445 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e9dc3127bb2885242dcb1a385ede675a.jpg f2cf939ed9455d142145d366c8be9522 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 Otto Kuxhaus collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuxhaus, Otto Description An account of the resource Photographs collected by Otto Kuxhaus. Materials document his tour of duty with the 81st Squadron and his leisure time activities. Some photos of family and friends are also included. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1971 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/506">Otto Kuxhaus World War II collection (RHC-57)</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 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Africa, North World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Italy Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-57 Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-57_OKuxhaus07 Title A name given to the resource Applying national insignia on aircraft wing with spraygun Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military United States. Army. Corps of Engineers Scrapbooks Photographs Description An account of the resource Applying national insignia on aircraft wing with spraygun, 1943. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuxhaus, Otto Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943 Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Otto Kuxhaus WWII collection, RHC- 57 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II 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> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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/405be436e906fd15126b7bce20dabd96.jpg 3bb3dc5d71829129d4cd20566ffce667 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 Otto Kuxhaus collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuxhaus, Otto Description An account of the resource Photographs collected by Otto Kuxhaus. Materials document his tour of duty with the 81st Squadron and his leisure time activities. Some photos of family and friends are also included. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1971 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/506">Otto Kuxhaus World War II collection (RHC-57)</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 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Africa, North World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Italy Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-57 Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-57_OKuxhaus09 Title A name given to the resource Soldiers on Italian street Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military United States. Army. Corps of Engineers Scrapbooks Photographs Description An account of the resource Soldiers on Italian street, 1944. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuxhaus, Otto Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944 Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Otto Kuxhaus WWII collection, RHC- 57 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II 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> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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/bdb6a26bcbb1996741450d2e374893aa.jpg 918be4261aa9825ed23149cc11b8b51c 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 Otto Kuxhaus collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuxhaus, Otto Description An account of the resource Photographs collected by Otto Kuxhaus. Materials document his tour of duty with the 81st Squadron and his leisure time activities. Some photos of family and friends are also included. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941/1971 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/506">Otto Kuxhaus World War II collection (RHC-57)</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 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Africa, North World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Italy Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-57 Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-57_OKuxhaus10 Title A name given to the resource Squadron on tour of Palestine and Syria Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military United States. Army. Corps of Engineers Scrapbooks Photographs Description An account of the resource Squadron on tour of Palestine and Syria, 1943. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuxhaus, Otto Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943 Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Otto Kuxhaus WWII collection, RHC- 57 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II 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> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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/a18300bc603b8bb9160d71508207e05b.m4v 298747f3e7d17c0aaf8f7741be8ce788 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d758c39b1ac6454f732c49d18c388459.pdf 567b0a474657b3dca6c064c839934c6d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Marv Kuzawa World War II 49 minutes 04 seconds (00:00:18) Family and Reactions to Pearl Harbor -Born in 1921. [No born on date is stated, but 21 at enlistment in 1942 would be 1921] -Shocked and concerned about the news from Pearl Harbor. -Enlisted into the Navy. -Oldest brother was in the Navy. -Hoped to join him however he was placed in the Seabees. -Reaction at work to Pearl Harbor: surprise and worry. -Five brothers. -Oldest brother was in the Navy long before War. -Other three brothers went into the Army. -One in France, one in Alaska, and one within the US. -All three returned home. -Mother and sisters often worried with all five of them in the military. -In retrospect: glad to have done his job, however war is senseless. -Twenty-one years old at the time of enlistment. -Graduated from Union High School 1940. -Enlisted in 1942. -Sent to Camp Perry Virginia for training. -Lasted for 6 to 8 months. -Next he was sent to camp in California, then shipped out to Kodiak, Alaska. (00:09:38) Alaska – Kodiak and Aleutian Islands -Time from enlistment to shipping to Alaska - about 8 to 10 months. -Took some adjusting to Alaska’s extreme colds. -Built roads and living quarters. -Stay on Kodiak Island lasted about a year. -After Kodiak, they were sent to one of the Aleutian Islands. -Island was uninhabited. -Built roads, and an airstrip. -Stay lasted about 6 months. -Upon completion of the job, transferred to 14th Construction Battalion. -Difficult to leave friends that had been made. -Seabee comrades were from all over the country. -Downtime in the Aleutian Islands: playing chess, wood carving, artful wood burning, and rarely skiing. (00:17:15) the Pacific – Hawaii and Japan -Next shipped out to Honolulu Hawaii to build Quonset huts. -This job lasted six months. �-This was two years after Pearl Harbor, however visible damage remained. -After Hawaii, they shipped to Okinawa Japan. -This was two weeks after the invasion from the Marines and Army. -One instance: working building docks while Zero planes were being chased and attacked. -Rescued a ship full of crewmembers that had become stuck on nearby rocks. -Arrived on Okinawa May 1945. -In Okinawa until November of 1945. (00:25:00) -The reaction to the nuclear bombing in Japan was welcome in expectation that the War would soon end. -Never expected to be sent to Japan. -People expressed surprise at the wide scale damage this new type of bomb could do. -Not close enough to areas of combat to say much about the battles going on. -They would give local children “treats”, and expressed trust. -Given notice to return home in November. -During time between end of War and November spent a lot of time reading books. -Traveled home on the USS Topeka to Washington state where he took a train to Chicago. -Discharged at Great Lakes in Illinois. -Met his brother by coincidence, and took the train home together. -Reaction to veterans, as well as himself, in Grand Rapids was welcoming and happy that the War was ended. -Overwhelmed by attention his time in the military receives. -Appreciative of those in the military that never returned. [34:00 to 47:00] [This portion features photos from his military career. Unfortunately the sound is so choppy I can’t make out anything that’s being said. Perhaps everything from 34:00 onward need not be in the document?] -Full name: Marion “Marv” Kuzawa. -Always went by Marv. -Didn’t even know of his legal first name until seeing his birth certificate upon enlistment. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_KuzawaM1880V Title A name given to the resource Kuzawa, Marion (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-11 Description An account of the resource Marv Kuzawa enlisted in the Navy in 1942 at the age of 21. For basic training he was sent to Camp Perry, Virginia. Eventually he was placed in the Seabees and sent to Kodiak Island and the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to construct infrastructure for the War. After being transferred to the 14th Construction Battalion, Marv was sent to Honolulu Hawaii to build Quonset huts where the effects from the Pearl Harbor attack were still evident. In May of 1945 Marv arrived in Okinawa Japan to construct infrastructure for the ongoing invasion, and he was present in Okinawa during the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In November 1945 he left Japan on the USS Topeka and coincidently met up with his brother as they were both discharged at Great Lakes military base in Illinois. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuzawa, Marion Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Childress, Jim (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a2d5d0181c02dc9b41fbfeb7706cde65.jpg 4c2987d760967bcd7be8676ddd361099 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/39558f614745f9c941e62d484783ef4c.jpg ecf28fbb80f30a05a956d6494309d618 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Walsh-J_0035 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource L. L. Cook Co. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1952 Title A name given to the resource Douglas - Saugatuck Art and Recreation Center map postcard Description An account of the resource Black and white postcard of the "Douglas-Saugatuck Michigan Art and Recreation Center," which features a map of the Saugatuck-Douglas area and their proximity to the Kalamazoo River and Lake Michigan. The back of the postcard has no handwriting other than the date "1952." Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Art centers Recreation centers Postcards Michigan, Lake Kalamazoo River (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by Jerri Walsh as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7e3690b4c09f7910766aa1eb6f2fee37.jpg 446504b1d6dc4010600580a607dd9776 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b105d84d7c5d9747e08202f082133ae0.jpg b191fb4421f9a9c1603b7675fb61d399 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Walsh-J_0039 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource L. L. Cook Co. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1952 Title A name given to the resource Golf Grounds, Saugatuck, Mich. postcard Description An account of the resource Black and white postcard of a landscape view featuring the writing "Golf Grounds Saugatuck, Mich." at the bottom. The golf course is seen in its natural beauty and empty of individuals. There is a small creek running through the course and there are trees framing the water. The handwriting on the back of the postcard reads: "18th 6 Room, 1952." Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Postcards Outdoor recreation Golf Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by Jerri Walsh as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b1e97aceab796b4b0bbc331a2c4f7d79.jpg 80d30e8b1afd90fe54c45498c6a9743c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7f2df955163cb8a394e9215cd7035e50.jpg e2cfbe28da715fb512cb4af70235c1d7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Walsh-J_0047 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource L. L. Cook Co. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1958 Title A name given to the resource Oval Beach, Saugatuck, Mich. postcard Description An account of the resource Postcard of Oval Beach overlooking Lake Michigan in Saugatuck, Michigan. The postcard features the entrance to Oval Beach, a small sign with the beach name on it as well as the phrase "Owned and operated by the Village of Saugatuck." A procession of three 1950's era cars are driving into the parking lot of the beach and there is the American flag in the distance as well as the view of the water. The back of the postcard bares no handwriting but the description in the upper lefthand corner reads: "The approach to Oval Beach, Saugatuck, Michigan.'" The bottom lefthand corner has a copyright date of 1958. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Postcards Beaches Outdoor recreation Michigan, Lake Automobiles Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by Jerri Walsh as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/627533b4d6afc5a60d9233fb7ad56b63.jpg 6771b04c148972ddc296c4c2a14e615e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1f5ac829e4dc59d5a30fd7b90a2d2409.jpg f505799910273c87b7f14f19a08a0aae Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Walsh-J_0049 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource L. L. Cook Co. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960 Title A name given to the resource View overlooking Oval Beach, Saugatuck, Mich. postcard Description An account of the resource Postcard of Oval Beach overlooking Lake Michigan in Saugatuck, Michigan. The front features a wide shot of the beach on Lake Michigan and the crowded parking lot. The beach is dotted with individuals and a line of cars are parked on the right side of the photograph. . The back of the postcard has no handwriting, however the top lefthand corner has the typed description of: "The ever popular public beach and parking oval. Saugatuck, Michigan." Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Postcards Beaches Outdoor recreation Sand dunes Michigan, Lake Automobiles Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by Jerri Walsh as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6e9b61bf7f2eaa0830e3ff9954790b92.jpg 157bea8de1d7f553561178e0d05782fc https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dac46bd34da2425560b0dad6c7a434c9.jpg adee140f615a74bd8adbc98f860891ca Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Walsh-J_0061 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource L. L. Cook Co. Title A name given to the resource Oval Beach, Saugatuck, Mich. postcard Description An account of the resource Black and white postcard of Oval Beach in Saugatuck, Michigan. The beach is busy and the waves are soft. The stairs on the dunes are discolored and are saturated in a rainbow of color. The handwriting on the back of the postcard reads: "Oval Beach, Saugatuck, Michigan." Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Postcards Beaches Outdoor recreation Sand dunes Michigan, Lake Stairs Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by Jerri Walsh as part of the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/82be56c12f2ff214c99e365924dbd6cf.mp4 2b54ebc2f7edf90455e33a5a90f72a78 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3b3dfd3a41d2ec800e073fd3a5ad0f2e.pdf 9c3dc36a9e0f9fb6284809dcac80dd25 PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW HELEN LaCAMERA Women in Baseball Born: September 30, 1931, Quincy, Massachusetts Resides: Edgewater, Florida Interviewed by: James Smither PhD, GVSU Veterans History Project, August 5, 2010, Detroit, MI at the All American Girls Professional Baseball League reunion. Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, February 21, 2011 Interviewer: “Helen, can you start by giving us a little background on yourself. To begin with, where and when were you born?” I was born September 30, 1931 in Quincy, Massachusetts. Interviewer: “What did your family do for a living at that time?” My father was an auto mechanic and my mother was a sty at home mom. Interviewer: “Was your father able to make enough money through the thirties that you could get by all right?” Yes, we didn’t know any better, that it was the end of the depression, so we did fine. Interviewer: “Did you live in the same place while you were growing up or did you move around?” We moved around, but all in the city of Quincy. Interviewer: “What kind of education did you have?” I just completed high school. Interviewer: “When did you start getting involved in sports?” From my eighth grade gym teacher, Mary Pratt, I had her in Junior high, as they called it then, and she was the one that got me started in playing in the park league and CYO softball and basketball and then she was instrumental in getting me a tryout to go to the league. 1:15 1 �Interviewer: “Ok, now had she already played in the league before she was a teacher or was she doing them both at the same time or how did that work?” Basically, she was doing both. One year she stopped and she came out to play, but she went back to teaching, so she’s been teaching for forty-eight years one way or another. Interviewer: “You actually got a chance then to play organized sports, to a degree, not just pick-up games out in the street and that kind of thing?” Through her, yes Interviewer: “Now, did you just kind of play with the kids in the neighborhood and things too?” Pick-up with my brother, and I would just kind of tag along with him and if they needed an extra player, I was it, whether it was tag football or baseball or whatever, so that’s how I got the interest in sports. 2:10 Interviewer: “What position did you play?” Third base and shortstop in softball, but Dotty Schroeder was the shortstop at Fort Wayne and nobody was going to replace her. Interviewer: “You had a good arm then, could you throw?” Yes Interviewer: “Were you a good hitter?” A good hitter in softball, not good in baseball Interviewer: “Tell me a little bit more about the leagues you were playing with before you got into the All Americans. The CYO, what was that?” Those were the church leagues around the city of Boston and then the park league played and then we played in the tournaments through the northeast and played against the 2 �Raybesto’s in Connecticut and went out to Pittsfield, Mass and played against the different teams in Worcester for tournaments, so you got a little more experience that way. Saw Bertha Reagan and she really caught your attention pitching. 3:21 She was a thirty nine year old grandmother at the time and you would just stick your bat out and hope that she’d hit it. Interviewer: “When you went and played some of these games in the tournament, did you get much of an audience or following?” They were fairly good, you know a couple hundred or three hundred people depending on where it was held. We had a field in Quincy that every Friday night we played and we drew a good crowd there. 3:55 Interviewer: “How much did you know about the All American league before you tried out for it?” Nothing, not a thing, and Ms. Pratt never talked about it like most don’t, unless she said, “we’re going to take you to a tryout”. Interviewer: “So that was just kind of out of the blue?” Right Interviewer: “Even though she’s coaching softball and doing all this kind of stuff, and she has this kind of professional experience, she wasn’t using that or telling you about it at that time?” No, but she taught us—if you didn’t have the basics, you learned the basics the right way, how to play the sport, truly. Interviewer: “What was the tryout process? Could you do that in Boston or did you have to go somewhere else?” 4:52 3 �The outskirts of Boston, and a scout came and there were three of us girls from our team that got to tryout. Jean Buckley was one of them. She came out and she was with Kenosha and the other girl was still in high school, so she didn’t choose to go. Mary Dailey, I believe, was in that tryout, and Marie Kelley, maybe. Interviewer: “About how many altogether were trying out do you think?” I really don’t know there—once we got through with that and they said, “you can go to South Bend”, and we went there and there were four hundred girls trying out and of the four hundred, forty of us were chosen, and then five to each team that for whatever they needed, pitchers or infielders and that’s how we were selected. Interviewer: “So, the league was doing a kind of tryout for the whole league than?” Right 5:54 Interviewer: “How did you get out to South Bend?” They provided us with a train from South Boston you know, to South Bend. Interviewer: “Did you go out by yourself?” No, I went with Jean Buckley and probably Mary Dailey, I can’t remember at the time, but there were probably six of us from that area you know. Interviewer: “But just people who were trying out, you didn’t have other people along?” No Interviewer: “Had you ever taken a long train trip?” No Interviewer: “So, what was that like?” 4 �An experience, I said, “I thought if you went fifty miles from home that was a big trip, and if you ever got to go to New York City, well, you thought you were on the other side of the earth”, but they met us at the train station and they treated us really well. Interviewer: “What was the tryout process once you got to South Bend?” Well, I think it was April, and it was cold, so the put the four hundred of us in an armory and you just threw the ball back and forth and they eliminated two hundred people the first day, and then they divided it by infielders, outfielders, so you did your fielding for the infield and throwing for outfielders and that’s how they got to sort of eliminate everybody you know. 7:19 Interviewer: “Did they also have you hit?” I don’t remember ever hitting. I don’t know if outfielders did, but infielders didn’t. After that we got on a bus and went to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and we were from five thirty in the morning until twelve thirty at night on the bus. Interviewer: “What year was this that you were ding this?” 1950 Interviewer: “They had their spring training in different places in different years, so we kind of put that in sequence. What kind of facility did they have there?” A rainy one, and it rained for three days and it was like mud, but they had a hotel and there were probably two or three to a room and they provided breakfast and dinner everyday for you, so basically you had two a day when you were practicing. 8:18 Interviewer: “About how long did that time down there last?” 5 �I’d say three weeks and the Racine Belles were with us, so then we started barnstorming coming up—Indianapolis, playing games while we came north until we got to our home city. Interviewer: “As you were going along and doing the barnstorming games, was that getting much response from the locals? Did people come out to see you?” Yes, but it was cold and I give them credit. It was freezing and I got a sore arm out of that one, but other than that, the people, they were welcoming to us all the time. 9:09 Interviewer: “Your destination was?” Fort Wayne, Indiana Interviewer: “So, you’re with the fort Wayne Daisies. Who were the stars on that team?” I would say, Dottie Schroeder, I mean, that was the main one, Dottie Collins was a pitcher, Maxine Kline was another great pitcher, and Vivian Kellogg was a first baseman, Evie Wawryshyn, second base and they gave me third. Interviewer: “How many rookies were on the team? Did they have five?” I think the five Interviewer: “Do you remember your first game?” 10:00 I do, it was Memorial Day weekend and they called you up and lined you up on the third base line and they said my name and I said, “I made it, I belong”, and it was one of the nicest things that has happened. Interviewer: “Do you remember how you did in that game?” I probably walked, and stole a base. I don’t think I got a hit. 6 �Interviewer: “What made it harder to hit since this kind of evolved from the kind of softball you were playing?” I wasn’t used to curve balls and sliders and all of that you know, so I mean, I was fairly good in softball but, “A good field, no hit” that’s me. Interviewer: “At this stage, were they pitching overhand yet?” Overhand 10:59 Interviewer: “Overhand, all right, and the softball you had done, was that underhand fast pitch?” Yes Interviewer: “You have to get used to the delivery and then they mix up the pitches.” Right Interviewer: “That’s not really fair.” I’m looking for a lot of walks. Interviewer: “How did your team do that year?” We went to, they called them the finals, against the Rockford Peaches, and we went to seven games and we lost in the seventh game. Interviewer: “Over the course of that season, are there particular games or things that happened in individual games that kind of stand out in your mind and come back to you a lot?” No, it was just the whole experience of—even when I had to sit down when Betty Foss came, it was just exciting to be there and see, which I thought, was the best brand of ball going at the time. I had never seen so many good players all in one place. 12:00 7 �Interviewer: “You said you had to sit down when Betty Foss came, can you explain that?” Well, she came from Cape Girardeau, Missouri and she was five nine or five ten, she batted left and I think that probably her batting average was like four twenty five, so I said if mine was one thirty one, I could see why I sat down, but when someone got hurt, like Evie Wawryshyn, I would go in and play second base and in the late innings I would play defense for Betty Foss. She was an adequate fielder, but she was a better hitter than fielder. Interviewer: “Now, do you think that the fundamentals that you learned back home in Quincy helped you there?” Oh, definitely yes, I learned the basics and I learned to think—if the ball came at me, what would I do? Wait for the ball to come and then say, “What am I going to do?” And that was from my coach, she did a wonderful job. 13:04 Interviewer: “That paid off for you. Now, in 1950, where was the league in terms of all of its rules and regulations and stuff that the players had to abide by?” Still you had to wear skirts and you weren’t allowed to smoke in public or anything like that, and to behave like a lady because you represented the league. Interviewer: “When you got to South Bend did they give you etiquette training that year?” No, I think that was more in 1943, 44 and 45 when they learned from Helena Rubenstein, but it was still in effect, that you behaved. Interviewer: “And then you had a chaperone for your team? Who was your chaperone that year?” 13:57 8 �Doris Tetzlaff Interviewer: “Tell me a little bit about her.” She did everything from doing your uniforms to make sure they were the right fit and telling you not to fraternize, but everybody did, but she just did everything. If you had a strawberry she fixed it and she was a “jack of all trades”, and an assistant to the manager. Interviewer: “What could you actually do for a strawberry at that point?” She put something on it and you just suffered through it until it healed. You learned how to slide better, and we use to go to the lake and practice in the sand, learning how to slide so it wouldn’t hurt. Interviewer: “Where did you live while you were playing there? Did you stay in someone’s home?” 14:52 Yes, there were two girls to a home as a rule and you paid them five dollars a week to live there and then when you went on the road you stayed in a hotel and they gave you three dollars a day meal money, and as I say, we traveled by bus at night to get there after a game and I couldn’t say enough about it, it was just wonderful. Interviewer: “What were they paying you at that point?” I was paid fifty-five dollars a week as a rookie. I said that if I went back to work—I wasn’t making that when I went out to work, so I would have played for nothing, they didn’t know it, but I think most of the girls would have. They just loved playing and being there. Interviewer: “What was fan support like in Fort Wayne?” Great, I was “Boston Blackie” at the time, “Park your car in the Harvard Yard”, they’d call from the stands you know, so we had good rapport with the fans. 15:57 9 �Interviewer: “Did you have a sense as to how many people would come to a game on a good day?” I would say anywhere from nine hundred to maybe on a good day fifteen hundred, I don’t know, and maybe in the earlier years they drew more, but like I say, in 1950 I thought that was great because I had never played before that many people at all, so I thought they were a good crowd. Interviewer: “Of the other towns that you played in, were there any that you particularly liked to go to or didn’t like to go to or were they pretty much all the same?” No, they were pretty much—I enjoyed every town for reasons, but they were all good and the fans were great to you, so I didn’t really have a favorite, just that you were seeing some other part of the country, which was nice. 16:57 Interviewer: “Now, the people in Fort Wayne, did they use the players at events or for promotions or other thing? Did you get involved in the community in any way?” Not really, the president was Van Ohman who owned the hotel there, so you didn’t really have any, till the last when we were leaving he gave us a banquet at the end, but we didn’t do any special events that I remember. Interviewer: “How long then did you actually play in the league?” Just that one-year Interviewer: “Why did you stop playing after one year?” I went home and my parents sold the home and I went to Florida. I didn’t want to stay there, so I went home to my girlfriend’s and her parents. 18:00 I went for a weekend and I stayed with them five years until I got married. Why I didn’t go back is, I had met 10 �my future husband. I got the contract to back, but I said it was a tradeoff really, so I had two wonderful children and two grandchildren, so I had the best of both worlds, I think. Interviewer: “So, you weren’t really looking to make playing ball a career for yourself?” Well, I didn’t know, I didn’t think so because until you got to South Bend you didn’t know if you were good enough to play, so I was, more or less, taking it one day at a time, one year at a time and I would have loved to have gone back, but somebody got in the way. 18:53 Interviewer: “Did you try to follow the league after that or did that now work if you were on the east coast?” After I got through playing there, I went back to Mary Pratt and played softball again. Even when I got married I was still playing and until I had my first child and I said, “I guess that’s it”. Interviewer: “So you are able to continue on some level and just because you leave the league it doesn’t stop all that?” Oh no, I said, “It’s the love of the game, whether it’s baseball or softball”. It just draws you back to it one way or another. Interviewer: “Did you have a professional career of some kind after that? Did you go to work again or did you just raise your family?” No, I worked in an office until after I got married and I was expecting my first child and at that time, when you were expecting, you stayed home and took care of your children. 19:56 I didn’t go back to work until—my husband was a barber and the barber business went downhill in the seventies, so I went back to work, but I love to drive always, so I 11 �said, “well, if I go to an office again, It’ll just put the clothes on my back”, so I became a school bus driver. I had my summers off and when my kids were off, I was off at the same time, so it was good. Interviewer: “At the time you were playing, did you have any sense that you were doing something significant or pioneering or anything like that?” Had no idea and you went home and like most, you didn’t talk about it until the movie came out. I said, “my goodness, that was something wonderful”, I thought, that you got acknowledged and even my son said, and blames my daughter, “You haven’t been to Cooperstown?” 21:00 He’d get so mad at her and he said, “Your mother’s in Cooperstown and you haven’t even gone to see it”. I can’t get over the enthusiasm of the people you know, they come and we sign autographs and they wait so patiently in line and they say, “thank you and excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you”. They don’t want to interrupt what you’re doing and I said, “It’s just wonderful and I say thank you to them, because if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have been where we are now”, I believe that. Interviewer: “As things changed for women in sports, the Title IX developments in the seventies and eighties and so forth, were you following that or paying much attention to it?” Yeah, I was, we, Mary Pratt and I, say we were born too soon, but I said I think it’s wonderful that girls now can get a scholarship to play softball or golf or to swim, I said it was a long time in coming. 22:05 I don’t know if there’s still parody, but it’s getting there and it’s ten thousand times better than when we started. 12 �Interviewer: “I think that has something to do with why people appreciate what is was that you did. I mean you did not have all these structures in place to help you and people didn’t think that women actually went into playing baseball at all. Now, for you personally, what do you think the overall effect of that experience was on you, getting to play professional ball for a year?” 22:38 I just think it made me a better person, really. You learned to live with everybody, I don’t mean that it’s hard to live with anybody, but I said, to have Cubans like Lefty Alvarez, and different cultures and you get along and you were a team, you weren’t just individual. When they said they would go into Cooperstown as a team rather than individual players, I think that’s the way, because the song says it all you know, “All for one and One for All”, and if you didn’t have that I don’t think you would have the uniqueness of the league truly. 23:22 Interviewer: “It’s really a remarkable experience and I would like to thank you for coming in and sharing some of that with us today.” Thank you 13 �14 � 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_HLaCamera Title A name given to the resource LaCamera, Helen (Interview transcript and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource LaCamera, Helen Description An account of the resource Helen La Camera was born in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1931. She grew up playing sports with neighborhood kids, and started playing organized softball in eighth grade. Her coach, Mary Pratt, had played in the AAGPBL, and arranged for her to try out in 1950. She was invited to spring training following the tryouts, and became the third baseman for the Fort Wayne Daisies. She played for one season, and then returned home, got married, and continued to play softball for several years. 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--Personal narratives, American Baseball players--Indiana 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/3fdad37eddfb193f619a99d0df7f5b0d.pdf eb05934341e57ffd814e1043a923b456 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 Opera [folium 44] Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-03_044Lactantius1478 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lactantius, ca. 240-ca. 320 Description An account of the resource One leaf from Opera by Lucius Coelius Firmianus Lactantius. Printed in Venice by Johannes de Colonia and Johannes Manthen on August 27, 1478. Illustrated with red rubricated initials. [GW M16555; ISTC il00009000] Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Venice: Johannes de Colonia and Johannes Manthen Subject The topic of the resource Incunabula Printing 1450-1500 Lactantius, ca. 240-ca. 320 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 1478 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Type The nature or genre of the resource Text https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ac217648f8ba422f8bd66b90c61de1ac.mp4 c31fa176b9c797f0b5b24f872dc36224 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bbfe419941af76750b0007d4eb475d15.pdf ff4357c1db86bbb32ea387a884158590 PDF Text Text William James College Interviews GV016-16 Interviewer: Barbara Roos Interviewee: Ingrun (Inge) Lafleur Date: 1984 [Lafleur] A few weeks ago, Adrian Tinsley asked me to be a consultant for their general education program at Glassboro, where she is now provost. And during my day's activities we both noticed that a lot of my rhetoric and a lot of my behavior and actions were really reminiscent of and greatly influenced by my days at William James College, where I was a faculty member from nineteen seventy-two to nineteen eighty. And in nineteen eighty I became Dean of General Studies at Stockton State College in New Jersey. And now I'm Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, which is a beautiful, magnificent campus in the Champlain Valley, near the Adirondack Mountains and the Green Mountains of Vermont with Montreal nearby. And it has a really exciting faculty and student body. And many of the things that I do here are directly related to my work at William James. I remember a lot about William James, and I remember some of the things that I do not use anymore, but I also remember the things that I have carried with me since those days and have become a part of me. I think our days at William James were very intense. Everything seemed to be important, everything mattered, everything was related to everything else. And it was very important to be trying out new things, to have alternative perspectives, to be socially conscious. There was a sense of the importance of community, of doing things together, of relating one's work, and someone's life, and one's personal life, to one's work life and public life as well. Some of these things, I guess, I have since discarded. For example, I no longer think that everything matters. I tend to prioritize in order to concentrate and conserve my resources. And that may be a function of being older. I have also come to the conclusion that everybody does not have to be in on deciding everything, but it's important for everyone to know and to help decide who decides what. And I think I've got a more critical view of both the counterculture days of the nineteen sixties and seventies, and also a more critical view of socialism, although it is still one of the foundations of my beliefs and behavior. I also wish that Grand Valley hadn't felt ambivalent about William James College. I think that if Grand Valley had put William James on center stage that it, too – like Evergreen State College or like Brown – would continue to be thriving because some of the things that we did at William James are continuing at institutions throughout the country. I do not think that it was necessary to close it down or fold it into Grand Valley as a whole. I'd like to talk a little bit about some of the things that I still use that remain with me from William James College. And I'd like to focus on three things. First of all, I remember very well the phraseology that �was repeated by people like Robert Mayberry and Stephen Rowe, and I don't know where they got it, but the phrase that has really shaped a lot of my activities is the one that went: "The liberal arts are practical and professional studies can and should be pursued in a liberally educative manner.” Now, very often, at William James, I think we did not focus in as much detail on technical knowledge or assess our own performance. But I think we fostered an entrepreneurial spirit and a creative spirit that really made it possible for students to do things when they left us. The phrase, "The liberal arts are practical and professional studies can be pursued in a liberally educative way," has been very useful to me at other places where I have taught to show the faculty that they can work together in the liberal arts, and in the professional and technical education, and that indeed public higher education has a civic and a social mission. That the liberal arts are not an ivory tower, that ideas have consequences. I remember team teaching with Kenny Zapp and going through the ideas and the books in our courses and Kenny always asking the students and Kenny and I asking each other, "So what? Why are we studying this? What is the meaning of this? What are the implications of this?" So, in other words, the liberal arts are practical. They have an impression on us. And similarly, in looking at career education, we didn't look upon it as simply technical training, but as preparing students for a variety of careers and for an entire lifestyle. I think we wanted to provide ourselves and our students with a real sense of context, of moral, ethical, and social context for professional studies. So, I think this sense of relating the technical and career areas to the liberal arts was extremely important and I think that we, as faculty members, learned from each other. I learned about the design from Roz Muskovitz and she and I discussed the sociological and ethical implications of different kinds of designs. I learned about chemistry from various people who taught that as well. So, in addition though to the relationship between the career and liberal arts, what has remained with me and has shaped my working life and my personal life is the feminism which developed at Grand Valley and at William James College. I think feminism pervaded the entire ethos of the college and our personal lives as well. In part, it was because of the times that we lived in the nineteen seventies, but also in part it was because of the faculty and staff that we hired. We hired… the people who founded William James hired a woman dean. And back in nineteen seventy-two that was much more unusual than it is today. And that gave a sense of strong leadership by a woman. We also hired a large proportion of our faculty who were women and who are very strong and diverse women. They were… not all necessarily call themselves feminists, but they were present on the campus. And this sense really pervaded not just the women faculty members, but I think the male faculty members, as well, the secretaries, and the students. I think that this sense of feminism influenced our curriculum, our student body, our