assigned to Hawaii to be the chaplain for the 25th Infantry Division -He got to travel to all of the Pacific bases -He visited South Korea for three months every year that he did that -He didn’t get to be as close to the troops as he had been though -Remembers that captains would look up to him, but majors just saw him as a boss -He enjoyed being part of the staff during that time (00:55:28) The Gulf War -He went back to the Pentagon to work for the Chief of Chaplains during the Gulf War -Helped set up a program to educate soldiers about Islam -Convinced the State Department to allow Christian & Jewish services to be held in Saudi Arabia (00:56:12) Peacetime Duties -He attended the Army War College for one year -After the War College he worked for the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon -He worked to make sure that Jewish soldiers could get kosher rations -Figured out that you could just make kosher rations that everyone could eat -As opposed to the costly idea of having to make and sort out special rations �-He worked on making MREs (meals ready to eat) for Kurds who were starving -Worked with dieticians to make sure the Kurds weren’t getting too much food -If they got too many calories at once the shock would kill them -He went to Europe to be the European Command Chaplain -The scope of his job included all countries between Norway and South Africa -Did that from 1994 to 1997 -He worked in Eastern European countries to help reestablish their chaplaincy programs -Saw the first graduating class of chaplains from Romania and the Czech Republic -He visited South Africa to help with the post-Apartheid integration process -Helped educate chaplains in African countries that were participating in peacekeeping missions -Teaching them how to teach soldiers about civil liberties and human rights -After that he went back and worked for the Chief of Chaplains at the Pentagon -He planned to do only one more year and then retire -This plan was interrupted by a sex abuse scandal at Aberdeen Proving Grounds -He was transferred to work for the Chief of Personnel -Creating a plan to deal with the scandal -He spoke before the Senate and House Armed Services Committee -He retired at Fort Myer and then was rehired -Had to do this because of Army protocol concerning length of service (01:03:32) Working at the State Department and September 11th -He went to work for the State Department in 2000 -Working on religious freedom issues in African countries and the Balkans -Coordinating with American embassies in those countries -He was in the State Department on September 11th, 2001 -He saw the Pentagon in flames -The State Department was evacuated and he told people to go home -Told them to avoid using subways or other mass transit systems -He went over to the Pentagon to help tend to the wounded -He knew forty five people that were killed in the Pentagon during the attacks -He was personally congratulated by Colin Powell for scattering State Department employees -He eventually retired from the State Department (01:07:06) Post-Military Life Pt. 1 -After leaving the Army he was diagnosed with lung cancer -After his lung cancer was treated he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife -He worked with civilian and military chaplains in the Christian Reformed Church -He would still visit the Pentagon three times each year for work -It was harder for his wife to adjust to being a civilian than it was for him -Had to make new friends and get involved in new groups which was difficult (01:10:04) Treatment as a Soldier -When he came home from Vietnam he was spit on and called a baby killer -Later, after he retired, he was made a distinguished alumnus at Calvin College and Seminary (01:11:34) Veterans’ Groups -He is part of the Big Red One Society (1st Infantry Division) -He is part of the “Hooties” -He is a member of the Army and Navy Club -He is the chaplain for the Purple Heart Club �(01:12:31) Post-Military Life Pt. 2 -He worked for the Christian Reformed Church for eight years -He worked with the Truth Commission on Conscience in War -Specifically dealing with moral injury of war and conscientious objectors in war -In 2009 he helped develop an eight step plan to deal with moral injury -He worked with female theologians from the West Coast to create grant proposals -Retired from that in May 2014 (01:15:17) Reflections on Service -He still has bad dreams once in a while -No one goes to war and comes back unchanged -His military service caused some difficulties for his marriage -It made him a workaholic -The process of making a soldier is done well, but the process of making a civilian is not -Soldiers go back to civilian life and miss their purpose, their friends, and their weapon -Soldiers lose their sense of identity -Retired career soldiers still dress and act like soldiers even in the civilian sector -He believes that there still needs to be a draft -Only 1% of the populace is in the military -Believes this creates a disconnect between civilians and soldiers -Forces soldiers to do multiple consecutive tours -Believes that the government has abandoned the military as well as any moral agency it had -Causes soldiers to lose the will to fight and question the cause -Believes that the Veterans’ Administration doesn’t actually help veterans -All it does is give them medication -He thinks that everyone ought to serve their country -Either through civil service (Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) or the military -Doesn’t feel that there are any opportunities for conscientious objectors to serve -The nature of warfare has changed which puts a lot of psychological strain on soldiers -They come home feeling ashamed of what they had to do overseas -He still misses the Army -He doesn’t believe that chaplains are doing their job correctly anymore -Too focused on gaining followers instead of just helping soldiers that want help Question and answer portion ends at 01:27:25 01:27:25-01:42:57 -Showing of plaques, service medals, and significant personal effects from his career � 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 KeizerH1723V Title A name given to the resource Keizer, Herman Jr. (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Herman Keizer was born in Chicago on May 21, 1938. He was drafted into the Army in 1962 and served as a Chaplain's Assistant at Fort Belvoir, Virginia until 1964. He studied at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and also attended the Calvin Theological Seminary in 1968. He was commissioned as a chaplain in the Army and was deployed to Vietnam. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division and operated out of Lai Khe. He went into Cambodia in the spring of 1970, and due to actions there received a Bronze Star for valor. He joined the 4th Infantry Division in An Khe where he developed an amnesty program for soldiers suffering from drug addictions. While at An Khe, he broke both of his arms in a helicopter crash. He recovered at Camp Zama, Japan, and at Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Chicago. He served as the hospital chaplain at Fort Carson, Colorado, from 1971 to 1972 where he wrote an essay on Selective Conscientious Objection and wrote the basis for the Army's drug and alcohol program. He also worked on a case dealing with sexual harassment in the Army. He served at the State Department and helped with evacuation of personnel during the September 11th Attacks. After he retired from the Army he has stayed active with support groups for veterans, and helped with the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, and has also written on Moral Injury in War. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keizer, Herman Jr. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Vega, Nikki (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 Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-01-16 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b1cc9806fc2cec87c3205977e084abd3.m4v b6b6edf2adcdcd0aae2e3d1fed2ce5ad https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/97eede2a9c060131799b4dacc098f930.pdf 3893e56022381b149c971ed92bcc8813 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Herman Keizer (FB 2015) Vietnam War & Stateside Service 1 hour 40 minutes 16 seconds (00:00:48) Early Life -Born in Chicago on May 21, 1938 (00:01:30) Getting Drafted -Oldest of seven children and had to pay for his college tuition -Went broke in his third year in college which meant he had to drop out -When he dropped out he lost his draft deferment -Shortly after leaving college he got drafted (00:02:02) Becoming a Chaplain -When he got drafted he spent two years in the Army as a Chaplain's Assistant -Served at Fort Belvoir, Virginia from 1962 to 1964 -Served in the Army Reserves while studying at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Attended the Calvin Theological Seminary in 1968 -Commissioned as a chaplain in the Army (00:02:32) Vietnam War & Just War Theory -Vietnam War was getting unpopular and he wanted to get out of the Army -Professor wanted him to stay in and be an advocate for the soldiers -Had learned about the Just War Theory while at Calvin -Three part theory: -1. Justice Before War: Avoid war at all costs until war is the last resort -2. Justice in War -Discrimination (only fight and kill enemy combatants, not civilians) -Proportionality (no use of excessive force in war) -3. Justice After War -How do you foster peace following the war? -War reparations and establishing a new government -Most ambiguous part of the Just War Theory (00:05:35) Serving in Lai Khe with the 1st Infantry Division -Assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division -1st Infantry Division was slated to go home, which meant a reduction in chaplains -He was made the chaplain for the 3rd Brigade -Served with another Protestant chaplain and a Catholic chaplain -Based out of Lai Khe -Surrounded by combat zones -Lai Khe took rocket fire all the time -Flew out to firebases with the troops -Artillery outposts away from major bases -Supporting units in the field -During one operation they had to call in artillery fire -Lost a few men due to friendly fire -Volunteered to go into the field so he could