sensibility, our values, and our behavior. And that feminism really seem to be in harmony with a lot of the other things we were trying to do at William James, and the kinds of values we were trying to propound have been values that were… are not genetic certainly, but values that have been �associated with women and feminism. And these values include a sense of cooperation rather than competition. That is, we didn't have grades, we didn't have rank for faculty, we didn't have tenure. A sense of emphasis on conservation rather than exploitation. Conservation has been considered a feminine or feminist value. And there was a great deal of emphasis on environmental studies, for example. And thirdly, a sense of participation and nurturance, rather than hierarchy or bureaucracy in informing our academic community. And these were values of the college as a whole, but I think they came in part out of the feminist movement of the nineteen seventies. We were also influenced – that is, the feminism at William James – was also influenced by people at Thomas Jefferson College. Although from our point of view – or from my point of view – they tended to be more, what I called "cultural feminists." They tended to be more flamboyant and focus on the cultural rather than the social and political aspects. They had their Purple House, their temple in Grand Rapids, they talked about the Goddess, they talked about mythology. However, we all were influenced by each other and worked together to develop a Women's Studies program. And wherever I have been since then, I have been associated with women's studies programs. And I believe that some of the best things that have happened – in scholarship in the last fifteen years and in education – are things that have been related to the methods and processes of women's studies and the women's movement. Finally, I think what I carry with me from William James is really a wealth, a cornucopia of ideas, a power generator of ideas about teaching and learning. A sense that we teach and learn from each other, and that we teach students, and not just history, or chemistry, or subject matter. A sense that we learn at the point of inquiry, that a course evolves because of the student in it, because of the subject matter that happens to arise. A sense that the curriculum evolves because of the way that people work together. I still have with me this little pamphlet from the William James Synoptic Program which lists the series of questions that we ask students to respond to. And even now, when I'm trying to refine and develop the general education program at Plattsburg, I want both students and faculty to focus on common questions. There are certain things that seemed like daily bread and water to us at William James that are considered new ideas in higher education today. And practices… some of the very best things that we did at William James are still the best things that are being put into practice in education today. It seems as if it were in response to national reports on higher education, but we did back at William James. We were the ones who insisted on active learning, as William James said, "No impression without expression" – that you are not really learning unless you produce a product. At Plattsburg, we are having… we are pursuing an emphasis on active learning, on getting students and faculty to work in groups and pursue projects. We are still continuing writing across the curriculum emphasizing the use of writing in the middle of a particular class. We still emphasize advising as a form of teaching. And the Living and Learning course we had at William James and the milestones or ideas that some of the very best colleges are pursuing and �trying to advise freshman and having special freshman seminars for them. Interdisciplinary and team teaching are still at the cutting edge of higher education. And finally, I would say what has remained with me is a sense, still, of the interrelatedness of things. That everything is really learning and teaching. The administrative work that I do is related to admissions, is related to teaching, is related to the curriculum. The work that we do inside the classroom is related to what happens in the dormitories, and concerts, and plays, and the co-ops, and internships that students do. I think that William James College was really a quintessentially American college. Part of one of the finest traditions of America. And that is the tradition of pragmatism, of practical activity, and working together with others. And William James also have an entrepreneurial spirit and encourage people to be creative and to produce. We made a lot of mistakes, and we were a little flaky, and we have changed a lot, but I think that all of us – the students who went there (many of whom I'm still in touch with) and the faculty – retain a sense of entrepreneurial spirit, a sense of creativity, an obligation to work together in a community to create and make knowledge meaningful, and also a commitment – a public commitment – to civic and social betterment. I think these things still remain and I think they could have remained at William James College had it been allowed to continue. And that's it for today folks! That's all I’ve got to say. [Videotape recording ends and begins again] [Lafleur] One of the things that was most important was all of us doing things together as a community. Having common readings, usually related to a guest speaker, such as Tilly Olson or Kenneth Bolding, or reading the works of Piaget and William James together. This idea of a college theme and common readings is something that other colleges are now trying as well. And that helped to create a sense of community. I also remember the trips – the opportunities – that I got at William James to take groups of students to Yugoslavia and have a integrated experience of travel abroad. And I remember, as well, the last days of some of the classes that I had when students would bring in their projects in a history class or a media class. And then you would look at these projects, and then several weeks later, or even a year later, you would see students in various careers. You would see, for example, Mary Cramer, with her byline in the Grand Rapids Press and now being an editor of the Ann Arbor News. I think, therefore, that while the college no longer exists physically, in the lives of those of us who are faculty and students who were there, that our thinking and our behavior was very much shaped by it. And I think that the things that are happening in higher education today and that will recur again when there are future reports on higher education, that the things that we experimented with will continue to be ideas that will help to make education worthwhile and meaningful. Because we always answered that question: "So what?" and we tried to make it integral to our very own lives and our work. Okay, that's it for now, can't think of any more to say. � 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 William James College Interviews Description An account of the resource Videotaped interviews of William James College faculty, students and administrators by Barbara Roos. William James College opened in 1971 as the third baccalaureate degree granting college for Grand Valley. It was originally designed to be an interdisciplinary, non-departmentalized college consisting of concentration programs, rather than majors. Curriculum was organized around three concentrations that were meant to be interdisciplinary career preparation offerings: Social Relations, Administration and Information Management, and Environmental Studies. The college was discontinued in 1983 during a reorganization of Grand Valley. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1984 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/69">William James College faculty and student interviews (GV016-16)</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 Grand Valley State University Michigan Universities and colleges Oral histories Alternative education Interdisciplinary approach in education 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 Roos, Barbara (Interviewer) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV016-16 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 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 GV016-16_GVSU_49_Lafleur Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lafleur, Inge Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1984 Title A name given to the resource Inge Lafleur interview (video and transcript) Description An account of the resource Interview with Ingrun "Inge" Lafleur by Barbara Roos, documenting the history of Grand Valley State's William James College. William James College was the third baccalaureate degree granting college for Grand Valley. It was originally designed to be an interdisciplinary, non-departmentalized college consisting of concentration programs, rather than majors. The college opened in 1971 and was discontinued in 1983 during a reorganization of Grand Valley State. Inge Lafleur was a faculty member of William James College and in this interview she discusses the importance of the college in her life experience, how the feminist ethos of the college shaped her personal and professional life, and the wealth of ideas about teaching and learning that she carries with her as a result of being a part of the William James community. This interview is part 1 of 1 for Inge Lafleur. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Roos, Barbara (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Michigan Universities and colleges Oral histories Feminism Alternative education Women in higher education Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/69">William James College faculty and student interviews (GV016-16)</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> 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 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/3c7a7fef0990cfd1c5db613f71450702.m4v a50672d94f67c8141d500e0f7c6a138a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dea4d668ffbda4e195ec55007b66d3ee.pdf 9acc900e0167f5c5d5e626bd876d4755 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project James Laidlaw Cold War 14 minutes 59 seconds (00:00:22) Early Life -Born in Detroit, Michigan on December 13, 1938 -Oldest of three boys in his family -One brother died in an accident when he was only ten years old -Grew up in Detroit and graduated from high school in that city (00:01:02) Getting Drafted & Training -Volunteered for the draft after high school -Note: Could present yourself to draft board rather than enlist or wait for draft notice -Received eight weeks of basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri -Went to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas for advanced training -Learned how to be a truck mechanic -Lasted eight weeks (00:01:47) Stationed at Fort Sill -Assigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma -Supposed to work as a truck mechanic for artillery battalion -Reassigned to be a jeep driver for a lieutenant -Stayed at Fort Sill until the battalion went to Italy in September 1957 (00:02:21) Adjusting to the Army -Had an easy time adjusting to the Army -Good education -For example, he learned to never flick a cigarette without “field stripping” it -Note: Field stripping-Tear off paper and tobacco and throw away the filter (00:03:15) Deployment to Italy -Destination was Vicenza, Italy in northern Italy near the Austrian border -Sailed to Italy on a troopship -Wasn't bad crossing the Atlantic Ocean and he didn't get seasick -Bunks were four high -Tight quarters -Stopped in Casablanca before sailing across the Mediterranean Sea -While sailing across the Mediterranean Sea to Leghorn (Livorno), Italy to they ran into rough seas -Rough seas and the wine consumed in Casablanca led to seasickness -Combated it with Pepsi and soda crackers -Everybody did kitchen patrol (KP) duty on the voyage to Italy (00:05:20) Friends in the Army -Formed friends during training -Four or five men that he trained with got assigned to his artillery battalion -One man worked as a cook -One man was an atomic weapons specialist -Artillery battalion most likely had atomic cannons or Davy Crockett recoilless guns (00:06:07) Contact with Home -Kept contact with his family via letters -Occasionally got the chance to call home �-Always looked forward to mail call (00:06:22) Stationed in Vicenza, Italy -In Italy they were guests of the Italian government -Protecting Austria and Italy from Soviet encroachment in those countries -Continued his jeep driving duty in Italy -Did physical training in the morning -Drove officers to areas used for war games -Trying to recon the area and see if it would be suitable -Battalion went into the Italian Alps for its war games -During those exercises he stayed in the field with the rest of the unit -Lived in tents and ate rations -USO was good to soldiers stationed outside of the United States -Bused soldiers to resorts in the Alps to go skiing -When he took ski lessons he broke his ankle on the beginner's hill -Could go skiing in the Italian Alsp during the war games -Through the USO he got to visit Venice and other places in Western Europe -USO helped pay for the travel expenses -Got a little too close to Yugoslavia a few times -Nothing came of it though -Unit was put on alert to be airlifted to Cambodia, but that never happened (00�:10:45) End of Service & Coming Home -Came home on emergency leave because his father died -Reported to Chicago after 30 days of leave and was discharged -Emergency leave happened near Christmas -Sent to from Italy to Paris to get a flight home -Had priority seating on the next plane back to the United States -Army acted quickly to get men in that situation back home as quickly as possible (00�:11:55) Life after Service -Easy transition back to civilian life -Went to a trade school -Got a job through a couple of his uncles (00�:12:36) Reflections on Service -Learned more responsibility -Learned how to take orders -Learned that there were consequences for his actions and he was responsible for the consequences -Glad that veterans are honored now -Feels that younger veterans deserve more respect for their service -Volunteered to go rather than get pressed into service -Army provides good training and good experience in peacetime -Glad he served and has no regrets about serving � 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 LaidlawJ1841V Title A name given to the resource Laidlaw, James Dennis (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource James Laidlaw was born in Detroit on December 13, 1938. After turning 18 he volunteered for the draft and was inducted into the Army. He received basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and truck mechanic training at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. He was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma with an artillery battalion and served as a lieutenant's driver. In September 1957 the unit sailed to Italy and was stationed in the area around Vicenza near the Austrian and Yugoslavian borders. During his time in Italy the unit conducted war games and maintained a presence in northern Italy to keep the Soviet Union from any attempts to move into Austria or Italy. Upon the death of his father he received an emergency leave home, and after 30 days was discharged from the Army in Chicago. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Laidlaw, James Dennis Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kazmierski, Austin (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Other veterans & civilians--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 2015-05-28 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/4ae3abcbb67ff4c52a3828fd9f8bdbbd.mp4 8d6e2ffe1e48cec71af3039d49fc9be7 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/80bf6895566f78208752ecec8a8d95a0.pdf 17a39576f6b57aef31539e454c063103 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project Vietnam War Danny Lake Interview Total Time: (38:56) Sergeant Danny Lake  (00:25) Mr. Lake was in the Army o Father was in the Korean War  (00:35) Enlisted because in the lottery system, he was number three  (00:45) Was 19 years old at the time, says he wasn’t worried at the time because he was athletic, young, felt invincible  (1:00) As a child, Mr. Lake says that he always felt he would be in a war one day To Vietnam  (1:25) Remembers flying into Da Nang o Caskets with flags over them o Realized that he and his group were replacements of those that had died  (2:10) Recalls a Cajun man that he befriended o “He was the strongest guy I ever met” Deployments  (2:54) Remembers a tail rotor of the helicopter being chopped off to stabilize it o “Like riding a tilt-a-whirl” o Broke his collarbone when he jumped out of the plane but had to keep moving o Ended up being picked up by another helicopter  (4:07) Remembers seeing his name posted under “Missing In Action”  (4:40) Says that when you are hungry and lost in the jungle, eating bugs, etc. is not a big deal o This is how he survived  (4:57) Shot down in a helicopter three times  (5:07) The pilot was shot in once instance o As they were flying, Mr. Lake was sitting in the back o Someone asked what road it was o Mr. Lake put his gun up to the pilot’s head and told him to get off the road – dangerous because the enemy could spot them o They started taking fire after this – no armor in the helicopter �      o Pilot was hit in the head  The guys in the back thought Mr. Lake shot him at first o Mr. Lake broke the glass of the helicopter so he could see the instruments (6:34) Flying over the jungle is fast and low (6:57) Remembers going into a village o VC was there before and most people in the village were dead o They had to burn what huts were left and pile the dead bodies on top o Remembers a dead woman sitting up in the fire (8:25) Saved a lot of money by the time he was done with the service o Bought a really nice car when he got back o Drove it very fast at night when he couldn’t sleep because of the memories from his time in Vietnam (9:38) Towards the end of Mr. Lake’s second tour, another group was supposed to be taken over o “The South Vietnamese didn’t care” (10:40) One night when he was asleep, he heard the sentry scream and cutting the wires o “I went berserk!” o Thought he may have been fighting on the wrong side o Crawled out, and saw that a NVA guy shot at him o Led to a firefight o Mr. Lake was behind enemy lines (12:25) One reason he reenlisted was “Who will do this job?” o Was 22 years old when he reenlisted o Remembers the age difference – 22 is much different from 18 President Ford  (14:05) Remembers on Veteran’s Day Mr. Lake got a letter o Was invited to meet the president o President said, “Are you coming to the golf outing?” o Ended up going to the golf counting o Had a good impression of Gerry Ford Cambodia  (16:20) Was afraid of being court martialed  (16:30) When they flew into Cambodia, they found a big stockpile of weapons o Sent helicopters back o Hid in the brush to kill the guys that were coming to get the weapons o They found weapons but didn’t take them �  o Shot guys before they could get the weapons (17:28) Mr. Lake got “chewed out”, but not court martialed like he feared (17:43) He was in trouble because he and his unit were supposed to take the weapons and come back in the helicopters Not Invincible Anymore  (18:07) The first day in the bush was very scary o Took a lot of fire o Remember seeing a guy getting blown up, tried to save/help him; the guy was running on his leg stumps o Was told to run away, it was very hard to do so Purple Hearts  (19:39) Mr. Lake received three of them  (20:08) Recalls getting shot o Didn’t realize it at first, felt a small burn but it wasn’t horribly painful o Also got a small wound on his hand from diving on the ground with his weapon  (20:40) Mr. Lake didn’t think it was fair that he received the same award as a guy who lost his leg  (20:51) Got shot in the leg o This was during patrol  (22:14) Mr. Lake said he and his team took pride in extractions o Picked up guys that had been shot down o Remembers picking up some famous guys  (24:00) Mr. Lake was also a door gunner in the helicopter o This was something he enjoyed First Platoon  (26:00) Remembers a young man asking if he could go to Hawaii o Had a bad feeling about the upcoming mission o The man was killed  (26:30) o Remembers a “short timer” trying to be his friend o But it wasn’t a good idea because they weren’t there too long  (27:21) Latrine duty wasn’t something everyone liked to do  (27:43) Mr. Lake said that out of four of his cousins that went o Vietnam, two lived o A third came back as well, but was very damaged when he came back and didn’t live long �    (28:44) Mr. Lake said that he never judged whether or not the war was wasted (28:50) One of his cousins sorted mail in Da Nang o This is the one that survived (30:48) Mr. Lake noticed some men using drugs in Vietnam o Tried not to judge because some guys needed to do that to get through the day (31:13) Left Vietnam in spring of 1973 Mission Impossible: The Way Home  (32:08) Remembers that his grandmother wrote letters o Receiving letters had a very positive effect  (32:50) Remembers getting to Travis Air Force Base and stuffing his uniform in a wastebasket in the men’s room o Didn’t want people to know because of all of the protesting  (33:10) It was hard to readjust to civilian life  (33:24) Everything seemed different after being gone a few years  (34:40) Remembers being at a gathering for veterans o Lots of WWII guys there Life is Tough  (35:35) Waiting for a kidney transplant at the time of the video Caledonia  (36:40) Went here for high school o Was a football player and a wrestler  (36:55) Moved in that area around 6th grade  (37:52) Remembers moving around a lot as a kid � 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 LakeD0484V Title A name given to the resource Lake, Danny (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lake, Danny Description An account of the resource Danny Lake is from Caledonia, Michigan. He served as a U.S. Army sergeant in the Vietnam War. Many of his missions were on helicopters, and he was a door gunner. After finishing his first tour in Vietnam, Mr. Lake reenlisted. He also had a mission in Cambodia. Mr. Lake was awarded three Purple Hearts. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McClain, Madison (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 Vietnam War, 1961-1975--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 2009-05-31 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/11fe2e61f6e8bcd3822fbf44431dd1d9.m4v 7df1cb0de0e30b3afe2964a574867b07 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2bf4b607f64982516e8124fc01667fd3.pdf 71583053503407aee2afe9b4e4b10194 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Bernard Lakowicz World War II 1 hour 5 minutes 5 seconds (00:00:27) Start of World War II & Getting Drafted -Young when Pearl Harbor was attacked -Remembers playing pool with his friends when he heard the news -He was eighteen, or nineteen, when the attack happened -He and other young men decided that they needed to serve their country -There was a freeze on enlistment immediately after the attack -Got drafted in February 1943 -Sent to Kalamazoo, Michigan for processing -Most likely Fort Custer -Sad about the attack on Pearl Harbor, but didn't know what it was -Happy to go fight, initially, but then hesitant after hearing about the fighting -Took his Army physical in Kalamazoo (00:02:54) Basic Training -Took a train to Camp Grant, Illinois -Stayed there for two days -From Camp Grant went to Fort Lewis, Washington for basic training -Joined the 44th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis -Stationed at Fort Lewis for nine months (00:03:31) Joining the Army Air Force -In November 1943 he volunteered for the Army Air Force -Sent to Sheppard Field, Texas -Took exams to see if you'd be good as a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, or bombardier -Stayed there for a few weeks -Sent to Kansas State College in Manhattan, Kansas -Taking courses pertaining to be an airman -Received four months of pre-flight training (00:04:36) Infantry Training -Removed from the Army Air Force and placed back in the infantry just before D-Day -Sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri -Received some more training at Fort Leonard Wood -Placed in a division with men from the Army Air Force and Army Specialized Training Program -Some of the smartest men in the Army -Men were disgusted about being placed in the infantry and made it known -Called to formation and addressed by a man named Sergeant Duck -One man said, "Quack, quack" as a joke -The sergeant looked irritated, but didn't react to it -The infantrymen initially looked down on the former airmen and former ASTP men -That is until he and the other airmen proved that they could be infantrymen �-Received four months of training at Fort Leonard Wood -Note: He was assigned to K Company, 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division (00:07:11) Amphibious Training -Sent to Camp San Luis Obispo, California for amphibious training -Their first phase of amphibious training was in rubber rafts -Sent to Camp Callan, California for additional amphibious training -Learned how to launch invasions from regular ships with LCIs (Landing Craft, Infantry) -Didn't like going from the relative safety of being in an aircraft to being an infantryman -Realized after the war that airmen were in equal danger -Additionally, only 78 men were killed in division, and 400 were wounded -This was out of 15,000 men -Note: The 97th sustained 178 Killed in Action; 669 wounded in action (00:09:46) Deployment to the European Theatre -From Camp Callan he was sent to Camp Cooke, California -Preparing to deploy to the Pacific Theatre of Operations -Got issued winter uniforms and new orders for the European Theatre of Operations -Sent to Fort Dix, New Jersey around New Year's Eve 1944 -Boarded troopships bound for Europe -Took ten days to cross the Atlantic Ocean -Placed in a camp for two weeks then moved to the frontlines -Note: Most likely at Camp Lucky Strike in France -Arrived at Le Havre, France -Note: 97th arrived on March 2, 1945 (00:11:22) Advancing into Germany -Crossed the Rhine River at Bonn, Germany -This would have been on April 3, 1945 -Their objective was to close the Ruhr Pocket in the Ruhr Valley -Neutralized the remaining Germans in the area -After the fighting in the Ruhr Pocket they advanced on Czechoslovakia -They were on the frontlines, shooting and being shot at by German troops -One day they were surrounded and ordered to dig in -He was called up to be a message runner -Left his foxhole and gave it to another soldier -He was only 25 feet away and a shell hit the foxhole killing the other man -Initially counted himself lucky, then the survivor guilt set in -The day after the foxhole incident they encountered German anti-aircraft batteries -The batteries were being used as anti-personnel positions -A tracer missed him by only six inches -So close that he felt the heat from the round -Two days later they started to move on Dusseldorf, Germany -This would have been in late April 1945 -Encountered huge factories and found mass quantities of hidden gold -There were huge wooden pallets of gold in the basement of factories -Most likely worth millions of dollars -Also found stolen art �-Had no idea what the Nazis were planning to do with the gold and art -Took German prisoners of war in Dusseldorf -Germans knew that they had lost the war -There were hordes of prisoners and they didn't know what to do with them -Passed them onto another unit that could handle the Germans -He personally took German soldiers into custody NOTE: From 00:17:40 - 00:18:15 the tape skips (00:18:16) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -One of the men from his unit wrote about his experiences -Mentioned the soldier killed in Bernard's foxhole -Forty years after the fact and it still caused him to lose sleep thinking about that event -Thought about how it could have been him (00:19:03) End of the War in Europe -On April 12, 1945 President Roosevelt died -They were in a little town that they had just taken over -Soldiers had fled so quickly that they left their dinner on the table -Everyone was shocked about the President's death, no one knew that he had been sick -Always remembers April 12 as the anniversary of President Roosevelt's death -Moved on to Solingen on April 17, 1945 -Near the end of the war they started taking a lot of prisoners of war -Moved into Czechoslovakia near the end of the war -This would have been on April 25, 1945 -Took more German prisoners -Had so many that they didn't know what to do with them -Found a brewery and got a keg of beer after a soldier threatened to shoot the brewery owner -Didn't personally see a concentration camp -Headquarters Company found one though -Talked to one soldier that said it was terrible and the stench was unbearable -Aware of the German atrocities -Made him, and other soldiers, want to kill more German soldiers -Did not kill any German prisoners out of anger though -Validated their being in Europe -Stationed in Czechoslovakia for only five days -Knew that the soviets were going to take over Czechoslovakia later on -The 78th and 69th Infantry Divisions were scheduled to move into Czechoslovakia -Had seen heavy fighting and were given that duty as a relief (00:26:04) Redeployment & End of the War with Japan �-His division received orders to return to the United States to be redeployed to the Pacific -Moved to a town in Germany on the border of Czechoslovakia -Stayed there for two days -Went back to Le Havre, France -Left Le Havre on June 16, 1945 -Sailed back to the U.S. and landed in Boston -This would have been on June 24, 1945 -Nobody liked the prospect of being redeployed for the invasion of Japan -His division would have been one of the first units to land -Given thirty days of leave before reporting to Fort Bragg, North Carolina -Realized that they needed to finish the war -He thought about being redeployed -Focused more on being back in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Visited his sister, brother-in-law, and parents in Grand Haven, Michigan -Reported to Fort Bragg and went to Fort Lawton, Washigton -Crossing the Pacific Ocean when they heard the news that the war was over -Remembers all of the soldiers being happy that the war was over (00:29:54) Post-War Occupation Duties -Spent 30 days on the ship while docked in the Philippines -Only got off the ship once for four or five hours -Sailed up to Yokohama, Japan -Had heard about the atomic bombs, but didn't know much about them -Learned more about the bombs after he came home -There were some Japanese civilians that would talk to him -Majority of them were friendly -Realized that the Japanese to blame were the militaristic fanatics -Placed in a camp for a month and a half -Selected for Military Police (MP) training -After completing that training he was assigned to a vehicle checkpoint in a small town -Checked trucks that passed through the town -At night he would make sure that none of the GIs went to the local brothel -Did that for two months before being sent home (00:32:15) End of Service & Coming Home Pt. 1 -Sent home after two months of MP duty -Arrived in Fort Lawton, Washington and took a train to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin -Got discharged there (00:32:41) Japanese Civilians -While he was in Japan one of his jobs was to guard a fuel depot -Japanese civilians would try to sneak in and steal some gas out of desperation -He took pity on them and would give them a few gallons of gasoline -Befriended one teenage Japanese boy -He brought Bernard a homemade English-Japanese phrase sheet -Some civilians would try to speak English and strike up conversation with U.S. troops -He believes that most of them were fine with surrendering -They knew that resistance to an Allied invasion would have meant certain death -Most civilians would have only been armed with basic, wooden tools �(00:34:55) End of Service & Coming Home Pt. 2 -Received his discharge papers at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin -Told that if he waited another day the Army would pay for a ticket home -He was anxious to get home and decided to hitchhike back to Grand Rapids -Parents were really happy to see him -They didn't know that he had been discharged -His two other brothers had served in the military during the war -One brother had awful survivor's guilt after the war -Had allowed another man to take his place on the frontline and was killed -Younger brother had served on a landing craft in the Navy -Served near the end of the war -Volunteered despite not being able to be drafted due to being the yongest (00:37:41) Life after the War -He was treated normally by civilians -Didn't get asked questions about his service, and didn't get special treatment -Atributes this to the fact that so many other young men also served -Just came home and started his life again -Enjoyed seeing other men in his neighborhood that had served in the war -Only one man from his neighborhood had been killed in action -Went back to work at the factory that he worked at before the war -Took a test to get into the Postal Service as a mailman -Passed the test and worked as a mailman for twenty seven years -Got married on June 21, 1947 -Wife was already engaged, but she ultimately chose Bernard -Married for sixty seven years -She died on July 4, 2014 -All of his other relatives have since died -There are only twenty two men left from his unit -144 have since passed away -He was able to find seventy five of the men that he served with, after the war -Excited to go on the Talons Out Honor Flight to Washington D.C. in May 2015 -Brother-in-law will escort him to Washington D.C. -He served in the Navy during the war -Note: At the time of this outline being written the May 2015 Honor Flight has taken place (00:46:23) Reflections on Service -Doesn't believe that people care about things that happened "a long time ago" -Troubled by the lack of belief that things like the Holocaust happened -There are some things that he would rather forget and not talk about even 75 years later (00:48:17) Photographs and Medals -Photograph of K Company, 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division -Taken at Camp Cooke, California sometime in 1944 -Photograph of Bernard while he was in the Army �-Collection of medals that he was awarded during his time in the service -Seen and identified: Bronze star, Army of Occupation Medal, American Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Two Battle Stars, 97th Infantry Division patch, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Sharpshooter Badge, World War II Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal -Can opener used to open C Ration cans -Romanized Japanese-English common phrases translation sheet given to him by the Japanese boy � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_LakowiczB1784V Title A name given to the resource Lakowicz, Bernard (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-15 Description An account of the resource Bernard Lakowicz was drafted in February 1943. He went to Kalamazoo, Michigan (most likely Fort Custer) for processing, and from there went on to Camp Grant, Illinois and then on to Fort Lewis, Washington for basic training. Joined the 44th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis and was stationed there for nine months. In November 1943 he volunteered for the Army Air Force and trained at Sheppard Field, Texas and Kansas State College, Kansas. Prior to D-Day he was removed from the Army Air Force and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for infantry training where he joined K Company, 386th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division. He received amphibious training at Camp San Luis Obispo, California and Camp Callan, California. He and the rest of the 97th deployed to the European Theatre out of New Jersey in early 1945 and landed at Le Havre, France in March 1945. The 97th moved up to the frontline and crossed the Rhine River at Bonn, Germany in April 1945 and advanced steadily through Germany closing the Ruhr Pocket and taking thousands of German prisoners of war. The unit stayed briefly in Czechoslovakia and then got redeployed to Japan for occupation duty. He was sent home in early 1946 and got discharged at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lakowicz, Bernard Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Childress, Jim (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/363406e063f7d09d3614e0d25fc30b97.mp4 0135f29d4915e6be5464fd7e5bf7cb48 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/69d6ce8ca29a61e5260e8a05b5cdf276.pdf 641d347cd1c7cf334ffd2643344a20be PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project William Lalley (01:14:12) (00:20) Background Information • • • • • • William was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1922 and later moved to Lowell, Michigan where he attended high school William’s father had owned a haberdashery shop, but died when William was only six months old His mother took him and his three other siblings to Lowell to live with their grandparents William graduated from high school in 1940 and began going to school at the University of Michigan He later transferred to Michigan State University and signed up for an Army Air Corps program in 1942 that was supposed to defer service until he graduated The government was short on troops and he was pulled out for the Air Corps before graduating in 1943 (3:45) Training • William went through pre-flight training at the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center in Texas • They were testing for aptitude, reflexes, depth perception, and also basic drilling with physical exercises • William was in Texas for 5 months and was then classified for pilot training • He began basic flight training in a small town in Texas working with PT-19s and a civilian instructor • After basic flight training William was assigned to work with heavy bombers (12:05) Advanced Flight Training • William had already been training for about a year before he went through advanced flight training • He graduated and got his wings, was commissioned, and went home on furlough • He was then assigned to a flight crew that had already been working together • They were training in B-17s and William worked as the co-pilot in Oklahoma �• In April of 1944 they received their orders to leave the US (15:35) Britain • They took a troop transport ship across the ocean and traveled with a convoy and air escort • They experienced nice weather and had good food on the ship, though it was completely crowded • The ship landed in Britain and they traveled to a small town near Northampton • They were part of the replacement crew because there was a very high turnover when they arrived • William was part of a bomb group stationed near the an airfield and they received orders for their first mission within a month after arrival (19:15) Berlin Mission • William and his crew were like a “filler” on the mission; they were to fly behind newer planes and more experienced crews in an old beat up plane • Berlin was very heavily defended and everyone was nervous about the mission • The air was filled with flak, the background was black, and it was almost as through you could walk across air on all the flak • William’s plane got hit and they had to turn around after dropping their bombs • They were quickly losing altitude and decided to abort • William landed near a plane that was just passing, which may have helped to cover him from the enemy; he later found out that the rest of his crew was captured • He detached his chute, buried it, and began running through the woods in his bright blue suit • William wandered through the woods for a long time through the night without a light or compass • He eventually found an abandoned house and slept in a haystack and ate raw eggs in the morning (28:10) Dutch Underground �• William left the house and wondered through a small town in which many people were watching him, but not saying a thing • He was finally approached by a nice couple that told him they could help him • He stayed outside their house in the woods and was later picked up by another man on a bike • They left on the bike and went to a different house in another small town, where they stayed for a few months, hiding with other soldiers and Jewish hideaways (36:00) Moving through the Netherlands • William had arrived in the house in April of 1944 and left that August • He left with a British officer and continued to move on and avoid Germans • They were eventually caught by some Germans, who at first pretended to just be asking them some questions, but continued to intensify their interrogation • William went through further interrogation for about a week and was then sent to a prison camp in Germany (43:50) Prison Camp • William was sent to a prison camp near Berlin; they traveled in box cars from WWI that could fit 70 men each, jam packed, for two days • There were many wounded men and disfigured in the camp • It was specifically for officers and surrounded by barb wire, light towers, and gun emplacements • Before his arrival about 50 Canadians had tried to escape and they were all executed • Camp was boring and strict; there was barely any food to eat and some men had to work outside in fields (52:35) Switching Camps • They found out that Russians were nearing and could actually hear the artillery through the woods • They left in the middle of the night and were told they were being moved to evade the Russians • They marched for 48 hours through cold woods and many men died on the way �• They arrived in a small town and stayed for a while in a pottery factory that was very warm and felt great • They then traveled to Nuremburg where most of the Germans were in pretty bad shape and they could tell they did not have time to keep track of POWs • They were staying in another prison camp where they were separated from the British and Russians (59:50) Rescue from Camp • The prisoners were told that they had to move again and there were about 15,000 of them marching in the road • They arrived at yet another