be with his troops -Troops knew that he had served before -Respected him because of that �(00�:10:05) Cambodian Campaign -Went into Cambodia in the spring of 1970 -Got wounded during his time in Cambodia -Helping establish a firebase with four companies -Went out on a patrol with the first company -Discovered a Vietnamese medical center and a training area for sappers -Sappers: Combat engineers tasked with destroying fortifications -Knew they would get attacked within a matter of days -A few nights later their firebase got attacked by Vietnamese forces -Concussion of a rocket blast ruptured his air mattress -He sustained a concussion and a skull fracture -Helped get the wounded to safety -Treated a wounded man who had the back of his head blown away -Urged to get out of the field and get treated for his wounds -Refused, and stayed in the field to conduct memorial services for the dead -Put in for a Silver Star, but got a Bronze Star with a 'V' (valor) device -During his ten months in Vietnam he received multiple Bronze Stars (00:14:13) Convoy Incident -He was in a convoy, and in each truck there was at least one man with a loaded rifle for security -A little girl ran up to the first truck in the convoy and threw a grenade into the truck -A soldier in Herman's truck shot and killed the little girl -The soldier began sobbing because he had his own daughter back home -Herman stayed up with him all night and talked with him (00:15:35) Service in An Khe with the 4th Infantry Division -The 4th Infantry Division in An Khe needed a chaplain -Herman volunteered for the position -Sent to Pleiku -Created an amnesty program for drug users in the 4th Infantry Division -Joined the 1st Battalion of the 22nd Infantry Regiment -Slogan of the 22nd Infantry Regiment was, “It's the regulars, by God!” -Found the slogan funny because it was painted on his chaplain's jeep (00:17:34) Drug Problems in Vietnam -A lot of men in the 4th Infantry Division were getting addicted to heroin -In Vietnam, the heroin was about 99% pure -In Vietnam, a daily heroin habit cost approximately $10 -In the United States, such a habit could cost $100, if not more -Objective was to get the men sober in Vietnam before returning to the United States -If they returned home with the habit they could resort to crime -Most dangerous drug in Vietnam was heroin -Men turned to drugs for escapism -War had turned increasingly unpopular with the public from 1968 to 1970 -Men were frustrated with fighting a war that the public did not support -Frustrated with fighting a war in South Vietnam as opposed to in North Vietnam -Destroying and killing in the country they were supposed to defend (00:20:14) Moral Issues with the Vietnam War -Disagreed with tactics and overall strategy employed by the U.S. in Vietnam -Indiscriminate killing of noncombatants -Search & Destroy missions -Going into suspected villages and then destroying them �-Lack of morality in fighting the war -Men were being forced to fight a war they didn't believe in -No formal political recourse to protest the war -Could be drafted at 18 years old, but had to be 21 years old to vote (prior to 1971) -Three soldiers came to him to get conscientious objector status -One sergeant was opposed to the tactics being used in Vietnam, but not the mission of the war -Herman helped him file the paperwork to receive conscientious objector status -Government rejected the proposal -Eventually refused to fight and was imprisoned -The other two soldiers also opposed the tactics being used -One soldier refused to fight and was imprisoned -The other soldier refused to fire his weapon during a firefight and lost two friends -Saw Vietnamese prisoners-of-war thrown from helicopters for refusing to divulge information -Enlisted men and junior officers fought the war, not the high-ranking officers or politicians (00:28:08) Helicopter Crash -An Khe had originally been a base for the 1st Cavalry Division -Helicopter-oriented unit, which meant the base had helipads -One helipad was awkwardly placed which prompted the 4th Infantry Division to build a new one -Herman was riding in a helicopter and the pilot went to land -Forgot how to land at the new helipad which resulted in the pilot hitting high-tension wires -Destroyed the rear rotor blades and put the helicopter into a tailspin -Force of the tailspin threw Herman from the helicopter at a height of about 175 feet -Landed in elephant grass which helped cushion the fall -Rolled 50 or 60 meters before coming to a rest -Broke both of his arms because they took the brunt of the force (00:30:45) Recovery from Helicopter Crash -Took five months to recover from the crash -Once he was stabilized in Vietnam he was sent to Camp Zama, Japan -After Camp Zama he went to Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Chicago -Parents lived in Chicago, but his wife was in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Had survivor guilt -Felt he should be with his troops in Vietnam -Reflected on the randomness of life and death in war -He survived a fall that should have killed him -Another man was sniped, and killed, just for lighting a cigarette at night -Met his baby son for the first time while recovering at Great Lakes Naval Hospital -Humiliating experience -Couldn't feed himself or clean himself (00:33:49) Stationed at Fort Carson -Made the hospital chaplain at Fort Carson, Colorado -Stationed there from 1971 to 1972 -Administered to the sick -Some cancer patients -Remembers one terminal cancer patient -He was going to be transferred to Denver, but wanted to stay at Fort Carson -Herman helped the patient stay at Fort Carson to be close to his family -Once the man died, he helped the man's wife clean his body for the funeral -Followed the news on the Vietnam War -Began to work on Selective Conscientious Objection �-Wrote several papers to be presented to Congress -If there is an unjust war, then you must reject it on moral and legal grounds -Wanted to help people recognize the immorality of the Vietnam War -Some officers at Fort Carson objected -His commanding officer understood because his father had been a chaplain commander (00:39:43) Drug & Alcohol Program -Started at Drug & Alcohol Program while stationed at Fort Carson -Recommended AA meetings for his commanding officer's deputy, a one star general -Stayed sober for ten years until he relapsed and died in a car crash in Germany -Herman's program because the basis for the Army's larger drug & alcohol program (00:41:27) Overview of Army Career -Planned on staying in the Army until he retired after 20 years of service -A new protocol allowed him to stay in for 30 years, if he so chose -Reached the 30 year mark and was technically supposed to retire -Working on a sexual harassment case at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds -His commander wanted him to stay in -He “retired” Herman, then brought him back in to continue his work -Planned on staying in for two more years then retiring -Secretary of Defense wanted him to stay in for two or three more years after that -Needed Herman's help with the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom (00:44:17) Sexual Harassment in the Military -First major case of sexual harassment that he worked on was at the Aberdeen Proving Ground (1996) -Male non-commissioned and commissioned officers were assaulting women in their showers -Abusing power they held over female soldiers -Read the reports then wrote a plan to deal with the issue -Put together a team of doctors and lawyers to deal with the problem -Worked for a week putting together the plan -Briefed the Chief of Staff of the Army and his secretary -Briefed the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee -Military was chauvinistic and gender-segregated at the time -Women were a minority in the military -Felt the military needed a separate and impartial tribunal to deal with sexual harassment cases -His advice, as of the interview (2015), is still being debated (00:50:51) September 11th Attacks -He was working at the State Department on September 11, 2001 -Heard that a jet had hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center -Turned on a TV and watched the jet hit the South Tower -State Department was ordered to evacuate due to a bomb threat -During the evacuation he important hard drives in his safe -Advised the staff at the State Department to go home -Take separate subways -Felt they would be safer at home and easier to contact -Walked over the Memorial Bridge to the Pentagon -Helped cordon off an area to put the dead until a mobile morgue could be set up -Went into the central courtyard of the Pentagon to help administer to the first responders -Visited hospitals in the area -Lost 45 friends on September 11th -Went into the State Department the next day -Called and told that Secretary of State Colin Powell wanted to speak with him �-Congratulated Herman for sending staff home and getting them to safety -Secretary of Army needed a chaplain to help coordinate living arrangements for families of Reservists -Created a plan for families to stay in a hotel close to the base rather than in the base (00:57:21) Moral Health of Soldiers -Always concerned about the moral health of soldiers -Especially Reservists because they don't have a permanent network of support (00:58:34) Truth Commission on Conscience in War & Moral Injury in War -In 2009, two women from the West Coast approached him to put together a commission -Truth Commission on Conscience in War -He was suggested as a person to help them and he accepted -Had worked on a similar project before -Met with 80 or 90 commissioners at the Riverside Church in New York City -By 2009 they learned they could deal with psychological problems -Couldn't handle philosophical/religious questions soldiers had -Put together an “Eight Step Protocol” -Similar to the penance used by the Catholic Church during the Roman Empire -Christians couldn't serve in the Roman Army -Meant swearing allegiance to the emperor -Roman soldiers were allowed to convert to Christianity -Had to do nine months of penance -Navajo tribe had a similar integration process for its warriors -Knew a Vietnam War veteran that went through it -Both were ways for soldiers to rejoin their communities -Veterans need to tell their stories and tell it to an interested and empathetic community -Religious communities could help expedite that process -Has written on the concept of Moral Injury in War -Wrote a grant request for the Truth Commission -Granted $650,000 by the Lilly Endowment -Drew on his pastoral experience from the Vietnam War -Remembers being on Highway 1 and talking to a tank crew -Learned none of them had taken communion since arriving in Vietnam -Performed communion -Symbol of God's understanding and experience of human suffering -Used the Psalms as a source of inspiration -Psalms that expressed anger and frustration with God or the writer's enemy -Psalms of Lament -Psalms were a touchstone for soldiers in Vietnam -African tribes perform(ed) a similar ritual of reintegration for their warriors (01:10:23) Moral Effect on Soldiers & Community Pt. 1 -War is an alienating experience and distances soldiers from the self and from their communities -Soldiers experience a tremendous sense of loss upon coming home -Loss of unit, loss of mission importance, and loss of security -Loss culminates in grief which turns into guilt or shame -Guilt is more common with Vietnam War veterans -Shame is more common with veterans from Iraq or Afghanistan -All-volunteer military makes soldiers feel bitterness toward, and alienation from, their communities -A lot of Vietnam War veterans have returned to Vietnam -Feel that they need to make restitution, or make amends with the Vietnamese -Many Vietnamese neither remember, or are affected by, the war �-As a result, any American gesture is good, but not solving anything -Has noticed that a lot of new veterans go into intense, civil service careers -Firefighters, police, etc. -High rate of veterans wanting to go back to the war, even if they are incapable -Glad that we no longer blame soldiers for the war anymore -Herman was called a “baby killer” and was spit on when he was in the Army (01:19:55) Political & Social Nature of War -Every conflict since World War II has been an undeclared war -Lacking in strategy and lacking in legal, popular (Congressional) declaration -Lack of support from the Veterans Affairs -Soldiers need to rejoin their communities, not anesthetize themselves with alcohol or medications -American leadership has abandoned its moral agency in war, and by default it's placed on soldiers -It is a problem that has historical and moral precedents -We should not go lightly into war -Americans need to open a dialogue about about what war destroys -And if something is destroyed, can it be brought back, if ever? -Society has become materialistic and self-aggrandizing (01:29:48) Military-Industrial Complex -A new question is what if we begin to dismantle the military-industrial complex? -Basically, what if we downsized our military and disarmed? -American society is largely based on the manufacture and trade of weapons -Civilian manufacturing has been replaced with military manufacturing -The militarization of the police only fuels the military-industrial complex -Universities focus too much on science and mathematics -Lucrative fields that can support research & development for the military -Doctors of psychiatry endorsed, or excused, the torture of Iraqi prisoners -Soldiers, American citizens, and foreign citizens suffer for the profit of the wealthy (01:34:06) Moral Effect on Soldiers & Community Pt. 2 -Americans need to reestablish a sense of community to discuss pressing topics -Everything from starting a war to human sexuality -There is no discussion between parents and children or between neighbors -Soldiers come home to an isolated and disingenuous society -Soldiers need to tell their stories and be tangibly repaid for their service -Not walk in parades or be given a quick “thank you” in passing -Soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are coming back with different kinds of trauma -For example, soldiers that deal with the recovery of the remains of soldiers killed by explosives -There is usually little, if anything, remaining to be sent home � 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_KeizerH1723V Title A name given to the resource Keizer, Herman Jr. (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-01-16 Description An account of the resource Herman Keizer was born in Chicago on May 21, 1938. He was drafted into the Army in 1962 and served as a Chaplain's Assistant at Fort Belvoir, Virginia until 1964. He studied at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and also attended the Calvin Theological Seminary in 1968. He was commissioned as a chaplain in the Army and was deployed to Vietnam. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division and operated out of Lai Khe. He went into Cambodia in the spring of 1970, and due to actions there received a Bronze Star for valor. He joined the 4th Infantry Division in An Khe where he developed an amnesty program for soldiers suffering from drug addictions. While at An Khe, he broke both of his arms in a helicopter crash. He recovered at Camp Zama, Japan, and at Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Chicago. He served as the hospital chaplain at Fort Carson, Colorado, from 1971 to 1972 where he wrote an essay on Selective Conscientious Objection and wrote the basis for the Army's drug and alcohol program. He also worked on a case dealing with sexual harassment in the Army. He served at the State Department and helped with evacuation of personnel during the September 11th Attacks. After he retired from the Army he has stayed active with support groups for veterans, and helped with the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, and has also written on Moral Injury in War. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keizer, Herman Jr. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Vega, Nikki (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 Other veterans & civilians--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> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/266ee9dd2fc0009ad37acbbec85c20c1.m4v ea5c822007150bfe0ae60e460ae56777 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/63df4bb869ad4a0ace6ded55d3b1ba90.pdf 0e41438bea578748eaf58ac0bb801937 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II George Keller Length of interview (1:30:02) (00:04) Background Was born on a Michigan farm in 1916 and was one of seven siblings. (00:12) Brother was inducted into World War I when George was 2 years old, 1918. (00:29) All of his sibling suffered from diabetes and bad hearing. (01:05) Started grade school in a rural school. (01:25) Family moved to Everett, where he went to school and graduated in 1935. (01:45) Enjoyed school because he was too small to play sports. (01:59) Graduated in the height of the Depression. (02:18) Father had died in 1932, when he was 16 years old. (02:22) Went back to school to become a qualified teacher. (02:28) Moved to Ottawa county to teach for a few years before getting his degree. (04:11) Taught in several rural schools. Had been principal in several small schools. (04:42) Was teaching at a four-room school when Pearl Harbor happened in 1941. (08:15) Was drafted in February, 1943. (08:39) Admits that he hadn’t paid much attention to the war in Europe before Pearl Harbor. (08:51) Was married in 1942. Describes the difficulty of dealing of being drafted. (11:32) (13:32) Basic Training First reported to Camp Custer to take his physical. (13:42) Trained at Camp Claiborne, LA, along the Sabine River. Stayed there for six months (13:50) Were told that they would be practicing maneuvers in swamplands for three months. (14:40) Explains how he was promoted from a Private to a Sergeant. (14:50) Describes the basic training process. Recalls that the rigor of basic training forced him to grow up very quickly. (16:14) Describes some of the difficulty he had with the running courses. (17:35) His specialized job included checking the morning reports of several companies. Describes the difficulty of this because everything was done by hand. (19:26) Trained with the 103rd Division, which had fought in World War I. (22:24) Stayed in Louisiana from February until November. (23:51) Division moved to Texas from August to November, where they were on maneuvers. Describes the conditions during this time. (24:59) Wife came around Christmas and stayed until July. (26:37) Division was called the “Cactus Division.” (26:53) Division went to Texas for glider training. Learned to pack parachutes. (27:22) Describes his living situation while in Texas. (32:47) Recalls his friendship with his typist, who had an anthropology degree from Stanford �University. (36:20) Divison was sent to Southern France in September on a Liberty Ship from Camp Shanks, NY. (38:25) (40:13) Service in Europe Arrived in Marseilles, France with a convoy. (40:13) Walked for 22 miles north of Marseilles to a new Delta Base. Most troops continued on trucks, but theirs didn’t. Describes traveling through the rain. (40:35) At one point, their division wasn’t able to receive rations. Describes meeting a woman who helped them find food and provided a place for them to stay. For a couple weeks, they would listen to the BBC there, which was against the law. (42:11) Traveled north before reaching the Rhine at Worth, France. (45:12) Describes his work in the headquarters, which required him to keep track of casualties. (49:20) Describes his disdain with the living conditions of the civilians. (51:24) Towards the end of the war, his division ended up in Innsbruck, Austria. Division was instructed to ‘liberate’ the city. Describes the experience. (52:24) After clearing out the southern half, they turned the area into a camp. (53:40) Describes meeting a couple women who had snuck back into town. (54:13) Stayed in Innsbruck for about three months, until he received orders to work at General Patton’s headquarters near Munich. Described the comfortable living and working conditions. (55:34) Describes his contact with General Patton. Was often asked to type up top secret endorsements. (58:01) Describes his experience with a coworker who was fratenizing with the Germans. (59:36) Discuss Patton’s political troubles. (1:02:25) Describes Patton as a “picturesque person” who was not disliked during the war. (1:04:16) During this time, he was “so busy [that he] didn’t know what he was doing.” He worked to keep track of the movements of all of the soldiers that were being sent home. Describes the scope of the headquarters’ duties. (1:07:18) Describes his frustration with the women he worked with. (1:09:43) Before he was discharged, he was allowed to attend any university in Europe. Attended the Univeristy of Edinburgh. (05:32) Didn’t enroll in classes because he wanted to learn about the school system in Europe. Found that it was very similar. (06:23) Returned to the United States in December, 1945 from Scotland after his detached service from Hamburg, Germany. Describes his experience having to sleep at Camp Lucky Strike, near Le Havre, France while waiting for reliable transportation. (1:10:37) (1:14:02) Life After Service Returned home in January and recalls that the North Atlantic was very foggy. (1:14:02) Mentions his fascination with historical poetry and astronomy. (1:14:17) Landed in New York before taking a train to Camp Atterbury, Indiana. (1:15:15) Arrived home on January 9. (1:15:44) Worked at a Kelvinator Refrigerators Plant in Wyoming before working with computers. �(1:16:00) Received a call from [Compton] who asked him to be a principal because of his military background. Worked there for about four or five years. (1:17:15) Describes his life with his family and some of the hobbies he enjoyed. (1:18:22) Recalls that his experience in the military made him a man. Says that it was an experience he wouldn’t want to repeat, but he thinks it was worthwhile, nonetheless. (1:19:37) Retired in 1974. (1:25:05) Taught for a total of 35 years. Now he enjoys teaching bible study. (1:28:42) � 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 KellerG Title A name given to the resource Keller, George (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keller, George Description An account of the resource George Keller grew up in Michigan and before his service during World War II, he taught in several rural schools and was a principal for a few small schools. He was drafted in February of 1943, and sent to Louisiana to train with the 103rd Division. He was assigned to the divisional headquarters because of his clerical skills, and was promoted from Private to Sergeant so that his rank fit his position. His division landed in Marseille in the fall of 1944 and joined the 7th Army in Alsace. In 1945, they crossed the Rhine and ended the war in Innsbruck, Austria. After thw ear was over, he was transferred to General Patton's headquarters in Munich, where he worked for several months before being shipped home. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-05-28 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/321bf422d64f57545b631bfad039a9b3.m4v 16c0ac7d875b0b645c9de85ab02c4a4a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2d745a9f23369ab95e693aca1ffc99b6.pdf 8e4cc59107df6248816a041ab9e58777 PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW VIVIAN KELLOGG, First Base Women in Baseball Born: Jackson, Michigan Resides: Brooklyn, Michigan Interviewed by: James Smither, PhD, GVSU Veterans History Project, August 5, 2010, Detroit, Michigan at the All American Girls Professional Baseball League reunion. Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, November 12, 2010 Interviewer: “Vivian, can you begin by telling us a little bit about your background. Start with where were you born? I was born in Jackson, Michigan and I played softball for a couple of teams in Jackson. Interviewer: “In what year were you born?” 1922 Interviewer: “When did you first start to play ball?” Ever since I could get my hands on a ball. My mother died when I was seventeen months old, so I never knew my mother, but my brothers and sisters actually raised me and time after time I had a different boss because they would get married and leave home. My youngest brother was nine years older than I was and he had to baby sit and he set me to throwing. 10:45 If he ever wanted to go out and play ball, he had to take me or else he couldn’t go. They would stick me out in the outfield, but eventually I would work up to playing in the infield, but I played ball as long as I can remember and all my school years I was into sports. It was my brothers that taught me to play ball. Interviewer: “At what point did you start to play on a girls’ team?” You had to be a certain age and I think I was seventeen. We had to sign in too at that time, have our parents sign. Whichever one was my boss at that time is the one that signed the paper. 11:42 1 �Interviewer: “Then did you play with a local league?” Yes, just a local league. Interviewer: “How is it you got involved with the All American Girls League?” I was playing in a state tournament representing Michigan and the tournament was held in Lansing and a scout was scouting for women’s baseball and that’s how I got involved in it. Interviewer: “Now, did this scout introduce himself?” Yes, he told us and I signed the contract, but I didn’t play until after the tournament, our bowling tournament, but we didn’t come in first place, but anyway we finished. Interviewer: “So, when did you actually join the league and start playing then?” 12:42 Interviewer: “Did you play in 1943?” No, that’s when I was playing softball and it was 1944 when I actually played with the Minneapolis Millerettes. Interviewer: “When you were going to start the season then in 1944, did you go to spring training first? Did they have that?” Yes Interviewer: “Where was it?” It was in Chicago and they picked the teams. The girls on different teams and I was picked for Minneapolis, so when it folded because of no attendance we came to the Fort Wayne Daisies. Interviewer: “Did you play a year when you were in Minneapolis or did you immediately move?” 2 �We used the same ball field as the Minneapolis baseball team because we were playing when they were on the road, but did we learn a lot in those locker rooms. That’s how we traveled, but we lived in private homes and when it was folded we were on the bus from town to town. 14:10 We stayed in hotels because at that time there weren’t motels. Interviewer: “Did you just have one season in Minneapolis or part of one season?” Just half a season Interviewer: “Half a season” The next season the Fort Wayne franchise bought it. Interviewer: “In the meantime you were just a kind of barnstorming team then?” Now, if we were scheduled to play Racine and it was supposed to be on our field, but we played on Racine’s field, we just reversed who was the home team, but we didn’t have a home ground until 1945. Interviewer: “OK now, what position did you play?” I played first base. Interviewer: “Why did you play first base other than something else?” When I played softball I was a catcher, but when I went to play in the baseball league they put me on first base, so that’s how I got on first base. 15:14 Interviewer: “So, they just told you to play there. Now, were you a good hitter?” I could hit, but I couldn’t run. I got a standing ovation once because I stole second base, but I enjoyed the game very much and it was hard at times, but it was gratifying because we were doing something for our country, we were entertaining on the home front because in baseball the boys were all drafted. We got to—when we were returning home from spring training we would play at army camps, different ones. We stayed in the 3 �barracks and seen how they lived. When they put up a diamond they would just mark it off and we played baseball for the soldiers at camp and on our last trip we played at Battle Creek and that’s where the German prisoners were held and after the game we went to Percy Jones Hospital because that’s where the veterans were in the hospital, so we visited maybe forty five minutes to an hour which they enjoyed because they only saw the doctors and the nurses and aids during the day, so they enjoyed our visit. 16:55 Interviewer: “Was it part of your motivation to join the league? Was this something you could do for the war effort?” When they signed me I had no idea it was for the war effort until I signed the contract and then Mr. Wrigley and at that time, the President of the United States—that’s why we got to have gas because we were entertaining on the home front and in the army camps. Interviewer: “So, you signed the contract just to play ball and you learn then that this is part of something bigger, so you’re doing something—you’re making your own contribution there, but you learned about that later?” Well, I played seven years and I thought it was time I got out because I had to make a living, so I quit and I stayed in Fort Wayne three years and in ten years I returned home and I went to work for a dentist and I worked for him for thirty years. 18:40 Interviewer: “Talk a little bit more about the actual experience of playing in the league. Who do you think were the best players on your team?” Well, you can’t judge—maybe I give them all credit; give them all credit for the position they played and how they got along with the teams and with their teammates. So, I think the Daisies got along together because we spent twenty-four hours, seven days a week together. 19:26 4 �Interviewer: “Who was the manager while you were with them?” Well, I had Bill Wambsganns who use to be—Harold Greiner, Jimmy Foxx, and my first manager was a fellow from the southern states who played in major baseball, but do you think I can remember his name? 19:50 The manager we had, some of them were retired baseball players like Jimmy Foxx and that. We did learn things, like, one day I had to stand on first base for a half hour shifting from one leg to the other to make sure I was getting the rhythm right, like if I hit my left foot on the base or if I hit my right foot, my left foot was out, so it was different than softball where you just caught the ball period. 20:42 Interviewer: “So they were giving you some coaching and you were learning more as you were going. Now, how much of the etiquette training and the make-up stuff, how much of that did you have to do?” We always had a physical and we had a check-up with the doctor and sometimes we would have to get up do practice that day. If the team wasn’t harmonizing, getting along and losing we would have to have practice. Interviewer: “In the movie, one of the things they made a big deal of was the etiquette and Helena Rubenstein and all of that stuff. How much of that did you experience?” 