camp and the prisoners caught on to the Germans’ low spirits and could see that they were now losing the war • They began to hear artillery from far away and could eventually see tanks coming • The camp was liberated in April and all the men were evacuated onto planes within 3 days • William stayed in France or one week, where many of the other prisoners ate too much food and died • He took a troop ship back to New York and was sent to a hospital in Chicago for check up (1:07:20) Back in Michigan • William had some time on leave and was not sure if he would get called back up for service • He signed up for the reserves, but eventually found that he no longer had time for it • William received his degree in business administration for Michigan State University, got married, and eventually began working for Donnelly in Michigan until he retired � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context LalleyW Title A name given to the resource Lalley, William (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lalley, William Description An account of the resource William Lalley was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1922. While in college in 1942 he signed up for an Army Air Corps program that was supposed to defer his service until he graduated, but he was pulled out of school early in 1943. He then trained as a B-17 pilot, was sent to England as a replacement, and was shot down on his first mission. With the aid of the Dutch resistance, William was able to evade the Germans for about 4 months before being captured. William was sent to three different prison camps while in Germany before the prisoners were finally liberated and he was sent 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 United States. Army. Air Corps World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Prisoners of war Prisoners of war--Germany 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 2008-10-30 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/62fb14c995ad0e60f1cab3cce5909145.mp4 390a31da20c7dfe2fe3dd73226f8e320 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6fb58910a682f9926acc14bec026cc79.pdf 0323515700cbf0ce7b200ce954d3514c PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Lawrence “Bill” Lamb (01:02:30) (00:04) Background • (00:04) Bill Lamb lives in Saugatuck, MI. The interviewer is James Smither of Grand Valley State University. • (00:16) Bill was born in South Haven, MI. South Haven is between Saugatuck, Ganges, and Glenn MI. His grandparents were from the area. In 1937 his family moved to Holland, which is where he attended school. • (00:44) He turned eighteen in 1942. After graduating from high school he went to college. He remembers a “war atmosphere” and many of his friends enlisted. It was in this atmosphere that he decided to enlist. • (01:09) His father was a highway contractor, and he worked all over the state. His father went to MSU, and his mother went to Western Michigan University. She was a teacher for a while. Both of Bill’s brothers were born in Jackson, MI. One of his brothers is still alive, the other passed away from cancer at the age of fifty-seven. • (02:12) His father had a good job during the Depression. He helped build roads in Detroit to help with businesses in the area. • (03:16) Bill did not pay attention to the war while he was in high school. He was a junior and worried mostly about his classes. His history teacher predicted they would all be in the service before the end of the war. His teacher later enlisted in the Navy. • (04:17) Bill heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor while he was in the house, listening to the radio. The attacks changed things for many people in his area. The most pronounced change was the rationing which was implemented shortly afterward. (06:27) Enlistment/Training • (06:27) He decided to enlist after he dropped out of college. He had had a hard time concentrating on his classes with the war going on in a more dramatic way. Many of his friends enlisted. He had initially attended at MSU, but later transferred to Hope College in Holland, MI. • (07:22) He and twenty-four others from Holland went to Chicago by train. He didn’t really understand much of what was going on, and was not informed much of the process. After going to Chicago, they were sent to Fresno and lived in paper shacks which had previously been used for prisoners of the Japanese internment. • (08:33) Newcomers to the base were quarantined for six to eight weeks, because of health concerns. During this period he went through basic training. Next he was sent to Grand Forks, North Dakota. As part of his military training, he attended classes at a college for three months, but he wasn’t sure why although it did help the colleges. He flew an hour or forty-five minutes a day. �(09:35) He flew in a Piper Cub to learn the basics of flying. Next they were shipped to Santa Ana, California. He had classes in airplane identification, meteorology. He was also kept on a constant exercise regimen to stay in shape. • (10:23) He was homesick, but was otherwise fine in the military. During his training, everyone had to take a class on Morse Code, despite the fact that a very small minority (he estimates a tenth of a percent) would ever use it. He failed the test by one word, and worried that he would be flushed out of the Army. Instead, they had him take the class again, which distressed him because his friends would continue on and he would not. • (11:35) He had run races in the Army, and performed well. His Lieutenant had gained some prestige from this and wanted to help him out. He sent him out on a trip to a couple in the area. The couple had two daughters, one of whom was married. Bill returned for three more weekends later, and continued correspondence with them throughout the war and after. He visited them when they came to Battle Creek, and again in California. They have since passed away. • (13:17) In January he was sent to King City, which was north. The base was a civilian airfield. At the time, the Air Corps was not significant enough to have its own bases. He flew on an “Orion,” a PT-22, an open airplane with a sixty to eighty horsepower engine. During this time he flew for about half the day with a group, and took classes the other half of the time. These classes included navigation, meteorology, cross-country, and others. • (14:37) One day he forgot to tighten his seat belt properly, and that was the day the pilot decided to fly the plane upside down. Bill had to use a pedal during the flight, but was unable to reach the pedal because he was falling out his seat. • (15:10) He was in King City for about two months. At the time, he was lower than a PFC, and was not allowed furlough during the nights or weekends. He thinks the Army may have been trying to “break” the recruits to find out what they could or could not handle. He was given frequent psychological interviews, and was among the first group of recruits where this was used. • (16:07) He flew up and down the valley frequently. He was next sent to Mariana, Arizona, about thirty minutes past Tucson. It had blacktop runways. He practiced landings, and solo flights here. The Lieutenants training him were actually military pilots instead of civilians this time. He flew a BT-6, which was a single-engine plane with a six hundred and fifty horsepower engine. It was “a terrific plane” (17:37) Discussion of accidents • (17:37) He was always worried about the planes falling out of the sky. Pilots were frequently killed as a result of errors. One day a trainer asked him if he knew how to get out of an inverted spin. The pilot showed him how to get out of it, but Bill is thankful he never encountered it afterwards. • (18:57) Bill had few opportunities to get off the base, and when he did so do the other ten thousand or so recruits. His mother once visited him in Arizona, which was especially significant because she had been burned in the kitchen recently. • (19:38) The weather at the bases was usually very good, which was probably why the bases were built where they were. He was next sent to Fort Sumner, New Mexico Years later, he visited the base with his wife. The base was still in the • �middle of nowhere. At this time he was flying “twin-breasted Cubs” and he learned to fly multi-engine planes. This time they didn’t use acrobatics as they had earlier. • He had a cross-country overnight trip one night. He was very worried about the gas, as he was low. He was very apprehensive about landing in the dark. He was so worried about the gas level that he forgot to put the wheels down, and the plane was ordered to circle around so he could put them down. He worried about being washed out, but instead was yelled at and given a “slap on the wrist.” • (22:46) Usually, he only heard of accidents, and didn’t see them. The incident with the wheels was the closest he ever came to an accident himself. • (23:15) At the end of his training, he received his wings. He was made a Lieutenant, but not a Flight Officer. Later on, he learned it was because was not old enough. He was only twenty, and had to be twenty-one. He was somewhat hurt, but otherwise is not that big a deal as he received many of the benefits of being an officer without as much responsibly. He had two weeks of leave, but didn’t have much to do as most of the other people were either enlisted in the military, or depressed at being rejected. • (25:25) His father bought a new car, and lent it to him when he was in Advanced Training. He went to Lincoln, Nebraska with some of his Army friends. The base at Lincoln was closed down, and he was ordered to go to Lawrenceville, Indiana. He didn’t have enough gas to get their, so the Army gave him some gas. Another man asked him to drive his wife to Lawrenceville, which he protested because he didn’t think it was proper. The man advised him “I know my wife, I’m not worried about anything.” • (26:52) At the time, there were no motels, so they stayed overnight at houses that were used for a similar purpose. They usually rented two units, and people assumed they were a married couple with marital problems. They arrived in Lawrenceville in the fall of 1944. They didn’t have many navigational aids at the time. • (20:49) Once in Lawrenceville, he was put on a night flight. There was freezing rain during the night which is terrible flying weather. Freezing rain made it hard to work the flaps and aerials. The “boots” could be used to help somewhat, but ice formed over the boots and it was not help. At one point, they had to open the window and scrape ice off the windshield with a screwdriver. That night, the woman’s husband was killed in an accident. (29:15) Active Duty • (29:15) He left Lawrenceville in December, and was sent to Bear Field, Indiana. Next he went by train to Camp Kilmer in New Jersey. He boarded the Aquitania, a British ship. They set out without an escort. On the ship, there were twelve men to a room. It was so crowded they had to take turns getting into bed. They had two meals a day on the ship. They arriveded in Firth of Clyde, Scotland. • (30:34) Next they took a train to a small village outside London. The pilots were to be replacements. During this time, the Battle of the Bulge was raging in Germany. Eisenhower and his staff decided to attempt a glider invasion. Each glider was to have two pilots, in case on was killed. They used “power pilots” who had been trained on planes, not gliders. �• • • • • • • • (32:17) They were sent to Chartres, France. Five or men were waiting for a plane to pick them up, they plane came in from the 442nd troop transport and called for “Lamb and Lang.” The two of them were sent to St .André, a temporary city near Paris. The other men there were more seasoned glider pilots, who had been trained in gliders. (33:33) The men were eager to fly; they were linked with trainers and then flew over to England on supply missions. (34:12) One of the other men volunteered to be a glider pilot, and Bill decided to as well. He had forgotten at the time that he had promised his father, a WWI vet, that he would not volunteer for anything. The glider invasion was to be a huge undertaking, and the British also had gliders. His group was the furthest away from Rhine. The British General Montgomery had set up smoke machines to cover the glider offensive. The Germans were aware of the attack however, and had anti-aircraft guns set up. The smoke was supposed to stay low, and the gliders were to go in at five hundred feet. (36:18) The gliders were supposed to be supplemented by a paratrooper force that would take care of the anti-aircraft guns. The paratroopers managed to eliminate some of the guns, but not all of them. Flying the glider was very rough that day because of the slipstream of one hundred miles of airplanes. Bill’s glider was being used to drop off a jeep and some men. As they crossed the Rhine, Bill looked down and saw flak, but didn’t know it was flak at the time. The smoke went too high, and the glider was at one thousand two hundred feet. (39:05) The glider was attached to the plane by a rope of about five hundred feet. When they released from the plane they had to save the rope so it could be reused. The other man was piloted when another plane released, and their glider was nearly cut in half by the other glider’s rope. He made three left turns for the descent. During the first they saw a C-47 coming out of the smoke, but managed to avoid it. The glider had to take a dive to avoid the plane. The glider fell 180 mph, and they weren’t supposed to go faster than 150 mph, but managed to make a terrific landing near a barn. Once the landed the men in the jeep, which included a colonel, left. (41:37) Bill and some other men were to guard a road. During this period they did not see any German troops, except for dead ones. There were about fifty to one hundred Allied troops gathered in the area. Seven of them were co-pilots, two of which were wounded. All the men were “power pilots” The group was heavily damaged as many of the men had wounds. (43:11) The gliders were made out of canvas and pipe. Overall, they were of shoddy quality. They were used “in a day gone by, like the cavalry.” Bill met a paratrooper who had landed alone, and was proud of killing a German. Bill didn’t understand why the man was proud of killing. (44:50) A German plane flew over them and shot a little, but not much. Later on, Bill saw a GI taking an elderly couple and a four year old captive for the POW camp. They continued to collect Germans, in the hundreds or thousands within the three or four miles from the Rhine. �(46:11) They were helped by ground troops, mostly from the British Army. They continued to capture German soldiers, most of whom had the look of defeat. The Germans were brought to the Rhine where they were taken by other forces. • (46:54) The Germans were of all ages. They knew they had been beaten and looked like it. Many of them had had a rough time. The British had a nearby camp where Bill slept in a tent. He had hot British tea for the first time, and liked it very much despite not liking tea. • (47:58) He was picked up on a plane the next day, and from then on flew gas and other supplies to Patton. They landed in captured German airfields. They followed Patton all over Europe, bringing supplies to him and bringing back wounded Americans and rescued POWs. • (49:02) They once took a professor from the Netherlands. The man gave Bill the Star of David the Nazis had forced him to wear. Bill later gave it to Seymour and Stu Padnos, and it is now located in the Grand Rapids Temple. They also took a GI who had a “beautiful mustache” along with them. The GI had been a POW for eighteen months. Bill took a picture of him. They also took Russians who had been German prisoners closer to Russia despite their protests. The Russians did not want to return because they would probably be shot as “collaborators.” (51:15) Occupation • (51:15) Some of the American troops went home and were trained to invade Japan. The war ended before these men had to go to Japan. He was sent to Munich until May 1946, they set up airline in the area and he flew passengers. He did not fly very often. • (52:16) He did not talk to the Germans, because they were still seen as “the enemy.” Additionally, he did not speak German. He went to Harr, Germany and they put up a compound, which included a hospital. He spent much of his time playing ping pong. They had an officer’s building in the compound. During the Christmas of 1945 he went to Garmsich, which had hosted the 1936 Olympics. • (53:43) While in Munich, he heard beautiful string music. He and other Americans came across a church, and looked inside. They were greeted by angry stares of elderly Germans, who probably assumed they had bombed the area. • (54:30) He enjoyed Europe, and once went to Berlin. He had an interesting experience that taught him not to judge people. He had to fly to Vienna with another man who would be evaluating his performance. They stayed the night in Vienna, and some of the other men wanted to drink and carouse. He went with them but didn’t drink. He went to bed early. Later on, the other two men came back with some women who spent the night. The next morning the two women had stolen everything from them, but nothing from Bill. • (56:57) The war ended in May, and he was in Munich. His father had been near Munich during the end of WWI. (57:33) Post-War • (57:33) He was sent to Camp McCoy, in Wisconsin. When he came home he arrived at Camp Kilmer. He came home by train. He spent the summer playing golf with a new set of clubs his father had purchased for him. • (58:06) He decided to go back to Hope College, and later met a woman and married her. He has been married for sixty years. He worked construction with • �• • • his father and brothers until 1983 when his brother died, and the business was split up. (58:53) He once met Jackie Coogan while training in Lawrenceville. Jackie was flying a glider, and he and some other men were invited to fly with him. The glider was a very smooth ride that time. (01:00:13) He would not recommend gliders to anyone. (01:00:26) He was glad to have served his country, and was glad of the experience, but he is also glad he finished it. The military is plagued with some problems, bureaucratic inefficiency, mistakes, and incompetent superiors can all be problematic. The war also taught him about people, and he saw Europe. �------ STATION cZ;H lr. O R "'1lII1"'~ ENGINE!!:" P F. n.s~ . C LA SS AIRCRAJFT MODG. 1'. IRCRAfT S En UIl. No. -PRiNT Pu\INLY­ NAME-ASN.-GRADE-ORGANIZATION FLIGHT DATA � 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 LambL Title A name given to the resource Lamb Jr., Lawrence (Bill) (Interview outline, video, and papers), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lamb Jr., Lawrence (Bill) Description An account of the resource Bill Lamb served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He served as a glider pilot, despite being trained on powered airplanes, in the European theater during the later part of World War II. He participated in the Rhine crossing in 1945, and later on he flew supplies to Patton and transported wounded men and rescued POWs. Flight report appended to outline. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army. Air Corps 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 2008-05-11 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/64f7d5fcda5679a8b82c019be876e641.mp4 025c954aff07cfac348c0e34c5841fef https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c2f5ea5430cf9a2b1f191bbde79aa144.pdf fc547e43c29d4d26923eb21eb37632e2 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Edgar Lamm World War II 50 minutes (00:00:22) Early Life -Born in Chicago, Illinois on October 14, 1925 -Specifically on the South Side in Beverly neighborhood -His father was from Chicago -His mother was from Fulton, Illinois -She went to a business college in Dixon, Illinois -Wanted to move to a big city, so she moved to Chicago and worked in a bank -Met Edgar’s father in Chicago -His father was a coffee salesman -He was his mother and father’s first child -He had a step brother from his mother’s previous marriage -Didn’t learn about that until he was twenty two though -He had a biological sister -He attended Morgan Park High School in Chicago -Almost graduated, but that was interrupted by getting drafted (00:03:27) Getting Drafted -He was drafted in 1944 four months before he graduated -He was excited to go into the service -His high school diploma was eventually mailed to him -Drafted in February 1944 (00:05:00) Basic Training and Military Police Training -First stop was at Fort Sheridan, Illinois for a couple weeks for processing -From Fort Sheridan he took a train to Fort Custer near Battle Creek, Michigan for basic training -Received basic training and Military Police training while at Fort Custer -Lasted sixteen weeks -Days started at 5AM with getting dressed and having breakfast -Went on hikes around August and Galesburg, Michigan -Had no trouble adjusting to the physical demands of the Army due to being eighteen -Remembers that some of the older men had more trouble and would pass out -Had no trouble adjusting psychologically to the Army -There was a train that ran from Fort Custer to Chicago every Saturday morning -Meant that he was able to visit his parents almost every weekend while at Fort Custer -Men that couldn’t adjust to the Army were discharged -He was assigned to the Military Police -Did not take a test, or request it, the position was just randomly assigned to him -There was nothing too unusual about Military Police training -Sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for further training (00:10:17) Transfer to the Infantry -When he got overseas he requested a transfer out of the Military Police �-He served with the Military Police in England and didn’t enjoy the duty -Remembers having to arrest soldiers that didn’t salute officers -Didn’t feel like he was doing anything of great importance -His request to be transferred was accepted and he was transferred to the infantry (00:11:13) Deployment and Arrival in England -From Fort Jackson he was sent up to Camp Shanks, New York -Boarded a troopship, the SS Ile de France -It took nine days to sail from New York to Greenock, Scotland -In Greenock they boarded a train and were taken to Hereford, England -By the time he got to England D-Day had already happened (00:12:34) Arrival in France -Sailed from Portsmouth, England to Le Havre, France at the end of January 1945 -When he got to France he had already been transferred to the infantry (00:13:16) Stationed in England -They lived in Quonset huts in Hereford -He was still in the Military Police while he was in Hereford -Carrying out patrols and arresting anyone who violated military protocol -They were considered to be a reserve unit -Just waiting to be assigned a destination in Europe -They were allowed to go to pubs at night and have a few beers -Just had to be back by midnight -There were a couple times that he was out late and had to sneak back to camp -Hereford was a small town and a nice town, but there wasn’t much to do -Had gotten to Scotland on November 9, 1944 -So he was stationed in England for the fall and winter of 1944 (00:15:55) Advancing into Germany -From Le Havre, France the moved into Germany -As they advanced into Germany they had some small skirmishes -Remembers one particular skirmish in Saarlautern (now Saarlouis), Germany -He was camped out in the basement of a destroyed home -Would stand guard in the bombed out living room for three hours at a time -It was usually quiet, but one night Germans began to bombard their position -Got down on his knees and prayed -Bombardment lasted roughly four or five hours -The day after the attack about a dozen German soldiers came and surrendered -Remembers that the town was completely destroyed -German soldiers would hide in the sewers and take shots at GIs trying to get water -Also remembers that the Germans would booby trap their dead -The Germans that surrendered in Saarlautern were just a distraction -Allowed for the larger group of Germans to escape -Skirmish in Saarlautern was most likely sometime in March 1945 -Travelled from France to Germany in trucks and in “40 and 8” box cars -40 and 8 box car: capable of carrying forty men or eight horses -Had made it to Linz, Austria by time the war ended on May 8, 1945 -As the Allies advanced across Europe they mopped up any remaining German forces -Remembers an encounter in Germany while walking along a road �-Heard some shots and everyone found cover -One man was hit and the medic that went to help was shot too -The captain called up a tank to root out the German forces in the woods -The German soldiers surrendered and came out, but were not wearing uniforms -They were all executed site on scene for killing the medic in cold blood -He was part of E Company 2nd Battalion 260th Infantry Regiment 65th Infantry Division (00:25:47) End of the War in Europe -The war ended on May 8, 1945 when they were in Linz, Austria -Remembers when the surrender of Germany was announced -Remembers General Patton and a Soviet general coming to inspect them -Remembers Patton having a high pitched voice -Had respect for Patton because he was a man that took action -Didn’t learn about character flaws until later (00:28:50) Post-War Duties -Stayed in Austria after the war ended and moved into the countryside -A lot of civilians had been displaced and were trying to make their way back home -Soviets were on one side of the railroad tracks and the Americans were on the other side -Americans slept in barns so as not to kick any civilians out of their homes -The Soviets would take over houses even if they were still occupied -He did befriend some Soviet soldiers and got along well with them -The civilians would follow the Americans as territories changed hands after the war -Didn’t want to get stuck in an area that was controlled by the Soviets -Fear of reprisals from the Soviet soldiers -Remembers a lot of people were just trying to find a stable place to live (00:31:17) Living Conditions -Slept in sleeping bags on the ground or in abandoned houses if they were available -Lived off of rations -When they got more rations they were also given fresh underwear and fresh socks -He always made sure to keep an extra pair of socks in his pants pocket -The rations weren’t bad, especially when you were hungry (00:33:38) Morale, Downtime, and Discipline Problems -Morale was pretty good in his unit -One man had a nervous breakdown, but everyone else calmly accepted the situation -Doesn’t remember his unit taking any other casualties besides the soldier and the medic -He would write letters home to his parents when he got a chance -Letters were censored -Received mail every two or three weeks -Pretty much everyone smoked cigarettes during the war -Something to do to unwind -Men could go into abandoned shops and get bottles of alcohol -Never became a problem in his unit though (00:36:45) Interactions with Civilians -Remembers befriending an Austrian farmer -Traded American white bread for Austrian brown bread -Enjoyed the brown bread more because it was more filling -The farmer enjoyed the white bread because it was a luxury �-The civilians that he encountered were friendly towards American soldiers -Majority of civilians that he encountered were farmers (00:38:56) Coming Home -When they got back to Le Havre Bob Hope was performing nearby -He wasn’t able to go see him though due to a lack of transportation -They occasionally got to see movies when he was back in Le Havre -Had to wait in Le Havre for six months before a ship came to take them home -While in Le Havre he would drive a truck to the docks to collect mail -Did it just to keep himself occupied since there was nothing to do -He was able to take a few trips to Paris -Got to take an Army organized trip to Switzerland -Got to go skiing -Treated to chocolate and ice cream -Trip lasted two weeks -Came home aboard the SS Ernie Pyle -Arrived in the United States and was taken to Fort Dix, New Jersey for a few days -Allowed to eat whatever he wanted -Sent to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin and was discharged from there in June 1946 -Took a train back to Chicago and then took a streetcar to his home -It was a quiet homecoming, but he was just glad to be back home (00:43:18) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Feels that it was a wonderful experience -Gave him a chance to see the world and take part in the Second World War -Believes that he has a positive outlook on it because he wasn’t wounded -Proud to have been able to serve his country -Afforded him the opportunity to go to college on the GI Bill -Appreciates the fact that he got to serve -Probably had some depression after the war -Wasn’t severe and his parents were able to help him through it (00:45:07) Life after the War -He went to college for four years at Eureka College in Illinois -Graduated from there in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology -Wound up getting into sales -Worked for United Airlines after graduating from college -Worked all over the country: -Rockford, Illinois -Walla Walla, Washington -Pendleton, Oregon -Toledo, Ohio -Worked for them for a year -Loaded airplanes and collected tickets from passengers -Quit United Airlines and got a job as a salesman for Mars Candy Company -Worked as a salesman for them for thirty five years (00:47:41) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Helped him to mature -Taught him to accept things in life even if you don’t like them �-Feels that he was treated fairly by his superiors -Gave two years and four months of his life to the Army -Readjusted well to being a civilian again � 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 LammE1754V Title A name given to the resource Lamm, Edgar (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Edgar Lamm was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 14, 1925. He grew up in Chicago and was drafted into the Army in February 1944. He received basic training at Fort Custer, Michigan and then Military Police training at Fort Custer and Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He was sent to the European Theatre and arrived in Scotland on November 9, 1944. He was stationed in Hereford, England with the Military Police for the rest of 1944 and was sent to France in late January 1945 as an infantryman. He was assigned to E Company 2nd Battalion 260th Infantry Regiment 65th Infantry Division. He took part in the advance into Germany and was in Linz, Austria when the war ended on May 8, 1945. He was stationed in Austria until he was sent back to Le Havre, France waiting to be sent home. In the late spring of 1945 he was sent back to the United States and was discharged from Camp McCoy, Wisconsin in June 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lamm, Edgar Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Moore, Debra (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 Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans 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 2015-05-04 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/593ccd0760ef0a958fc0f6f187da363f.pdf 7a28bf03660c406aab9f3bccf898321f PDF Text Text �� https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ec16542d686602bf10bc787365b1558b.pdf 0d1d970ac01e81ce16ec2cdae7a87667 PDF Text Text Of the October Term of the DeWitt Circuit Court, in the Year of our Lord Eighteen Hundred and Sixty, State of Illinois, Dewitt County The Grand Jurors chosen, selected and sworn in for the county of DeWitt, in the name and by the authority of the people of the State of Illinois, upon their oaths, present that on the tenth day of September in the year of our Lord Eighteen Hundred and Sixty at the county of DeWitt in the State of Illinois aforesaid, George Gregg then and there not having a legal license to keep a grocery, did unlawfully sell spirituous liquors; by a less quantity than one gallon, contrary to the form of the Statute in such case made and provided; and against the peace and dignity of the same people of the State of Illinois. 2d. And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and by the authority aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present, that on the day and year last aforesaid, at the county and State aforesaid George Gregg then and there not having a legal license to keep a grocery, did unlawfully sell spirituous liquors; by a less quantity than one gallon, contrary to the form of the Statute in such case made and provided; and against the peace and dignity of the same people of the State of Illinois. 3d. And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and by the authority aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present, that on the day and year last aforesaid, at the county and State aforesaid George Gregg then and there not having a legal license to keep a grocery, did unlawfully sell spirituous liquors; by a less quantity than one gallon, contrary to the form of the Statute in such case made and provided; and against the peace and dignity of the same people of the State of Illinois. 4th. And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and by the authority aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present, that on the day and year last aforesaid, at the county and State aforesaid George Gregg then and there not having a legal license to keep a grocery, did unlawfully sell spirituous liquors; by a less quantity than one gallon, contrary to the form of the Statute in such case made and provided; and against the peace and dignity of the same people of the State of Illinois. 5th. And the Grand Jurors aforesaid, in the name and by the authority aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present, that on the day and year last aforesaid, at the county and State aforesaid George Gregg then and there not having a legal license to keep a grocery, did unlawfully sell spirituous liquors; by a less quantity than one gallon, contrary to the form of the Statute in such case made and provided; and against the peace and dignity of the same people of the State of Illinois. Ward H. Lamon State’s Attorney, 8th J.D. � 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 Civil War and Slavery Collection Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Slavery--United States African Americans United States--Politics and government--19th century Description An account of the resource A selection of correspondence, diaries, official documents, photographs related to the American Civil War and to the institution of slavery, collected by Harvey E. Lemmen. The collection includes a selection of documents from ten states related to the ownership of slaves and abolition, correspondence and documents of soldiers who fought in the war and from family members and officials, diaries and letters of individuals, and a collection of mailing envelopes decorated with patriotic imagery. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lemmen, Harvey E. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472">Civil War and Slavery Collection (RHC-45)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470">John Bennitt Diaries and Correspondence (RHC-43)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent Papers (RHC-44)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/478">Theodore Peticolas Diary (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War Patriotic Envelopes Collection (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/479">Whitely Read Diary (RHC-52)</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 1804-1897 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 image/jpg; application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image; Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1804-1897 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-45_CW1-4363 Title A name given to the resource Grand Jury indictment of George Gregg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1860-10 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893 Subject The topic of the resource Lamon, Ward Hill, 1828-1893 Alcoholic beverages Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Grand jury Indictments Court records United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 De Witt County (Ill.) Illinois Description An account of the resource Illinois Grand Jury indictment of George Gregg for selling spirituous liquors without a license. Signed by Ward H. Lamon, former law partner of Abraham Lincoln. Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Civil War and slavery collection (RHC-45): http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472 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/28b1253af5b40e0b27dccb1de5fb9a1c.m4v 0c643db7e2974fbda9019d16b2cf352c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8d7b9bdcf93f5eaed72d536b6920365a.pdf eca6290744b281e5bdae9616bdfc0760 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Tim Lamphere Cold War, Gulf War, & Iraq War 27 minutes 35 seconds (00:00:08) Early Life -Born on February 14, 1967 -Attended Ionia High School in Ionia, Michigan -Lived in a small town named Muir in Ionia County (00:01:02) Enlisting in the Army -Enlisted in the Army after he graduated from high school -Chose the Army because he knew he could get specialized training in the Army (00:01:32) Training Pt. 1 -Basic training came as a culture shock after growing up in a rural, Michigan town -Different people and different treatment than he was used to (00:02:00) Iraq War -He was still in the Army when the Iraq War began in March 2003 -First time in Iraq he served at Camp Anaconda (Balad Air Base) -Logistical supply hub -30,000 to 40,000 American troops -Base of operations for missions in the area -On another deployment he was stationed at Al-Mahmoudiyah -Rural town south of Baghdad -Last tour in Iraq was at Camp Liberty -Approximately 40,000 troops stationed there (00:03:14) Duty in the Army -Started as an infantryman -Attended and completed Ranger School -Spent three years with a Ranger battalion out of Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia -Transferred to the 82nd Airborne Division as a Ranger -Served with them for 11 years (00:04:04) Panama & the Gulf War -Fought in Operation Just Cause in Panama -Invasion of Panama in late 1989 to depose Manuel Noriega -Fought in the Gulf War (August 1990-February 1991) (00:04:17) Combat Experiences Pt. 1 -One of his most memorable combat experiences was getting wounded in Iraq -Most shocking combat experience happened in Ramadi, Iraq -Went through a doorway and an enemy soldier fired at him -His rifle jammed and he charged the combatant, tackling and suppressing him -Initially afraid, but once you go into combat you have to react without fear -A lot of realistic training and good leaders prepared him for combat (00:06:19) Process to Become a Ranger -Start out with Army basic training -Complete Advanced Individual Training as an infantryman -Signed up for and completed Airborne (paratrooper) School -Upon completion of Airborne School he was interviewed by Ranger recruiters �-Did the Ranger Induction Program -Three week program -Proving your mental and physical skills -Courses, scenarios, and field exercises -All forms of training were difficult at times -Being deprived of things you're used to having -Even in basic training you're not on your own schedule -Adapted after a first few weeks (00:08:30) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Army provided him with structure he may not have had without it -Allowed him to become more mature and have focus (00:08:58) Length of Deployments -Operation Just Cause (Panama) lasted 30 days for him -Gulf War lasted seven and a half months with 30 days of actual combat -First tour in Iraq lasted one year -Second tour in Iraq lasted seven months -Supposed to be a year, but he got wounded -Third tour in Iraq lasted 11 months (00:09:49) Conditions in Iraq -Gulf War prepared him for his tours in Iraq -Introduced him to Arabic culture and the Middle Eastern environment -Heat was unpleasant, but adaptable -Had to constantly stay hydrated to replenish water lost from sweat (00:10:53) Contact with Family -Periodically communicated with his family while on deployments -Always in a leadership position which limited his time available to communicate with home -Army provided soldiers with good means to communicate with family -Contacted home once a week, or at least a few times a month -Sometimes it was better not to tell family everything -Would worry them too much if they knew as much as he could tell them (00:11:40) Friendships in the Army -Being a leader meant he couldn't make friends as much as lower ranking soldiers -Had a responsibility to be impartial and functional as a leader (00:12:19) Downtime -Most soldiers spent their downtime playing sports -Football and soccer were popular choices for the men -Had to play soccer on hard, rocky fields -Usually kicked rocks more than the actual soccer ball -Able to celebrate holidays if they weren't on a mission -Remembers making sure they celebrated one holiday on one tour -Did it to boost the morale of younger soldiers on their first deployment -If they weren't on a mission they still didn't have downtime -Spent the days doing training and recovery -Preparing equipment for future missions -Cleaning and maintaining weapons, vehicles, and equipment -If you weren't busy with training and recovery you got extra sleep -Extremely difficult to find time to sleep -Had to spend most of his time preparing for missions -Usually got four hours of sleep each night �(00:15:50) Combat Experiences Pt. 2 -Combat operations varied depending on circumstances -A routine patrol or an escort mission could turn into a combat situation -If a convoy got attacked they would have to engage the enemy -Usually lasted 30 minutes to an hour -If they encountered Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that took more time -Had to call in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians to deal with the IED -The more time they spent in an area the more likely they would get attacked -Remembers being awake for three days on one mission -Most combat situations were close quarters combat -Had only one experience with hand-hand combat -Enemy was usually 50 to 100 yards away (00:18:20) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Army helped develop his core values as a person -Courage, honor, duty, loyalty, respect and integrity -Molded his approach to situations (00:19:00) Casualties in Iraq -Took casualties at the start of the Iraq War -Had fellow soldiers die in his arms -Survived the total destruction of vehicles where he was the sole survivor -Struggled a little with civilian life after experiencing combat and death -Long deployments, combat, and death made him emotionally numb (00:20:25) Coming Home Pt. 1 -Always happy to see his family when he came home -Slept a lot when he came home -Spent the months between deployments trying to enjoy himself (00:20:51) Reflections on Service Pt. 3 -If he served again he would pursue a higher rank -Had promotion opportunities and he didn't pursue them -Enjoyed working with smaller units as a result of having a lower rank -More focus on the soldiers under your command (00:21:39) End of Service Pt. 1 -Retired from the Army after 26 years -Periodically reaches out to friends he made in the Army -Not as much as he thought he would have -Life as a civilian has improved -Amazed by how easy it is to get a job if you have experience in the Army (00:23:00) Coming Home Pt. 2 -Had a good experience being welcomed home by the community -It takes a while to decompress after seeing combat -Each day is better than the last -After a few months he felt more like a civilian again (00:23:55) Veterans' Organizations -Does a little work with the American Legion -Helping veterans get compensation and medical care through the American Legion (00:24:11) End of Service Pt. 2 -Body was getting too old for service -Wanted to retire of his own accord rather than be forcibly retired for health reasons �(00:24:36) Awards & Commendations -Received two Bronze Stars with Valor ('V') devices -Means being awarded a Bronze Star for valor as opposed to merit in a combat zone -Received a Purple Heart for getting wounded in Iraq -Received various Army commendations -One Bronze Star was awarded for his actions in Ramadi -Sometimes feels guilty for receiving a Bronze Star -Just doing his job -Took over in the absence of his commander and directed flight guard over Ramadi (00:25:55) Opinion of Government -Feels that Congressional policy doesn't always reflect reality -Policy limits what soldiers can/cannot do in combat -Unrealistic because enemy doesn't abide by the Rules of Engagement (00:26:50) Reflections on Service Pt. 4 -Would do it again -Wanted to be a soldier since he was a child -Service in the Army worked out like he thought it would -Army treated him well -Paid for his college and allowed him to have an early retirement � 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 LamphereT1844V Title A name given to the resource Lamphere, Timothy Patrick (Interview outline and video), 2014 Description An account of the resource Tim Lamphere was born on February 14, 1967 and grew up in Muir, Michigan. He enlisted in the Army after graduating from the high school (c. 1985). He went through basic training, advanced infantry training, Airborne School, and Ranger School. He served in Panama during Operation Just Cause, in Iraq during the Gulf War, and did three tours in Iraq during the Iraq War. On his first tour he served at Camp Anaconda, on his second tour he served at Al-Mahmoudiyah and was wounded, and his third tour was at Camp Liberty. For 11 years he served as a Ranger attached to the 82nd Airborne Division. After 26 years he retired from the Army (c. 2011). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lamphere, Timothy Patrick Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Canine, Vicente (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American United States. 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 2014-11-07 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/9f8a053dcb3033e63dc002248b5ed960.mp4 b60f7aff1e7663c4810e72d82377da04 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/de2e47e62c93f6893544c1d9fc8b26f4.pdf e906777f8aa44b76dc56811358a9bfbe PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Dale Lancaster Cold War-Post Korean War 45 minutes 41 seconds (00:00:39) Early Life -Born in Wyoming, Michigan on June 6, 1931 -Grew up there -Father worked for Nash-Kelvinator as a sprayer -Sprayed the enamel on the boxes of refrigerators -Never went hungry during the Great Depression -Mother stayed at home -Had four siblings (00:02:00) World War Two -Remembers hearing about Pearl Harbor from his neighbors -Collected scrap metal for the war effort -Tin cans were especially wanted -Had air raid drills -Got under your desk at school -Paid a lot of attention to the war -Kept track of where the troops were in the world -Got most of his information via the radio -Remembers hearing about the invasion of France on June 6, 1944 (00:04:08) Pre-Army Life -Graduated from high school in 1949 -Went to Grand Rapids Junior College (now Grand Rapids Community College) -Transferred to Western Michigan University -Majored in secondary education with a focus on social studies -Government, history, geography, economics, and psychology -Started the psychology department at East Grand Rapids High School -Graduated from Western Michigan University in 1954 -Got married in June 1954 (00:06:08) Getting Drafted -Got drafted in December 1954 -First he had ever heard about getting drafted -December 8, 1954 he reported for duty -Went to Detroit for his draft physical (00:07:27) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training -Buildings at Fort Leonard Wood were wooden -Had to have a fire watch because the buildings were heated by a coal stove -Men were a variety of ages and from all over the country -Remembers one recruit from Louisiana that had never taken a shower in his �entire life -Received rifle training -He had never shot a gun in his life -Some men from Minnesota helped him learn how to shoot -Wound up getting the Sharpshooter Qualification Badge -Second highest marksmanship badge -Days started early with physical training -Went on long marches -Recruits were punished with extra physical training -It was difficult for him to adjust to the Army -Missed his wife -Had no trouble adjusting to the discipline aspect though -Basic training lasted six weeks (00:12:58) Advanced Training -Had advanced training that was another six weeks -More physical training -Received combat engineer training -Putting together Bailey bridges -Portable, temporary bridges that could be quickly assembled and disassembled -Some men would go to Waynesville, Missouri to buy prostitutes -He would just spend his downtime in the library -Wife stayed in Michigan during his training -Got to visit his wife on leave after his training was complete -Only given a week of leave though (00:15:33) Deployment to Europe -Volunteered to go overseas because he didn't want to be stuck on a base in the U.S. -Volunteered specifically for service in Europe -Got assigned to a duty station in West Germany -Took a Victory Ship to Europe -Got seasick -Left out of New York City -Took twelve days to cross the Atlantic Ocean (00:17:16) Arrival in West Germany -Went to Heidelberg, West Germany -At the time it was headquarters for the Army in Europe -Got interviewed by a drunken sergeant -Assigned to the historical division in Karlsruhe -Working with former German generals -Writing military history and teach them English -He went to Karlsruhe and showed up at the historical division, completely unexpected (00:19:53) Stationed at Karlsruhe -Mostly college graduates in the historical division -More officers than enlisted men -About twenty five men in the outfit -They were in Smiley Barrakcs �-Old SS barracks -Not part of a larger base -Had to get security clearance to work in the historical division -Background check conducted by the FBI -Mostly just talking with relatives to see if he was a security threat -While waiting to get security clearance he would go on mail runs to Heidelberg -Had a German driver and a staff car -Looked official, so he got saluted a lot -Only about fifty miles from Heidelberg -There was still a lot of evidence of the war -Giant rubble heaps covered in grass -Hope was to create manmade hills that were more asthetically pleasing -German civilians had to cooperate with the Americans -Rented an apartment with his wife -Neither he, nor his wife, could speak German -She spent a lot of time cooking meals -Went to a park in Karlsruhe together -Socialized with other American military couples living in the apartment complex -German economy was weak, so the U.S. dollar was still strong -Made buying things easy -Could travel Western Europe on a private's salary (00:26:17) Working in the U.S. Army Historical Division -Handling top secret documents -They were relatively close to the East German border -There was a level of tension -Would have been overrun if the Soviets had attacked -Collecting information from German officers on how to fight the Russians -Using their information to create effective strategies -Learning from the Germans mistakes in World War Two -He worked with Hitler's chief of staff, Franz Halder -Seemed to be a nice man -Thought that Hitler was an idiot that didn't know anything about strategy -Most of the generals on the base blamed Hitler for everything that happened -Also tried to distance themselves from any former allegiance to the Nazi Party -Franz Halder had been placed under arrest during the war for contesting Hitler -This allowed him to escape prosecution during the Nuremburg Trials -He would work with a detachment of officers on projects -Preparing strategies to deal with a possible war with the Soviet Union -Learned that Soviet troops were considered highly expendable -Ex. Soviet troops would be sent in human waves to attack a machine gun nest -Learned that Soviet troops were not good soldiers -Most of them were conscripts with very little training -Worked with a Jewish private that was a good man -Had a colonel that insisted that the men in the historical division got exercise �-One afternoon, once a week, they all had to do something physical -He would play tennis -It was great because it basically meant having the afternoon off (00:35:07) Cold War Events -Remembers the 1956 Hungarian Revolution -There was talk that their time would be extended -Did not come to fruition because the U.S. did not get involved -Bases were placed on a higher state of alert -President Eisenhower alluded that there might have been American intervention -Aware of the U2 flights -Received monthly intelligence reports -Consisted of detailed aerial photographs of the Soviet Union -Remembers the Gary Powers U2 Incident in 1960 -Gary Powers was shot down over Russia and captured -Later exchanged for a Soviet spy in 1962 (00:38:02) Chronologist Duty -His other duty at Karlsruhe was as a U.S. Army Europe chronologist -Keeping a daily record of troop movements in Europe -It was dull work, but it was vital -Officers would routinely come in to see where a unit was in Europe -Tracked troops in West Germany and France (00:40:13) End of Service Pt. 1 -Had an offer to be a civilian worker for the Army in Algeria -Turned it down because he wanted to go back to the United States -Would have done the same type of clerical work in Algeria, just as a civilian (00:41:00) Black Market -There was a booming cigarette black market in West Germany at the time -Another GI approached him and asked if he wanted to take over his black market -Turned it down because he didn't want to risk getting arrested (00:42:00) Coming Home & End of Service Pt. 2 -Left Germany in November 1956 -Got discharged from the Army at Fort Hamilton, New York -Got to see the Statue of Liberty when he returned to the U.S. (00:42:32) Life after Service -He was in the inactive reserves for six years -Got a job at East Grand Rapids High School -Had sent an application letter to the school while he was still in Germany -Got hired while he was still in Germany -Started teaching there in January 1957 -Taught there for twenty five years -After teaching at East Grand Rapids he taught World War Two classes at Aquinas College -Got paid a small amount, but mostly did it for fun (00:44:17) Reflections on Service -Learned to take care of himself -Worthwhile experience for him �-Especially considering that he got to handle an historical aspect of the Army � 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_LancasterD1730V Title A name given to the resource Lancaster, Dale G (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-02-12 Description An account of the resource Dale Lancaster was born in Wyoming, Michigan on June 6, 1931. After graduating from college with a degree in social studies and getting married in 1954, he was drafted in December of that year. He was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training and engineering training. Upon completing those twelve weeks of training he volunteered for a deployment in Europe. He was assigned to a duty station in West Germany, and after reporting for duty in Heidelberg, he was sent to Karlsruhe to work with the U.S. Army Historical Division due to his college education in history. His primary duty there was to work with former German generals to prepare a strategy to deal with the Soviet Union in case it ever attacked Western Europe. In November 1956 he left West Germany and was discharged from the Army at Fort Hamilton, New York. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lancaster, Dale 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 Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> 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 application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dfcfc8bda9440cca8696d46f532004c9.mp4 6b77546bb7d90055cfa7522d37c97ec8 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3dc88f5604c8937bf9f3a7ae3a3adb0d.pdf aa433c65a7ca456f1f48f13ac275deb9 PDF Text Text Lancaster, Duane Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: Vietnam War Interviewee’s Name: Duane Lancaster Length of Interview: (56:22) Interviewed by: James Smither Transcribed by: Lyndsay Curatolo Interviewer: “We’re talking today with Duane Lancaster of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the interviewer is James Smither of the Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project. Okay Duane, start us off with some background on yourself and to begin with, where and when were you born?” Okay. I was born on Burlingame on August 16th, 1942. Interviewer: “Okay. That’s Burlingame Avenue as in Grand Rapids?” Yeah. Yeah. It was known as Grand Rapids and it used to be a hill there and now it’s–– Interviewer: “Well how far south on Burlingame were you?” Well it was–– we were at the top of that, what used to be the hill. You see, it was 28th so it was probably around 36th or something. Interviewer: “Okay, alright.” Rogers Plaza [on 28th St. SW] is there now. Interviewer: “Alright.” Yeah. Interviewer: “Okay, so a whole lot less there then. So that was largely still farms at that point for the area?” Yeah. �Interviewer: “Okay. Alright, and then did you grow up in Grand Rapids?” I grew up in Grand Rapids. I went to Michigan State and then I–– my first job was as a sports writer in Saginaw. Interviewer: “Okay, so let’s back up here a little bit. What did your family do for a living when you were a kid?” Well my dad was a–– he worked at Kelvinator and he sprayed enamel on refrigerators. And the poor guy did that for 34 years. Then they, I guess, his last couple years there somebody thought it’d be a good idea if they wore masks. So he died of emphysema. He had in–– 34 years he was there. My mom was a housewife. She never did have a formal job. (2:14). Interviewer: “Okay. Alright, and so you’re born during World War II?” Yes. Interviewer: “Okay, and so you would’ve been too young to really remember any of that probably.” That’s correct. I don’t remember the surrender or anything, and I missed Pearl Harbor. That’s a big history event that I missed. I also missed the Magna Carta but–– Interviewer: “Okay, alright. So when did you graduate from high school?” I graduated from high school–– and as a matter of fact I’m up here for our 60th class reunion–– but I graduated in 1961 from Wyoming Park High School. Interviewer: “Okay, alright. You went to Michigan State from there––” Well no, I went to Grand Rapids Junior College Center and then I graduated from Michigan State in 1965. When they were actually good in football. Interviewer: “They have been periodically, even in more recent years. Alright, okay. So you do that and then you got your job as a journalist in––” Saginaw, Michigan. Interviewer: “–– Saginaw, Michigan. Now, have you registered for the draft by then?” �No I hadn’t. No I hadn’t. In fact it all started, it was July of–– about a month after I graduated and I got a notice from my draft board that asks, “How come we no longer have a 2-S deferment for you?” And I, being quite gullible, wrote back, “Because I graduated.” Within three days I got a notice that said to report for my physical at Fort Wayne. Interviewer: “Okay, and that’s in Detroit?” In Detroit there. Canada was right across–– I remember looking at it and thinking about it and I finally was more scared to do that than I was to face whatever would come down. (4:05). Interviewer: “Alright. Well that’s still 1965, so––” Yeah. Yeah. This was the June of ‘65 so–– Interviewer: “–– so Vietnam has only just really started to heat up in terms of the ground war. We don’t––” Correct, yeah. Interviewer: “–– and we don’t have a lot of casualties coming back or things like that. It’s just something in the news. Okay? Alright––” And when I was at [Michigan] State I was never a big, vocal protester of the war. I did my best to ignore it as a matter of fact. So I never like laid across the street in protest of all that. Interviewer: “Well there wasn’t too much. Most of that stuff, at least what is famous, came later.” Yeah. Yeah. Right. Interviewer: “So at the time you were there–– I mean while you were still in school were you aware that, what was going on?” I was aware of Vietnam but like I said, my biggest concern was just to ignore it. I tried to pretend it didn’t happen, and I didn’t have any great political feelings about it. The only thing was I don’t want my butt to get involved in it. I didn’t have any strong feelings one way or the other about how the government should be run or anything like that. It just–– just count me out. Interviewer: “Didn’t really want to be bothered with it?” �That’s correct. Interviewer: “Alright. Okay, so now when they did the physical at Fort Wayne, how seriously did they take that?” Well, I remember telling them that I had a lot of things wrong with me. I told them that I had a criminal record–– that I bought beer for my little brother once. I told ‘em I had a really bad knee and I got to do an extra knee bend before he said, “You’re alright.” And I told ‘em I wet the bed, which nobody believed. The funny thing about that was that when I got out, all these things had cleared up. I said, “No. The Army must’ve really fixed me up” because I don’t have any of that problem anymore but–– (6:08). Interviewer: “Okay, so they passed you just fine.” Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure. Interviewer: “Alright. So you’re going to get the okay, but you have the physical, then you just go home?” Yeah. Yeah. Interviewer: “Now did you get a draft notice?” Yes I actually did. I did have the greetings. Interviewer: “Okay. Now when did you get that?” That was probably in maybe September of that year. Interviewer: “Okay, and then what did you do after you got that notice?” That, then I says, “Hey, I better find a Reserve unit somewhere.” That’s the first time I started thinking about it. And I was really fortunate because I was a sports writer, and they still do it–– newspapers have a football tabloid where they prepare stuff for the high schools and all that. And it just so happened that one of the stories I did was with the Midland High School Coach Greer, who happened to be the Captain of the local reserve unit. And he–– he’s obviously the one who got me in. But the basic training logs were so backed up that I didn’t–– I was in the Reserves for about six months before I had to go to basic training. �Interviewer: “Okay, so once you enlist in the Reserves, now are you–– do you not do anything until after basic training?” No I–– no. I got the six months and it counted towards my six years. Interviewer: “Okay, but did you go to the local Reserve meetings?” Yes. Yes. I had to go to the drills and I guess I was a private which is a non-rank. I wasn’t–– (8:01). Interviewer: “Yeah. It’s sort of–– you have, you know, the Buck Privates or whatever, well you’re not even first class.” No. No. That’s right. Yeah. Yeah. You had to get out of basic I think to be given PFC. Interviewer: “At least. If not, something like that.” Yeah. Interviewer: “Usually, you know, but by the time anyone who went to Vietnam was at least a PFC, but anyway, yeah. You’re not really–– so what did you do at the drills and stuff there in those first six months?” Well we would drill. We would go out into parking lots and drill. And that was another thing I wasn’t very proficient at, was drilling. I remember in basic a drill that–– it was something like first Squads to the Rear March and second, and you’re supposed to end up all together at the end, and we ended up streaming all. Yeah. So, no I didn’t like to drill but that’s what we did. I don’t– – I don’t think we had any particular classes or anything. It was mostly drill and what you had to do was two days a month or we could go four days at a four-hour drill at night. They were usually on Saturday and Sunday and–– or Thursday nights for four hours. Interviewer: “Okay, and what kind of mix of people were in your unit in terms of how old they were, their backgrounds?” Well, there weren’t very many Blacks I remember. In fact, I remember no Blacks. They were all from the Saginaw area. Interviewer: “And did you have people who had been active duty veterans who were back or were these––” �I ran across those only when we went to summer camp. And we’d have attachees, which I always thought was unfair because these guys had actually been in the real game. And they would always get the crap jobs of barracks or KP detail or something. And wear the yellow berets–– and the captain or whoever the head of the unit was, knew we had to go back and drill with these guys. So they always took care of us and he crapped on the real ones. And I always thought that was a really lousy thing that a guy who had actually been in and would have to go back and mess with us candlestick makers. (10:55). Interviewer: “Right. Okay, now what kind of unit was the one at Saginaw?” It was a military police unit. So after basic I had to go to Fort Gordon to military police school. Interviewer: “Okay. Alright, so you’re military police now, did you–– but you’re only–– so when you were doing those drills, before you went off to basic or to your advanced training, did you do anything with your unit that actually related to what MPs did?” Well during summer camp we would act as the police force for the–– we could give a speeding ticket and all such things. Interviewer: “But you hadn’t gone to summer camp yet, before you went to basic because you went––” No. No. I’d gone to basic before. Interviewer: “So when did you go to basic?” Finally–– I know it was in the winter so it must’ve been like January of that year, and I went to Fort Leonard Wood. And probably the thing I remember most about that was that the only thing that they seemed to spend much time on was the rifle range. We went out for three of our eight weeks on the rifle range and again I was pretty horrible at that. We had M14s and I got a black eye because I’d flinch every time, when I would shoot. True story: we had to qualify, I think 35 was a marksman out of maybe 120 shots. And the targets we shot at were pop-up targets, anywhere from 50 to 350 and they’d stay up for ten seconds. Interviewer: “That’s 50 feet away?” Yeah 50. Maybe–– no it was yards. It was either 50 yards away or 350. And the first time I went out there, I looked down at my barrel and I crossed and I got a 12, which might set a record for the lowest number of–– a 12. And they obviously wanted to know what was wrong and I told ‘em about seeing two barrels. So the next day I go out and they put a patch on my eye so now �I’m like John Wayne in True Grit, hunting for these dumb things, and I got a 17. And I just imagined this now, they’re saying “Hey! The basic training units are all backed up and we got this clown from the reserves who can’t hit the broad side of anything. We got to do something.” So the third day I go out there and I don’t think I fired 30 times. I got a 49. So I got the rifle with the little sling on it and everything and I was a sharpshooter. So when I went back to my unit and couldn’t hit the broad side of anything I just said, “It’s gotta be the weapon because it says here I’m a sharpshooter.” (14:04). Interviewer: “Now when you were in basic were you in a group that was all reservists?” Yes. 80 percent of my unit was–– were–– reservists, and so we won the mule for the next cycle by being the worst unit. Like I said, about 80 percent of us were ERs and NGs. “ER 7748074 Sir.” Yeah, we won Zeke the mule for the next unit that goes there. And, we were all pretty good on the written test, but the PT test and the drill tests were just horrible. Interviewer: “Okay. Now were–– had a lot of these guys been to college?” Yeah. Most of ‘em were. I–– almost, you almost had to be in college to get into the Reserves. So yeah. And then–– and most of us were a bit older, in our 20’s, so I didn’t have the big thing of missing home and things like that, but I wasn’t in shape like these 17 year old guys and everything, so that was really hard for me. I think you had to run a mile in six minutes or something and I did it in eight or something. Yeah. So I was not very physically up on- and I smoked then, so. Interviewer: “Okay, and how did the drill instructors treat you?” The biggest thing I remember about our particular Sergeant Fada was he could not say a sentence without using the “F-word.” Everything was “Effing outstanding” and there was one I, for some reason, I really feared. His name was Sergeant Purcell and he was–– he must’ve been a Native Indian or something but I was really afraid of him. When he spoke, I listened. The other ones kind of went in one ear and out the other, but. Purcell I was quite–– yeah. (16:15). Interviewer: “Alright. How much of an emphasis was there on discipline there?” Well, there was quite a bit of emphasis. I didn’t take it that seriously, but yeah there was–– well there was–– they didn’t put up with too much back talk or mouthing off. Yeah. Interviewer: “As far as you could tell, did they treat the people who were actual draftees or ones going onto active duty–– do they treat them any differently from you or––” �Well, we thought so. We thought we were picked on because they always ask your service number and if you were regular Army it was RA something, and I’d say ER and right away that was ten push-ups. Interviewer: “And were, I think, draftees maybe U.S. or they had something––” Yeah.Yeah. Interviewer: “–– but a draftee is still going in for, you know, real action.” Yeah. Interviewer: “But the enlisted–– but ERs, Enlisted Reserve, and so that’s––” Oh yeah. I thought we were picked on anyway. Interviewer: “Okay, now did you get disciplined in different ways yourself?” No, not personally I don’t remember getting–– no. I had my regular tour at KP and watching a brick building–– a fire watch–– at two in the morning but everybody did that. Interviewer: “There’s the regular rotation of duties and things everybody does. Now with the whole platoon or group you were training with sometimes be punished for something doing extra push-ups or whatever?” I don’t really remember that happening. The whole unit was–– Interviewer: “Yeah. And were there men in your unit who were–– who screwed up in a way that they got attention from the drill instructors or was it all fairly––” It was all fairly. Yeah, you know. (18:08). Interviewer: “Okay because I think that experience varies a lot just depending on what unit you’re trying––” Oh yeah, and if I had taken it seriously I guess it would’ve been kind of bad. But, one of the reasons I just couldn’t take it seriously is we would have classes–– probably up to 50 people–– and I remember our instructor one time saying, “Alright, you’re sitting in a rice paddy and a Viet Cong comes up. Charlie comes up behind you and puts a weapon on you. What are you going to do?” Well, geez. I’m going to surrender and tell them whatever they want. And he said, “No. �You go ‘Ha!’ and you carry his rifle with this hand.” Are you kidding me? Are you serious? So I just couldn’t take that and that was an introduction to hand-to-hand combat–– which we spent an afternoon on. And that was the thing that–– I think that if they’re going to send me to Vietnam, I would have demanded to go through it again. And I’ll pay attention this time because the rifle range was the only thing we spent any amount of time on. A half-day on hand-to-hand combat, a half-day on throwing a grenade, and just brushing over things. And I said, “They really sent people with this kind of training to [Vietnam].” Yeah it was–– Interviewer: “Well the Infantryman would have had at least advanced individuals––” Yeah, right. This, of course, was going on before I went to military police school. Interviewer: “This is just general for everybody.” Yeah. Yeah. Interviewer: “And at that point they didn’t have that many people back yet from Vietnam who actually knew what was going to happen.” No, that’s true. Yeah. Interviewer: “Alright, so how long did basic training last?” Eight weeks. Actually ours was nine because we got started a week late because there was a snowstorm in Michigan and our plane didn’t take off. But I was there nine weeks and then they sent me to Fort Garden for another eight weeks. So a total of 17 weeks, and the week that we didn’t train they just sent us around the camp and we had to pick up litter and things like that. But I was–– I guess it was alright. (20:32). Interviewer: “Yeah. So you were late, so you missed the start of your regular training.” Yeah. And then they had to start with the next third cycle to start. Interviewer: “But they’re starting every week––” Yeah. Interviewer: “So what was Fort Leonard Wood like? What do you remember about the place?” �Well, I went there in February. I remember it was cold, very cold. And I remember before breakfast we had to swing on the monkey bars and I couldn’t do that. I’d have to go in and hang there and I got blisters from doing that. So I thought I could get out of it by not going to breakfast but they made me do it anyway, to go to breakfast. The only thing I heard a lot of gripes about that I didn’t think was so bad was the food. The food wasn’t that bad. It was–– called it Shit on a Shingle and that was pretty good, I thought. Yeah, but everything else they said about it was true. Interviewer: “How did they get you from Fort Leonard Wood to Fort Gordon?” We flew. Interviewer: “Okay, and were you flying on commercial planes or?” Yeah. We were on commercial planes. Interviewer: “Because I guess your class would have split-up and gone in different directions from basics so you’re not going as a group somewhere.” Yeah. Most of us had been–– because we were in the Reserves–– were predestined to where we’d go after that anyway. Interviewer: “Now, did you pick MP or did they pick that for you?” No, that just happened to be the Reserve Unit. And I never did get out on police duty. I was a clerk typist. They had enough sense to keep me in from that, and the cruddy thing about that I always thought was patrol, you had to learn when an officer’s car was going by so you could salute it. And I wouldn’t know that, I’d look around and look for a blue sticker on that foot. No, I was just a clerk typist, so I didn’t have to–– (22:35). Interviewer: “So describe the training at Fort Gordon.” The main thing I remember about Fort Gordon’s training was we practiced with a .45 and for some reason I wasn’t that bad with a .45. I actually, legitimately, qualified with that. And–– now let’s see, what was–– the classes. The classes on the Uniform Code of Military Justice. They were so boring and I remember there was a guy that stood in the back with a big, long stick and he’d bonk you on the head with it if you’d dozed off. And that got to be so bad that–– and then by then I had not totally gotten over, but I wasn’t as scared then as I was when I first went in. So us and maybe another five or six of us decided we weren’t going to those classes anymore. So when the column went around the corner, we went to these woods and slept the afternoon away. �I know we finally got caught doing that and we had to spend a day chopping down the wood and chopping down the woods in there, so that others wouldn’t do it. But yeah. I remember those classes just being just horribly dull. (24:03). Interviewer: “How did you do on the test?” Again, on the written test it was–– I did okay, but on the PT and of course, the answers wasn’t quite so much on PT there as it was in basic. Though, one of the things it reminded me of–– when I was in basic we were going to have an inspection general, where a general comes through, and I can remember it. Two in the morning, lying on my back under my bunk, straightening the wires on there. And of course when he came through he didn’t even look at us. He just drove by without–– and that’s the only time I ever saw a general, so I don’t know what they’re like. Interviewer: “Alright. What were the instructors at Fort Gordon like? Were they any different from the ones you had at Leonard Wood?” Well again, most of the instruction I had in AIT, Advanced Individual Training, was lectures in classrooms. Yeah. Whereas the one in basic was–– Interviewer: “More physical––” ––yeah. More physical stuff and–– Interviewer: “–– and that kind of stuff.” –– one of the things I remember about AIT was I did a lot of things with a Black kid named Percy–– what was his name? Percy Lam. We threw the grenades together and did hand-to-hand combat together. And I can remember at graduation they said his name and they said, “Percy Lamb–Saigon.” And he said, “Duane Lancaster–Saginaw.” And I don’t know if Saginaw sounded like Saigon or what but I could just feel that kid when we went back in line, staring at me and saying, “How come I’m going to Saigon and this white dude is going to go back to Saginaw. I always kind of wondered about Percy. I went to the Vietnam Wall and I didn’t find his name on it so hopefully Percy got through–– Interviewer: “If he went as an MP, odds are pretty high that he came through in one piece. A lot of the combat casualties––” Yeah, that’s true. That’s true. Yeah. Yeah. �Interviewer: “Yeah. And that early–– if he had gone that soon, gone in ‘66 then it wasn’t–– might not have been as bad as it would’ve been later. But yeah. Okay, yeah. He got through. Of course, he would’ve been a draftee or a regular enlistee though.” Yeah. Yeah, that’s right. He was one of the few that was–– yeah. (26:38). Interviewer: “Yeah, well now when you were at AIT did you still have a lot of reservists or did you have more guys who were going full-time?” Not as much as–– it wasn’t basic but yeah, there was maybe about half of us were ERs and NGs. Interviewer: “At AIT did they treat the reservists and others differently?” No, I actually–– not. Well I–– I sure thought they did in basic but I–– yeah. Interviewer: “Yeah. AIT could be a different set up there. Now, did you get to go off base at all when you were at Fort Gordon?” No. And that’s one of the reasons I always felt sorry for the squad leader, because we were so bad we–– they took away the privilege. So the poor squad leader would have to go to the thing and buy stuff for us, and keep track of the money, and go there and get toothpaste and have to bring your 79 cents back from your dollar. Interviewer: “So you couldn’t even go to the PX to buy stuff?” No. No, we were–– they considered that a privilege. Interviewer: “So even in AIT you were with a unit that was messing up badly enough––” Yeah. Yeah. We were not–– Interviewer: “Asking that in part because before Gordon, you’re down in Georgia and that’s still mid-60s and there’s a lot of racial tension or issues going on. A lot of the Civil Rights Acts have passed but places still segregated but I mean–– did you notice any of that at all with the segregation or racial issues or were you so isolated––” Again, most of our–– both in basic and AIT, most of them were whites anyway. So it really wasn’t–– Percy was one of the few Blacks that I knew there. �Interviewer: “And you weren’t out in the community, so you couldn’t see what that was like.” No. No, I got to Augusta once and went to a brothel there, but I never got to see wrong. I never got to see the Masters Tournament but–– and I was only once I remember. I think it was eight weeks, I had one and I’m not–– I must have spent overnight there because that was about 20 miles from Fort Gordon, so I must’ve spent overnight there. And in basic I did not leave our barracks at all. (29:12). Interviewer: “That was fairly common. Okay, so when did you finish AIT?” It was in April sometime, and then they flew me home. And I went back to my Reserve Unit in– – was it Saginaw? No. By the time I got out of AIT I had–– no. I was–– I went back to Saginaw and got credit for the six months that I had waited to get in and the 17 weeks. So, I went back to Saginaw with–– I think I was a PFC by then. Interviewer: “And then with your unit at Saginaw, did you get a regular assignment or were you just a guy?” I was. Yeah. Even though we’re an MP unit we obviously didn’t do anything in this–– in the town. The only time we did that was in summer camp. Interviewer: “Okay, so talk about summer camp. Where do you go, what do you do?” Well, I was in two different units, like I said, and no matter what I ended up at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. I guess it’s a Fort now. Like I said, when I went as a military police unit, we were the MPs for like two weeks. When I went with the transportation unit, I don’t really think we served a function except our own training that we went there [for]. (30:52). Interviewer: “Alright. So then,with the MP unit–– I mean–– what do you remember about the first camp you went to?” I remember we took a caravan from Saginaw around Lake Michigan, and we stayed overnight in some little town in Indiana, I remember. We were supposed to pitch our pup-tents and–– but–– I didn’t want to do that, so I crawled on top of the truck to try to sleep. And it rained at night and I rolled around and I was just a filthy mess when I–– by that morning. I had grease all over my face and hands. Interviewer: “So were you in the back of the truck or were you up––” �No, I was on the top of that. Well if I had enough sense to sleep in the cab I would have probably been alright. When I went on top of that–– maybe somebody else was already in the cab. Interviewer: “Alright. It starts to rain, you don’t go to find a place where you can––” Well by then–– but I was shafted by then. Yeah I just gutted it out. Interviewer: “Then once you got there what was it like?” Well, there are two things I remember–– and for some reason all of the things we went through [in] basic training I hated, the gas chamber was not one of them. I didn’t mind that. You took your mask off and said your service number in the gas room. Interviewer: “And that’s when they’re sending–– putting–– tear gas in?” Yeah. Yeah. Either it didn’t bother me or they had a weak thing but it didn’t–– it really didn’t bother me, but we were going to do it and we did again, a couple other conspiracies and I decided we didn’t want to do that. So again, when they went around the corner we broke off and went back to the bus and told the bus driver that we were through. So we got on the bus and took off and we look out the back and there’s Captain Clipboard. He was an ROTC guy from Central Michigan. He’s running after us and when we got back to camp finally, he was gonna tear us up. We said, “You mean you’re going to tell your superiors that you let this whole group of men–– lost track of them?” So he signed our things that we had gone through anyway. Captain Clipboard. By then I was, like I said, not quite as afraid. I was scared to death in basic, I’ll be real honest with you. The worst time of my life was when we crawled the infiltration course. I remember it was about six o’clock when we started, and there were these big rumors about whether the bullets were real or not. And they said the machine guns were cemented in place, but I swear I saw something go by at night. So I started with group B and I ended up with group G. I found a hole and just stayed there. That was the most terrifying thing I ever went through was that, and I–– to this day–– don’t know if they really–– but it sure looked real to me. I saw some kind–– and it was quite dark out by the time I finished it, so I think it was an hour-and-a-half from the time I started and finished. (34:38). Interviewer: “Well they would have at least had tracers, so you could see little streaks of light go past.” Yeah. Interviewer: “Yeah. Whether they were otherwise blank rounds or not, who knows, but yeah.” �And then I wanted to tell you this. This is–– this now maybe I’ve been in for five years, this is at a drill. When we had an all-day drill they had to feed us and we decided, a few of us, that we were going to skip lunch and play basketball. But while they were setting up for lunch, I went by this table that had these little pies on it. I thought “We’ll, I’ll have one of those before we play and I won’t be quite so hungry.” So I started eating it and I got juice running down the side of my face and everything, and I guess it was a sergeant who came over and saw that I was eating this pie. He said, “What’s the name soldier?” And in a moment of brilliance I said, “Apple, sir.” That was my best line ever. And I think I got an Article 15 for that–– Article 14 or 15 or something. I know I again–– Interviewer: “You got written up for it basically.” Yeah. I had to go in and type it myself, but it was worth it. That was the best line I