21:43 Of what? Interviewer: “Did you have a lot of rules to follow?” Oh yes, we had to be a certain distance, length and we couldn’t wear slacks outside, we always had to have a skirt on and in the school they taught us how to sit and how to appear for the public because, I wasn’t, but a lot of the girls were from the farms, so they 5 �didn’t have that and the charm school was to teach us, like I say, how to handle your self in public and dress proper. 22:40 Interviewer: “What kind of fan support did you have? Did you have a lot of people coming to your games?” At first we took a lot of ribbing, “go home where you belong”, “go take care of your kids”, but eventually we won them over because it was something to entertain them and the wives were always wondering why their husbands were always going to the ball park. All the fans we had, the men were in the service, so we had the youngsters and females and elderly men. I can remember one time we were playing in Racine, and that’s just outside of Chicago near the navy station and there was a couple of sailors around first base were heckling me and at that time we didn’t take our coats to the dugout, we just threw them up against the fence and he was riding me and riding me and I had a torn cartilage and I had a knee brace on and when I was going down first base he said, “take the piano off your back”, so when I got in the dugout I said, “anybody got any money?” Timmy said, “I have a nickel”, and I said, “give it to me”, so I gave the two fellows a nickel and said, “put this in your organ “, and afterwards they met me at the gate and asked us out for dinner. 24:29 Of course we couldn’t because we were chaperoned, but they were nice enough. Interviewer: “They had you playing wearing a knee brace?” Yeah, and as a matter of fact I got two knee braces on now because I have torn cartilage . At that time they removed it the first time I had a leg wound or torn ligament, but they don’t do that now, but they went in that knee twice and this knee once, so I was no speed demon on the bases. 25:11 6 �Interviewer: “I’m a little surprised they had you playing at all, but at first base you don’t run that much.” If our right fielder or somebody was hurt and I didn’t have a brace on, I would go out and play right field, but very seldom because of my hitting and not my running, my hitting. Interviewer: “Are there particular things that happened in particular games that you remember really well or if you think back to when you were playing are there events that you remember?” 26:05 This was all new to me, so everything was an event to me, but I do have a lot of memories of different things that are gone and the friendships that I made and how the public treated us. At first, especially the men, didn’t think women should be playing baseball and we had to block our hearing off so that we wouldn’t be interrupted. We had to have rabbit ears, that’s what we called them. The only time I ever said anything to a fan was when those two sailors that were ribbing me and it wasn’t doing any harm to me, but I could hear them because it was close to first base and after that I never said a thing. I did get a letter from them saying the next time they come could I go out for a steak dinner, so I knew I didn’t hurt their feelings. 27:20 Interviewer: “Are there particular games, individual games, that you remember well? Are there things that stand out from your playing career?” Dotty Collins was out pitcher and I remember we had a double header and she pitched both games and won them and we kind of stuck up for one another and backed them up. See, our rules, we had league rules, but the managers from different teams had different ideas, so some of the girls didn’t like them for that reason, but I had no complaints because I was getting paid. 28:16 7 �Interviewer: “How much did they pay you?” Well, I was working for the telephone company, Michigan Bell Telephone Co. and I was making $37.50 a week. I signed a contract for $70.00 a week and I thought I was a millionaire because it was twice as much and back in 1942 $37.50 was good money, but when they said $75.00, I thought, wow! We had to pay for our own meals at home and rent, but on the road we got $33.75 a day and back then you could buy breakfast for a quarter, dinner for seventy-five cents and lunch for a dollar and a half. You could save that money that you didn’t use, so when you got home you had money for lunches then. 29:21 Interviewer: “Did you save money while you were in the league?” Yeah, I bought a car when cars were available. Interviewer: “If you were making seventy dollars a week, that was more money than some of the other players were making?” Some made more than that and it was who the scout was and if you notice in the records, the California gals seemed to come up with the higher wages than others did. Interviewer: “there were some who were making fifty dollars a week and not seventy.” Yeah, there were some under that, but $75.00 is what I started out with. Interviewer: “While you were playing, did your team ever win the championship?” Close to it a couple times. 30:30 Interviewer: “What was the closest you got?” Well, we did win it once and I know I made $500.00 and that’s when I bought my first car when we won. 8 �Interviewer: “You were talking a little bit about your decision to stop playing, explain that a little bit more, why did you give up playing?” The reason was, I wasn’t getting any younger and I was wearing braces because that one leg was bothering me and I thought, “I’ll get out while I’m still walking, which I’m not doing today, and then I went to work in Fort Wayne and I worked at different gymnastics and Turners was a club that sports and I worked for the Lincoln Life Insurance Company. I worked there three years and I kind of wanted to come home, so I came home, when I say home, to Jackson, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. 31:29 I had no place to go and I had to find an apartment. I bought war bonds and I sold war bonds during the war and those war bonds came in handy for me because then I could find a place to live and find a job. I went to work for Dr. Schreiner, a dentist, and I worked for him for thirty years and I started out on the money from the war bonds that I bought and cashed in. 32:25 Interviewer: “If you look back at your baseball career, what effect do you think that had on you?” Well, I was shy, I never forwarded myself like when I was in school I might have known the answer, but I would never raise my hand to answer it. Sometimes when the teacher would call my attention I would get tongue-tied. It was just that way, but since I’ve joined the league, I have come out to where I can now go out and speak to youngsters about sports and the personalities and of the All American Girls league and how it started. That helped me because otherwise I kind of stood back. 33:23 Interviewer: “Did the people who knew you in Jackson after your baseball career, did they know you were a ball player?” 9 �No, and when I came home they would ask me where I had been for the last ten years and I would tell them I was playing baseball and they never heard of it, so I never bothered to talk about it because nobody believed it and even some close relatives never did. When the movie came out, A League of Their Own, and they saw Penny Marshall interview different players that had started in the league, so when the movie came out and we were inducted, then they said, “why didn’t you tell us, why didn’t you tell us you played ball?” I said, “Because nobody would listen”. They didn’t believe girls played baseball. 34:19 Interviewer: “When you were playing ball, did you think of yourselves as pioneers or people who were doing something new and important?” All I can think of is it was fun, it was tough at times, but it was gratifying knowing we had done something for our country. Interviewer: “Later on, when you get into the 1970’s and 1980’s you have a lot more women in sports, you have title nine and all of that.” I feel that’s what had to go to ball because we were the ones that pushed that for girls softball because I can remember when I worked for the Jackson recreation, excuse me, before I started playing ball and when I came back I worked for them and played rounds and different things and if the girls had a game and the boys were rained out, the boys had the privilege of the diamond. When Brooklyn, where I live now, Brooklyn, Michigan, when they dedicated a ball diamond, there were four at the complex and I said, “I want one for the girls only”, so that’s what they did, there’s four games played at the same time and one of them is the girls diamond. 36:07 When they dedicated it they invited me in to talk to the girls and I said, “this is your diamond and be proud to play on it. It will help women’s sports”, so they did and they won a championship a couple of 10 �times, the girl’s softball. It’s the high school girls and now I will get a call from one of them asking if I would like to come out and see a game. No matter who calls me to ask me to come out and watch them play. Sometimes the boys, the little league, I didn’t know them because they had helmets and all that equipment on and their mothers would be sitting next to them and I would say, “which one’s your son’s number”, because of all the equipment. 37:12 I remember asking one little boy, “who’s the best player on your team?” He said, “I am”, so I agreed with him. That’s what I got out of my baseball, the thrill of coaching little girls as well as little boys and I feel the boys were as interested in it as the girls. Interviewer: “Interested in the fact that you played? They liked that too.” Yeah, Interviewer: “I think now people recognize how unusual your league was and how significant it was, so now we have a way of understanding that and appreciating it. Maybe they didn’t have that. Are there any other thoughts you would like to put on the record here before we close out the interview?” The people I feel bad about supported us, were here for the recognition and they’re the ones that supported us and that’s the only regret I have is that we were so long in getting recognized that they are gone. 38:31 Interviewer: “Other players or other people who started the league? Players that are gone?” Oh yes, there are more associates in our league now than there are players, as a matter of fact, we lost two here this month. 11 �Interviewer: “We’re doing our best to catch up with you while you’re still here, so thank you very much for coming in and talking to me today.” Thank you. 38:56 12 � 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-58_VKellogg Title A name given to the resource Kellogg, Vivian (Interview transcript and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kellogg, Vivian Description An account of the resource Vivian Kellogg was born in Jackson, Michigan, in 1922. She grew up playing baseball with her brothers, and joined a girls' team in Jackson when she was seventeen. She was spotted by a scout in 1943, and was assigned to the Minneapolis Millerettes for the 1944 season. The team became the Fort Wayne Daisies in 1945, and she was their starting first baseman through the 1950 season, and then retired due to knee injuries. After working for a number of years in Fort Wayne, she returned to Michigan and coached boys' little league teams and started a girls' softball league. 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.) Video recordings All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Baseball for women--United States Baseball Sports for women World War, 1939-1945 Baseball players--Indiana Baseball players--Minnesota Women Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-08-05 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-55)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b642b0c2bfa91d4c1b59b94b5ec567b3.mp4 23f01fa47b4696c453c38f02e824da44 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c9dc698257d992255815f5b7682a72cf.pdf 932251fbaf95ab03bfa145460d2e9942 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Kenneth Kelly (01:47:10) Background • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Born on a farm in Coopersville, MI. (0:24) One of nine children, six boys and three girls (00:30) His father, Asa Kelly, was a WWI veteran. (00:36) His mother was Hazel Easterly, who came from a family with thirteen children. (00:42) Big families were common in those days, as more children helped work on the farm. (00:53) Graduated High School in June of 1943. (00:58) Enlisted in the U.S. Navy construction battalions, the Sea Bees. (1:13) Born on 8/21/1925. (1:19) His family did relatively well during the Depression, despite having a large family. Everyone at the time was in a similar situation. (1:38) Suspects his parents may have had a harder time than the children. (1:52) His father was a school teacher. His mother died in 1937. (2:04) His eldest sister graduated high school the same year his mother died. She acted like a surrogate mother to the younger children. (2:06) Recounts that his father did have a harder time during the depression. (2:30) Three of his brothers served in the Army during WWII (2:45) Father was stationed at “Camp Custer,” which was later “Fort Custer.” (3:00) His father was a Lieutenant during WWI. (3:16) During WWI Asa confiscated a set of dice from some gambling soldiers, and took them home after the war. (3:23) Kenneth's oldest brother went to MSU (all but one went to MSU) and enrolled in the ROTC program at MSU. His brother graduated in 1941. (3:44) His brother was sent to Camp Custer for training. (4:06) Asa and Hazel were married when he was training in Camp Custer, and their eldest son was born in Battle Creek. (4:19) Kenneth spent fifty years selling overhead cranes and monorail equipment. (4:37) After Fort Custer became an industrial park, Japanese and German firms invested in the area. Kenneth sold equipment to these firms. (4:47) Comments on the irony of selling equipment to the Germans and Japanese, when he had fought them in WWII. (5:04) Kenneth did not participate in ROTC, he had only gone to High School at that time. ROTC was not a high school program at the time. (5:16) Enlisted as an apprentice seamen. (5:31) Pre-Enlistment • • • • Served two years, seven months as part of the Navy's construction team. (5:34) Many boys at his high school were worried about being drafted right after graduating. (5:50) Eight to ten boys at his school enlisted prior to graduating. Upon their return from the war they were given diplomas, despite not finishing school. (6:04) Pearl Harbor was attacked when he was sixteen. (6:31) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • At the time of the attack, he was at home listening to a radio show on a Sunday afternoon. The attack was interrupted with an announcement. (6:44) Had no idea where Pearl Harbor was located, but the radio soon informed them. (7:04) The attack took everyone by surprise. The war was brought home to them in a way they had not expected. They had known that President Roosevelt was helping the British, but being very young he hadn't read up about the situation in depth. (7:22) People became even more worried about the draft. (7:54) Some men enlisted in order to avoid being assigned to the Army when they were drafted. (8:07) Men drafted into the army usually became “dog faces” or infantry. (8:09) Worked part time at a local gas station. (8:26) Gasoline was rationed at the time, so he had to learn how to handle the ration coupons. (8:37) The ration was four gallons per week. (9:08) Four gallons per week was not very much, but it was enough for most people to get by at the time. (9:10) A few people cheated the system. (9:25) The gas station was frequently audited by government officials in order to prevent cheating. (9:43) While he was still in high school, he researched the different military branches in order to decide which to enlist in. (10:07) The Navy looked like the best branch for him. The Navy usually had clean beds, good food, and clean clothes. (10:52) A few times in the South Pacific he had to struggle. The lack of fresh water was the most frequent problem. (11:08) Training • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Camp Perry, near Williamsburg, VA was the start of his training. (11:36) Almost all of the Sea Bees were trained at Camp Perry. There were 350,000 Sea Bees in WWII. (11:50) A battalion was formed by eleven hundred men. (12:00) He arrived in Camp Perry in August, left in late October or early November. The next location was in Gulfport, MS. (12:31) At the Tampali Bay base he was given advance training. (12:31) Military training—marching, how to salute, and obey orders was trained at Camp Perry. (12:40) At Tampali Bay, he was given infantry training. The Sea Bees were very involved during invasions. (12:55) The infantry training was for self-defense. (13:26) Primary duty of the Sea Bees was to build bases for other operations. These bases were used by all branches of the military. Most of the bases were in the Pacific. (13:36) Continued his infantry training. (14:07) Went out on bivouac. (14:21) He was surprised at the cold weather in Mississippi. He thought it would be much warmer. (14:36) The tents they slept in weren't fire-resistant. (14:50) They had to get firewood, and store it in the tents. (15:07) Men were put on duty to watch for tent fires. (15:07) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • When he was on guard duty, he often stole wood from other tents. (15:48) Practiced invasions on an island in the Gulf of Mexico. (15:56) While in Mississippi, he went on “liberty” for twelve to twenty-four hours. He usually went to New Orleans during his leave. (16:00) He enlisted at age seventeen. He turned eighteen during training. (16:34) Couldn't drink because he was only seventeen. (16:54) The Navy Blue uniform had three stripes on the collar, and three on the cuffs. Many men in the Navy rolled back there cuffs past the stripes. One day as he was on liberty, some military policeman stopped his group of friends. His friends all had there sleeves rolled back, but he did not. As a result his friends were taken to the holding pen for being out of uniform. Afterwards, he always kept his cuffs unrolled. (16:58-17:45) Camp Perry is still around, but in a different form. He tried visiting the area again twenty-five years later, but was not allowed in. He found out it was the training base, or “Farm” for the CIA. (18:19-18:43) While in Camp Perry the men were formed into battalions. (19:03) He was in the 127th battalion. They trained as a battalion from that point forward. (19:08) The Navy needed men immediately in the Pacific, and they asked the battalion to select men to send out early. The battalions selected men they didn't like. As a result, one of his friends was selected, but he was not. His friend talked him to volunteering. His action was following the advice of a chief petty officer. (19:2519:56) [DVD skips] (20:24-20:28) [DVD skips again] (21:00-21:13) The term “polliwog” was a Navy term for someone who hadn't crossed Equator. Someone who had was called a “shellback.” When he crossed the equator he was given a certificate, and subjected to an initiation. (21:30) His initiation was simply being squirted with sea-water. Some of the other men were smeared with axle grease. The initiation was usually more severe, but there were so many recruits involved it was difficult. (21:34) Had to bow to a man dressed as King Neptune as part of the initiation. (22:17) He purchased some war bonds for $18.75. They matured into $25 bonds later on. He used the bonds to finance part of his wedding. (22:38) Shipped out • • • • • • • • Took off for the Pacific, through the Panama Canal. (23:23) The only time he had fresh water showers was while crossing the Panama canal. The fresh water was from a nearby lake. (23:37) Stopped at the Galapagos Islands, but did not go ashore. (23:55) The destroyer escort had to refuel. (24:00) Destroyer refueled again in Tahiti, and again in New Caledonia. While in New Caledonia, US Navy airplanes flew overhead. One of the planes had engine problems and crashed in the ocean. The men on the plane deployed an orange raft and