ever had. (36:08). Interviewer: “So about how long did you spend with the Saginaw unit?” About a year-and-a-half and the only reason I transferred was I transferred jobs. I went from Saginaw to Ferris. Ferris State College as a–– as their Sports Information Director. Interviewer: “How did you wind up with that job?” It’s funny how when you’re young, you don’t like to get pushed around. But there was a guy that was on the sports staff who announced that he wanted to be a city side reporter and so for summer he went over there and I was told that I would take his place. Which meant instead of covering Central Michigan and Alma, I’d get to cover Michigan State and Michigan and that. So I got quite excited about that, and then he decided near the end of the summer that he wanted to go back to sports. And they told me I was back on the Alma and–– so I started looking around. It could have been for another newspaper job, but I saw that there was an opening at Central Michigan, so I went over there and applied for that job. In the meantime, I guess Ferris must’ve contacted different people to see and they said, “Oh there’s this guy from Saginaw who interviewed with us.” And they came and actually recruited me, which is an uncomfortable thing to be in. When they want you and you don’t care whether you get the job or not too much. But, I went over there for $9,100 a year, a 12 year contract. Which is better than $125 I was making at Saginaw. But, I guess one of the neat things about that [was] this was in 1968 and Ferris had it’s only undefeated football season. I took credit for that. But that’s how I ended up there and then my other thing wasn’t–– then I had to find a unit and I found one in Grand Rapids. And that was kind of a pain because every–– well at least one weekend a month–– I had to drive down to Grand Rapids and–– (38:44). �Interviewer: “Well was US-131 a proper highway then?” Yeah. It’s not like it was now. It was only two lanes. But my folks lived in Wyoming so I stayed overnight with them when I came down, but. Interviewer: “Then so the transportation unit, I mean what kind of work did that involve or what did they do?” I really don’t know. It was a transportation unit–– I guess we hauled stuff, equipment to different places but again, I was in the office most of the time. They had enough sense there to not make me drive a truck or something silly like that. Interviewer: “Now when you’re with these units, did you get to know some people well or make some friends in the group or just kind of hang out by yourself?” I can’t say any of this. Oh, there was one kid–– what was his name? Kipnis I think. He and I were supposed to be partners. He had one half of the pup-tent and I had the other. And he was pretty–– Wendell. That was his name. He was pretty good, I never did learn how to put up a puptent. So if we ever did camp, he’s the one that put it up. Yeah. Joe Wendell. Interviewer: “And then how long did you actually stay in the Reserves?” Your obligation is six years. So from 1966 to 1972. And I can remember my last drill. The government said I owed the $350 because I lost a pup-tent and maybe some boots or something. But I didn’t quibble, and I told ‘em that all those problems I had, my bad knee and bed wetting, were all cleared up thanks to the Army. So I paid ‘em $350 right on the spot and got out of there. (40:53). Interviewer: “Now, you’re in during i–– because you’re in basically the whole time when Vietnam was kind of a large scale––” Oh, yes. Interviewer: “–– in any way did kind of that atmosphere at home or the anti-war movement or the rest. I mean did that affect you or your unit in any way or were you totally disconnected?” Well, the only thing that I got really serious about–– as much as I made fun and disliked the meetings, I made sure I went to them because if you missed two unexcused, you could be activated. So, I was very serious about that. I would–– I never missed a drill. �Interviewer: “And did you have to keep your hair short?” Yes, yes we did. Interviewer: “Okay, so people could look at you and figure you were military or were there enough people with short hair in Big Rapids––” Well, when we went to–– obviously taught drill, they knew. Up in Big Rapids they didn’t know that I was and I never made too much bones about it. I wasn’t terribly proud of anything. (42:04). Interviewer: “Now did you do all of your field stuff at Camp McCoy or did you ever go to Camp Grayling or––” No. No, like I said no matter what it was always Camp McCoy. And I can remember it was about 70 miles from La Crosse, Wisconsin and I recall skipping out a few afternoons to go to La Crosse and spending that–– because I did finally come to the conclusion that the punishment never equaled the crime. You were always better off doing something because they never–– they threatened you with an Article 15 and I guess that would have been an issue if you were looking for a job, but you’ve already had employment. I didn’t care if it followed me the rest of my life or not, yeah. Yeah that was the one lesson I learned. “Don’t play it by the book cause you’re a lot better off” and that’s why I said I was probably one of the worst soldiers that ever went to–– because I didn’t take it seriously except for the infiltration course. That was the only thing I took there–– well all the basic training I guess I took pretty seriously because I was afraid of what–– Interviewer: “You were afraid of it, although you had said earlier––” Oh yeah. Interviewer: “–– you wish you would learn more while you were there.” Oh, I would have demanded to go through it again, and like I said, this time I’ll pay attention to what you’re saying but how they could send people over there with that little training, I–– oh–– wow. Like three weeks on the rival range and everything else was like a half-day of something, right? Straight over. Interviewer: “If you think over your six years in the service are there other particular memories that stand out for you that you haven’t brought into the story yet?” �No I can’t say. I can’t–– Interviewer: “Is she nodding okay or–” She’s not even there now. Interviewer: “So as far as you know that––” Oh, there she is. Interviewer: “So then, what’s the process when your time comes to an end? I mean do you just stop showing up or what happens at the end, when you’re discharged?” I’m not sure what you mean by that. Interviewer: “Well, okay. You get to the end, I mean, is there paperwork to fill out?” Oh yeah. You had to fill out this form, I guess because the government doesn’t want you to come back and sue them for anything. So yeah, I just signed. I had to sign this form saying all these problems I had cleared up miraculously. It was a tough army life. (44:39). Interviewer: “Now, are there any benefits to being in the Reserves?” No. As a matter of fact, I’m trying to find that out. Like I said, I really don’t know if I am a veteran or not. If I am supposed to— and I asked a Reserve unit once, and if I wanna get a loan to go to college or buy a house they said I could. But I don’t know the medical thing, I don’t know if I got really all of the government— Interviewer: “Could you get VA benefits?” Yeah. I actually don’t know that yet. I don’t think I deserve them. Interviewer: “You’ve already been to college—” Yeah. Going to college they wouldn’t— well I went to Michigan State, I don’t know if that’s considered going to college or not. Interviewer: “Now did you continue with a career in media or public relations, or did you go onto other stuff from there?” �Yeah, I finally got really sick of the winters, so when I finally got out of the Reserves, and I can remember around October saying, “Oh jeez, here it comes again.” And I finally decided that I can’t live like this, this is awful. So I applied for jobs nowhere north of Atlanta. I kept it on the East Coast but nowhere— and I was lucky enough that there was a job opening in Fort Lauderdale with the Sun Sentinel. I thought the worst that I can get or the least I can get out of this is a free trip to Florida, but they hired me over the phone. And so I moved down there and I worked for that newspaper for about five years. And then I took a job with another, smaller, paper called The Hollywood Sun Tattler, and I worked there about seven years and it went out of business. And so now here I am about 50 and I had to go get a real job, and I got a job with a roofing company until I spilled some tar on my wrist, and then I quit that and I ended up being a truck driver for an oil company. I lost that job because I wrecked the truck and I ended up being a janitor for the city of North Lauderdale. I spent the last seven years there. I finally found out that a city job is a pretty good job for a loaf because there’s no private motive involved, so if you don’t do it Monday, we can do it Tuesday. The benefits were pretty good— the pay was not that great but— I ended up as a city employee. (47:32). Interviewer: “Now, when you were a sports writer in Florida, did you cover things like, sort of, major league type events?” Yeah. The best thing I got to do was I covered the Dolphins for about six years, that was way before Marina was even there. And the best thing I got to do was I covered the AFC Championship game when the Dolphins beat the Jets, and then went to play the 49ers in the Superbowl. When I say I covered them, I got to go to the practices in the hot afternoon and get a story. I got to cover the home games but the boss, the sports editor, made the trips and I usually had a game. Would have to go to the losing locker room because he always wanted to go to the winning locker room. Which means I didn’t interview Shula that often except at practices. I’d usually have to go interview the Bills coach or something. I like that, that’s what I really wanted to do all my life, but it went out of business. Here we are, little Hollywood, with a Miami Herald south of us in the Fort Lauderdale paper and north of us. I tried to argue once that the only way we could stay in business is to be a ma-pop people report. The little league scores and don’t worry about the dolphins, but they went the other way and they went out of business. Then I had to go find a real job. (49:07). Interviewer: “All right.” I still am a sports writer at heart, only because I am a frustrated jock. I would not have been a police reporter or court reporter or anything like that. It’s just because when I was about 11 I got cut from the little league team [and] I realized I wasn’t gonna be the center fielder for the Tigers. I thought that might — and I found out I could put a word in front of the other without messing it up too badly, so I was a sports writer for about a total of 20 years. �Interviewer: “Think back a little bit to your service experience— what was your view of the whole anti-war movement and the stuff going on during that time when you were in the service?” I didn’t have any strong feelings either. Like I said, as long as it didn’t involve me I don’t— Interviewer: “Just kind of minded your own business?” Yeah. Just keep me out of it. I mean, what was it? All these things— I had no quarrel with no kong? Kind of how I was. Interviewer: “Except you went in and he didn’t want to.” Yeah. Interviewer: “But I guess he was drafted, they were going to take him and make him— because he did not get in the Reserves. Then I guess, finally, to think back in that time in the service, what do you think you learned from that or took out of it?” Learn as far as? Interviewer: “Anything. Life, practical skills, people skills.” Well, it made me real— how should I say? Self-preserving. That I really wanted to look out for old number-one. It made me see the futility of war, I thought that was the dumbest thing mankind has ever attempted. Because it doesn’t seem to change things. If you look back to World War II, and I’m not trying to pretend I’m a history major or anything, but Japan who was our enemy is now our— not friends, certainly not— (51:33). Interviewer: “They’re our friends pretty much.” I never thought war ever solved anything, including the Civil War. That’s one thing I fancy myself, I really like the Civil War. But I think things would have worked out anyway, we didn’t have to have a war. Just as I think we would have— didn’t have to fight the Revolutionary War/ I think eventually England would have to let us go. Whatever was solved in Vietnam, I don’t know. Interviewer: “Not a whole-heck-of-a-lot.” �It’s funny because the closer the wars are to us in years, the less I know about them. Desert storm, I don’t know what that was supposed to solve or anything. Interviewer: “Now we’re just finishing up 20 years in Afghanistan having accomplished basically nothing.” Yeah. Interviewer: “The whole thing makes for an interesting story in its own way and a good counterpoint to ‘Oh, this is what happens to the people.’ The Vietnam veterans will often talk about those guys who went into the Reserves.” I’ll bet you they hold us in a little bit of contempt. I think I would have. Interviewer: “Well, some of them are envious and some of them are envious, and some of them would hold you in contempt.” The one thing that most of them have said is that they do consider me a veteran and that means a lot to me because like I said, I still don’t know. If we have Veteran’s Day services or something and they say, “Veterans stand” or something, I don’t know if I should or not. I have on sometimes and other times I haven’t. Interviewer: “Well, my measure in part is: did you go to basic training?” I went to basic training, and I do have a— maybe it’s gone now— but I do have a hunk of paper that’s an honorable discharge. (53:14). Interviewer: “There you go. But I mean even that experience by itself, that learning something of the military life is something that 99 percent of Americans under the age of 70 don’t have.” Oh yeah. Interviewer: “So you’re in that kind of select group that’s right—” Yeah. My little brother never went in because he became a school teacher, just to avoid it. Interviewer: “That trick didn’t always work.” Yeah, it didn’t. �Interviewer: “It depends a little bit on local draft boards at that point, I suppose. Because I’ve known school teacher people who got jobs as school teachers who got taken anyway.” I sometimes wonder if, and I doubt it seriously, if any of my ancestors were very military like and I don’t think so. My dad was not in the service because he was too young for World War I and had three kids, four kids, by the time World War II came around, so he missed it. Interviewer: “Your brother was in?” Yeah. Dale was in. And it’s kind of funny because I didn’t really talk to him much about it. I don’t— until I saw his tape that you did with him. Didn’t really know how and what he thought about it. Even though he didn’t see combat, at least he was in the real game. Interviewer: “He was in it. He went overseas and he had interesting—” Yeah. The best I did was the Battle of Camp McCoy. Interviewer: “There we are.” I can remember once, and it must have been during a summer camp, that they didn’t give us weapons or something. I remember standing guard with a big stick once thinking, “What are you— are your tax dollars at work? What are you training me for? To be a forest ranger? I guess I can ask, were you in the service there? No. Interviewer: “I grew up with Vietnam on television.” So how did you become kind of interested in veterans? Interviewer: “I always was interested in military history and I have no idea why except maybe it was so foreign to my own experience. But then as you start to read it and you learn more about it, then it all just kind of keeps going.” (55:32). I’ve always kind of wondered what kind of man it would take to be a General. To have that many lives and make decisions. I just— I think you gotta have an ego that just won’t quit. So I have become kind of interested in that. I like Patton, I have been to his museum a few times, and I do wonder “What made him tick?” Interviewer: “Well I can recommend a very good biography for you, but that’s probably getting a little bit off course.” �Oh yeah. Interviewer: “So now as you think further again, are there any other stories that ought to be on record here that we do—” I don’t think so. Interviewer: “Okay. Well, very good. Thank you very much.” Well thanks for your time. (56:22). � 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 LancasterD2369V Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lancaster, Duane A. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-08 Title A name given to the resource Lancaster, Duane (Interview transcript and video), 2021 Description An account of the resource Duane Lancaster was born August 16, 1942 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lancaster grew up in the Grand Rapids area and lived there until for most of his adolescent life. He graduated from Wyoming Park High School in 1961, and from there he attended Grand Rapids Junior College Center. Later he transferred to Michigan State University, where he graduated in 1965. Upon graduation, Lancaster began his first job as a sportswriter in Saginaw Michigan. However, in July of 1965 Lancaster was called for the draft and in September of that same year received his draft notice. This is when Lancaster decided to begin looking for a Reserve unit somewhere. He was able to find one locally and eventually began the process of basic training in Fort Gordon. Within the Reserve Unit, Lancaster was assigned the job of MP or military police, within the Saginaw, Michigan area. Lancaster had an obligation of six years in the Reserves, serving officially from 1966 to 1972. After his service ended with an honorable discharge, Lancaster moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where he began working as a sportswriter at a local newspaper. In more recent years, Lancaster has spent his time working for the city as a janitor. 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 World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401. Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright 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/6053093d0eec45b31b492bc4d9bf7053.pdf 52d881b631daf3a8173780f6e2628597 PDF Text Text COMMUN REC I TY DISCUSSION ME D TIO MA O 'S LA D USE F THE S ORC �FROM THE LIBRARY OF Pla.nning & Zon:r.G Center, Inc. A U AFRAMEWO S S I O N �The Honorable Dennis W. Archer Mayor, City of Detroit Dear Mr. Mayor, Last March you appointed 34 Detroiters to a Land Use Task Force and asked us to develop recommendations regarding the objectives and policies that should be considered in making land use decisions for our city. You asked us to take a hard look at Detroit's past and its present, to "dare to dream" and to shape a vision for the city's future while also bringing objectivity and realism to our task. And you challenged us to complete our work in 120 days! Working together over these past four months has been enlightening and invigorating. Enlightening because we have all learned a great deal about our city-- and about other cities as well. Invigorating because our work has been characterized by lively discussion, frank differences of opinion and a growing appreciation for the enthusiasm and commitment we share. We began our work by touring all areas of the city together; discussing issues; and visiting neighborhoods, business areas and community projects. Meeting both as a full Task Force and in smaller subcommittees and working groups, we reviewed existing plans; assessed actual conditions; and met with experts in planning, retailing, the environment, recreation, transportation, housing and employment. We also evaluated plans and projects from other cities and received ideas, suggestions, and recommendations from literally hundreds of interested people and community organizations. The input to our deliberations from a broad cross section of the city has been truly extraordinary. The work of the Task Force has been facilitated by an exceptional core staff led by Kate Beebe and her associates at The Smith Group -- and by contributions from the individuals and organizations listed in the report. We thank all of them for their support and, in particular, want to express our appreciation to the Hudson-Webber Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Detroit Renaissance and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation for providing major funding. Taken collectively, the recommendations contained in our report, "A Framework for Action," set forth a vision of what Detroit can become and establish a starting point for community -wide planning to attain that vision. We recommend, therefore, that a process be initiated under your leadership through which this report can be widely discussed and debated by interested individuals and groups throughout the city. We also suggest that the report be viewed as the first step in the development of an ongoing, professionally led planning effort for Detroit that would, over time, translate agreed upon land u e guidelines and objectives into a detailed comprehensive land use and strategic implementation plan. Our report proposes a land use policy framework designed to facilitate and guide growth and change for the next several decades. As such, it is based on several implicit conclusions: Decisions regarding specific projects -- especially projects of significant scale and impact -should be made in the context of city-wide land use planning objectives and should be carefully evaluated on a project by project, and site specific, basis. Since redevelopment and revitalization take place over many years, a process should be developed through which strategically located land parcels can be assembled, cleared if necessary, and land banked for future development. Any plan -- even a "framework" for planning -- should impose a city-wide, long term discipline on land use decisions while remaining sufficiently flexible to accommodate changed circumstances or an appropriate "exception to the rule." On behalf of the Mayor's Land Use Task Force, thank you for giving each of us the opportunity and privilege ofparticipating in this important work. ~~ Robert C. Larson Chairman �Robert C. Larson, Chairman The Taubman Company Ned Fawaz American Arab Chamber of Commerce John E. Lobbia Detroit Edison Company Joseph Thompson Edmund Place Restaurant Harold R. Varner, Vice Chair Sims-Varner & Associates Fred Goldberg FIG Realty Corp. Larry Marantette ANR Development Corp. Dennis R. Toffolo Hudson's Joseph L. Hudson,Jr., Vice Chair Hudson-Webber Foundation Yolanda Gomez-Stupka Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Gregory R. McDuffee Historic Realty Company Nellie M. Varner The NM. Varner Company Larry D. Alexander The Westin Hotel Bronce Henderson Chairman,Jobs Subcommittee Detroit Center Tool Eugene A. Miller Comerica Incorporated Flora Walker AFSCME Michigan Council 25 Byung (Ben) S. Park Korean Chamber of Commerce Gail L. Warden Henry Ford Health ~ystem Elizabeth Jackson David W. Schervish Schervish, Vogel, Merz Charlene Johnson Chairman, Neighborhood Subcommittee Michigan Neighborhood Partnership Alan C. Young Chairman, Urban Core Subcommittee Alan C. Young & Associates John David Simpson Entertainment Attorney Charles E. Allen Graimark Realty Advisors Charles H. Brown Victoria Park Development Company Leon S. Cohan Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker Tamara Chanel A. Craig Cass Technical High School Stephen R. D'Arcy Chairman, Infrastructure Subcommittee Coopers & Lybrand C. Beth Duncombe Dickinson, Wright, Moon, Van Dusen & Freeman Diane J. Edgecomb Central Business District Association Reverend Jim Holley Little Rock Baptist Church James C. Kokas Opus One Restaurant Larry C. Ledebur Wayne State University Sister Andrea Lee Marygrove College David LoweU Snead Detroit Public Schools �CONTENTS -~---07 OVERVIE CO --11 UNITIES - GREE AV SYSTE --19 TRA SPORTATION - - - JOB CE TE S ----27 CE T AL CITY---- - - 31 37 ACTIO RECD THA KS 23 -- - 40 ��OVERVIEW This report sets forth a proposed land use framework for Detroit. It looks ahead several decades and makes recommendations designed to create more liveable communities, more attractive areas for job development and a thriving central city. It advocates balanced revitalization throughout the city, building on existing strengths, while converting liabilities to assets. The Framework for Action is not a definitive plan for land use or economic development. Rather, it describes a vision for what the city can become and provides a starting point for ongoing citywide strategic planning and implementation. The recommendations provide general guidelines that can be used to evaluate land use and project development proposals. Proposals of a significant scale and impact will require project specific analysis. Recommendations are presented as plans and polides for interrelated components of the city's land use framework. Communities Ten distinct yet interrelated communities--each a focus of residential, commercial and job development--shape the city. Existing neighborhoods are the building blocks of each community and proposed community retail/service centers serve as their hubs. Job Centers Consolidated and competi[llf business locations will be established to expand and diversify Detroit's job and revenue base. Areas for business expansio: include existing industrial corridors and mi Central City. New business parks are recommended at freeway accessible locations throughout the city. Greenway System Over time, a greenway system will link communities to one another, to the central city and to the river in a continuous network of public and private open spaces. The greenway system will help to define Detroit communities, create a new citywide organizing structure and improve the quality of life for residents, visitors and businesses. Central City Residential development~ proposed as the key to successful Cen~ City revitalization. Adramatic increase·, residents will create a lively urban seH~~ ··edreLlu provide needed support for desn 1 i · 5vs1em anu uses and public transportatton 1. • " establish the fabric that links acu~,cy centers. Transportation An enhanced street system and improvements to Detroit's freeways will increase the city's competitiveness as a business location, improve the cohesion of communities, and define future public transportation opportunities. Changes in the land use orientation and in the appearance of radial st reets (for example, Woodward, Gratiot, and Grand River) are also propo ed. OVERVIEW �'' '' ' '' '' ' ' \ D -• D Low Density Residential Medium-High Density Residential Community Retail MLxed Use Public/Ins ti tu tional Industrial/Re earch & Development Public & Private Open Space econdary Community Retail/ ervice Centers Primary Community Retail/Service Centers LANO USE OVERVIEW PAGE 09 ��Concept Detroit is and has always been, a city of neighborhoods. The e recommendations define a community structure that will provide linkage between these neighborhoods and the city overall. Equally important, the community structure will allow neighborhoods to join together in communities to build the population base needed to support retail, transit and other public services. An important element in establishing thi community structure i the greenway system which works with the freeways and major treets to define physical boundaries. The availability of basic retail and ervice uses i al o critical to community vitality and viability. To ensure that these service are available, a limited number of well-located sites are identified where community retail and seIVice uses will be clustered. To erve as a focu of community activity, these centers should include a civic recreation and events space, a police mini-station and other health and social service agencies. Finally, the definition of communities hould be coordinated with public service delivery areas--e pecially the public schools which are community center in and of themselves and play a critical role in neighborhood and community life for families with children. While many residential areas remain trong, others require major reinvestment and till others have deteriorated to the point where clearance is necessary. Residents, businesses and other stakeholders should work together in_ preparing thoughtful approache to dealing with these realities. COMMUNffl PAGE 12 r POTE T L CO U ITV T UCTU E Recommendations Define a community structure. Ten communities are proposed. Precise boundaries should be established bv community-based "stakeholder" gr~ups \vho also will play a role in ongoing planning. Identify community retail/service center locations where commercial uses will be concentrated in the future. These centers should be planned to serve a community population of no le s than 60 000 to 100,000 re idents ao dto pro,i~ , k drug11~ such retail uses a supennar et ' . h rdware it oeneral merchandise stores, a . t> · clud1n° and other smaller scale u es 10 ,:'i J . • ts and meullll husmess services, restauran ,be enureh nl'i offices. These center mar · · · developed around existing retail h-..,~ of acoinv11"" concentrations and made up of existing and new commefcial establishments. �-- Low Density Re idential • Medium-High Density Residential . Secondary Community Retail/ ~rvICe Centers Primary Comm uni·rYRetail~ erv1ce Centers COMMUNITIES COMMUNITIES PAGE 13 �_,, Coordinate the definition of communities with service delivery areas. To reinforce communitv cohesion and identity--and to improve the accountahility of age ncies all<l departments providing services--each . community should work in cooperation with the public schools, city department and 0.th,er service providers to coordinate commumt} boundaries and service delivery areas. Tailor land use and development poli~ies to existing conditions. Ongoing plannmg in each community should begin wi th a realistic assessment of existing levels of . · sfor the vacancy and deterioration. Po1ioe future should respond to these realities. City Widfnway System Locate community services, civic spaces and a transit station in each center. These community services might include a police mini-station and health and social service agencies. Civic spaces should accommodate community events and recreation. Locate higher density housing within and adjacent to community retail/service centers. Use parks and open spaces to link neighborhoods to each other and the community retail/service center which serves them. Locate amenities (elementary schools, libraries, parks, neighborhood retail) within 1/2 to 1 mile of all residents. Buffer residential and non-residential uses. Reinforce residential areas where almoSl~I of the original structures have been . . good cond·t·on 1 1 usmo maintained and are in .D consistent code enforcement, rehabilitanon, and infill housing development, where appropriate. Additional permanent open space may be created in these areas ~o -~ increase the attractivenes of th e residenu . changes in the setting. However, maior existing development pattern and average densities are not anticipated. �Rel'italize residential areas where a moderate number of the original structures have been lost or are not rehabable using consistent code enforcement, rehabilitation, and infill housing development, where appropriate. In some instances, existing rehabable homes might be moved to vacant lots on otherwise stable block to re-establish complete block faces. Clearance of non-rehabable structures is likely to be necessary in some areas. Cleared lots should be assembled and held to accommodate future development. Vacant lots may also present opportunities for modifying the existing street pattern and providing additional parks and open space to enhance the residential environment. JWWWWWWL Restructure residential areas where the majority of the original structures have been lost and are not rehabable. In some of these areas, substantial clearance may be necessaty. This land should be assembled to create significant redevelopment opportunities. Where adequate land is available, special open space amenities should be created and street patterns modified to make these redevelopment sites competitive investment locations. COMMUNITIES �Within each community, an objective assessment of varying housing conditions will determine which of the three suggested land use approaches--reinforce, revitalize or restructure-is most appropriate. �Detroit is a city of neighborhoods. Each can offer a variety of housing types. COMMUNITIES ��Concc Apermanent, linked greenway system incorporating approximately 10% - 15% of the city's land area will reinforce viable land uses and transform areas of disinvestment and vacancy into open space assets. This greenway will ultimately become a linked system of public and private open spaces including parks, bikeways, boulevards, community gardens, buffer areas and golf courses. The greenway system will enhance land value in adjacent areas and increase investment potential. It will define community edges, buffer non-residential uses and offer close-to-home recreation opportunities linked to the river and major parks. The greenway system will change the city's image from gray to green and, in certain areas, provide a positive use of areas where environmental clean up for more intensive development is not economically feasible. n..,( 1e ~n,; 1 Establish a permanent greenway system. This system should double or triple the amount of open space acreage within the city, consistent with national standards. Plan this system to link major parks and to incorporate areas of disinvestment. In this way, major recreation assets can be made more accessible and areas of loss can be converted to community amenities. Incorporate a variety of open space uses. Examples include parks, bikeways, boulevards, nature areas, community gardens and golf courses. Link the greenway to the riverfront for public access and enjoyment. North-south open space corridors will extend the influence of Detroit's greatest natural asset into the fabric of the city. Encourage active uses within the greenway. Some buildings will remain within the greenway, in particular those with public and institutional uses. Opportunities for commercial use (for example, restaurants and recreational facilities) should also be provided to promote active as well as quiet enjoyment. GREENWAY �Public & Private Open Space GREENWAY SYSTEM �The greenway can offer a variety of open space uses and incorporate both publicly and privately owned land. GREENWAY �TRANSP �Recommendations Coordinate the rebuilding of 1·94 with policies for future land use. This immediate rebuilding project and future freeway improvements provide significant opportunities for retaining and attracting business and improving access to jobs and services. However, opportunities for improving freeway access ramps, adding service drives, and providing uansit conidor must be used to advantage. These improvement should include the construction of "land bridges'' occupied by parks and development areas to link uses on opposite sides of the freeway. In addition, public art should be incorporated in the de ign of freeways to add human interest and create a special identity. Concept Freeways and major streets are significant assets for businesses and jobs. As the freeways are rebuilt over time, they should be planned to create areas of investment opportunity, as well as more efficient circulation routes. The construction of freeway linkages will also enhance Detroit's economic development potential. Land use on Detroit' radial streets Qefferson, Gratiot, Woodward, Grand River and Michigan) should be re-oriented to encourage the development of consolidated community retail/service centers with residential, open space and institutional uses on the balance of the frontage. The e centers should include public uan portation stations. Because public transportation enhances access to jobs and services, Detroit should continue to work toward the development of a regional transit system. Future transit corridors should be reserved on freeways, radials and rail rights-of-way. The feasibility of future transit improvements can be improved by emphasizing higher density residential development in the Central City and on radial streets adjacent to community retail/service centers. An improved transportation system will increase Detroit's competitiveness in retaining and attracting businesses and will provide improved accessibility to jobs and services. In addition, it will enhance the cohesion and livability of neighborhoods and communities and improve the image that Detroit presents to residents and visitors. TRANSPORTATION Connect the Davison from 1-96 to 1-94. The construction of this linkage will make possible the development of competitive business park locations on the east and west sides of Detroit. Sensitive planning and design can minimize adverse neighborhood impact while providing improved accessibility to existing, as well as new, job centers. PAGE 24 - - - --- --- -- - Change land use on major streets. Land use on radial street frontages should be reoriented from trip commercial to residential, open space and institutional use with commercial consolidated in community retail/service centers. On non-radial major anerial streets (for example, Van Dyke, Livernoi , 8 Mile, 7 Mile, Mc ichol , Mack and Warren), viable commercial areas should be reinforced and residential, open space and in titutional u e developed on the balance of the arterial frontage. Upgrade the appearance and functioning of radial streets by modifying their design. The e radial treets should be rede igned to create landscaped boulevard medians, service drives for local traffic and parking, an enhanced sidewalk zone for pedestrians and/or broad landscaped setbacks. Provide future public transportation corridors on radials, freeways and obsolete rail rights-of-way. City Airport should be improved as a citybased highly convenient passenger facility. �'' ' '' ' '' '' r,,, ~-,.,.~-~---~ ______ i ., ',, ', ' '' '' B ~-•I B Freeways Freeway Extension Radials Arterials Transit Corridor Opportunities f• •-1 TRANSPORTATION �Clotku ise from ur.1 t f left The construction of "land bridges" can link uses on opposite sides of a freeway. These "land bridges" can be occupied by parks or development areas. Over time, strip commerical use on Detroit's radial streets can be replaced by consolidated commerical cenl111 with residential, institutional and open space use on lhe balance of the frontage. Radial streets can be redesigned as boulevards to increase their visual appeal. ��JOB CE ER Concept Detroit can establish a framework for strengthening existing businesses and expanding the city's jobs and tax base by restructuring land use to create more consolidated and competitive business locations. For maximum impact, investments should be targeted to areas of existing strength, areas with excellent freeway accessibility, and areas suitable for the kinds of employment sectors which have high potential for future growth. These include auto-related, health care- and universityrelated; service (finance, insurance, real estate, utilities, communications and government); wholesale/distribution; environmental science; and entertainment and tourism. Although every job in the city is important, these recommendations focus on major business concentrations. Detroit's land use policies should respond to the shift which has occurred from rail- and river-based job corridors to freeway-based clusters. Assembled, cleared, environmentally "clean," and well-located sites of adequate size (a minimum of 100 acres) to create modern business park settings should be created. Nevertheless, policies that foster the retention and growth of existing businesses are as important as policies targeted at creating new sites for job growth. Recommendations Identify and reinforce strong existing job corridors and centers. For example, on Detroit's east side, these include the Mound Road corridor, and the areas adjacent to the Chrysler-Jefferson Avenue and General Motors assembly plants. In the Central City, the areas of strength include Wayne State University, Herny Ford Hospital, and the Detroit Medical Center; Eastern Market; and the Central Business District. On Detroit's west side, they include the Lyndon Road and Oakman Boulevard area (I-96/Davison); the area adjacent to 1-96 between Evergreen and the Southfield Freeway; and the Port of Detroit. Create new, competitive business parks based on the following standards: 100 -200 acres with room to expand. Direct freeway access with easy truck access via freeway ramps and surface streets. Access to public transportation. Utility infrastructure in place. Separation/buffering from residential use. Locate these business parks in the following areas: I-751Russel1. north and soutb of 1-91. Automotive-related light industrial and research uses may be most appropriate in this central location adjacent to the new General Motors assembly plant. \Y'ayne State L'nil'ersizv. He11rr Ford Hmpital. Detroit lledica! Cenler Health care- and university-related research uses could be accommodated in a relatively high density, mixed-use urban research park setting located north of 1-94 to the east and west of Woodward. The research concentration at Wayne State University could also be an attractive anchor for an environmental science research and development center. Health care-related production and wholesale/distribution uses could be accommodated adjacent to the Detroit Medical Center to the east of 1-75. Detroit Cizv Airport. If City Airport does not become an economically viable passenger facility in the near future, it should be considered a highly attractive candidate for business park development. Airport area. If the Davison Freeway was extended from 1-96 to 1-94, the area between Mt. Elliott and Detroit City Airport could become a highly desirable location for a range of automotive suppliers and other industrial users similar to those located in the Mound Road corridor. Lvndon Road area (I-96/Dal'imn). An expanded Lyndon Road jobs center could capitalize on direct visibility from I-96 to create an appealing business park setting for a variety of industrial and high tech users. \\"'est of Liz'ernois between the Fisber FreeU'try andj~ffcrmn :l enuc This area is an excellent location for consolidating the transportation and freight-related functions already spreading along the southwest riverfront. If Livernois is redesigned to accommodate heavy truck traffic while buffering adjacent residential areas, this distribution center could be efficiently linked to the rail-to-truck intermodal center now being considered for the Conrail site. Slate Fahgrounds. This site's size, ~cellenr location and accessibility make it a prune candidate for more productive use such asa high quality business park. Detroit should_ initiate discussions with the State concermn~ its future. Conrail site. A rail to truck intermodal distribution center should be_ developed at r 0 this large site west of Livernois an~ ~01th Dix. If that is not feasible and if minimal_. . h Conrail site environmental problems exist, t e k · spar could become a candidate for busmes development. �-- Community Retail Office/Service/Retail Public Institutional Industrial/Research & Development JOB CENTERS JOB CENTERS �</oclm i,t' Jmm uPf,er 1£ r, New, competitive business parks are part of a strategy tor expanding Detroit's jobs and revenue base. In the Central City, an urban research park can accommodate expanding university and health-relateo R&D uses. Open space building buffers between housing and industry will benefit both uses. Detroit's CBD should remain the locus for government and private office uses. ��CENTRAL Cl Y Concept Detroit's Central City, the area within Grand Boulevard, should be the most intensive and diverse activity center in Detroit and a microcosm of the city as a whole. The Central City should be reinforced as the region's primary location for government, culture, entertainment and commerce. It is the image center of the city and an expression of its spirit. The recommended land use approach for the Central City capitalizes on its strengths--the Central Business District's concentration of services and government uses; Eastern Market; educational; cultural and health-care institutions; entertainment and other visitor attractions; the New Center's corporate focus and, of course, the Detroit River. However, it also identifies areas for new development and includes the clearance of structures which are functionally obsolete and have no viable reuse. Acommon sense approach to historic preservation--one that balances economic, cultural and social values--is also needed. Residential development is the key to successful revitalization of Detroit's Central ~ City. A substantial increase in the Central City ~ residential population will create a lively environment, provide the market to support desired retail uses and transit systems, and establish a development fabric that supports office, entertainment and institutional activity centers. The Central City includes several distinctly different areas that are, nevertheless, interdependent and should be linked together. A network of pedestrian-oriented open space connections will create linkages within the Central City, capitalize on the unique characteristics of the riverfront, and extend its influence into inland neighborhoods. 1 CBD 4 New Center 2 Gateway 5 Universitv/Cultural/ 3 Central City Medical Center West Recommendation.., Central Business District Promote the highest det elopme111 den ities and a mix of me, i11 the Ce11tral Busines,; District In particular, high density development should be encouraged at and around People Mover stations. 6 7 8 9 Brush/Cass Eastern Market Central City East Riverfront East . . , conomicallr Clear bwlt/111(!,s that bai e no e . " CBD's 1mage l'iable n?u,e To change the ortunmB, .·. and create new development opP Cadilla( ' theBook dif buildings such as Hu dsons, and the Statler Hilton s~ould b~;~r:ntenfl1 they cannot be economically r~ should tt green space (not surface pa:king) provided on these sites unttl new development occur • �Office - Retail - . t District Entertammen . Special Use Distnct - Industrial . High!Me?ium Density Residenual Low Density Residential - Public/Institutional Greenway System CENTRAL CITY LAND USE �Central Business District£11courage entertainment use north of Grand Circus Park to the Fisher Freeway and extending southeast to I-7\ west to Grand River and south to Adams and Broadway. University/Cultural/Medical Center Build on unil'ersi(V cultural and bealtb care ancbors by pro1•idingfor expansion into areas nortb of l-9·i and east ofI- ..5. Include residential and amenity retail as mixed uses. Encourage the consolidation of office use south ofKennec~v Square and north of Jefferson to create a CBD office district. Continue to attract and retain government and private office uses to reinforce this area as a CBD office district. New Center Jlaintain and e.,pand office, retail. restaurant and entertainmelll use in a high quality c01porate environment. Encourage residential use to the north. Promote mixed high-densi(l' residential and ameni(v retail uses between Grand Circus Park and Kennedv Square. Amenity retail includes those uses which serve the convenience needs of the CBD's residents, workers and visitors. Preserz•e the opportuni(vfor a regional(vscaled specialtr retail facility as part of a mixed-use development on a 20 -30 acre site in the Cadillac Square area between Woodward and Greektown. Locate cil'ic. public and complementan pril'ate uses on the CBD ril'erfront. Cass/Brush Empbaszze moderate(}' high-densizv residential use 1eitb amenizv retail and sen'ices in the area lo the north of the Fisher Freeu·a_1·. 1 Eastern Market Reinforce Eastern .Uarket ~v pro1•idi11gfor the expansion of wholesale and retail actll'ities zl'hile presen•ing the area's bh;toric character Link Eastern Market to downtown on Gratiot. Establish a retail serl'ice center in tbe Eastem Market area that offers a mix of comparison and conz•enience shopping Approximately 30 -40 acres should be reserved on a major arterial street and near a freeway interchange for a commercial center serving citywide and Central City shopping needs. This center should include comparison shopping (discount stores, home improvement stores, home accessory stores) and convenience shopping uses (supermarket, drugstore, personal service businesses). Gateway Create an improt·ed intemationel Gate1ra1· at the Amba,sador Brid,• 1e Provide separate truck and auto connections to Detroit's freeways and radial streets and encourage visitor-oriented commercial and mixed-use development from the Bridge through Mexicantown to Michigan Avenue. Link the Gateway to Fort Wayne with a greenway connection and a new riverfront drive. East Riverfront Promote res1dential. e11tertai11ment. bate/ and amenity retail in a special district tcitb ample open space and /a11d~capi11g Existing industry, which represents an asset to the Detroit economy, should be relocated over time. In addition, office development on the riverfront should be discouraged and retail use carefully planned to avoid compromising the retail base in other parts of the Central City. Create l'ieu· corridor:, to the Rit•erfrom }ejfe,:mn and del'elop north-south open space corridors leadinP, to areas of actiuity on tbe riz•etjront. Provide for public and primte open space on the rit-'e~fi"ont and public access on a combination of conJinuous inland and rive1front routes. Central City East and West t_, cuu,age resl(/i;,1/ial de1·dopme11tata /'anetv of densities in tbr) Ce11tral eto· East and \r e,·t a,w,r, Capitalize on opponunities for promoting large-scale residential development initiatives in areas of ignificam disinvestment Woodward Corridor cstabl,sb a b1gb(l' attractil'e streetset:peon V.:'ood,card ll'itb a oric and instituuonal empbcu, on tbe ,treet (,·ontage This symbolically important radial street s~ould become the most attractive in the region. for example a landscaped boulevardmed'ian or ' of the nght-of-way . · I de expansion to inc u · areas, landscaped setbacks and pede5rnan would create a sense of civic scale, De ign decisions should respond to the . . that structure with no,. recommendation . 1e reuse on Woodward,~~ economically v1ab Central City frontage be cleared. As_peod r . . Id b t bltshe ,or district des1gnatton shou e e~ a , andi the Woodward frontage with guideh~~s hest design review process to ensure the I? t Atransit quality of future developmen · N linkage from the CBD to the ewCenter should also be provided. �Clodu·ise (rum llP{c'f 1eft The East Riverfront can accommodate aspecial mix of uses in an open space setting . Agreenway along the riverfront will welcome visitors arriving in Detroit from the Ambassador Bridge. Asignificant specialty retail development may be feasible in the future in the CBD. The "rebirth" of Woodward Avenue as awell landscaped corridor lined with civic and institutional uses will become a symbol of Detroit's quality of life. b �Vernor DETROIT CENTRAL CITY GREENWAY ��E Recommended actions are identified to initiate an effective community discussion of the Framework for Action and to ensure that pending planning and infrastructure decisions are made with a clear understanding of Detroit's vision for the future. Community Definition The Task Force has recommended that ten distinct yet interrelated community districts be established across the city. The proposed communities reflect the functional organization that supports the creation of viable community retail/service centers, as well as the physical conditions (for example, freeways, major su·eets and the greenway system) that establish logical edges. This community structure is also intended to encourage neighborhood groups, businesses and other stakeholders to join together in undertaking community-based planning. Although the boundaries that define these communities merit additional consideration, this community structure should be used to organize a workable process for community review of the Task Force's Framework for Action. 1-94 Corridor Planning for the rebuilding of 1-94 has begun. This project has the potential to be much more than a repaving exercise. The improved freeway can help to redefine land uses, establish linkages, improve economic development potential and lay the groundwork for implementing sophisticated traffic and transit solutions. It is recommended that the city work directly with MDOT and SEMCOG on planning for the future of the 1-94 corridor. Woodward Avenue Because the repaving of Woodward Avenue is scheduled for 1996, the city should work with MDOT on the design of Woodward improvements to ensure that they are consistent with Detroit's vision for the future. Rail-to-Truck lntermodal Terminal MDOT is currently studying alternatives for the location and conceptual design of a major (20~ acres or more) intermodal terminal in the Detroit metropolitan area. The Task Force has recommended that the Conrail Yards be elected. The city should advocate the designarion of the Conrail Yards for this use and begin immediately to work with MDOT to reach decis_ions on size, design and function. The needs and priorities of the city and the southwest Detrott businesses and residents who will be mo t directly affected should be recognized. Business Park Development . Two sites already in public ownership--Detroit City Airport and the State Fairgrounds--prov1de outstanding potential for the development of new, competitive business parks. The costs and benefits of expansion to improve the Airport's attractivenes as a passeng~r service facility should be evaluated and then compared to those resulting from the poss_ible reuse of this site for business park development. Decisions concerning the future of th is important site should be made as soon as possible. The state-owned Fairgrounds' excellent location and accessibility make it a prime ca nd_idate for a high quality business park. It is recommended that the city initiate discussions wi th the State concerning its future. �~ivertront Me~rgest landowner on the East Riverfront, the city can begin immediately to implement recommendations for creating north-south open space corridors leading to riverfront activity neasandde ignating areas for unobstructed views to the river. These efforts can serve as the 1 mtialstep in establishing a special district designation for the East Riverfront to promote an ~propriate mix of uses and a high quality of development. (nvironmental Contamination and Clean Up ~non~·attention should be given to the definition and adoption of realistic environmental clean ~P standards that protect human health and safetv and the environment consistent with the mtended future use of any given site. Clean up re'quirements should he appropriate to future bnduse. ACTION �Core Staff Funding Support Katherine F. Beebe, Premise Associates, Director Romeo Betea, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation George Sass, Johnson Johnson & Roy Connie Dimond,JohnsonJohnson & Roy Barry Murray,JohnsonJohnson & Roy William Hartman, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates Lillian Randolph, Community Development Services Rainy Hamilton, Hamilton-Anderson Associates Ernest Zachary, Zachary and Associates Hudson-Webber Foundation Kresge Foundation Detroit Renaissance Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Supporting Staff Kent Anderson, Schervish, Vogel, Merz Peter Berg, Schervish, Vogel, Merz Deborah Bobowski, Premise Associates Don Capobres, Premise Associates Patricia Dermidoff, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates Karen Gallagher, Johnson Johnson & Roy Malik Goodwin, Johnson Johnson & Roy Gilda Jewell, Premise Associates Mary Jukari, Johnson Johnson & Roy Brian Miller, Sims-Varner & Associates Dorian Moore, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates Jane Morgan, Community Development Services Gloria Paul, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates Connie Pulcipher, Johnson Johnson & Roy Janine Rataj, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates Jerry Sarkody, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates Mark Thomas, Premise Associates Derek White,JohnsonJohnson & Roy Tour Guides Mary Hebert Diane Jones Ann Lang Karen McLeod Sue Mosey Jack Pryor Joe Vassallo Tom Walters Kurt Weigle Report preparation Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates Johnson, Johnson & Roy Premise Associates Contributors AB Associates, Patricia Becker Acme Abrasive Company, Robert Beebe A.I.A. Detroit Allied Signal Ambassador Bridge Company, Dan Stamper Ameritech BEi Associates The Boomer Company Brogan & Partners Butzel Long Casey Communications Management Cody Olson, Phil Cody Comerica Incorporated, Kathryn Bryant Deloitte & Touche, Patrick Moore Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Jack Pryor Detroit Public Library Detroit Renaissance, Robert Keller Detroit Medical Center Detroit Edison Eastern Market, Ed Deeb Engelwood Enterprises, Francis Engelhardt The Farbman Group Professor Michael Farrell Focus:HOPE, Fr. William Cunningham, Eleanor Josaitis Gebran S. Anton Development Corporation, Gebran Anton Grand Trunk Railroad, Bob Walker Holtzman and Silverman Construction & Realty, Gilbert Silverman KPMG Peat Marwick Mexican Industries, Rance Aguirre, Pete Leon Michael Kobran Associates, Michael Kobran M.R. Prochaska, Mike Prochaska Michigan Department of Transportation Motor Marketing International of Detroit, Robert McCabe OJ Transport, Rojelio Padilla, Leon Harris Contributors continued RFP Associates, Raymond Parker R.A. DeMattia Co., Gary Roberts Schervish, Vogel, Merz, Architects/Planners Signature Associates, Chris Mansour Sims-Varner Associates, Architects/Planners Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates, Arnold Mikon Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments,John Amberger Southwest Detroit Business Association, Kathy Wendler Spaulding Electric, Bill Spaulding The Taubman Company, William Cook University of Michigan, Susan Rochau, Intern University Cultural Center Association William Kessler and Associates Wayne State University, John Taylor Wayne County Office of Jobs and Economic Development, DeWitt Henry Bill Adaline and the Staff at 150 West Jefferson City Departments and Personnel . Marge Byington, Director of Economic Development, Marsha Bruhn, Detroit City Council Liaison Community & Economic Development Department Planning Department City Engineering Department Finance Department, Assessors Division Detroit Department ofTransportation City Airport Department Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Economic Development Corporation Detroit Economic Growth Corporation Recreation Department Detroit Public School System Cit , of Detroit ) Graphic Design, Photography, Renderings and Publication Smith, Hinchman & Grylls Associates Balthazar Korab National Photo Service, Steve Rubin Richard Rochon Inland Press And thanks to the many individuals f. ' l d' h h. . . . . d mendations U'ilh us. line u mg sc ooI c ildren) and commumty organizations who shared their ideas an recom • � 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 Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Detroit_Land-Use-Framework_1990s Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Land Use Task Force, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990s Title A name given to the resource A Framework for Action: Recommendations of the Mayor's Land Use Task Force Description An account of the resource A Framework for Action: Recommendations of the Mayor's Land Use Task Force was prepared by the Land Use Task Force appointed by the Mayor of the City of Detroit in the 1990s. Subject The topic of the resource Land Use--Planning Detroit, Michigan Wayne County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7c3d4984ff65a54e4d926da1375e7487.mp4 4d20a8f8ac5dcbac10b8eeff1b901d29 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f45c6ee3e0fb80351545983f761020c.pdf c4f751c4651f4c1b1041e1a1a72e5551 PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW JOE LANGE Born: Grand Rapids, Michigan Resides: Grand Rapids, Michigan Interviewed by: James Smither PhD, GVSU Veterans History Project, Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, January 13, 2012 Interviewer: Mr. Lange, can you start with some background on yourself? To begin with, where and when were you born? I was born on October 9, 1947, right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was born at St. Mary‘s Hospital. Interviewer: Did you grow up in Grand Rapids? All my life in Grand Rapids, except for my service time. Interviewer: What did your family do for a living while you were growing up? My father worked for Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. as a yardman, loading and unloading trucks, and later for Salhaney Uptown Cleaners, and then as the store manager for the St. Vincent DePaul Society for twenty years. My mother worked for thirty years for General Motors at the inland plant on Alpine and retired through the UAW. Interviewer: How many kids were in your family? I come from a family of three boys. I‘m the oldest, my brother is a dentist in Sparta, Dr. John Lange, 22 months younger, and then a brother eleven years younger, Jeff Lange, who deceased seven years ago, and worked for General Motors and then Bosch after that. 1:08 Interviewer: Did you graduate from high school? 1 �I graduated from Catholic Central in 1965 and went on to Aquinas Collage on a financial aid scholarship and majored in biology. I had a grade point of 4.0 my freshman year. My wife graduated in 1965, Mary Ann Boric, from Catholic Central as well. She started out in banking at Central Bank as a seventeen-year-old high school graduate, and has been in banking ever since. She just retired this January, and is still working part time at Founders Bank and Trust, a lengthy history. Interviewer: When did you get married? We got married in December of 1967. The Vietnam War was going on at full bore and I recognized that was a great opportunity. Aquinas College had a thirty-day break between semesters and it seemed to fit, and we went ahead and got married. 2:02 Interviewer: Did you then complete your college education? No I did not, and shortly before getting married I hired in at Heckman Biscuit on 28th Street and Madison, ostensibly to work my way through school. The financial aid scholarship I had been offered as residual family income, and being what it was didn‘t allow for repeating that scholarship, and I knew the next year my brother would be becoming a freshman. I actually wrote them and asked if the scholarship was available could I see him have it? I found out that working full time, even though it was second shift, did not allow for a science major to keep up with your credit hours, so I fell behind. I had fifteen credit hours my fall term, and dropped to twelve my next semester, and that‘s when the draft took place. I could not get the rest of my credits in before the draft in July of 1968. 3:13 Interviewer: They didn’t regard you as a full time student essentially? 2 �Yes, I lost my student deferment, was married, and my wife was expecting our first son, Tom. She was due in the fall, and that did not preclude them from you from drafting you at that time. Apparently I didn‘t have enough physical defects to fail and I was classified 1A. Interviewer: When did you get the draft notice? I got the draft notice in June or May I can‘t recall which. My draft number was 255, which was pretty high and I felt pretty secure. The reason that didn‘t help was that General Westmoreland had gone to the Secretary of State [Defense] McNamara, who presented to President Johnson the need for another hundred thousand troops after the sixty-eight Tet offensive, and I was one of those hundred thousand that got drafted. 4:04 Interviewer: So, they were reaching farther and farther down into the pool in terms of the lottery numbers and so forth. The interesting part of that, historically, had to do with the area you were in. If you lived in the city of New York, they had a lot larger pool, and with a smaller city like Grand Rapids, they had less to choose from, so having lost my student deferment put me right up as 1A. Probably under other conditions you wouldn‘t have drafted a married person with a child. They had to meet their quota. Interviewer: Right, because a little earlier there had been limits and restrictions on that kind of thing. Yes Interviewer: But, you were coming late enough, so those were gone away by then. 3 �I think they were only drafting up to the age of twenty-eight, and they pushed that out to the age of thirty-three, they were taking so many. More on that later and the fellows that were drafted with me. Interviewer: Take us through the induction process. You get the letter, and do you go for a physical, or what goes on? Well, I got the letter and protested to the draft board that my wife was expecting and that it should be at least postponed until she had the child, and they postponed it until August 13th, but the decision was that was irrelevant and they were going to draft me anyway. 5:08 So, August 13th I, I should back up, my son was born nearly two months early, coincidently, and my wife had my son on the 27th of July and on August 13th I went to the induction center, which was the old city hall downtown, the old building, which I believe either the building is gone, or it‘s the current empty building that had been the art museum. We went down there by bus and from there we went to Fort Wayne in Detroit, and went through a physical process. I have no central vision in my right eye, so they looked up the records that decide what to do. The vision in my right eye was 40/400 and they thought maybe they could defer me there, but 40/600 was the requirement, so I passed the vision test. They kept me there and sent me from there to Fort Knox overnight 6:00 Interviewer: Now, when you were at the induction center, you hear stories about people and the various ways they are trying to get them selves declared unfit or 4F, whether it was drinking too much sugar or trying other things. No, I never tried anything like that Interviewer: Did you see any of that? 4 �I wasn‘t aware of any of that either, but I can‘t say that it didn‘t happen. You were with a smaller group. The put you up in a hotel downtown overnight, you got there late that day, and got up the next morning and took the physical. I am entirely sure that some people did those things, but I didn‘t witness it. Interviewer: You didn’t see it. So, where did they send you then for basic training? From there they sent me to Fort Knox, Kentucky. There were a number of basic training centers, but that was the closest one to Grand Rapids and a large quantity of people were going down there. You have to remember, when you induct that many in a short period of time, it‘s makeshift. They actually opened up new barracks for that training company. The training company was B93, and they had us go into a school building at the end of basic training and do chants. 7:02 All different companies against each other, and ―B93, the best one to be‖, was our chant. It was to pump you up for pride of ―esprit de corps‖ we‘ll call it. Interviewer: How easy or hard was it for you to adjust to life in boot camp? Let me share this story with you. I‘m a pretty big guy now, I was six foot and I weighed about 220 lbs. when I went in. I had gotten heavier with the hours I worked, I worked fifty hours a week, schooling and regular meals. The military tends to trim you down when you‘re a big guy and beef you up when you‘re not. The never restricted my food at all, but there was enough exercise that they saw to it that you lost weight. The drill sergeant, Staff Sergeant Williams, took me aside after the process and said, he called me ―big man‖, and he said, ―you‘re the one I had my eye on and cutting out of basic because you were not in the best shape, and you proved me wrong‖. 8:08 I got down from 220 to 170 in basic training by initiatives on my own, extra exercises, extra running after the 5 �day to make the one mile run that you were required to do, and then the sergeant was kind enough to help me with extra push ups. In the army a push up is up and down twice for one push up and he had a habit of saying, ‖drop and give me fifty‖, whenever he saw me, although he did make me an assistant squad leader, so I know he liked me. Interviewer: Did they also put a lot of emphasis on military discipline? Absolutely, and it wasn‘t unusual to do a lot of cleaning. When we moved into the building it had been unused, and we cleaned it with hand brushes on our hands and knees repeatedly. I don‘t think you want to draw a comparison with what the Marine Corps did. It was a little different than that, but cleanliness was next to godliness in the military. Let it suffice, we had a person that had a problem with cleanliness, but the sergeant left that up to us to resolve, and we did. 9:08 You may have heard of blanket parties? Well, he got a blanket party, and he got cleaned up with brushes and lye soap, so no more problem with that guy. Interviewer: How long was basic training while you were there? Basic training I believe was an extended period of time. It was six weeks, I got there in August, we went through September, and went on to advanced training in October. I think they had and eight week program. It was six weeks originally and pushed to eight weeks I believe, but I may be mistaken. The highlights were a ten-mile march in full pack, you had to do that, and then daily physical training, and then a PT test at the end. Interviewer: You were kind of filling out the basic part. Did you do the advanced training at the same place? No, at the end of basic training, if you passed, and there were only five people out of a company of two hundred that didn‘t, and there were various reasons for that. They 6 �usually got run through a second—I don‘t know what they call it, but they ran them back through a second training. Some was illness related and some was inability to keep up. 10:16 They assigned you your duty, I know the top guy in our company was George Washburn, and he got infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia. They based that on your final PT test, your performance overall and your skill levels. I think they also looked at the fact that I was married with a child and said, ―We‘re not putting you into combat infantry‖. I and, I think, as many as ten or fourteen guys were sent to Fort Bellvoir, Virginia. They selected what types of training based on testing. I tested the weakest in electronics and they made me a generator mechanic. Interviewer: Describe a little bit the facility at Fort Belvoir. Where is it? Fort Bellvoir is in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C. If you went out toward Arlington Cemetery it would be off the highway on the right, beautiful grounds, a beautiful base, if you will. 11:16 It is the engineers school for the entire United States Army on the east coast, and part of the old guard. Washington D.C. is surrounded by military bases all the way around. Quantico, Virginia for the marines, Fort Meade, and I don‘t remember all of them. You‘re surrounded by military bases, and that goes back to early history. The school for engineers is also the OCS school for engineering. They throw up construction bridges of different types, wooden timber, girder, and learn to command in engineering, but our part of that was to learn how to operate a generator, as a 52B10, and we all scored well in that. They moved us on to 52B30, and gave us a second session in how to assemble and disassemble generators, and actually do major repairs. 12:13 We graduated just before Christmas in 1968, and were given order directly to Vietnam from there. We protested that by law they were required to, the Inspector 7 �General's office was required to allow us a fourteen-day leave before departure to a war zone, so we did that. Interviewer: Ok, that was becoming a kind of normal procedure to protest or argue orders? No, they sent us directly to Vietnam before Christmas of 1968, and the twenty-eight of us in my training company went down to the Inspector General's office, I should clarify. We piled into two cars, went down to the office, and said to him, ‖wait a minute, this is not right‖, and it was not a demonstration, it might have been a show of force, but it was certainly passive. We weren‘t trying to attack anyone. We were all saying as a collective group was what the military law says is that you have to give us fourteen days, so they did that. 13:07 I went home for Christmas and left February 14th to Oakland, California. Interviewer: Now prior to the time that you went over to Vietnam, how much did you know about what was going on over there and what you might have to expect? I hadn‘t really focused on the war in Vietnam much, being married, working full time and trying to go to school full time, I certainly had not protested in any way. I wasn‘t involved in any of that, but I was keenly aware there was a war in Vietnam going on. I had an uncle that served in WWII, so there was a military background in the family. I was very proud of his service. He was in the 105mm Artillery at Leyte, so I have been regaled with stories of his military service, and his nephew was an officer in the Army Reserve or the National Guard, so I have been exposed somewhat to the military. I had gone down after high school to enlist with my friend, Keith Moser, in the Marine Corps. He was eighteen, they took him, and I was seventeen. My mom and dad refused to sign, 8 �and they did not take me. 14:09 I had an interest in being a Marine as a kid growing up, but I was not, say, a hawk type person vs. a dove type person. Interviewer: So what made you interested in enlisting in the Marines at that point? I had always thought that it was important to demonstrate service to the country, and the people in the country, and I always thought that is was important for your own psyche, if you will, if you are going to do that—to do the most difficult part of it. I never looked for the easy way out. You notice in talking about getting drafted, I protested, but I didn‘t continue to push it and it was a difficult decision, but I felt it was my duty, role, and honor to serve my country. I have more opinion now about the war than I did prior to going in and I can explain that later. 15:03 Interviewer: Did you get trained by anybody who had been to Vietnam one way or another? Yes I did, I had Staff Sergeant Williams as my training sergeant. He had had both elbows shot off and he could stand in front in the rest position for hours at the time. He did not tell us good stories about Vietnam, but in generalities, drove us and tried to—he was very good, a strict disciplinarian, a good trainer, had compassion up to a point. If you did what you could he was proud to have you in his unit, and he didn‘t share war stories, although we did ask questions. We had an assistant squad leader who ran one of the other training platoons who was a corporal who had been a door gunner and later a squad leader in Vietnam. 16:03 A very young, couldn‘t have been more than eighteen or twenty himself, but none of the leadership, although they were trying build esprit de corps, really focused on what had happened. We had a Lieutenant, who returned to our training platoon, who had an injury to his right hand from using a magnesium hand 9 �grenade, and he insisted that when you passed him, you would salute him, and part of that was to demonstrate that as hard as it is for his hand to make a salute, he would do that. That was the only other person I know of that had been injured, and he was the only one I knew of at that point. Interviewer: When you were training for the engineers, was there a question as to where you would go, or was the assumption that everybody was going to go to Vietnam? The assumption was, everybody was going to Vietnam, but there was no definitive answer to that. I should explain, and back up. The second training session ended early in December, we went home for our fourteen days leave, back to Fort Belvoir as a holdover until the middle of February. We didn‘t really get our final orders until we came back for the fourteen-day leave. 17:18 There was some question as to when it would be and where you would go. Although I did get to go home in February briefly before going over, we went right from home, right to Oakland. Other guys extended that, they—I won‘t say they were AWOL, but they didn‘t report on time, so that might have been the fact that getting to Oakland was kind of on your own. They didn‘t give you a voucher to pay for your airfare; you had to do that if you went home. They would get you there from the military base, but from your home base you had to do that. Interviewer: So, you get yourself out to Oakland now, it’s February of 1969, now how do they get you then to Vietnam? In Oakland it was a case of you took what gear you were assigned and your personal belongings with you, you were bunked down in a kind of warehouse facility and assigned a cot. 18:21 Then they started grouping people together for duties. I spent twenty-four 10 �straight hours on KP, which was kitchen police, and then was called right off KP to say you‘re leaving now. So, what they were doing was keeping people busy, putting you into a group for a flight to Vietnam. It was the third day, I think actually, now that I think about it that we left. I left with Keith Roelofs, Don Kopareu, and Ted Williams, and Don Schwart from Seattle, and those are the names I can remember. There were a few other people. Interviewer: Did they put you on a military aircraft or a chartered civilian plane? It was a chartered civilian plane, and the plane—we left from Fort Douglas MacArthur Airbase I believe, and they kind of screened you from the crowd because that was in California and there was anti-militarism already at that point. 19:15 They flew us to Hawaii, which was beautiful, I had never seen Hawaii before, and from Hawaii to Guam, which was a military base for the B-52 Bombers, and from Guam directly to Bien Hoa Airbase right outside of Saigon. Interviewer: What was your first impression of Vietnam when you got there? Well, let me explain the flight from Guam. We were on a C-130, a military aircraft, and you‘re in the jump seats, the paratroops would use, with your gear, and as we came over the shoreline we took incoming fire, so we had to circle back out. We landed at Bien Hoa airbase, they dropped the ramp down and you saw a cordon of aluminum caskets about twelve feet high, stacked five high, or six high as I recall. 20:05 They paraded you down that ramp through that cordon. We all noted when we got off that there was a large hole in the wing about that big around, and some smaller bullet holes in the fuselage. I was one of the last to get off, and I asked the guy at the bottom of the ramp if that was incoming fire and he said, ―oh yeah, there, there and there‖, and no one was hurt. The 11 �circled around and took a different route, so you already knew that you were going to get shot at, and seeing all the caskets, a lot of people were dying in Vietnam, so you took it pretty seriously. The heat was oppressive; in the southern part of the country it was very humid and damp. They gave us lectures on behavior, what to watch out for, how to move, they gave us a set of pamphlets, not really flyers, but booklets, part of MacAfee‘s booklet on Vietnam, and an infantryman‘s guide, and a phrases book, which I still have. I know very few phrases, however. 21:05 Interviewer: How much of that orientation turned out to be useful? Quite a bit, and first of all you learned that everyone with you was just as nervous as you were, but it was all for a good cause. Second, it gave you some time before they took you to your holdover company at Bien Hoa, to acclimate a little bit, and thirdly, it set a tenor of seriousness, in what‘s important to do, and there‘s a lot of camaraderie and vibrato as you first arrive. There were a number of people who were draftees and also a number of people who were enlistees, and you tend to see the enlistees looking more for adventure and the draftees looking to do their service, so that kind of explains it, I think. Interviewer: Do you know if there were some people who enlisted to kind of beat the draft? There were some cases of that, and when that happened you saw somebody trying to enlist in the Navy or the Air Force. 22:05 And now that you‘ve mentioned that, I did go to both to the National Guard and the Army Reserve to see if there was any opportunity here, locally to do that, so I wouldn‘t have to leave my family, but there were not opportunities. They were all filled up, so that will give you a little flavor—a lot of people were doing that, yes. 12 �Interviewer: How do you find out what your assignment is? They put you in a holdover company and it took about ten days, and then did a lot of military personnel records, did a lot of sorting, and deciding who was going to go where and to what units. Fortunately for me, the group that I came over with, the names I had mentioned, went to the 4th Infantry Division, 124th Signal Battalion, because they needed generator mechanics, and after about ten days of doing various work duties to keep you busy—just before I left I found out you could walk down the street to one of the mess halls and actually get a square meal. 23:08 I sat down with two older sergeants who welcomed you even as an inductee, have coffee with them and get a better flavor of what was going on from those two guys. We turned in our stateside uniforms and were issued new uniforms during those ten days, stateside fatigues for jungle fatigues, and our field jackets were in the way because in the southern part of Vietnam you didn‘t really need them for anything. They were all loaded up and sent to the highlands where I ended up. You weren‘t given your final gear, like helmets, I‘m sorry, you were given a helmet, you didn‘t get your weapon, or bayonet, or ammo, or anything of that nature until you got to your unit. The decision was made for a small group of us to go to the 4th Division once they had arranged a flight again on a C-130 cargo plane. 24:05 We flew from Bien Hoa to Pleiku airbase, and I thought I had landed in the states when I got there. They had green grass, an outdoor movie theater for Jeeps, a swimming pool in the ground, tarmac airstrips, or concrete airstrips, and a walnut with a brass rail, with an etched glass mirror bar for the enlisted men‘s school. A far cry from where I ended up. Interviewer: That part looked civilized, but did they send you off to a base from there? 13 �From there by bus, they loaded up one fairly large school type bus with grates over the window, which told you right away you were going somewhere dangerous. What gear you had, your duffle bag you took with you, and you bussed from the Pleiku Airbase south of—no, north I believe of the city of Pleiku, through Pleiku to the Camp Enari base, which you would liken it to say Missouri where you have the red clay dust. 25:09 It was a large military compound, housed the entire 4th Division, and all of its units, and you were two weeks there as a holdover. There was a final issuance of your gear, canteen, and everything that didn‘t belong to the company you were going to end up in. A little bit about the hold over company, we were there two weeks or so, it was located along the perimeter where the airstrip was. The airstrip was a PSP airstrip, which is perforated matting, it was intended for helicopters because there was the 1st Cavalry helicopters assigned there to support the 4th Division and it could land at what we call the Caribou. I believe it was a C-100 [C-123], I can‘t remember, a short take off and landing vehicle, airplane, two engine cargo plane. 26:05 They weren‘t assigned there, but they brought in supplies, and troop etc. Interviewer: Now, was your battalion based on Camp Enari or did you go somewhere else? Our battalion was based at Signal Hill on, Camp Enari, which would have been maybe five hundred meters away from the hold over company. They actually marched us there and didn‘t have to truck us. We went to battalion headquarter on top of signal hill, and the motor pool. Motor pools, in the 4th Division at least, were around the outside perimeter. 704th Maintenance, 124th Maintenance, a 155 Artillery Unit, and I don‘t know if that was a 14th or 42nd, I can‘t tell you that. Then the airstrip, and then another 14 �maintenance, possibly the 38th Mechanized Infantry, and so on all around the perimeter of the base camp. 27:03 So, from Signal Hill you went down to the motor pool area towards the airstrip where the various companies—C Company first, C company was one half of the company walk, and they did mechanical maintenance for the vehicles, there were four hundred and fourteen vehicles, including generator trailers, and then B Company ran the generators and did generator maintenance, and then A Company was called the line company and they ran the wires for signal communication, and the communication conex trucks. They were like a shipping container on the back of a truck and had radio signal communications in it. They were again A, B, and C Company, and there was also a detachment that did photography and another unit, I can‘t remember what they called it, it was attached, that did surveillance, and I always thought it was spy work, but they tried, for the whole division, what the photographs meant, and things of that nature. 28:12 Interviewer: What specific unit were you in and what were your duties? Originally I was assigned to C Company, I‘m trying to remember if I‘m getting that right, I might have been assigned to B Company as a generator mechanic. There were a number of us that came over there as generator mechanics. The maintenance motor pool was run by a warrant officer, a CW002, a command warrant officer 2, which is equal to about a Captain, and he interviewed each of us in turn, and talked to us as a group, and interviewed us each in turn, and mentioned that he didn‘t need any more generator mechanics, and did anybody know how to work on trucks, and I threw my hand up. I had done maintenance with my uncle I told you about that was in the artillery, and worked for Bryant Chevrolet and later C Bell. 29:03 I had spent a lot of time because I was in the 15 �area of Catholic Central, after school, working with him, and learned mechanics. So, they put me on the job training as a truck mechanic. Then they interviewed two of us, I think it was Keith Roelofs and myself, asking if we could type. I typed about sixty words a minute and he did about thirty, so they drafted me to do all the paper work, and I became the maintenance motor pool clerk, truck mechanic, and inspection NCO, I guess you would call it. They promoted me from PFC, and everyone that went into Vietnam was ranked PFC or higher. Nobody came into the country, in the army, lower than PFC. We all arrived as PFC‘s, even if we were from Private E-2, too. Private E-2 is a single stripe and PFC is a single stripe with a rocker. Very shortly after that Don, Keith, and myself were given specialty support class promotions, which was significant and made a big pay increase. Combat pay at that time was fifty dollars additional a month, so as a Spec. 4 I was getting about $458.00 dollars a month, and sent all of it home for my wife and child. 30:10 Interviewer: Now, did you spend most of your entire tour in that same place? Most of it, and I‘m trying to think back at the sequence. Initially, the first few weeks, we were allowed to acclimate. We were given duties like KP; pardon my language, but shit burning detail, guard duty, we could volunteer for reaction teams if we were attacked or if they wanted a group to volunteer to support you could do that, so after about the first month they started working us into the maintenance work in the area, and I did a lot of that. The generator mechanics, my friend Don Kopareu, and Keith Roelofs, both operated generators, and it wasn‘t unusual for them to go out to a forward firebase. Every forward firebase had to have somebody run the generators. 31:05 There were usually two generators. You ran one so many hours, cycle the other one on, and shut it off 16 �and did maintenance on it, and that was the work Don, Keith and the rest of the generator mechanics did. Because I could type, they kept me closer to the base, but I was assigned to the Montagnard village. Everyone did at least two weeks, and some six or more at the Montagnard village that we were responsible for. Let me explain that. The Montagnard tribes were like the American Indian in the Central Highlands. The Vietnamese did not like them. They would come and take their young men and force them to work with the VC and the NVA. They were brave, but they were primitive, and they were more into farming and gathering, and hunting, much like the American Indian. They took a group of three different tribes. They weren‘t necessarily all cohesive, put them together in a village, we had three Montagnard villages, and the names escape me now, but I can look that up I‘m sure. 32:08 We had one that was assigned to the 124th Signal Battalion, and other units had other villages they were assigned to. We had a team there that did security for them, most of the time you had to escort them to the creeks to draw water because the VC, the Vietnamese would snipe them, shoot them, and we determined that it would be a lot safer to dig them an artesian well, so we did that, and in my photographs there‘s one picture of an artesian well. They had a big celebration for that. Another event, as an aside, and this happened while I was there, one of the guys—we used a ¾ ton truck to transport food etc that we needed, equipment to the village, generators to bring back and take them, and fuel. The water buffalo had decided to station himself on one of the span bridges they use to cross a creek, and wouldn‘t move. 33:02 They ran into him with a ¾ ton truck, but he just bounced off, so the driver got out and shot the water buffalo, it‘s the only thing he could do, you couldn‘t get him to move. There was a big concern about doing that because that was their tractor, you know, so the chief in the 17 �village got three hundred dollars, and a tin roof for his hut, and they cooked the water buffalo and had a big party. [?} which is a rice wine they made, the only rice wine they made was drunk at that time, at the celebration. Interviewer: Now, did the Montagnards have things they could do to support themselves? They’re in this village and they’re kind of surrounded by the sea. Well we helped them set up farming because they were more gatherers and hunters than that. They were very gifted and I wish Don were here to share with you, because he was a teacher in Minnesota, and actually put together a slide presentation for his students showing that they would take a piece of bamboo, 18 inches to 3 feet long, and hollow it out leaving one end closed, and then, and then over an open fire, cook the Water Buffalo, or their meat, whatever that was going to be, stuff it in that tube, and then take rubber plant leaves, close the other end, and heat it in the fire. 34:22 It was just like sealing it with rubber, and they actually had small buildings on stilts that they would store the meat in, and it would last quite a while, so they were pretty much self sufficient in that regard. The same thing with grain, they had pots that they would store their grain in. We just facilitated their self-protection, and provided them with weapons, usually outdated. We didn‘t give them brand new M-16‘s, but 12 gauge shotguns, and what was left of WWII equipment, and they would scout for the infantry, and then protect their village as best they could. It became easier to protect their village when you could group them together with more than one tribe in one area. 35:05 They would make pottery and sell that, and things of that nature. Interviewer: What kind of operations was the division conducting while you were there? Were they kind of going out into the countryside looking for trouble? 18 �Yes, but you have to remember by the time I got there in 1969 the 4th Division had gone over by boat in 1965, and Camp Enari was a new base they had built. A captain, who had been the first to die, was who they named it after, Captain Enari, and prior to that they had been occupying areas chiefly handled by the 101st Airborne, they were supplanted in that. It had been decided, for example, the 69th Armor, which were the tanks from Fort Knox, Kentucky, actually, could not operate in the delta region where they were originally assigned, I believe, to the 7th or 9th Infantry Division. We swapped units, and we took the 35th Infantry, the 14th Artillery, I believe, the 42nd Artillery, and 69th Armor to the highlands, so they made their own bas eventually there. 36:13 By the time I got there it was pretty well established. The barracks were already built, there were concrete floors, incandescent lights, which we replaced with fluorescence when they became available. Captain Hoy was the C Company commander that I first served in, and he had a penchant for wanting a Koi pond, so they actually built a concrete pond in the parade ground area, not that you would hold parades in daylight. It never got filled with water, but it was always a point of humor. He also put fire alarms in the company area for alerts, and that was inverted 105 Howitzer shells painted orange, and wooden walkways. The importance of that was, during monsoon season it was muddy there and very difficult to traverse anything without it. 37:04 Ditches were dug around the individual barracks, and that was to keep the water from washing the buildings away. They would do that during the monsoon season. Part of our duties were to gravel coat a parking lot, when we got there in 1969, and put down prenoprine, which is the same sealant they use on the PSP matting on the airstrip, and then put pea gravel on top of that, so you had an actual substantial area that wouldn‘t wash away. We also took galvanized roofing and made 19 �two by four framework, attaching that, and backfilling that instead of using sandbags for protection around the barracks, so if you had a, mortar round or rocket attack, you had some protection if it came unexpectedly. Interviewer: How much enemy activity was there? I mean how regularly did you get hit with rockets or mortar bombs or whatever? While I was holdover in Bien Hoa they attacked the perimeter, in the night, at least three times during the ten days I was there. 38:09 While I was holdover in Camp Enari, during that two-week span, they attempted to over run the base camp perimeter, and we were mortared and rocketed several times. After moving to C Company, during the first week I was there, they rocketed, Signal Hill was a big target for them, they used one of their 122mm rockets and mortars, and rocketed and mortared the battalion headquarters there and blew up the A Company barracks, and made the national news right after I got there actually. My wife was watching the attack on television and didn‘t know it. Interviewer: When an attack like that came would it just be a few rounds and then nothing, or would it be more intense? Sometimes, during that first year, I believe, an entire NVA battalion attacked the airstrip area in broad daylight, I want to say it could have been nine or ten in the morning, and by that time I was part of a reactionary team, I was actually a rifle squad leader, and we were called out. 39:11 I took my M-16, ammo, a couple grenades, and my flack jacket and helmet. The perimeter was a series of barbed wire in a clearing with some buried explosives and some booby traps, and then a guard tower, if you can envision that, just like you have at prisons now days, with a sandbag bunker around the base, and then two more sandbag bunkers and then another guard tower, all around the base camp. With this 20 �particular attack they used satchel charges, they‘re about a yea square like a canvas bag, and blew up three bunkers, I believe. During the day they were lightly manned by infantry units, two men to a bunker, so there were six men that were disintegrated, and there were no bodies. One guard tower and two small bunkers were blown up and a large area cleared by the NVA to the airfield, airstrip. 40:07 They were after our long-range patrol, snipers, who were bunked in that area, and the helicopters. Don actually has some pictures. Either I didn‘t have my camera at that point or I wasn‘t taking pictures of it, but they blew up a helicopter, they blew up some trucks, and altogether eleven men were killed, six in the bunkers and five in the company area. I ran out, down the perimeter road, on each side is a drainage ditch, so the road doesn‘t wash away, and the last working guard duty area was the signal tower, was the towers and they had an M-60 machine gun in the towers, and other weapons, and I began firing, and at that point began to recognize they were penetrating in a pretty good group, and I turned to look and found I was alone. I started to look for someplace else to go, and I felt somebody grab me out of the drainage ditch and pull me out of the road. 41:06 It was the company sergeant, I won‘t say exactly what he said, but he said, ―Don‘t you want to live to see your wife and son again?‖ Interviewer: Had you been standing up at that point? Yes, but crouched in the drainage ditch, firing. The guy in the signal tower was actually trying to signal like this to quit shooting, he didn‘t want to get blown up, I think. The company sergeant, top sergeant, took my rifle away and put me in the bunker, probably saved my life, so I let it go at that. It was not a heroic act on my part, I thought the whole group of the rifle squad was out there, I didn‘t know I was alone, so that was one of the 21 �few times. It was not unusual to come under fire when you pull guard duty. The 124th Signal Battalion, and other units, provided—I think we had—there were thirteen bunkers on the American side of Dragon Mountain, and different units had different bunkers. The infantry had the ones out at the point; bunker 1, 2, 3 and the other unit rotated the bunkers 4,5,6, and then 7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13 bunkers on the inside. 42:12 The ARVN Army had the other half, they closed the gate at dusk, and locked it, kept the ARVN Army on their own side, and I‘m not really sure if that was for their protection or ours. We manned various bunkers. I remember being in bunker 4, bunker 7, and bunker 13. It wasn‘t unusual to come under fire or even ground attack on occasion. I can remember a case there where bunker 2 and 3 were blown up, probably by B40 rockets or mortar, and I was in bunker 4, and that left a lasting memory. Bunker 13 had a 50caliber machine gun mounted in that one, we came under ground attack, and I actually got to fire the 50caliber gun. I don‘t know if I ever hit anything, it being dark, and that was my memories of that kind of thing. 43:03. Interviewer: One of the sorts of clichés or assumptions about service in Vietnam is, you have the grunts, who were romping in the hills and rice paddies, and then you have the guys in the rear who have a relatively nice life. In Saigon, but in Camp Enari where I was, it was pretty rustic. Interviewer: Where you were, you had—you were coming under fire on a fairly regular basis, there were attacks and things like that, but you were officially in a support position. You were a typist, but you were doing all this stuff too. What that really said was, I did all the maintenance work that had to be done, and I had to do the ordering and typing of parts, which meant more duty, not less duty, but a lot of 22 �times it kept you from having to do kitchen patrol, KP. By the time I had been in Vietnam six months or so, Vietnamsation was taking place and they were actually bringing civilians in to do the laundry, shit burning detail, pardon my language, and the tire repairs, and things of that nature. You were actually trying to occupy them, give them a little bit of money to improve the economy. 44:04 It was a good initiative, but also a dangerous one. We caught one of the papasans that worked in the tire area—at lunch time I—we had a dispatch act, so you could send out trucks and record that and bring them back in, and I volunteered to do that, so the dispatch person could have lunch. While I‘m doing that I noticed this little Vietnamese pacing off the different buildings, and reported that to the company sergeant, top sergeant, and sure enough he was VC, so that sort of thing happened and that‘s why we were attacked as often as we were. A gentleman who was a forward observer in the 42nd Artillery shared with me, at our national reunion meeting, that the reason he volunteered for the fire bases, where they didn‘t get mortared and rocketed like the divisional base camp did, was because we provided a very large, easy to shoot at target, and it wasn‘t unusual every few days to take mortar rounds or rocket rounds. Not necessarily a large scale attack, but harassment. 45:04 I distinctly remember papasan telling me one night after three o‘clock in the morning, ―don‘t be in the barracks tonight‖. How he knew what he knew, I don‘t know, but it was four o‘clock before they actually hit us with mortar rounds. I shared with the rest of the people in the barracks, there were about forty guys in the barracks, and told them, ―don‘t be in the barracks tonight‖, and we were in the bunker. 23 �Interviewer: All right, as far as you could tell, in the area where you were, what sort of relationship or dynamic existed between the VC up there in the hills and the villagers, and the people in the community? There was a case of constant—you have to remember the reason the 4th Division was placed where they were was to be not too far off Hoe Chi Minh trail in Cambodia, so there were a lot of incursions of former NVA groups through the 4th Division area. You can read the history for yourself, I‘ve done that, and we were there to stop that or at least curtail it. The NVA would, in conjunction with the VC, coerce support, rice, for food, whatever they could get from the locals, either voluntarily or by threat, and there was some physical violence that happened there. 46:16 I can‘t say I witnessed it directly a lot of that, but I saw some results of that and the effects of it. The VC and NVA treated their own people worse than anything the Americans could have done to them. We were out there to kind of support them and help them, and the VC and NVA weren‘t necessarily that kind. They were actually executing teachers, leaders and things of that nature. I know that to be a fact. Not much publicity along those lines in the press, but that‘s what really happened. Our vulnerability was that our—some of our forward firebases were over run. A couple of incidences, Plei Duc incident, top sergeant MacInerney, in 1966 I believe, shortly after he had arrived, or 1965, walked into a battalion-sized NVA compound in the jungle looking for two short range patrol or long range patrol people that had disappeared, and his company was pretty well wiped out, and that‘s why he won the Congressional Medal of Honor. 47:24 Then the 12/22 Infantry, that was the 8th Infantry. The 12/22 infantry had the 12th of May incident that took place, and a number of infantrymen were killed. Again by a large size force from the North, 24 �and VC support. Both of those I believe predate the 1968 Tet offensive, so it was dangerous from the beginning and got worse later and never really went away. While we‘re speaking of that, the Tet Offensive everyone remembers in 1968 because of the scope and scale of it. I would like to point out that January, February and March of 1969 was a Tet Offensive and that‘s the attack I mentioned I was involved in later in the month. 48:11 Then in 1970 after the division moved to An Khe we had another attack. I had turned in my weapon, it‘s now March and I‘m getting ready to go home, I think only a day or two left to go, I had no weapon and the VC or NVA, I have no idea because I didn‘t see them, attacked the perimeter. They came through the dog handling compound passed the 124th Signal Battalion, and headed down toward the airstrip, and my memory says that we hadn‘t had our artillery set up yet, and I don‘t know why this comes to mind, but there was a battle cruiser or ship off the coast that actually fired at the VC base camp. I can remember a large roar that sounded like a freight car going overhead, and later questioned the NCOs about what that noise was, and they said artillery from the ships because ours wasn‘t ready to fire yet. 49:05 It was pretty impressive to be that far away and actually support us. Interviewer: So, you’re in a lot of situations where bases are getting attacked and sometimes, substantial forces doing it. What kind of losses would the enemy suffer in those? Would they take a lot? Yes, numerically I would say they did, and I don‘t think the battalion attack in 1969 that I was talking about was very successful for them. We lost eleven people and they probably lost ten times that. There were several other incidents where they were bold enough to make attacks, and I can‘t say that their entire attacking force was wiped out, but quite 25 �frequently the Americans had the best—actually the Americans won every battle. I can‘t say we didn‘t have units where some were decimated, but usually, even that attack I talked about at Plei Duc, they lost many more than we did. It was a case of trying to fight a defensive war instead of an offensive war for us. We had the military might, if you will. 50:09 It wasn‘t unusual to see jet fighters called in, and it wasn‘t unusual to see Cobra gunships called in. I can remember one base camp attack where a Loach helicopter was shot down, he was, and these guys were brave, I‘m telling you I have never seen anything like it. He was drawing enemy fire from the gorge at the base of Dragon Mountain right outside the perimeter opposite 124th Signal Battalion motor pool, flying low at dusk and into the evening to draw that fire. Then two helicopter Cobra gunships were high up, and when he pulled up they would come down and do their rocket and mini-gun attacks on the enemy. I don‘t know how many flights he made over that area, but at one point he got shot down and burst into flame. It‘s just like in the movies, when a helicopter goes down they burst into flame. 51:11 Unlike the Hollywood penchant for showing cars bursting into flame, helicopters do that right now. One of the Cobra gunships continued to call him to get out, get out, get out, and they kept saying that, but his speaker was evidently not on because they were communicating back and forth, and we could hear it. He wasn‘t going to be getting out, of course, the entire helicopter, including him, was engulfed in flames. The Cobra gunship landed, and for some reason we could hear the pilot and the co-pilot talking back and forth. The pilot got out, disconnected his whatever he had, helmet, and ran into the fire and tried to drag the pilot of the Loach out. The co-pilot got out of the Cobra gunship, knocked the pilot of the gunship to the ground, put out the flames, and put him back in the helicopter and flew 26 �away. There was no saving this man. 52:16 That was a memory that came back to me a few years ago that I had forgotten about, and that was a thing I witnessed that I‘ve never seen such bravery, concern, and care from one unit to another as to what went on. It demonstrates the bravery these people had. They later brought in a Spooky gunship; they were low flying like a DC-4 [C-47] and pelted the area with minigun fire, and put an end to the attack. It was pretty impressive to watch that close up. Interviewer: Did you witness any B-52 strikes? Not personal and up close. I happened to be in divisional base camp, and it felt like an earthquake when they were running a B-52 strike ten clicks I believe, ten thousand meters away, and the ground shook. Then on a patrol reactionary sweep, something of that nature, we walked to an area that looked like the moon; it was all craters made from five hundred pounders (from) B-52 raids. 53:05 Again, that was to force the North into negotiations, I believe in Geneva. Interviewer: Paris That‘s right, Paris, so that‘s what that was about. You have to remember we were in Vietnam when they were doing all those negotiations, and we didn‘t know what was going on. Interviewer: Did you have a kind of daily routine while you were there on that base? Absolutely, let me share that with you as well, and then we‘ll get into the specifics of what I did towards the end of my tour. They could not stand daylight formations; they did have a company parade area outside the company headquarters. At 4:00 o‘clock in the morning you got up for reveille, and usually one guy would answer for five or six. 27 �We didn‘t always all get up, but they wanted to be able to account for the soldiers, of course, that were there. You got up at 4:00 o‘clock, went back to your barracks, the mess hall opened around 7:00 o‘clock, by 8:00 o‘clock you had to be done eating and heading back up for duty. 54:05 Usually you showered in the evening, so you would get up and get dressed, go for breakfast if you are in the base camp, for mess at sometime between 7:00 and 8:00 o‘clock, and be up at the motor pool by 8:00. You worked until lunch time, sometime between 11:00 and 12:00, went down to the mess hall to eat, went back to the barracks if you chose not to, we didn‘t always eat meals in the mess hall. It was not unusual to have your own food, take a break and write a letter home, or just relax because you‘re pretty tired. Back up to the motor pool by noon or 1:00 o‘clock and work on vehicles or whatever generators had to be repaired. Sending trucks out, bringing them in, teaching guys how to keep the trucks moving and in condition, repair damaged vehicles, it was not unusual for them to get shot up or rocketed, and again break at 5:00 or 6:00 o‘clock for evening chow or whatever. 55:05 Then go back to the motor pool sometimes until midnight, and continue with whatever projects had to be done. If you had generators ready to send out to a firebase or if you had to load up food or support equipment for a firebase you did that. We had some teams, traveling teams, where they take a ¾ ton truck and a trailer, Larry Ball, I believe, or Albert Ball, he was a buck sergeant, and another specialist would go out and take parts out to various firebases, and stay at one base for a couple of days then go to another, come back and re-supply and that sort of thing. At least once a week, sometimes twice a week you pulled guard duty, it was rotated among the eighty-eight men in the motor pool. We had three or four of the bunkers on Dragon Mountain, so that would be three guys to a bunker, I think about 28 �twelve people, so I think you‘re talking some twelve percent of the group. 56:04 Guard duty started at dusk, after chow, you drive up with your rifle, backpack, drinking water, grenades, ammo, helmet, flack jacket, and go up on the truck along with other units people that were going for guard duty. You would be assigned by the staff up there what bunker you had, you would parcel off into groups of three, a lot of times it was Ricardo Montalban, not the actor, a Cuban, several of us, Don and myself. I‘ll tell you a cute story about Ricardo in a minute. Then you decide how you‘re going to do your shifts. As soon as it got dark one guy would do the first three-hour segment probably 7:00 or 8:00 or 9:00 o‘clock, whenever it got dark, for three hours, the next guys would do the next three-hour segment, midnight until 3:00 in the morning, and the last guys did 3:00 until dawn, around 5:00 or 6:00 or whatever. You‘re on duty from 7:00 PM until 7:00 AM, and got the next day off. The nice thing was, they fed you breakfast up there before you went down, you could shower and just kind of relax the next day. 57:09 That happened once minimum, sometimes twice a week. Interviewer: Were attacks usually at night when they would happen? Almost always, although there were several that one I mentioned was in daylight, that was at Pleiku, and the one at An Khe, was also daylight. There were two of those while I was there and I was only there fourteen days. The whole division had moved, getting ready to pull out, everyone left except the 124th Signal Battalion. I left in March of 1970, the division left by December of 1970, we left behind the 10th Cavalry, one of their attached units, and 124th Signal Battalion for support, and they stayed in the area and continued to function. The final part of the division was through and by 1973 they were all gone. 29 �Interviewer: How would you characterize morale in your unit? I would say morale was ok. There wasn‘t a lot of anti-war sentiment, and the main focus was on getting through this ok, and getting home. 58:13 I would say you have to remember what went on during that era 1966-1970, 1975. I distinctly recall in 1966 or 1967 race riots happening in the city of Grand Rapids. There was some racial tension, and there was some racial tension going on in Vietnam as well, by and large that was minimalized. One of my good friends that I served with, Tom Houston from Houston, Texas, was African American, and we partnered up for a lot of our patrols and things of that nature, guard duty on several occasions, and we became good, fast friends. There was some racial tension, we had a sergeant, staff sergeant, that was African American, and was responsible for security at the enlisted men's club, at the company area, it was just a place to get a can of cold beer, and listen to music when you had off duty time. 59:10 He had set up periodically one night during the week, maybe a Friday night or a Saturday night, where African Americans only could use the club, and we had a buck sergeant who took exception to that, and managed to go over there and incite a near riot. He was attacked by a dozen or so African Americans, and the reason I know is I went out in my underwear and my Ho Chi Minh sandals and rescued him from being beaten near to death. He thanked me for that, but I had some negative words for him for being so stupid. The next time this happened I got dressed and went over because by that point I was running the maintenance motor pool and this staff sergeant was reporting to me, and I‘ll explain that in a minute. I went in an ordered a beer, and they weren‘t going to serve me, and I said they had to serve me, and the security guy, this staff sergeant, told them they better give me a beer because he had to report to me. How that came about was 30 �sergeant first class Dryer was our senior NCO, and was called home in January or so in 1970, the warrant officer, Mr. Harvey Currie, CWO2, called me aside and said, ―Lange, you‘re going to run the motor pool‖, and I looked at him kind of funny and said, ―Sir, I‘m a specialist 4th class and you have three staff sergeants, and five buck sergeants, shouldn‘t you be picking one of them?‖ He said, ―I made my decision, you‘re going to run the motor pool‖, and I said, ― Well, they all outrank me‖, and he said, ―Well, cut yourself some orders, and make yourself a sergeant 1st class‖. I never did that, I always wore my spec four shirt, and they all reported to me. The reason he had me do that was, I had some college education, I had some leadership potential apparently, in his mind, and he had me move the motor pool from Pleiku to An Khe, he knew that was coming, and I didn‘t. We packed up all four hundred and fourteen vehicles, trucks and trailers, transported them through a series of convoys through the Mang Yang pass, you may recognize that name. Besides Dien Bien Phu, that‘s the pass where the division of French was defeated. 60:00 Interviewer: We were basically at the beginning of a point where you were talking about actually having to move the division out of Pleiku on to An Kje. What part of the country was An Khe in or how long of a trip was that? 1:43 Pleiku was on the Cambodian boarder, and An Khe was toward the coast. It was a 101st Airborne base. They weren‘t exactly directly across from each other, and if you look on a map it appears they are. The Mang Yang pass is an area eighty-eight miles long. The convoy was a little bid of a circuitous route, but there are only two major highways, one north south, Highway 1, and one east west. I may have misspoken myself on that, and Highway 1 was east west. 31 �Interviewer: No, Highway 1 was north south. That‘s what I though too. The other roads were not always paved, and what was happening was, negotiations were taking place in Paris, the 4th Division, it was decided, was going to be removed from the country, they brought in, in 1965, they were leaving in 1970, they were there about five years, and my unit had to move from Camp Enari because they were turning Camp Enari over to the ARVN Army. Camp Enari stood very near Ho Chi Min Trail, and the idea was for them to defend themselves. 2:43 Again remember tanks could be used in the highlands, and the 69th Armored was the main tank unit in the American army in the Central Highlands, although they had tanks in other units, so our goal was to move our 415 vehicles from Camp Enari through the Mang Yang pass to An Khe. We would put together as many vehicles as we could that made sense, and get permission for them to leave. There was a jump off point where we met at the main highway. You were held up and waited—you got there at five in the morning and qued up so the whole convoy would be ready to move together, and you may come under fire, and we did. They held us up at a point where there was a bridge over a small river. It had a by-pass with an American two lane steel span, and we waited for them to mine sweep and that area was guarded by, I believe the 3/28th Mechanized Infantry. 3:51 They had an APC station there, and it wasn‘t unusual for them to have a barbed wire perimeter on the Mang Yang Pass, with some sandbagged areas, and a generator mechanic running the generators. The APC‘s would go out during daylight, and be in different areas, securing that area of the Mang Yang pass, and then come back to the base, and I‘ve forgotten the names of the bases. There was LZ English, LZ Mary Lou, Blackhawk, I don‘t remember who was at what bases anymore. This particular APC was 32 �there at 5:00 in the morning and I thought it was curious. There was a guy coming out of the top turret, and he just stayed in that position for a long time. Once they finished minesweeping they let the convoy proceed, and when I looked back there was no backside to the APC. There was a small hole where a B-40 rocket hit and there was no bottom half to that guy. 4:42 The convoy was held up at that point, and that put quite a thought into my mind about what we were going to be going through, this was my first convoy. We proceeded through a couple different areas, made some turns, went through some small villages, sometimes you would speed up and be doing nearly fifty miles an hour, and sometimes we would slow down and be crawling. We got into the Mang Yang Pass, and we came under attack, and the whole convoy stopped. To our right, as we were heading to An Khe, it sloped down to a field, and then up to a treeline area across a creek. The fire was coming from that treeline area onto the convoy, so they had us dismount from the vehicles, and lock and load, and be ready with our weapons. We didn‘t have an attack unit in the area, we had escorts. Every so many vehicles would have twin 50 caliber machine guns, quad 60 caliber [.30 caliber M-60s?], and they had welded PSP matting, sandbags and things for convoy escort. We escorted the convoy either with a 1/4 ton Jeep with a 60 [.30] caliber mounted in it, or a ¾ ton truck, or a deuce and a half might have a 60 caliber mounted on the scarf ring. 5:51 But the other vehicles just had two guys to a vehicle, both armed with an M-16. We dismounted and they called two of the fast flyers, F-4 Phantoms, as I recall, and they napalmed the hillside, and that gave us a real idea what that was like. You could actually feel the heat from that far away. Proceeded on to An Khe, took the vehicles in there to the motor pool area at An Khe, which was—they had Hong Kong Mountain in the middle of there base camp, I always 33 �wondered why they do that in the army, and then the 101st Airborne had a jet strip, and the airstrip was next to that, and again the signal battalion motor maintenance was on the outside perimeter. The dog-handling unit, the K-9 unit, was to our right I‘ll say, in the perimeter behind us. 6:44 We would go park the trucks, take of whatever parts we needed for the remaining vehicles, throw them in the ¾ ton truck that we happened to be using, sleep overnight, get breakfast, and take off at 5:00 in the morning and convoy back the other way. I remember doing that over a period of over two to three weeks. Moved all the vehicles, set up the maintenance motor pool, and by then I was down to my last week or two in the army. My friend Don and I processed out together. They kind of turned us loose. Interviewer: How many convoys did you run, do you think? I couldn‘t tell you how long, it was every other day for about three weeks. We took turns at it, Al, spec five, myself; Don did not partake in the convoys. He was out at the Montagnard village, but some of the other NCOs, Rich Fonger, who led out parts went, he set up his parts area, and I remember going back that last time, I think I was in Headquarter 7, in a ¼ ton Jeep, and the warrant officer said to me, ―you have to the Montagnard village and get Don, he doesn‘t want to come back‖. 7:51 He had what we called ―gone Asiatic‘, and he was going to stay with the Montagnard tribe. That is one of the things that I had to do. I had to go out to the Montagnard village and bring him back to base camp, and then move to An Khe, so we could go home. I had forgotten about doing that until he reminded me a couple of years ago when we met after a 4th Division reunion in Illinois. He said, ―Do you remember why you were here with the Montagnard 34 �village?‖ I said, ―no, I don‘t recall‖, and he proceeded to tell be that, ―you came to get me because I didn‘t want to leave‖, and that was very interesting. Interviewer: You don’t here about very many not wanting to leave. Well, it happened, and at An Khe one officer came to me and said, ―I put you in for the Bronze Star, but circumstances are such that we couldn‘t award that to you because there are only so many allowed‖, and somebody else got it. It was a buck sergeant who did a very heroic thing, so I‘m not criticizing that, and I don‘t thing I merited it, either. They gave me an Army Commendation Medal, and he took me aside, and told me that Don and I were both getting those. 8:58 Then he said the battalion commander wanted to meet with me. He wanted me to re-enlist, he offered me a five or six thousand dollar reenlistment bonus, a promotion from specialist 4th class to staff sergeant, that‘s two grades, and an opportunity for officers candidate school if I would re-enlist for three years. So, they sent me out to battalion headquarters, and I went in and talked to the Lieutenant Colonel, Odeorn, and he was also from Michigan, he was from Detroit, and he said to me, ―Didn‘t you volunteer to pull duty on Christmas day, so everybody could be off?‖ I said, ―yeah‖, and he said, ―You did things like that more than once didn‘t you?‖ I said, ―yeah‖, and he said, ―here‘s what we would like to do, Mr. Currie recommended you for promotion, and we would like you to go before the board of review. It will be more of a summary type thing. It isn‘t going to be a formal thing, it‘s just a case of you being interviewed by myself, the S-l, and a few other people.‖ 10:00 I said, ―Sir, I‘m down to my last fourteen days, I would like to go home to my family, I‘m not going to reenlist, and I wish you would offer this opportunity to somebody else‖, and I left. After I went home there was a specialist 4th class that they brought in, and they offered him the 35 �same thing, Mike Grohouch is his name, and I didn‘t know at the time he was in A company, a line company. They brought him in and they offered him a staff sergeant promotion if he would re-enlist and he did re-enlist. They made him staff sergeant, he got the Bronze Star, and he earned. But, he tells me the story that he went ‗Asiatic‖. He‘s over there the remaining three years, 1970 – 1973, and what they did was, they did convoys with the 124th Signal Battalion, provided generator support for the units that remained, worked with the Vietnamese, the ARVNs, and he really didn‘t want to come home either, I guess, at the end of it. 11:00 But, that did happen occasionally, it didn‘t happen with me, I had a family to come back to. Interviewer: You mentioned the Lieutenant Colonel, was that Odierno? Raymond Odierno? Interviewer: Yes No, that‘s the General, it was Odeorn, and I don‘t know his first name anymore. Interviewer: The General, who became important in Iraq, and so forth, actually had 4th Division connections too. Yes, and I could be mistaken, it might have been that he was the same man, I don‘t remember. His name was—we called him Odeorn, Colonel Odeorn. I would be hard pressed to say that it was the same man because that would have been 1970, but it‘s possible, it‘s very possible. It could have been, he was a great guy, and so was Ray Odierno. [Gen. Odierno was born in 1954 and came from New Jersey, so it was not the same guy. My mistake.] Interviewer: Let’s go back to a few other dimensions of the area out there at Camp Enari. What was the Ricardo Montalban story? 36 �Ricardo was a Cuban immigrant, it wasn‘t unusual for people who had a green card and weren‘t citizens to be drafted. 12:08 A friend of mine at work was of Dutch heritage, never was an American citizen, and served in the war in Vietnam at the same time I was there. I don‘t know whether Ricardo was an American citizen or not. He was definitely Cuban and professed to be, and lived in Florida at the time he was drafted. Frequently he, Don, and I would pull guard duty on Dragon Mountain. During the early stages of monsoon season we were on a bunker in the inner area of the mountain that had a walk through level, it wasn‘t a climb-in bunker, it had a doorway, and it had a poncho liner hanging in it. it got to be dark, and the three of us decided we were all going to stay up that whole night and pull guard duty together because we could all sleep the next day, and we were a little more experienced than the new guys. While we were talking we noticed what looked like a dog stick its head into the bunker, we thought trying to get in out of the rain. 13:04 We noticed the curious thing was the tongue darting in and out of that dog‘s mouth, and it was a forked tongue. The dog was eighteen inches off the ground and had a rather pointy square head, fairly large. Ricardo noticed it was probably a reticulated python, and Don and I both opened up on it with M-16s, and all we did was make it angry, and that was not a good idea. Ricardo on the other hand went for his machete, and now it‘s raining out quite hard, and that snake crawled out of the bunker. What it was doing was looking for rats for dinner in the bunker. It probably wouldn‘t have hurt us any, but I didn‘t want to find that out. Ricardo disappeared, with his machete, after the snake, and Don and I waited, and waited, and Rick didn‘t come back right away, and I said, ―you know I think that snake probably got him‖, and he said, ―we're not going to see him until tomorrow‖. Much later that night he came back and he 37 �took his machete and put it away—not questions asked. 