were picked up by the destroyer. (24:16) New Hebrides Islands were among the first islands used as advance bases. The islands were used to build up supplies and troops. (25:17) At the Espiritu Santu Island he was taken off the boat. There were no barracks on the island, so they slept in a church. (25:52) Had a steel helmet, and a 1933 Springfield rfle. (26:36) �• When sleeping in church, he slept on a pew and used his backpack as a pillow. He slept cradling his rifle. (26:45) • He was put on another ship, this time an LST (Landing Ship Tank) and went to Guadalcanal. They stopped for one day, and were put on another ship. (26:58) • Next they were sent to Kuko Beach. (27:11) • Spend two weeks in New Guinea. (27:19) • Put to work at New Guinea. He worked nights at the ammunitions facility loading and unloading ammunition onto trucks. (27:38) • Got a bad sliver while working, and went to sick bay for treatment. Despite the medical treatment and disinfectant he came down with a severe infection. Part of his finger had to be removed. (28:08) • He was put on another ship, which was a badly maintained “rust bucket.” He still had not seen any combat at this point. (28:50) • Headed for the Admiralty Islands on a convoy with two destroyer escorts. (29:05) • His ship's engine stopped running. All the men were told to watch for submarine periscopes. One of the destroyers came back to check on them, but the other ships kept going. (29:22) • The radio on the ship was also nonfunctional, so the men on the destroyer and the convoy had to use megaphones. (29:50) • They didn't know how long the delay would be. (30:23) • The destroyer had to keep up with the rest of the convoy, and would not be able to stay behind permanently. (30:42) • Experienced electricians on board the ship were able to fix the problems. (30:55) • They managed to catch up with the rest of the convoy. (31:07) • Sailed onto Los Negros islands. (31:15) • Time spent in transit was three months. The battle they had been sent to assist in was still on-going. (31:23) Medals and Symbols • Received a medal for the Asiatic Pacific Theater. He also received two battle-stars, one for the Admiralties, and one for Okinawa. He also received a victory medal and a Good Conduct medal. (31:53) • The symbol with eagle and a circle was put on the uniforms. (31:57) • in 1995 he received a pin as part of the reunion. The inscription reads A grateful nation remembers, WWII 1995 1945.” (33:38) • Joined the 78th Sea Bee regiment, which was one of three in the area. The 40th and 2nd regiments were also used. His initial battalion was split three ways to join the other battalions (34:01) • The symbol on his sweatshirt was drawn by Disney artists in 1943 before he joined the 78th. The 78th had been based in Oxnard, CA and some men had asked the artists to draw them a symbol. The symbol is a fighting bee with a tommy-gun, a monkey wrench and a hammer. (34:16) • The new members of the 78th were not well liked by the older members. The senior members had been deployed from October to November of 1943, and when the new recruits came they knew they wouldn't be going back home soon. (35:49) Admiralties • The men were given tents, which were sixteen feet by sixteen feet. He was part of C Company. They were told where to put the tent, and given stakes. The wooden stakes did not work because of the ground, so they had to get new metal reinforced stakes. (36:42) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • He was on a sandy beach, with palm trees. (37:47) The trees were coconut palms. He enjoyed the pleasant weather, 150 miles from the Equator. (38:20) Most of the men walked about shirtless, in shorts and a cap. Many had sunburns. (38:51) The camp was near a captured air base. It was the first area they had taken. (39:05) Expanded and enlarged the existing air field for four engine bombers. (39:22) The Japanese airfields were not large enough for the large planes, such as the B-24 bombers. (39:23) The bombers began their raids at any hour, but often very early. (40:18) Around 4:00 AM they heard a loud crash, so they went to check the fuel supplies. They had fuel for the bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, and other construction equipment. (40:35) A plane crashed into the nearby Sea Bee (40th regiment) and exploded. Thirty men were killed, and seventy wounded. (40:59) The area was a mess. He and some others found four unexploded bombs in a whole near the crashed bomber. (41:35) The Sea Bees included older men with construction experience. The average age of the Sea Bees was 37, the average age of the Marine Corps was around 23. Twentyfive men in his regiment were WWI veterans. (42:05) The Sea Bees had learned to improvise with building materials and food supplies. They cut down trees to build a dock in the area. (42:47) Some of the lumber from the mill was inconsistent, although it was good quality overall. They usually used tropical woods, like teak. (44:02) The Sea Bees were often complimented by higher officers because of their speed. Kenneth explains they used shifts to work 24/7. Also, the men didn't have much else to do. Work was a way to relieve boredom. (44:28) End of the war • When the war ended he was driving a tractor at 2 AM in Okinawa. He had been deployed for eighteen months. (45:06) • In Okinawa, he worked on an airfield for B29 bombers. (45:49) • The airstrip was two miles long. (46:00) • It was impossible to hear the air raid sirens over the noise of the tractors. They only knew of an air raid when shots were fired. (46:19) • During bombing raids, most of the Sea Bees hid under their tractors. They were never hit by the bombers as they were after the ships. (46:59) • Heard people cheering while he was running the tractor. He talked to the antiaircraft men, thinking that perhaps there had been a raid, and was informed that the war was over. (47:20) • He shut down the tractor and went back to camp. He was scolded for quitting early. (47:37) Back in the Admiralties, earlier • Worked on the dock at the Admiralties. The Admiralties was the largest base, it was constructed for invasion and re-taking of the Philippines. The area had good harbor facilities. (48:00) • Worked under General MacArthur. (48:44) • While he worked at the dock there were many types of ships: Navy, ammunition, tankers, troop ships, hospital ships, and little boats. (49:00) • One of his friends told him “hey, look” and he saw a huge pillar of smoke and flame. �(49:18) • He had to get under shelter, so he hid underneath a crane. (49:37) • An ammunition ship with three hundred men on board exploded. The hull of the ship was later found with the dead men. Seventy-five men on other ships were killed by debris. (49:58) • Quonset huts were used as a multi-purpose building, everything from barracks and hospitals to warehouses. (51:27) Pictures, Miscellaneous stories(51:59-1:10:46) • The official term of the tents they used was a “shelter-half,” each man carried half a tent which he joined to other halves. (53:26) • Patrol Nat Balintae disappeared during the war. Nat had painted the pictures he showed to the interviewer earlier. (54:10) • While on board, they had a ship-store. At the ship-store they could buy toothpaste, candy, and other items. The store ran at a profit and used the proceeds to create a log book at the end of the war. (55:00) • Phoebe the Sea Bee was in the book, also by Disney. (56:52) • Was in an article by the Grand Rapids Press. (57:19) • His eldest brother was in the Army for thirty years. (57:38) • Ran into his second eldest brother at Okinawa. (57:50) • Has a Japanese pistol from Okinawa. The pistol was based off the German Luger. His brother was in the invasion of Okinawa, and often patrolled behind enemy lines in the anti-tank platoon. He came across a dead Japanese officer and a dead girl. They believed the man had shot the girl and them himself. (59:91) • [Tape switched] (59:36) • In the Grand Rapids Press, there was a picture of him before he joined the Navy. (59:44) • Picture of the Gulfport, MS Sea Bee reunion. (1:00:00) • New Sea bees were also at the reunion. (1:00:26) • They picked coral out of the sea, and used it like concrete. The coral was crushed and then bonded like concrete. (1:01:57) • He operated a “sheep's foot roller.” (1:01:31) • Aleut Island, built an airfield on Panan Island. (1:01:39) • Has a picture of the airfield, which one of his comrades obtained online. The website indicating wrongly that the airfield was built by British and Australians. (1:02:52) • Picture of the cemetery and th chapel. (1:03:39) • The Sea Bees did a lot of earthmoving and drainage. (1:04:13) • Constructed a water tower, which converted salt water into freshwater. (1:04:38) • Has the original plans for Okinawa. They were never fully implemented as the war ended. (1:06:31) • Picture of the exploded fuel pumps, and of an explosion used to mine the coral. (1:07:06) • In November 1944, he was disappointed at not being sent on leave to Australasia. (1:07:45) • There was a brothel in Noumea, which was on the French island of New Caledonia. The US Navy had a special room at the brothel. (1:08:32) • Their chapel was multi-denominational. They held Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish services. (1:08:50) • A picture of a Japanese small craft which was re-built and used by the Navy. (1:10:00) �• • • The camp was about fifty feet from a cliff overlooking the ocean. (1:10:39) Was nominated President of his WWII association. (1:11:00) Two of his grandchildren are GVSU graduates. (1:11:42) Training • Was not trained by WWI veterans. He was trained by members of the US Marines who had served in Panama. (1:11:53) • The Marines hadn't had much experience training other Sea Bee units. The Sea Bees did not respond well to the Marine trainers, as it was full of older experienced construction men. The Marines often cursed at the Sea Bees during training, which the men objected to. Eventually, the some of Sea Bees challenged the Marines to a fight, and won. (1:12:20) • The Marines stopped cursing at the men. (1:13:20) • His commanding officer was a WWI vet, and so were some of the military policemen. (1:13:39) • WWI vets talked somewhat about their experiences in WWI. Most conversation