13:59 At breakfast the next morning, in his rucksack, was the snakeskin. He had gotten the snake, he took it back to the base camp, buried it in the ground next to the barracks after hanging it out to dry, and got permission to take it home. It was a pretty big snake, and it made a pile about two feet high and eighteen inches wide of snakeskin, and it was quite valuable. That was one of the kind of humorous memories I have. Interviewer: What was monsoon season like while you were out there? I‘m struggling to remember the time of year, and it seem to me it was in the summer. It was probably late summer... August rings a bell. You were kind of confined to your barracks, you opened the door and it was like somebody—like being under Niagara Falls, it wasn‘t rain, it was just a torrential downpour. 14:59 The reason they dug the ravines or ditches around the barracks was, the rain would wash the barracks, concrete and all, away. It wasn‘t unusual to come back, when you did go up to work, to find your footlocker, or any other belonging, floating in the barracks in three inches of water. One night, a spec 4, Carlson from Minnesota, decided he was going to take a shower, so he‘s got his Ho Chi Minh sandals on, his shaving kit, and his towel, and he walked out the door. They had what looked like a pallet, a shipping pallet, with screen tacked to it over the ditch, and sometimes there would be two of them together because the ditch would be big, it would be four feet deep, three and a half feet wide, and the rain would run like a small river through those trenches. He left and the door banged shut, and he never came back. 15:50 It‘s getting quite late at night, maybe midnight, and here comes Carlson back, he‘s kind of a red faced, shorter, stout guy, and he‘s got some MP‘s shirt on, that‘s all he‘s got, no shaving kit, no sandals, nothing, no towel, and he proceeded to tell us a 38 �story. He stepped off onto that bridge and lost his balance, slipped because it was very muddy, and slipped into the drainage ditch and literally washed all the way out of our company area, and base camp, into the dark outside the base camp, and had to walk back, stark naked to the MP post, at night, and try to get back in, and fortunately they didn‘t fire on him. That was a good story. Interviewer: Another piece of the morale picture. You talked a little bit about certain racial issues, and that sort of thing. Was there much drug use on the base? 16:45 Marijuana was fairly available, and I remember being in the main motor pool area inspecting a truck, and during Vietnamsation they would bring the Vietnamese that were working in our 124th Signal Battalion area to the motor pool through the dispatch station. We had one papasan, we always called them, there were five of them that worked on the tires, and he actually seemed to be ordering the others around, he didn‘t really get dirty, he wore the dark sunglasses, had the starched uniform, and a beret, a very leadership like looking person Shortly after the truck arrived a Vietnamese MP Jeep pulled in behind the truck, and they arrested this papasan, and they weren‘t very nice to him. They pushed him around a little bit. They inspected the truck, and they found at least two big blocks of marijuana pressed into what looked like about the size of a patio stone only three or four times wider, hidden in that truck, so he evidently was a drug lord with the Vietnamese group, so he was supplying marijuana. 17:59 It wasn‘t unusual to find that some of the guys would smoke marijuana, maybe did other things, I wasn‘t aware of. I would say, if there were eighty-eight guys in the motor pool team, maybe half smoked marijuana regularly or occasionally, and very few of them used it that regularly. The 39 �other half, and I fall into that category, drank their share of beer. I distinctly remember a flatbed stacked with four pallets of beer slid off, during monsoon season, into the drainage ditch, and couldn‘t get out of the ditch, and left. Word got back to me that the truck was there, not just me, but I remember getting twelve cases of Budweiser, a God sent gift from him. I didn‘t drink them all at once, but I shared liberally with my friends, so there was definitely some marijuana use. 18:52 I will say this about it, the people that I‘ll say served with never used marijuana regularly. If you were going on guard duty you didn‘t get near it. If you were going in the field, you didn‘t want to be around anybody that did it. Tom Houston, that I mentioned earlier that I partnered with, sought me out because he knew I wouldn‘t do anything like that, and I knew he wouldn‘t. I can‘t say it didn‘t happen. I think the usage of marijuana got more prolific after the division left in the late 70‘s. A lot of people were there that didn‘t want to be there, and that was an escape, I think. Certainly part of it was that it was so readily available. I can‘t recall any incidences of it being abused in any way, but I do distinctly remember there were some gatherings where people were funny in a cloud of smoke and the smell from it, and I still remember that smell, and I‘ll let it go at that. 19:50 Interviewer: To what extent was it possible to sort of go off the base? Would people go into Pleiku? I had one pass into Pleiku. Pleiku was held by the VC most of the time and possibly even the NVA, the small village. I had one pass where I went into town, and at some point in 1969 the 4th Division actually liberated the village of Pleiku from the VC, and our commanding General was given the equivalent of the Vietnamese Congressional Metal of Honor. We‘re all allowed to wear that ribbon, but not the metal its self. I served for two 40 �Generals, and they all did six-month tours. Major General Papkey, and Major General Glen D. Walker. Glen D. Walker was the Major General who was in the movie Patton. He was the Major that was promoted over the Colonel, when he didn‘t get his unit across the river, and I am very proud to say I served for both of those gentlemen. They were both excellent leaders, Papkey and Walker. 20:53 I want to point out that Major General Walker's granddaughter was killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, I can‘t remember which, she was a Lieutenant, a Plebe from West Point, a tragic loss for a great man and his family. They didn‘t afford regular passes into town. Escape from Vietnam, for a vacation, if you will, came down to R&Rs. You were allowed one short R&R, and I never had that, or one long R&R. In the September of 1969 I elected to use my long R&Rs and I can‘t remember if it was six days and five nights or five days and six nights, and having been married, I arranged for my wife to meet me in Hawaii, in Honolulu. I flew to Phu Cat, and from Phu Cat to Cam Ranh, I think, and from there, of course, they made sure you were in a decent, clean uniform. 21:58 I flew from there to Hawaii. It seems to me it was a direct flight, but I don‘t remember now. I landed in Hawaii first, at the airport in Honolulu, and I had no idea where to go or what to do, and I was very much looking forward to meeting my wife after being gone that many months. A guy came up to me from a limo and wanted to know if I needed a ride, and I said, ―I‘m sorry sir, but I have thirty dollars I can‘t afford a limo‖, and he said, ―don‘t worry about it, just get in‖. I kind of argued with him because I was afraid of what might happen, I don‘t know, and he said, ―Since you don‘t have much money, I can show you a nice place right off Waikiki Beach where to stay. He drove me to the beach area, and one block off to a hotel. They arranged a reasonable five-day stay. I think it was only seventy-five dollars a day for 41 �downtown Honolulu in 1969, pretty good. 22:51 He gave me his card, and said, ―when your wife arrives, call me and we‘ll go get her‖, and I tried to pay him, and he wouldn‘t take any money. My wife came in later that day, and I called him. He picked me up, took me to the airport, picked my wife up, and offered to take us on a tour of the island, with a picnic lunch, because he singled out one soldier every time they came in, to make that offer to him. Unfortunately I never got to take advantage of that because my warrant officer was stationed at Schofield Barracks, and his wife and two children lived there, and he had arranged the same thing. He gave me a ring to deliver to his daughter, and asked me to contact his wife as soon as I got there; so that very day my wife and I called his wife. I would point out that Mr. Currie was an African American, and he extended this courtesy to every man in our unit that went there regardless of race, religion or creed. His wife promptly came and picked my wife up, took us to dinner, drove us all around the island, and showed us all the major sites. 23:54 With her son and daughter, I presented the ring that Mr. Currie had picked up in Hong Kong for his daughter, and it was probably on e of the nicest things that could have happened. That was a very rare treat, and it‘s the only time I have been to Hawaii. From there, it was very difficult to leave her and go back after five days of normal civilization. I went back and finished my tour between September and March. Interviewer: Over the course of the time you were in Vietnam, did you have any kind of physical or mental problems? Only—there were three events. During the early part of my tour, I had mentioned we spread gravel in the parking lot, I think there‘s an acclimation that took place—they gave us two types of anti-malaria pills, a large orange pill Monday morning, and a small pill 42 �daily, and I took them faithfully. While we were doing this chore, I don‘t know if it was the weather and the hard work, or a touch of something, I passed out. 25:01 They took me back to my bunk, and I don‘t remember anything. I woke up and I was quite hungry, and I asked one of the guys in the barracks if it was time for chow, and he said, ―yes‖. I told them I was quite hungry and they said, ―you ought to be, you‘ve been out of it for three days‖. They took me up to the med center, and they put down on my record, I think, it was fever of unknown origin, and that‘s what they put for malaria anyway, I believe. So, everybody was exposed to it and I don‘t know if it was malaria or not. On another occasion we went on patrol, and we had always worn our soft hats, and carried our helmets, but in this case there was a new captain that was put in charge of this patrol, and he insisted everybody wear their helmets. I can remember getting out on patrol, sitting down in a bamboo stand next to a creek, and again passing out, probably sun stroke. 25:50 That was the end of wearing your helmets in the field after that, and the concern was head injuries from wounds. That‘s nice, but in a hundred degree weather putting a steel helmet on felt like not the brightest thing you could do. Later in the fall we were on a reactionary, we had been rocketed and mortared, and they took us out in a sweep, and around base camp, and we went parallel to the perimeter. I stepped into a sandy area and turned my foot back, and I broke a bone in my foot. I had stepped into one of these wooden booby traps, but I thought it was really strange because there was nothing to it. It was softer wood, it had the lid on it, and it had been carved where it would break, and it broke and nothing happened. One of the guys got down with his bayonet and was fishing around the box, and was going to dig that out for me, and the NCO in charge of the patrol said, ―don‘t do that, a lot of times they know you are going 43 �to do this, and they booby trap it with a mortar round or artillery shell‖. I suspect it was probably a booby-trapped booby trap. 26:54 I went back and they said, ― Well, you have a broken bone in your foot, we can put it in a cast and you‘re eligible for a Purple Heart‖, it was a combat action, there was no combat, and they said, ―you‘ll go home and you‘ll have to finish your tour‖, and I said, ―What‘s the other option?‖ They said, ―we can wrap it, leave your boot on for a couple of weeks, and stay here and finish you r tour‖, and I said, ―Option two, wrap my foot, and put my boot on‖. I stayed there for the rest of my tour, and went home. Interviewer: What kind of an impression did you have of the Vietnamese soldiers, the ARVNs? I didn‘t spend a lot of time working with the ARVNs directly. My experience was, some of them were very professional and very talented. The actual ARVNs that I saw, I was never comfortable around them. I never knew if I could trust them or not. They were forced into military service much like our draft was, but they weren‘t forced for a year, or two, or three years, they were forced pretty much for life. 27:56 Some were Vietnamese, some of them were NVA and VC sympathizers, and some were not. I don‘t have any personal knowledge of that; I can speak to the Vietnamese civilians that I worked with. I mentioned before one papasan said to me, ―tonight don‘t be in the barracks, you‘re going to have a rocket or mortar attack‖. He was very discreet about how he said it, and we got to be friends. I think he cared about me as a person, thought I was a good guy, and wanted to tell me to be careful. I appreciated that, and I never felt he was a NVA or VC sympathizer, I just felt he knew about it. I knew enough about him to find out he was a Buddhist and had two wives, and he showed me pictures of his 44 �children. I didn‘t know the other Vietnamese that well, did not serve directly with the ARVNs, so I can‘t speak to that. My impression of what I saw then is fortified by what I know now. 28:58 The American soldier was very much more professional, willing to put his life on the line, the value system in Vietnam was different, and the reason I say that is an incident that happened on that bus going from the airbase to Camp Enari. We had stopped for some reason, and on the far side—probably to get orders of some kind from a military compound, and on the far side of the road were a bunch of school children in a mission environment playing with something, and I couldn‘t figure out what they were playing in, and later saw that it was some kind of round, I wasn‘t familiar with the blooper, they call the M-79, but they were using a high explosive round, and that has an arming system where you have a ball bearing in it, and it has to travel so far before it explodes. The bus driver explained to us that what they are doing is, that AG round, when you throw it far enough, that ball bearing type round activates it, and whoever picks it up, it goes off. 29:54 They thought that was funny, a funny game to play, and they could be maimed. It‘s a different environment, and I found that hard to comprehend. Not the kind of game you would see going on here, so their value system was different than ours, that‘s all I can say. Interviewer: Another kind of strange thing to ask here, the set of pictures you have a bunch of some Jeep you were rebuilding or whatever, what was the story behind that? There were some pictures I had hoped to bring, some pictures of some of the things that happened. The attack on the airbase where a 3/4-ton truck and a deuce-and-a- half were blown up with satchel charges. Headquarters 7 Jeep, the motor officer, Mr. Currie, was 45 �not authorized in the vehicle, battalion headquarters were, company commanders were, he needed something for transportation, and in the compound area was a Jeep that had fallen off, some how slid off Dragon Mountain, and the frame was twisted. 30:52 I had some mechanical background, having worked with my uncle, and we had a repair shop, and there was a guy in there that could paint. I showed him how to take chains and a 2 ½ -ton truck, and square the frame up on that Jeep. We stripped it down as best we could, and hand sanded it, and I got a hold of some black lacquer form one of the drivers that I found had black lacquer, mixed it with OD paint that we were authorized, and got him to spray paint that Jeep. Then I found out we had some parts, canvas, rigging, seats, and things like that, put that together, the motor, and transmissions, and drive shafts, transaxles, all that was in good shape, and worked. Once we squared that body up, and painted it, and we put all those parts together. They had written off that Jeep, so I put it together and put a spare tire on it. I made a tire cover for the back of it that said, HEADQUARTERS 7, 124th SIGNAL BATTALION, with our hand painted logo, and put it on that Jeep. It earned me a lot of points with the warrant officer. 31:50 Interviewer: I’ll bet, no wonder they wanted to keep you in the army. That might be, and it turned out that the colonel, he had bragging rights with the colonel over that Jeep, the colonel wanted the Jeep, and he told me very strongly, ―the colonel‘s not getting my Jeep‖, and then pretty soon I found out the colonel wanted me for his driver. His driver was leaving, a buck sergeant, was going home, and so Mr. Currie offered me that position, and I said, ―no sir, I‘m staying with you, I‘ll be leaving as well‖, and driving the colonel around is not the kind of thing I want to end up doing. So, that was kind of my history with the story about the headquarters 7 Jeep. The other vehicles 46 �that were so badly damaged we couldn‘t do anything with them, we stripped them for parts. I should explain, in the army you have different echelons, they call it, and they had five echelons of maintenance at that time. The first one just operates it, fuels and lubes it. The second echelon can change major parts. The third echelon can rebuild some parts. Forth and fifth echelons is high electronics and things of that nature. 32:53 We were a second echelon motor pool. We could change parts, and I have a story about that. Spec five came and got me, and said, ―we burnt out an air compressor‖, which powered the brakes on a truck, and we put a new one on, and it burned up right away. We couldn‘t always get all the parts you need, so what we were doing was taking a cardboard off the back of a note pad, and peening it with a hammer between the air compressor and the mounting, unfortunately after we burnt up the second air compressor, and that was our last one, he couldn‘t figure out why they kept burning up, and I happened to take the cardboard off and noticed the inlet port and the outlet port for the lube oil, and I got an awl and punched holes for both of those. We got another air compressor, put it on, and tightened down, and sure enough it worked. So, what that forced us to do was go on a scouting mission. We couldn‘t get any more parts, so the warrant officer said to me, ―You got anymore of that beer left yet?‖ I took a couple of cases of beer, and we got some long range patrol rations packs, and he brought a couple bottles of whiskey, and we went to the 4th Engineers at Camp Schmidt. 34:04 While I‘m sitting there waiting for him to do the negotiations to get spare parts for air compressors, I had my hat pulled down over my eyes, taking a nap, one of the guys that I worked with, Dirk Kramer, was his name, was in the 4th Engineers, and he came up. Eleven thousand miles away, and I ran into one of my best friends from work, in Vietnam during the war, and that‘s a nice 47 �story. That‘s how you got parts; you swapped parts with somebody else because we weren‘t authorized those parts. We actually had tools that weren‘t authorized. We took a fifty-five gallon drum for inspection, it was buried in the ground, with a lid, put all the tools we weren‘t authorized in the drum, waited until after the inspection, and dug it back up again, took the tools out we needed to rebuild parts. Kind of a funny thing how the army worked at that time. Interviewer: What kind of losses did your unit take over the course of time you were there? Because you were getting attacked periodically. 34:57 Actually, of the eighty-eight guys that were in my unit, the cook in A Company was in the building they blew up, he had a small wound, and got a Purple Heart, two assistants were wounded, I never saw a 124th Signal Battalion soldier wounded, however, some of them were at the four firebases, running generators. They were over run on occasion. Some injuries took place there, but I never personally saw anyone there lost. There was one injury I am aware of—when you went on patrol they had a barracks set up outside of the headquarters company area office for debriefing, and one patrol, they came back, you put your rucksacks on your bunks, open them up, lay out your materials, they inspected everything, and that was always expected. 35:54 I was not on the patrol, but I heard a loud bang, and didn‘t know what was going on. Everybody rushed to the barracks to see what was going on, and one of the guys on the patrol had gotten his hands on a 45-caliber pistol, and the story went that he hit the reject and dropped the magazine out of the pistol, and did one of these John Wayne things with the pistol. His best buddy was at the bunk across the way from him, they were horsing around, and he pointed the pistol, said, ―bang your dead‖, pulled the trigger, and forgot there was a round in the chamber. He went to 48 �Japan, first, we called it LBJ, Long Binh Jail, named it after president LBJ. He went first there, and the other guy went to Japan to the hospital. I don‘t know any detail, I don‘t know who it was that had the pistol, and I don‘t know who it was that got shot. I do know that happened. There was one other incident. 36:49 Larry Algers was our wrecker driver, and occasionally some of our guys, he was a specialist fifth class, some of our guys would volunteer to go on to base camp areas for generators that had to be flown out by helicopter, and in the morning, and I believe it was ten o‘clockish, he was going out on a Huey Slick, and we happened to be in the motor pool and noticed the Huey Slick crash, I believe it was a Huey Slick, it could have been a Chinook, I don‘t remember, between our motor pool, and Dragon Mountain. Larry was on that, wrecker we called him, chopper that crashed, and later at chow I found out, I didn‘t know he was on it at the time we saw it go down. It crashed, and he never came back to the unit. He was injured, but not killed. So, there were a couple of injuries that I‘m personally aware of, but no deaths in our unit. I did see some things that happened at the time of the attack on the perimeter there were three bunkers that were blown up, and there were at least two guys in each bunker, by satchel charges. 37:54 They were not from my unit, but certainly they were killed. On Dragon Mountain the infantry unit had bunker one, two, and three, and all three of them were blown up by B-40 rockets. There were three men to a bunker there, and there were nine guys that were killed. I don‘ know their names, I don‘t know the details, but there were no bunkers left after the attack, and no bodies either. I‘m sure that happened, and that‘s as close to death as I got with our unit, and the helicopter I mentioned. Those are the only ones I‘m aware of during my tour. 49 �Interviewer: Are there any other incidents that stand out in your mind, from your time in Vietnam, that you want to add to the record, that you haven’t thrown in here yet? Well, there are some humorous things. I can remember coming back from guard duty, and of course the first thing you want t do is shower because of the dirt blown in your face, or the monsoon rain. During Vietnamsation they had mamasans come in and do your laundry for you, and unfortunately the only water source was the shower, so it was not unusual for the guys coming back from guard duty to shower while the mamasan was doing the laundry. 38:58 You became inured to that, and they would laugh and talk, and giggle among themselves. That was a humorous thing. I can remember also, as we got ready to pull out that they were getting very nervous, the civilians that worked for us, about us pulling out and leaving them behind. One of the young ladies, and I have a picture of her here, and she wanted me to leave a picture I had of my wife and child with her, and I don‘t know why, but I refused to give her the picture, but I gave her the brass picture frame. I can remember one of the Vietnamese asking me to remember him after I left because he knew I was going home, and that when I got home I should send him some money. I never knew how to reach him, and I never sent him any money. I always remember him because he became a good friend. 39:51 I can remember a duty I had one time—they brought in, during Vietnamsation, some of the Montagnards, who would have been a clan, or family, to work, and because I had taken French in college they thought maybe I could communicate with them, so they put me in charge of the work crew that was cutting the grass that was growing up around the perimeter of the motor pool. It was exciting, none of them spoke French, and my French was pretty lame by that 50 �point, but that was an interesting duty. I can remember at An Khe, the K-9 Corps was kitty corner behind us, and one afternoon, or evening, one of the dog handlers went out to feed the dogs, and we heard a gosh awful racket, and I don‘t know if this proved out to be true or not, but the dogs went bananas, bonkers, and later we were told the dogs attacked the handler and killed him, and that was unnerving. 40:51 We had turned our weapons in, Don and I, and were processing out at An Khe by that point, and on two occasions we were attacked through the perimeter. The barbed wire was the only thing between us, and wherever they wanted to come from. I can remember a buck sergeant, I can‘t remember his name, but he was armed with a 45-caliber pistol, standing in the doorway with his pistol drawn, telling us to lie on the ground, because you could see shadows of guys with AK-47s running by. I was very nervous about that, getting down to my last few days, and knowing that 45 was all that was standing between me and getting shot up, and I never got over that either, it was kind of dramatic. Down towards the airstrip from us was an outfit called the 1st of the 10th Buffalo Soldiers. There was a Huey Slick gunship down there, and I would see the door gunner cleaning it, and the interesting thing was, he was about a six foot four guy, and he had this really curly afro, and for a white American that was unusual, and in the army. 42.00 I would wave and say ―hi‖ to him all the time, but I didn‘t know who he was. I got back to work, and I started to notice, after a couple of months, ―that guy over there kind of looks like that guy I was waving to‖, and it turned out it was. When I got drafted he was my replacement at work, and shortly after he was hired in, he got drafted, and we got to be pretty good friends. Unfortunately he had an aneurism and died at twenty-eight years old. Steve Rolgo was his name, and he was from the 1st of the 10th Buffalo Soldiers, so that‘s kind of a sad 51 �story that played out kind of strange. A lot of people were getting drafted at that point, and he survived the whole war as a door gunner, and went home and had an aneurism in his fiancé‘s swimming pool. Sad, a sad moment, a good guy. 42:56 I can‘t think of too many other things to—long days and a lot of hard work, and it wasn‘t unusual to only have four hours of sleep. It wasn‘t unusual to be frustrated with nothing to take your mind off what was going on. Interviewer: Did they bring in entertainment or USO shows? Only on two occasions, and it‘s interesting that you asked that. I have a picture, I believe, in my group, of a Pilipino group at the enlisted mans club, who came in the fall, shortly before I went, or shortly after I came back from R&R. They would not let Americans perform at the 4th Division base camp, it was too risky, but they allowed Pilipino groups to come, and they did the best they could with rock & roll, but it wasn‘t quite the same, but it was entertainment, and we enjoyed it, and they did a professional job of putting on the show. 43:54 When we got to An Khe, again they would not let Americans perform, although there were some ―donut dollies‖, I‘ll call them, that were kind enough to pass out donuts and share coffee with you, and that‘s the first time I saw an American woman after nearly fourteen months, other than my wife on R & R. It was very pleasant to spend time talking with her and having coffee. About two week, or ten days before I left, they brought in an Australian group, and they performed music in a very small building environment, and went from company to company doing that. It was a group of Australian guys, they played modern music, and I can‘t tell you any more about it, it could have been anybody, but it was a nice diversion from what we were going through, and we thoroughly enjoyed that. I can remember a couple of other things 52 �that happened that are interesting. To get up to the barracks from the company area there was a small three-step step, and kind of a tunnel behind the steps. I went up and down the steps all the time rather than climb up and down the bank, and after about the third day of doing that one of the guys grabbed me and said, ―don‘t walk on those steps‖, and I said, ―Why is that?‖ 45:01 He said, ―Because that‘s a Cobra nest behind the steps‖, and I said, ―well thanks for telling me that‖. I got down to my last three days, and they virtually said, ―you are done, do whatever you want‖, and after chow one day I went back and wrote a letter to my wife, and I thought, ―well, I‘ll take a nap‖, and it‘s nine o‘clock in the morning, and a brand new executive officer came through with his riding stick , and the company clerk, or battalion clerk, and I had my bare feet hanging out of the bunk, and he slapped me with the ridding crop, and of course I said some unsavory things to him, and he put me on report. This was after the incident about the possible promotion. I got called up to company headquarters, and the top sergeant said, ―What are you doing here, Lange?‖ I said, ―well, I‘m on report sarge‖, and he said, ―Well, what‘s that all about?‖ I told him what happened, and he said, ―Well, we‘ll see about that‖, and he went in and talked to Lieutenant Colonel Odeorn. 45:56 Pretty soon he left and Colonel Odeorn called me in, and I came to attention, and he said, ―sit down‖, and he said to me, ―Aren‘t you from Grand Rapids?‖ I said, ―yes sir‖, and he said, ―I‘m from Detroit‖, and then we talked about the incidents where I covered for the guys so many times, and the opportunity for promotion. He said, ―Well, why are you here?‖ I said, ―your X-l put me on report sir‖, and he said, ―we‘ll see about that. Tom, get a hold of that guy‖, so they brought the X-l in, and I‘m in the chair, and I go to get up, and he said, ―no, sit right there‖, and he read the Major off, up one side and down the other, and he said, ―Don‘t 53 �you know this man extended his tour, he should have been home already he‘s done an excellent job of service, and that he‘s getting a medal tomorrow on the parade ground, and you put him on report?‘ The guy could have died, and the next day he had to pin a medal on me. He went down the line of ten or twelve guys that were leaving, the guys got good conduct metals, two Bronze Stars, the sergeant I had mentioned earlier, and the rest of us, Don, myself, and Keith, got Army Commendation medals. 46:57 All of us had been in some duress one way or another. He felt we earned them, and I feel we probably did too. He got to me, and had to pin the metal on. He pinned the medal on, but never congratulated me, and walked away, because he got put on report for putting me on report. It kind of justified itself, and it was good to have somebody from Michigan there at that time, and a colonel who respected who you were. Interviewer: Now, you get back to the states, where do you come back to? I came back—we flew, and I can‘t remember, but probably by helicopter, from An Khe Airbase to Cam Ranh Bay. The biggest piece of tarmac I ever saw, and all you saw when you looked off in the distance was the ocean, and sand, and it was really a strange thing to see after being where I was with all the red clay in the jungle. 47:51 We were there overnight, they inspected our gear and took away—I had a crossbow—things they thought I couldn‘t have, my attire, fatigues, they took all that away, and of course they kept them. I didn‘t care. I was going home. We packed our stuff up, and slept overnight at An Khe, or at Cam Ranh, left from Cam Ranh Bay by—it seems to me it was Flying Tiger Airlines. They had taken an airplane and cut the fuselage, and added a section it, so they could hold about two hundred and twenty-five guys in one airplane. They flew us to Japan, I‘m not sure, but in Japan it started with a Y, and they actually let 54 �us go through—they warned us, ―you know you have to behave‖, but we went to the shops and all, in the airport terminal. I bought a Seiko watch for my wife, I remember that, and she still has it. From Japan we flew to Guam, and from Guam to Hawaii again. I don‘t remember spending any time at either of those airbases, or airports. 48:59 From the airport at Hawaii, it seemed we went to Alaska for a short stop over, but I could be wrong, and flew into SeaTac, Tacoma airport, and they put us in their military barracks there, and again, we went through another inspection, and everything. They woke us up at three o‘clock in the morning for breakfast, anything you wanted, steak, eggs, and everything, and that was a nice treat. We got to the airport terminal, after they inspected our baggage they turned us loose, and now you‘re on your own to get your own flight back, which I booked. Unfortunately they had trucked up a busload of Hare Krishnas in their saffron robes, and they proceeded to attack us for being warmongers. We were called ―baby killers‖, and things of that nature. The one that approached me, started in on me, and I asked him a question, ―How old are you?‖ 49:59 He said, ―twenty-four‖, and I said, ―you‘ll be happy to know that when I went in I was only twenty, and that means I couldn‘t vote, and that means, you, as a voting adult, sent me, to Vietnam, and I got separated from my wife and family‖, and I guess he was taken back by that. I just brushed him aside, I didn‘t touch him, I just walked away, and he was still pondering that. The next group proceeded to come over to attack, and he came running up and said, ―not this guy‖. I felt that was justifiable payback, but I‘m here to tell you—when we came home from Vietnam, we were not well received, but I‘m also here to tell you that many nice things happened. I was flying home to visit my family, from Washington D.C. one day, and I always flew military stand-by because you had a guaranteed seat, but there 55 �were occasions when the plane was full. On this one flight, it was North Central, I think, the local airlines, North Central, and a business man, who had first class tickets, waited to make sure I got on the plane. 51:02 He kept asking the flight attendant, ―Are you going to get this young man on the plane? If not, I‘m going to give him my ticket‖, and I was quite embarrassed by that. She said, ―sir, just be calm, just stand there‖, and when no one came they had some first class seats left, and she gave me a first class seat, and I sat with this gentleman all the way back to Grand Rapids. He actually took me to my home from the airport, and I have never forgotten that. There were a couple of incidents like that, and I was surprised at the kindness people offered you. On the other hand, there were a lot of anti-war protesters, and it was very offensive the way they treated you. As I mentioned to you earlier, I came home, let my hair grow out, went back to work and put it all behind me. Part of the therapy I went through when I went to the VA a couple of years ago was ―wear your 4th Division hat in public and see what happens‖. I was on a walk with my wife one day down Five Mile Road by Plainfield, and I had my hat on, and I saw an SUV go by and the gentleman in the SUV was applauding. 52:07 I asked my wife what that was all about, and she said he was applauding your service. Its kind of emotional for me to talk about because what a far cry it was from what happened. I remember two other things I should share. I got off the airplane in Grand Rapids; my dad was there with my son, my mom, my brothers, my wife, and my sister-in-law. I got down off the--It‘s a cliché, and back then you didn‘t have a ramp, you had a real step, and I got down off the step, and kind of got down to the side, kissed the tarmac, and said I was glad to be home. I never saw my dad cry, but he came up to me, put his arm around me, and he had tears in his eyes, it was very emotional for him. He was dying a thousand deaths 56 �all the time I was gone I guess. 52:59 My family had an in the home service with a minister, a full dinner and everything, I mean it was a mass, I‘m Catholic, and they sang, the choir and everything. In the military there tend to be a lot of using the ―F‖ word, and I turned to my brother and asked him to pass me the f—n salt, and that‘s a memory I‘ll never forget. I was trying so hard not to do that, and it got dead silent. The look from my mother was enough to kill me. The minister—the associate pastor is doing the mass, and just to tell you how infused the ―F‖ word was in the military, we were on a patrol one time, and there was a young minister twenty-four or twenty-five on patrol, and he was walking up and talking to different guys and encouraging us, and sharing our hardships with us, and trying to be one of the guys. He‘s starting to go f this and f that like everyone does, he got to me and I put my arm on his shoulder and said, ―you know reverend, we need you out here, no question about it, we need you to be who you are and not one of the guys, so try not to use that word so often. 54:03 It wasn‘t intentional, it was unintentional, it just happens, and if you go anywhere in the military it‘s probably still that way today. One other incident, and then that‘s all I can think of. We had a small apartment, and the back bedroom in that apartment had a space heater in it. About a week to ten days after I got home, that space heater went off. My wife has told this story, she was sharing it with her mother one day, and she said, ‗the bed shook, and I looked and Joe was gone‖, and she leaned over the bed and looked down on the floor, and I‘m on the floor, and she said, ―What are you doing down there?‖ I said, ―Didn‘t you hear that mortar go off?‖ I‘m home for two weeks and it sounded like a mortar going off, and I looked up and realized, ‗well that can‘t be, that‘s my wife up there, that can‘t be a mortar going off‖, so it never leaves you. She told her mother this story while I‘m having 57 �coffee with her mother and father one Saturday morning, and her mothers name is Marie and her fathers name is Gene, and she said, ―Gene, tell him what happened with you‖, and he didn‘t want to talk about it, and she said, ―we‘re out on a walk one day and a car backfired, and he ducks in a doorway. 55:13 He didn‘t think to take me to safety, he ducked in a doorway, and left me standing there‖, and she asked him, ―Why did you do that?‖ He said, ―Didn‘t you hear that mortar go off?‖ He and I share that in common, he‘s a WWII veteran. Interviewer: To look back over the whole thing, how do you think your time in the service wound up affecting you? I will say two things about it, and almost everybody I‘ve talked to, that served, with tell you the same thing. I am proud to have served the people in this country, I‘m proud of my service, I‘m proud of the unit I served with, and of what we did there. I would do it again, if called upon, and I have to tell you, I was twenty years old when I went in, and although I was married, I was very immature, my marriage has lasted at least forty-five years simply because I grew up a lot. Two things—I‘ve always been a little bit street wise, but it taught me to make judgments, it taught me how to lead, and today I‘m a leader for the company I work with, in my role. 56:14 It made me an adult, cognizant, Christian citizen, and it makes me feel, looking back, a bond with all service men, and makes me understand what they‘ve gone through. I can‘t share it with anyone who hasn‘t done it. I have five sons, and I think that‘s a gift. I was spared, and there were occasions when I was at risk, and I believe God had a role in that. There was a role for me to play, I‘m very proud to be an American, and I promise you this, if you ever leave this country and live somewhere else for a while, you‘ll be glad to be here. So, that‘s what it did for 58 �me, it made me appreciate my country, my countrymen, and women, and I‘m very proud of who we are, and how we are, concerned, aware, citizens, world citizens. 57:09 Interviewer: Well, thank you very much for coming in and telling us your story. 59 � 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 LangeJ Title A name given to the resource Lange, Joesph (Interview transcript and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lange, Joesph Description An account of the resource Joe Lange was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 9th, 1947. After graduating high school, Lange married and briefly attended college before getting a full-time job and receiving his draft notice. After receiving his draft noticed, Lange went through basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and advanced training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia to be a generator mechanic. Once he completed the training at Fort Belvoir, Lange returned home before deploying to Vietnam to serve for a year in the 124th Signal Battalion of the 4th Infantry Division. 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 Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-04-19 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