was based on living conditions around the country. (1:14:15) • It was easy to tell where someone was from, based on their accents. (1:14:48) • Believes he was trained adequately for his experiences. (1:15:42) Time in Transport • Took three months for them to get to the assigned location. (1:15:54) • Exercised using calisthenics. (1:15:54) • One of the men on the ship developed spinal meningitis, and parts of the ship were quarantined. (1:16:12) • As a result of the quarantine, they always went to the mess hall last. (1:16:20) • No one else came down with meningitis. The one man who had it recovered. (1:16:46) • Two meals a day. One day they found worms in the beefaroni and complained. They were then given new food. (1:17:22) • The men were often stinky. The saltwater showers and lard-based soap left them unpleasantly greasy, so they showered less. (1:17:35) • Two typhoons while they were in Okinawa, which sink some ships. It also split their tent. (1:18:22) • Tent curtain was kept up most of the time, because of the heat. Everything got wet as a result. (1:19:20) Interaction with civilians • Had direct contact with citizens. (1:19:32) • The Admiralties were all black. (1:19:38) • He sometimes visited civilians, but not frequently. Other men visited more frequently. (1:19:51) • Most of the people were friendly to the Americans. (1:20:06) • Believes this is still true today, mostly. (1:20:20) • Okinawa was more developed. (1:20:43) • Okinawans are not Japanese, and generally dislike the Japanese. He found this out during the reunion. (1:21:00) • During the war, the Japanese told the Okinawans horror stories about the Americans—that they would kill all the men, and rape the women. (1:21:27) • Okinawans moved with the Japanese to avoid the Americans. (1:21:45) • The US Navy was ordered to attack the Japanese • 140,000 civilians were killed in addition to 100,000 Japanese, 9,000 US Army and �• Marines, and 5,000 Navy. (1:22:00) Truman used two atomic bombs. Some of the men worried the Japanese might have atomic bombs. (1:22:50) Leisure • He was allowed to on “liberty” a few times, but he had nowhere to go. (1:23:30) • On the way the way to Okinawa he spent about a week on a small recreation island. (1:23:48) • The recreation island had tennis courts, basketball courts, and he could drink all the beer he wanted. (1:24:20) • Remembers many of the Navy men getting in drunken fights on the island, but that was just good fun at the time. (1:24:34) • Had a pretty good time at the Navy camps. (1:24:50) • Built a base facility to take care of minesweepers. (1:25:04) • The kitchen (where?) had an ice machine. While on active duty the men where allowed two beers a week. He and his friends usually saved up the beer for time off. (1:25:27) • On Sundays they would get the beer, ice from the kitchen, buy cigars and play poker. (1:25:53) Communication/visits his family, other remarks • He was able to keep in contact with his family through the mail service. (1:26:15) • The mail was censored, so he couldn't tell his family where he was located. (1:26:21) • Despite being a teacher, his father did not write many letters, and the letters he did write were only a few paragraphs. (1:26:34) • His aunts on his mother's side sent him letters frequently. (1:26:45) • He managed to find out his brother Dale was on Okinawa, and that his cousin was on another nearby island. He found out from his aunts. (1:27:16) • One day an Army chief came into the base with two grubby soldiers. The men entered the officer tent, and came out shortly after. The two soldiers then removed their helmets, and one of the men was his brother Dale. (1:27:56) • Dale had used the truck ID numbers to find him. Dale had come to the area to visit some wounded men as well. (1:28:55) • Kenneth visited his brother frequently, but had to take a gun with him every time he left the base (1:29:17) • During every battle he was given a gun, which he had to return at the end. (1:29:37) • Did not have any kamikaze scares with during his various voyages. (1:29:52) • He did not directly interact with the Japanese. He was only involved with the Japanese during the frequent air raids. (1:29:55) • The Navy frequently played movies at night in an outdoor theater. He quit one of the movies early because of an air raid, but other men stayed at the movie. (1:30:20) Reunion • The reunion was a wonderful experience for him. (1:30:44) • He flew in on a plane from Osaka, Japan. (1:31:07) • Got off the plane at the Naha airport, which was the capital of Okinawa. (1:31:07) • There were forty to fifty people waiting for them, they all clapped. They were glad to see the Americans return. (1:31:33) • Each night of the reunion had a special ceremony, with different services. Five wreaths were thrown in the water for the dead. (1:31:49) • A memorial hospital in the area was named after a sailor who had been awarded a �• • • • • • • • • • • medal of honor. The sailor was at the reunion. (1:32:12) Went jogging in Osaka. They stayed at a fancy hotel. The flight was going to leave at 11:00. He was jogging with an eighty-five year old, and he was seventy at the time. The man was his room-mate at the hotel, and had been a shipmate during WWII. (1:32:54) He went down a long street, and intended doing a loop around a traffic island. Instead he got lost, and all the street signs were in Japanese. (1:34:01) Came across a taxi, asked for directions. Had to ask for directions multiple times. Eventually he came across a woman who gave him elaborate directions in perfect English (1:34:44) He had left around 6:00 AM, the hotel had a checkout time of 7:00 AM. He got back to the hotel, and his room mate had put his bags outside the room (1:34:54) His roommate’s grandson was in the Marines. He had a broken ankle and had accompanied them on the reunion. (1:35:45) The Commander of the Navy was at the Reunion, and introduced to the grandson. (1:36:10) The Okinawans had a special ceremony for the dead (from the earlier mentioned battle). They listed off the names of each person killed, it took three days and two nights. (1:36:24) They had built a remembrance garden full of trees and pillars. Each pillar was inscribed with the names of the dead. (1:36:50) At the ceremony, Americans and Japanese planted trees together in the garden. (1:37:10) His brother died in 1985, he missed him at the ceremony. (1:37:25) He was in Okinawa for a week. Post-War life • Spent twenty-two years in the Reserves. (1:37:40) • Trained men for Vietnam and Korea. (1:38:48) • Enlisted 1947, began taking a commission in 1949. (1:37:54) • Retired from the Reserves in 1969. (1:38:06) • Trained men in Muskegon, Flint, and Lansing for a short time. (1:38:09) • Was the President of Kelly Sales and Engineering Co. He went to college at MSU. (1:38:30) • Started the business in 19693, operated until 2002. (1:39:00) • Sons joined in the business. (1:39:11) • The business closed in 2002. He retired from the business in 1990, but he still works as an engineer. (1:39:22) Opinions on the War in Iraq • He doesn't think the draft would be appropriate for the war in Iraq, as there are sufficient numbers of volunteers. (1:39:53) • His grandson is in the Army, and will be leaving for his second tour soon. (1:40:07) • Is of the opinion that enlisted men and women accept their job and duty. (1:40:15) • Believes they are welcomed by the Iraqis, especially the youth. (1:40:31) • A unit of Sea Bees is deployed in Iraq, re-building infrastructure and improving existing infrastructure. (1:40:37) More post-War • After the war he was still very young. Discharge was based on a points system, and he had few points due to his age. (1:41:22) • He came home for thirty days near Thanksgiving. He went to a Navy field and �• • • • • • • • • • became military policeman afterwards. (1:41:53) He rode trains from Chicago to Buffalo and back in order to track men. (1:42:16) Had a lot of free times while he was an MP. (1:42:32) Spend most of his free time looking for girls, as did most of his friends. One of his friends had a fake ID he used to buy liquor, and was caught. And jailed for seven days (1:42:48) When they were looking for girls, they weren't really looking for sex, just dance partners and a good time. (1:43:21) He went to a roller-skating rink, and was told the Aragon ball-room in Northwest Chicago would be a good place for girls. (1:43:28) Went to the place, a band was playing. It was a nice place. (1:43:46) It was a special party at the ball-room, so there were no girls without escorts. He complained to the girl running the candy corner, and she gave him the phone number of two of her girlfriends. (1:44:04) He talked to the girls, and they both showed up. He got to pick which one he danced with because he'd made the phone call. He picked Ruth, and married her that September, which was eight months later. She was from Winfield, IL. (1:44:44) He has three sons, seven grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. (1:45:16) Three of his brothers were in the service. Two of his brothers married women who were in the service. His second eldest brother married a woman who had been in the Women’s Army Corps, and his eldest married an Army nurse. (1:45:32) • Ruth had three older brothers in the military. His two sisters married Army men. (1:46:37) � 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 KellyK Title A name given to the resource Kelly, Kenneth (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kelly, Kenneth Description An account of the resource Kenneth Kelly was born on a farm in Coopersville, MI in 1925. He enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and served in a construction battalion (Seabees) in the Pacific theater, primarily in the Admiralties and on Okinawa. He relates several of his experiences while working on war construction projects, and focuses mostly on camp life. He also served in the Reserves for thirty years. The interview includes a description of his experience of the 1995 reunion at Okinawa. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McCauslin, Kelly (Interviewer) Spring Lake District Library (Spring Lake, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-01-19 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives