461 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9cea859054bc21dba304030ebb8de58f.mp4 b8cd13f678935ad943964c6a8e3c114d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4f71728ac16f92dc622ce7d710024cba.pdf 1a7bb1870cc9d2999c046cfc9102643c PDF Text Text GVSU Veteran’s History Project Cold War Era Debra Kridler Total Time: (40:49)                   (00:48) Has a brother who served in the Gulf War; said they didn’t talk about it a lot (1:34) She said her family seemed more concerned with her brother than her (she was in the service but didn’t fight in any wars) (1:54) The unit that she was with in Frankfurt was in lockdown; their job was to secure the area (2:22) Made friends with a few people in her unit o Became hard to stay in touch after awhile (2:56) The area she served in was in Southern Bavaria o Here, they faced bomb threats o American/German military base (3:40) Says the relationships she built was a memorable experience, as well as her job o Ms. Kridler worked in communications o Went to school in Georgia for telecommunications o Worked as a radio operator in Germany o Used a lot of books o Did practice alerts (4:41) Her usual schedule was from about 8-5; afterwards they would clean the barracks sometimes (5:07) The Germans were in one section of the base and the Americans were on another (5:48) Mentioned that there weren’t a lot of females in the infantry (6:03) Guessed there was about 350 on their base o Maybe 50 Germans o Germans had to serve at least 1 year in the military (6:56) M-16’s were their main weapons that they trained on (9:09) The base that Ms. Kridler was at was near Frankfurt (10:08) Said there wasn’t a lot of interaction with the Germans (12:44) Mentioned that German economy was pretty good (13:09) Had a chance to travel a lot (14:10) Didn’t see combat, but was ready for it o Used landmines and hand grenades as well as being able to fire an M-16 (16:04) During training she learned how to send messages through computers (17:20) Learned how to throw grenades with the drill sergeant �             o Describes process of detonating hand grenades o They were explosive o Wore a vest which protected her from shrapnel (20:45) Mentions that they had earplugs with them when using weapons (22:33) Says the oldest you could sign up for the service was 36 years old (23:04) Wore camouflage; before she was in the service, the color for service men and women was green; there had been a recent switch (26:22) Discussed drills they had to do at midnight; gave them an idea of what war was really like (27:20) German uniforms had an emblem and the German flag colors (27:48) Says that they had more equipment than the Germans (29:25) Had a few clashes with her first superior officer; Ms. Kridler was frustrated when how he ran things o Liked the second superior officer better (30:45) Remembers having first lieutenants, but not a captain on the base (31:35) By the time Ms. Kridler got out of the service, she was a sergeant o Served two years without leave o When she came back to Michigan she did another year, then served longer o Eventually went to the National Guard o Seven years total in the service (33:50) Ms. Kridler thinks that if she stayed in the service another year, would have gotten a higher ranking, but decided not to (34:12) Also had a sister in the army; brother was in the Marines (35:11) Said the military helped her learned to be independent (36:33) Said if she was younger, she would have finished school before joining the military � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KridlerD0477V Title A name given to the resource Kridler, Debra (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kridler, Debra Description An account of the resource Ms. Kridler was in the US Army in the 1980's. She served in the southern Bavarian region of Germany on a base that was shared by Americans and Germans. Ms. Kridler worked in telecommunications, but also received combat training and served on guard duty. After completing her enlistment, she served in the National Guard. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kirchinger, Ben (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 Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-05-25 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fc559e70a3e142f7821745739a9678be.mp4 e9551ca40fe838a3860ed28d77b784ee https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bc6873dd54c373d218e6f46774949bb9.pdf 1f4a3758e391222c27ceede3a2d0aee2 PDF Text Text Robert Kriegbaum  World War II  U.S. Army  (2:10:09)  Interviewer:  James Smither    (00:10)Background  • Born in Richmond Indiana December 4 1922  • Graduated from Richmond High School June 1941  • Father was an Engineer with the International Harvester Company‐kept job during depression‐ worked with farmers‐moved to Chicago 1944 when plant closed up‐experimental engineer  testing out new farm equipment out on the field  • 3 sisters  (02:45)  • Enrolled in Purdue University‐initial training in the ROTC‐field artillery  • December 7 1941‐at fraternity when he heard about Pearl Harbor  (04:10)  • Drafted Fall of 1942‐told to report Feb 1943‐mother tried to exempt Robert for being asthmatic‐ Robert said he didn’t want to do that‐went in  • Most of friends had enlisted‐many into the Air Force  • Belonged at time to the Quaker Church‐joined Westminster Church with mother    (07:20)Fort Benjamin Harrison‐Indianapolis Indiana  • 1 week of physicals and paper work    (07:45)Fort Sill Oklahoma  • Artillery training  • (8:05)Vacations taken before the war were by car.  One to California and one to New York.  • (9:15)First Train Trip was from Richmond to Fort Sill  • George was 5’6” 140lbs at the time  • Tough Sergeants  • Robert says he did well in training  • Learned about guns, surveying, observation‐all about artillery training  • (11:42) Most of the other guys were not college educated but well educated men  • 13 weeks of basic training  • Graduated May 1943‐guys were split up around the world    **Robert was shipped around to half of a dozen replacement depots of east side of the United  States from May to August 1943. Among the depots were Camp Miles Standish, Maine, Camp  Shenango Pennsylvania, and Patrick Henry, Virginia    �(14:20)left Patrick Henry‐shipped out to North Africa  • Robert said they didn’t know where they were going  • 23 days a part of a convoy going from Virginia to Oran, Algeria  • Crossed Straits of Gibraltar‐Robert finally knew where he was going  • Submarine scares kept them on deck only at night    (16:18)Oran   • Cold and raining often‐war in Africa was over as far as U.S. was concerned  • Barrack Bags were heavy‐received gas masks here  • There about 1 month‐shipped out to Naples Italy    (19:00)Naples Italy  • Port had been bombed  • Replacement Depot was in an extinct volcano  • Jumped out of fox hole during an air raid and landed on a guy from Richmond Indiana  • Trucks came and brought their unit to the front‐34th infantry division  • (20:53)Robert was part of the175th Field artillery  battalion, C Battery‐ inside of the 34th infantry  • Forward observer was his position‐3 groups with 3 guys in each group  • He was to find where on the map the enemy was going to land and communicate that by smoke  shell where they were going to land.  • (23:00) Robert’s asthma kicks in‐informs field commander‐switches places with another  replacement  • (24:24)crossings of Volturno River Italy‐close to winter 1943‐168th regiment    (25:55)2nd observing job‐  • Approaching Mount Pantano‐tough fighting for the men there‐  • Struggle to the front line where their were frequent attacks by the Germans‐  • Protected by the mountains and grape plantations‐  • Built rocks up‐couldn’t dig fox holes(no dirt)‐  • (29:20)Spent 2‐3 days on mountain before retreat  • Went back up‐gained control‐mortar, machine gun fire, rock throwing, and grenades were being  used  • December 4 1943‐Robert’s 21st birthday‐he remembers saying ‘I made it’  • (31:00) Germans were literally stone throws away‐slow going‐moving toward Cassino  • 2 ½ months before relief came  • (33:08) Trenchfoot became big issue‐people were getting sick‐Dysentery  • Christmas dinner‐hot turkey meal‐Germans fired on them‐Robert’s dinner was ruined  • Pulled out before reaching Cassino  • OD’s hadn’t arrived yet for winter  • Given 3 week rest  �  (37:20)Cassino‐January 1944  • Built pup tents to keep warm‐2 men to each tent  • Put charcoal in tin food cans lit them on fire‐wind would blow heat into tent‐woke up with tent  on fire  • Payday‐came down mountain to get paid‐stayed in commander’s truck till clothes and  equipment could be replaced  • Battle at Cassino‐Germans flooded valley and laid mine fields  • Men had to walk through mine field for 1500 feet before making it‐lost a few guys going through  • (43:45)Artillery stayed behind unit but with the men  • City of Cassino‐destroyed‐stayed inside of a house‐heavy artillery fighting‐didn’t go outdoors  • Hygiene wasn’t the best‐peed in corners wherever they were  • Used bathroom on the side of path‐mother and daughter walked by  • (46:31)Many divisions at Cassino‐tried to advance toward Rome‐couldn’t get there  • Mount Tocchio‐used as Germans observation point before abandoning them because Allies  were advancing on them    (48:30) Mont Cassino Abbey  • Germans were using the base as an observation point on the Allied forces  • February 15 1944‐B24 bombed the Abbey‐reduced it to ruins  • Robert says there was controversy over whether we should have bombed the Abbey because it  was sacred ground to the Monks  • (51:05) Robert’s division went off line back to rest area the following day      *Robert was sent to the hospital for dysentery in Naples Italy.  Meanwhile his division moved    out.    (52:10)Boarded LST truck from Naples to Anzio  • Robert landed on shore and was assigned to the Instrument Survey Crew‐by his request  • Survey crew consisted of a 7 man crew, Jeep, 4‐ton trailer for supplies  • Would head out on a reconnaissance mission with the Captain, 105mm Howitzers, would survey  guns back to a base point, then to another base point to continuously keep track on a map  where their location was  • (55:45)Germans had chased them back a few times‐in front of men a ways  • Came across cross road‐military police‐trucks were empty‐men were in ditches‐Germans were  firing on the cross road    (57:40)Anzio  • Settled in and dug their fox holes‐got as comfortable as they could  • It was springtime by the time they arrived  • They didn’t dare to move during the day‐Axis army was in the mountains above them  �• • • Played cards and read during the day  Robert was with the 125th artillery battalion  They set up camp in abandoned farm houses    (100:55)North Africa (does a flashback of sorts on previous experiences of 34th Division)  • 34th infantry division  • Took a 40 and 8 across North Africa thru mountains to Bizerte  • 40 and 9 was a term used in WWI where they had a boxcar with 40 men and 8 horses  • Roberts division had over 40 guys and no horses  • 500 miles and 5 days to cross North Africa  • (1:02:00)34th infantry was a group of guys from the National Guard federalized into one unit  • 1st outfit sent to Europe in January 1942 after war was declared‐Landed in Ireland  • Parts developed into the First Rangers‐job was to sabotage the Germans  • Selected to invade North Africa  • Landed at Oran, Algiers, and Casablanca  • Fought French Vichy upon landing for a short time‐remained in Allie hands  • Moved eastward towards Tunis  • Met African Corp Rommel in Tunisia‐first combat for the 34th division  • (104:39)They were defeated at Fondouk Pass and Kasserine Pass    (106:10) Back at Anzio  • Dug hole outside of barn through the floor and into the barn to provide an easy exit incase they  were cornered into the barn.  Built up sand bags on the outside of the hole.  • Slept in the barn or the house on the floor and listened to music on a radio  • Could hear ‘Big Bertha’ shells every night going off toward the beach front toward Ally ships  • June 1‐Cassino had fallen‐ they decided it was time to move on  • (1:11:10)General Clark wanted to conquer Rome‐received orders to conquer Germans leaving  Cassino instead‐Clark disobeyed orders and went into Rome    (1:12:20)Arrived at Rome  • June 4th or 5th‐Open city‐little damage  • 34th division not allowed to stop in Rome to celebrate‐had to keep Germans on the run  • Continued North West to Tyrrhenian Sea  • Stopped at Santa Marinella for the night  • (1:14:15)Robert receives Dear John letter  • Chased Germans up the west coast of Italy‐Pigeon Run  • Went thru Civitavecchia, Lake Horn, and Pisa where they met the 91st division    (1:15:50)Assigned to Florence Italy  • Boarded boat on the Arno River  to Florence  �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Drove Germans north out of Florence on highway 65 and 64 back into the mountains  Called their Jeeps “Peeps”  (1:18:40)Take Jeep up the mountain to position‐settle in for the winter  Overlooking Paloma Italy  Little fighting during next three months  Housed in with Italy family in a farm house  (1:21:00)Christmas‐boiled chestnuts over fire  (1:22:00)Brother‐in‐law‐ensign in the navy‐visits Robert while in Italy  (1:24:30)Drove up hill to observation point with brother‐in‐law‐destroyed Church  (1:25:20)Spring came‐Invasion of France had started  Mountain‐northern Apennines‐into Bologna and Po Valley  Partisans and civilians in Bologna waiting to greet them  Took highway 9 through Po Valley toward Piacenza‐couldn’t cross River due to bridge being out  (1:28:00)Retreated all the way back thru Odayna(?) then back north across river  Headed to Milan    (1:29:40)Milan Italy  • Partisans and civilians wanted to bring the guys to see Mussolini hanging from his feet  • Chased Germans out‐they were heading toward Switzerland and Austria  • Chased North to Ifraya?    (1:30:50)Ifraya? (Biella) Italy  • At the foot of the Alpines  • War had ended in Italy May 2 1945  • Settled a huge field where Germans could surrender and set down their guns  • General called Robert ‘Creekbomb’‐nickname‐told to direct the POW’s into the field and give  them directions  • Right at noon from all directions Germans surrendered  • Threw in P38, German Lugers and Machine Guns  • Robert took two pistols to home where he was staying and accidently shot one thru the roof  between two guys sleeping  • (1:36:40) 2 to 3 weeks later they were still surrendering‐total of 40,000 men surrendered  • Sent to San Remo‐in the Italian Riviera‐keep peace between Italians and French  • Villa King‐stayed for two months‐corresponded with a few girls from village even after war was  over  • (1:40:00)Letters from Luciana‐girl in Italy  • Went to Turin‐didn’t know why he was going‐Picked up old lady and daughter carrying olive oil  • Returned to camp and received orders to go to Udine‐by Trieste    (1:43:30) Udine Italy  �• • • Kept peace between Italians and Yugoslavians‐both wanted Trieste  Received first ration of Russian Vodka‐half of canteen cup full‐nobody had vodka before‐all were  drunk  Considered an area for ribbon‐Robert hadn’t applied for it yet    (1:45:35)Chicken coop story  • South of Cassino by river  • Found chicken coup‐cleaned it out and slept in it to stay out of the rain‐rotated guard duty every  2 hrs.    (1:49:00)Naples  • Went by 40 and 8 back to Naples  • Roberts division chalked up over 600 days of combat time on the front line  • Robert had 430 days of combat time  • 19 days to get back to the states    (1:55:15)Back in the states  • Returned in November‐New Port  • Nobody there to meet them  • Sent by train back to their home state    Camp Atterbury Indiana‐mustering out stations  • First thing he was asked was ‘Would you like to sign here for extra duty?’ Robert said no.  • Gave Robert $5.10 for train fare back home to Richmond  • Snuck up on parents at home‐they didn’t know he was coming    (1:57:55)Effects of his time in the service  • Robert felt that his time in the service made him a better person and that he strives to be a  good person still to this day    (1:59:40)Richmond Indiana‐back home  • Took GI Bill and went to Earlham College‐Richmond Indiana‐Quaker school  • Went back to Purdue for half a semester‐met wife  • Got married‐went to San Francisco  • Joined wholesale hardware outfit    (2:02:40) Michigan  • Opened up a hardware store      � 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 KriegbaumR Title A name given to the resource Kriegbaum, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kreigbaum, Robert Description An account of the resource Robert Kriegbaum is a veteran of the army who served during WW II. He was a forward artillery observer with the 34th Infantry Division. He spent much of his service in North Africa and Italy fighting on the front lines with many battalions. In all he served over 400 days on the front line and his unit spent over 600 days fighting. His record going thru Italy was thoroughly understand and remembered details of civilian and German POW's. Robert's unit was in Italy when the war ended and directed all surrendering German soldiers to camps. His service was impeccable and his memory of events vivid. He was also one of the men who fought near Monte Cassino Abbey against the Germans. 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 World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-12-19 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 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3d5374814734e9bdc8b3092d0c5c8a1e.PDF 26e1f25f37c2740c8955b93a17eedf6a PDF Text Text SERVICE OF COMMEMORATION KRISTALLNACHT NOVEMBER 9, 1938 - NOVEMBER 9, 1988 PARTICIPANTS Albert M. Lewis, Rabbi Rev. Thomas Johnston, D.P. Michael Rascoe, Rabbi Rev. Donald J. Heydens, Pastor Stuart Rapaport, Chazan Robie Dan, Cellist Congregation Emanuel Campus Ministry, Aquinas College Congregation Ahavas Israel st. Thomas The Apostle Church Congregation Ahavas Israel Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra PARTICIPATING IN THE CANDLE LIGHTING CEREMONY Glenn Barkan, President Morton Hoffman, President Peter O'Connor, President Marni Holtzman, Vice ~resident Jason Goldsmith, President Joe Schmitz, Chairperson Parish Council Congregation Emanuel Congregation Ahavas Israel Aquinas College Grand Rapids Temple Youth - GRTY United Synagogue Youth - USY St. Thomas The Apostle Church Portions of this service were excerpted from "The Six Days of Destruction" by Elie Wiesel and Albert H. Friedland er. �NARRATOR We begin our service in remembrance o= the Holocaust in silence. Let us surround our worship, our community in prayer, with silence, silence in preparation for the Presence of God. SILENT MEDITATION Silence does not just bring to a standstill words and noise. Silence is more than the temporary renunciation of speech. It is a door opening before prayer, toward the very realms of the spirit and the heart. Silence is the beginning of a reckoning of the soul, the prelude to an account of the past and the consideration of the present. May our shared silence lead us to awareness of a time of total evil that degraded our most precious values, the very meaning of religious existence, and life itself. Our silence is to be a committed accounting for other silences, that accepted persecut:i.ons and were indifferent to debasement and crime. For there was a time when silence was a crime. We think particularly of one night of silence, half a century ago; Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Crystals, the 9th of November, 1938. Then, all the synagogues in Germany rose up in flame and smoke to the skies. The churches next to them stood in darkness, and in silence. Glass littered the streets - the broken shop-windows of the Jewish community. The neighbors walked upon the crunching splinters and were silent. A few prayed. Some churches courageously expressed their grief. But a dark cloud of silence filled the .world. When will that silence end? When will we speak out on behalf of suffering neighbors? Not until we affirm God together; not until we acknowledge that we are all God ' s children. From the silence of uncaring, let us move on to the silence which is the search for God, the search within ourselves. Then we can move beyond that silence: we can affirm the One God, we can proclaim God's Name to the worldl (congregation stands) Reader: Praise and proclaim God's Name, to whom all praise is due! Cong: Praised and proclaimed be the Name of God, to whom all praise is ?Ue, now and forever. Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is One! Blessed is His glorious kingdom for ever and ever! -1- �NARRATOR out of silence, out of darkness, the creative Word of God was spoken. It first took the form of wind, of ruach, God's spirit hovering over the waters of chaos to control them, to hold them back and make possible the goodness of creation itself. Through the millennia, the process has continued, as humanity came to share in the work of creation. Days of light and nights of darkness were linked together. We turn back to those days of creation; and we link them with the days of destruction in our time, so that the ruach of God may drive back the darkness and give us light. READER In the beginning of God's creating the heaven and the earth, the earth was without form and void. And darkness hovered over the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said: let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And it was evening and it was morning: the first day. SECOND READER (Congregation joins in) Lord God of Creation, we thank you for the light and for the darkness, for the dark flame which engraved your letters into the firmament of creation, for the unending light shining out of the six Days of Creation. o Lord our God, help us to find that light again in the Days of Destruction. Your daughter Hava looked for it in vain. It was swept up as shards on the streets on a night of crystal, it was lost in the chambers of advocates who killed souls with stamps. There was no shining in the sky-lights of the cattle-trains. It was dark there. Yet somewhere, underneath the shells pushed back and forth in cruel sport, the light is shining. Break the shells, o Lord; let the light come forth. And help us to remember those who moved from light to darkness. We praise You, Lord, Giver of light and darkness. READER And God said: Let the earth bring forth living creatures, each of their kind, cattle and creeping things, beasts of the earth ... and it was good. And God said: let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness, and let it have dominion over all ... in God's image, male and female created He them. And God blessed them ... and God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And it was evening and it was morning, the sixth day. READER AND CONGREGATION Then came the destruction. o Lord, how we have fallen. In the night of Sobidor, Treblinka, Birkenau, we have forgotten Your blessing. We have lost our identity; but we have been cursed with memories. o Lord, what will happen to us and to the world when the days of destruction are finished? Will the kiddush of rest become tne final kaddish? Will this world end? Will a new world begin? -2- �We do not demand answers, God. But if this is the last page of the human chronicles, assure us that we had the right to ask. And we will always glorify Your Name: yitgadal v'yitkadash sh' may rabba •.. READER These Hebrew words which glorify the Name of God come from the Jewish tradition, from a people which have emerged from the Shoah, that devastating, diabolic wind which scoured Europe and left death and desolation in its wake, a chaos of destruction. Six million Jewish men and women, one million children among them, were taken into the death chambers to die in gas of fire. Others died alongside them: NARRATOR Not only did Jews die; caught in the eddies and swirls of the Holocaust, millions of Poles and Gypsies, Russians and other Europeans also ended their lives as victims of Nazism's diabolically efficient technology of death. But to be Jewish in Nazi Europe of itself meant alienation and death . READER Martin Niemoeller, a pastor in the German Confessing Church, spent 8 1/2 years in a concentration camp. He wrote: First they came fo r the Communists and I did not speak outbecause I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists and I did not spea k outbecause I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak outbecause I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak outbecause I was not a Jew. Then they came for meand there was no one left to speak out for me. READER Pope John Paul II, a Pole who knew well the heel of Nazi inhumanity, prayed during his pilgrimage to Auschwitz in 1979: -3- �I kneel before all the inscriptions that come one after another bearing the memory of the v i ctims of Oswiecim ... In particular I pause with you, dear participants inn this encounter, before the inscription in Hebrew. This inscription awakens the memory of the people whose sons and daughters were intended for total extermination. This people draws its origin from Abraham, our father in faith as was expressed by Paul of Tarsus. The very people who received from .God the commandment "thou shalt not kill," itself experiences in a special measure what is meant by killing. It is not permissible for anyone to pass by this inscription with indifference. THE LIGHTING OF THE MEMORIAL CANDLES NARRATOR We now light six candles in memory of the six million. As .we light these candles, we commit ourselves to responsibility for one another, to build on this earth a world that has no room for hatred, no place for violence . Together, we pray for the strength to fulfill this vocation. (Congregation stands) PSALM 22 Cong: My God, my God, why have You abandoned me; why so far from delivering me and from my anguished roaring? Reader: My God, I cry by day - You answer not; by night, and have no respite. Cong: But You are the Holy One, enthroned, the Praise of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You rescued them. To you they cried out and they escaped; in You they trusted and were not disappointed. (Congregation be seated) -4- �TESTIMONIES NARRATOR Jewish voices were heard in reciting prayers and biblical texts, on the trains to the concentration camps, at the doors of the gas chambers, in hiding, in fighting the enemy, manifesting grief, hope, despair, trust in God, faith. One of those voices, Moshe Plinker, an adolescent hiding in Belgium, expressed his religious fervor and commitment in verse and prayer. One afternoon he wrote in his diary. READER "I am sitting at the window and readying myself for the Minha prayer, I look out, and I see that all is red, and the whole horizon is red. The sky is covered with bloody clouds and I am frightened when I see it. I say to myself: 'Where do these clouds come from? Bleeding clouds, where are you from?' Suddenly everything is clear to me, everything is simple and easily understood. Don't you know? They come from the seas of blood. These seas have been brought about by millions of Jews who have been captured and who knows where they are? 'We are the bleeding clouds, and from the seas of blood have we come. We have come to you from the place where your brothers are, to bring greetings from your people. We are witnesses; we were sent by your people to show you their troubles. We have come from the seas of blood: we were brought into being by an inferno of suffering, and we are a sign of peace to you' ... " Young Moshe who died in Auschwitz was able to find hope in his faith in God, and in the continuity of Jewish peoplehood: NARRATOR A A A A A A A SONG: Jew Jew Jew Jew Jew Jew Jew CONGREGATION in thought in trouble in speech in arising in God in life you were born A Jew A Jew A Jew A Jew A Jew A Jew A Jew El Moleh Rachamim SPEAKERS: Peter & Jean TerMaat; David Mandel -5- in deeds in joy in silence in sitting in people in death you will die. �NARRATOR A popular Yiddish song expressed the Jewish people's determination to stand up in the struggle against the oppressor, and to affirm and reaffirm Judaism's covenant with God. Zog nit keyn mol is an example of human affirmation that can inspire us today. Let us read together the English translation. NARRATOR AND CONGREGATION So never say you now go on you last way, Though darkened skies may now conceal the blue of day, Because the hour for which we've hungered is so near, Beneath our feet the earth shall thunder, "We are here!" NARRATOR We remember the six million by reciting the Kaddish, the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead. This prayer is not a funeral hymn but an affirmation of God's everlasting Presence and dominion, praising God's existence and creative love. It is in this spirit that we pray the Kaddish remembering the victims of the Holocaust. We also pray for the survivors, whose faith in life enabled them to rebuild in other countries their shattered lives,their destroyed worlds. Joining together they brought about new life, they raised new families in new lands, in defiance of absolute terror and despair, an invincible hope. Exalted by that spirit of lifegiving and faith we pray today. (Congregation Stands) -6- �1 MOURNER S KADDISH , illJlY7~ ~l=?-'1 ~97~:'.\1 l:~~7 ilDtv tv'"]j:21:):1 '7)D' Yit·ga·dal ve·yit·ka-dash she·mei ra-ba be·al·ma di-ve-ra chi·re-u -tei, n':i-,.:;,~ ,~n:il li:Ppi':;r1 ri.J'~0:;1 ilnl.J?D 7'?9~1 ve-yam·lich rnal·chu-tei be·cha-yei·chon u-ve-yo·rnei·chon u-ve-cha·yei de·chol beit Yis·ra-eil, ba·a·ga-la u-vi-ze-man ka·riv, ve·i-rne-ru: a·rnein. -~:97¥ '97!2~ 1 tJ?}l7 77~9 ~:;il ilQ~ ~i? Ye-hei she·mei ra-ba me·va·rach le·a·lam u- le-al·mei al-ma-ya. - T ; •: Yit-ba-rach ve·yish·ta·bach, ve·yit·pa·ar ve·yit ·ro-mam ve-yit·na·sei, ve-yit·ha·dar -~~-19 ~?~7 ,~li1 7'7:;i ,N~i7~P7 ilqtq '~iJit1 i1?~0:1 ve-yit·a·leh ve·yit·ha-lal she-mei de·ku-de·sh:1, be·rich hu, le·ei·la min kol ,~97¥~ 17'9~7 ~Q9CH1 t{QQ~~~ ,~Q7'~1 ~Q~7~ bi-re-cha-ta ve-shi·ra·ta, tush-be ·cha -ta ve ·n,:-che-ma· ta, da·a·mi·ran be·al· ma, ve·i-me·ru: a·mein. ,'~l~:-,~-'l::'1 :D'?.~ • '~n, t--~:P.~-19 N:;7 ~97~ Nil' Ye·hei she·la-ma ra-ba min she -ma- ya ve-ci- a·yim a-lei-nu •.1 e·al kol Yis·ra·eil, ve-i-me-ru: a·mein. -,~-?l'l 1J'~~ Di?~ i1tVl7~ ~li1 ,'l'9i79~ • il:,~ i1tqy O-seh sha·lom bi·me-ro-rnav, hu ya-a-seh sr1a-lom a-lei-nu ve·al kol -F:?~ ::i79~1 Yis·ra·eil, ve-i·me-ru: a·mein. -7- I ?~l~: �READER Hallowed and enhanced may God be throughout the world. May God's sovereignty soon be accepted, during our life and the life of all Israel. And let us say: Amen. CONGREGATION May God be praised throughout all time. READER Glorified and celebrated, lauded and praised, acclaimed and honored, e xtolled and exalted may the Holy one be, far beyond all song and p salm, beyond all tributes which humanity can utter. And let us say: Amen. CONGREGATION Let there be abundant peace from Heaven, with life's goodness for us and for all the people Israel. And let us say: Amen. READER God who b r ings peace to the universe will bring peace to us, to humanity, and to Israel. And let us say: Amen. CONGREGATION Exalted, compassionate God, grant perfect peace in your sheltering Presence, among the holy and the pure, to the soul of all the men, women and children of the house of Israel, to the Righteous Gentiles, to the millions who died defending the right to be dif f erent, at a time of madness and terror. May their memory endure, may it inspire truth and loyalty in our lives, in our religious commitment and tasks. May their memory be a blessing and sign of peace for all humanity. And let us say all together: Amen. (Congregation Be Seated) SONG: El i , Eli NARRATOR We end our worship by reciting together the words found on the walls of a cellar in Cologne , Germany, where Jews hid from the Nazis: -8- �NARRATOR AND CONGREGATION I believe, I believe even when I believe even when I believe even when in the sun it is not shining. in love feeling it not. in God God is silent . NARRATOR We have proclaimed together our faith in the One God, Ground and Nurturer of us all. Before we go our separate ways again, let us extend to one another a sign of reconciliation expressing our hope for peace. (Congregation Stands) Please turn to those around you, share the blessing of peace, wholeness, and life, and wish them Shalom! CONGREGATION Shalom! -9- � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman) Termaat, Peter N. Description An account of the resource Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar. Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1869 - 2012 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a> Subject The topic of the resource Netherlands Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945 World War, 1939-1945 World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands Dutch Dutch Americans Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Text Image Type The nature or genre of the resource application/pdf image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng nl Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kristallnacht Service of Commemoration Description An account of the resource Program for an interfaith service of commemoration, including participants from Congregation Emanuel, Aquinas College Campus Ministry, Congregation Ahavas Israel, St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Grand Rapids Temple Youth, and United Synagogue Youth. Mostly in English, with some passages in Hebrew. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-11-09 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945 Kristallnacht, 1938 -- Anniversaries Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-144_Termaat_DOC_1988-11-09-Program-Kristall-Nacht 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 he 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/14615bee1536364574dd0ee44c6caaad.pdf 41887eaaf761245ce30baedb863352f1 PDF Text Text Speaking Out Western Michigan’s Civil Rights Histories Grand Valley State University Special Collections Interviewee: Kristine Skippergosh Interviewer(s): Adam Cutler, Michael Miller and Rebecca Stow Supervising Faculty: Melanie Shell-Weiss Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: December 17, 2011 Runtime: 01:13:46 Biography and Description Kristine Skippergosh is a junior at Grand Valley State University. She is of Native American descent and her father works for the city of Wyoming in Michigan. She discussed the difficulties her father faced regarding race in his early years, as well as some of her own challenges. Transcript STOW: So… Could you start by just giving us some basic information about yourself, Full name, and date and place of birth? Also your parents and siblings. SKIPPERGOSH: Ok. Well my name is Kristine Skippergosh, um, I am originally from Grand Rapids. I was born and raised in Grand Rapids. Um, my dad is Gary and my mom’s Laurie. Um, I have three brothers. Uh, they are thirty-six, thirty-four and fourteen [laughing], big age difference. I have a niece and nephew who are three and one and a half. Um, they all live in Boyne City though…so… far away. Um, I went to Kenowa Hills high school, it’s in Walker…um, yeah *laughing+. STOW: So wha… what exactly is it that your parents do, or your dad (SKIPPERGOSH: oh um) what he does for a living? SKIPPERGOSH: He is an electrician for the city of Wyoming so… STOW: Ok SKIPPERGOSH: Yep, um, he went to an Indian Trade School for that, so… CUTLER and STOW: ok SKIPPERGOSH: Kind of interesting. Um, that’s where the Native American heritage is from, it is onehundred percent Native American so, CUTLER: Ok SKIPPERGOSH: mmhm. Page 1 �STOW: What about your mom, is she…? SKIPPERGOSH: Um… she is *pause for thinking+ Dutch and French. *Laughing+ STOW: A pretty good variety. SKIPPERGOSH: Yep. STOW: Um… so, do you know what the Indian Trade School was like, for him? SKIPPERGOSH: Um… well, *multiple people talking+ he originally started at Northern Michigan University. He went there for his first semester. Um, I think he was actually going into elementary education…but, over his Christmas break my grandpa passed away. So then he moved to Arizona and he got married not long after he went down there. It was um… They were high school sweethearts. So (CUTLER: ok) and he went to the trade school down there and played baseball on their baseball team and I know he has an award down there, I’ve never actually seen it, but um, for outstanding academics and athletics, and he also has one at his old high school too, so… *laughing+ CUTLER: How many, how many years did he complete at Northern before he moved? SKIPPERGOSH: Just the semester CUTLER: Oh, so it was one semester… ok. SKIPPERGOSH: Yep, um… My grandma passed away when he was like, eight, so… when my grandpa passed away, he… decided to go elsewhere I guess, explore a little bit *laughing+ CUTLER: So did you have any family in Arizona or did he (SKIPPERGOSH: no) just decide to move out there. SKIPPERGOSH: Just went out there to the trade school… CUTLER: Wow alright. SKIPPERGOSH: mmhm, yep. It was… I don’t know if it was in Albuquerque… or just near, actually it was Mexico first. He was in the trade school, then he moved to Arizona for a little while, so… yep. STOW: So is that where he, like, completed his college education? SKIPPERGOSH: yep STOW: So how did he end up back in Grand Rapids? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, he first went… he is originally from Charlevoix, I guess I probably could have said that first [laughing]. Um, he was born and raised in Charlevoix, and he went back up there first to, I guess, look for work. Um, by the time he got back up there he was already, um, divorced, so he had two young kids, and was divorced, and, um, so he went back up there to look for work. There wasn’t really much of anything… and, he had friends in Grand Rapids, so that’s when he came down here. Page 2 �CUTLER: Ok SKIPPERGOSH: So… mmhm. STOW: Um… so… um when his first marriage got, um, so was that to your mom or was (SKIPPERGOSH: no) was that someone else? SKIPPERGOSH: Nope, that was to someone else. My older brothers are half-brothers. CUTLER and STOW: Oh ok. SKIPPERGOSH: That’s why there is big age difference. (CUTLER and STOW: ok) Because we are thirteen and fifteen years apart… so *laughing+ STOW: So then he met your mom in Grand Rapids? SKIPPERGOSH: mmhm, yep, um… It was through a mutual friend that they had, it was another Indian guy. And he was dating one of my mom’s best friends. So… (STOW: oh ok), they met through… through them. CUTLER: Ok… and what did he, um, complete his schooling for… like SKIPPERGOSH: Um it was actually, it was originally, he has a… like license in electronics. And then he also, um… it’s an extra license to do, like, traffic signals. So… (CUTLER: ok), he got that too. CUTLER: And then he moved back to… he found a job in Grand Rapids? SKIPPERGOSH: Yeah, um, he actually… which, I didn’t know this until I interviewed him, but, he um, he did have a lot of trouble at the time because it [long pause] late seventies, early eighties there was, you know, there was still a lot of discrimination (CUTLER: yeah) and he had trouble finding work up North. So, when he came back down here he applied for a job, and I guess he got the job, like, on the spot… like through the interview. The guy just asked him. It was on a Thursday and the guy asked him if he could be there Monday morning. (CUTLER: Wow)… Yep! *Laughing+ CUTLER: So about the, about the discrimination… do… has your dad talked about anything like, that he, like about not being able to get a job? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, there’s actually… all through growing up he went through, I guess, he experienced a lot of discrimination (CUTLER: uh-huh). Um, he is one of seven kids, and in Northern Michigan there are a lot of Indian reservations. CUTLER: Ok SKIPPERGOSH: And there is one in Harbor Springs. It’s right near Petoskey and Charlevoix. And that’s actually where we are, like, tribal members. Um… When my grandma passed away, since sixty-three I think, they said that um, like the government came and said my grandpa was un-fit to take care of the kids by himself. Because first he couldn’t provide enough money, but my grandma didn’t work, so… even when she was alive he was the, you know, the soul provider of income. Um… but, one of my Aunts at Page 3 �the time, I think she was already twenty, so she was out of school…and everything. And she offered to take care of the younger kids. CUTLER: There were seven kids? SKIPPERGOSH: Yes CUTLER: wow, ok. SKIPPERGOSH: Um, they are all about two years apart (CUTLER: ok) Um so there were still a couple of them. My dad was like, eight, and my other uncle was six. And I think my aunt was around ten so there were a couple of them still. Um, but they were also told that she couldn’t take care of them, so the younger ones went into foster care [long pause] yep. STOW: So SKIPPERGOSH: So I guess that was like part one [laughing] STOW: So what ended up happening with the foster care, how long were they… involved with that. SKIPPERGOSH: Um… my dad was thirteen when he got to go back to live with my grandpa so… not too long… but a few years. They were originally separated, and then they were finally like, found homes, where all three could be together. Because most families wouldn’t take in three kids because they said they would only take in one at a time or two. So they were originally apart for a while then they found families that would take all of them together. So… STOW: So, then what was it that allowed them to be able to go back to your grandpa. SKIPPERGOSH: Um… I’m not really sure. My dad’s not too sure. I mean he was still young. He was around thirteen, so… I guess they were just told that they could go back. Maybe it was just because it was only the three of them that needed taking care of. But, I mean they were going into high school or in high school already so… I mean being a little bit older, so… mmhm. STOW: So you said that was kinda part one, so was there anything in high school that happened? SKIPPERGOSH: In high school my dad was… I guess you could say he was quite an exceptional athlete. He still has track records that haven’t been broken yet. Um… and I mean he graduated in seventy-four. CUTLER and STOW: wow SKIPPERGOSH: So they have been standing for many years now. Um, but he played varsity basketball and football all four years, and in basketball, I don’t know about anything else, I don’t know if it was ever challenged. But at one point there were three Native Americans on the team. And they were told that there can only be two. CUTLER: Wow SKIPPERGOSH: So, um, my dad, obviously, ended up staying. But one of the other guys had to leave. And I think he wasn’t originally from up there, so he went back to wherever his family was. So… mmhm. Page 4 �CUTLER: So that was just the basketball team, but was there any other incidences other than that? SKIPPERGOSH: um, I don’t think it was… my dad has said before that there were always like teachers and stuff who would, you know, try very hard to keep them down and if they could, you know, keep them off the teams, like via grades and stuff, but, um… my dad has like a special reward, like, I guess it would be a replica of it, but it’s for outstanding academics and athletics and it was presented to him by the athletic boosters of the administration of the school because he was incredibly smart and solid in academics and also in sports. CUTLER: yeah SKIPPERGOSH: I guess he kind of got lucky. It was hard for them to keep him down and keep him out of everything because he was, you know, he was needed, especially in like track and football and (CUTLER: yeah) so… STOW: um, so, when, like with like teachers were there any that actually. I guess I don’t know how to phrase it. If he was being singled out I guess or were there like other people that he was friends with maybe that were going through the same thing. SKIPPERGOSH: Um, I’m not exactly sure about being singled out, but I know there was just a lot of discrimination in general against Native Americans. Like if they could stop them from graduating they would and, um… the biggest problem at the time was like during the seventies… I don’t know if you guys know too much about it but, um, but that was like the Native American movement, when it was all happening. And that was when the biggest turnover was like when it comes to laws and regulations. And um, the… um, reservations now have their own tribal police and all native American reservations are technically independent nations where the federal law does not apply unless there is a felony committed. So they have no jurisdiction (CUTLER: ok) So anywhere up there is tribal land and they were first establishing their police department and it was a big problem because as a tribal member, like even now, if I were to like, get pulled over for anything, all I would have to do is demand a tribal police officer, and the state police or whoever couldn’t do anything until a tribal police officer came. And they would have all authority. So it was… a really big deal up there. (CUTLER and STOW: uh-huh) because there were quite a few Native Americans. (CUTLER: yeah) And, you know, that’s where the majority of the reservations are from there to the UP, so I mean our tribe was just establishing all… you know, their rights. And you know, all of the financial situations were being settled because, um, if you live on or within a certain distance of the reservation up there, the Native Americans do not have to pay state taxes (CUTLER: ok) or the city, or like the village or whatever it is taxes. So, and it’s for anything… like your home, or buying a car, for gas or anything like that, so… it was… a lot of people didn’t like that (CUTLER: yeah) especially at the time. I mean. So it was, you know, anything they could do, like my dad always had trouble finding jobs and stuff, even when you were younger, and he worked on a lot of farms and did farm work. So, it was just a lot of the little things. CUTLER: So I don’t know if we’ve established this, but what tribe is your dad from? SKIPPERGOSH: Actually he is half Ottawa and half Chippewa, were members of the little Traverse bay band of Odawa Indians. (CUTLER: ok) It’s in Petoskey and Harbor Springs. And then, um, there is also Page 5 �another tribe that’s like associated with us and that’s the Grand Traverse Bay, and that’s in Traverse City. Um, I don’t know if you guys have ever been to the casino up there, but *laughing+ the casino is their casino. CUTLER: Um, so, during that time period, uh, where there was a big legislation that passed, was your dad a part of like, any groups that like groups that helped get that passed or like, any advocate groups er? SKIPPERGOSH: Um… not too much, I know my grandpa and um… and we have family members now that are on like, that are board members of the tribe and stuff like that or work in different members of the tribe. And one of my brothers is like, high up in the casino and so, um, but my dad’s he’s not too much, effects him personally. He kind of just let others take care of it so. And I don’t know if it really came down to there needing to be too much of a fight just because it was like Federal law that was passed. So there wasn’t really too much anyone could do but be mad about it and limit as much as they could. But otherwise it was not, you know, there was not much fighting that was needed because it was what it was. STOW: um so, just going back to the tribe. Was your dad always a part of that and then you… like when did you become a part of it SKIPPERGOSH: um, it was, the way it works is um, like when you’re born, there are forms to be filled out. And they have to be turned in within two months or so, of um… birth. And I’m pretty sure my dad was always a part of it. um, We don’t know too much just because my Grandma died, you know, he was so young, he doesn’t really remember her. Um, but her tribe, she was Chippewa, her tribe is in Berega, it’s in the UP near Marquette. Um but he doesn’t know too much about it. Um, most of, well I guess, just about all of my family is also a part of the same tribe. I just have some cousins who are part of the other one just cause their dad was originally was a part of it. So if you have like two parents who are both Indian and part of a Tribe, the parents can choose. And a lot of it comes, it obviously comes down to money and what has better benefits and stuff. Otherwise there is not too much choice, and to be a full tribal member you have to be at least a quarter of the tribe. STOW: Ok, So then what sorts of things are involved with being a member of it? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, well, I have an, I mean I have like a tribal ID card. It’s like a picture ID, I mean it’s very similar to like or Grand Valley IDs its not like super official. But It does like scan stuff, um. I can use it up there, there are two gas stations I can use it at, and I don’t have to pay the state taxes, on gas when I use it, um. Which is really nice. *laughing+ Um, they’re like I have a tuition waver through the govern, which like the government pays the state of Michigan pays um to go to school and I just have to be a full time student and I think I have to maintain a 2.0 GPA. So as long as your… passing I guess *laughing+ I mean, its not, you know, unfortunately it’s not too much of a big deal, but um, I also would get for grad school, they pay for that [CUTLER: ok, wow]um, I get a, I guess its more of a private scholarship its through or tribe specifically, but most of them have them, for, it’s like for certain people. Um, mine is the Michelle Chinglaw scholarship. She was one of your tribal board members and she passed away of cancer so they started a fund in her name, and it’s a per credit hour scholarship so depending on how Page 6 �many credits I take I get a certain amount of money and also it depends, I think there are four different ranks for schools um, there’s like, the smallest amount is for like a junior college or community college, then there’s more for a trade school and then slightly more for a four year university, then the highest is for a grad program. And then um… *whispering: oh what else+ um… there are a lot of, I guess for, its called the elders program. Once you reach 55 you get you can get free health care, dental care, all of that. Um, there um, they get like, its for heating and electricity bills and all you have to do is send in the like stubs for what you have paid for the year and they reimburse you five hundred dollars for it. Um. They will reimburse them for medications and stuff, if they hang on to those stubs for everything they have paid for medication, um they’ll reimburse you a certain amount towards that and I think there is also something with groceries, as well. As long as you hang onto, the, you know, again, the receipts and stuff, and what you’ve paid, it all just has to be mailed up there. I think it’s around Christmas time or something. That’s when like they pay out everything. It just all has to be sent up there by then. And I’m not exactly sure how much it is. All I know for sure is heating and electricity is five hundred dollars, um per year. Um, there is also which they’ve actually stopped it now, there was a trust fund set up for um tribal members and you didn’t get it until you were eighteen, and it like started out, um, I know it changed a little bit but it was originally just one lump sum and that was what you got and then they changed it. And it was, it started with that amount of money when you were born like when you were signed up for it and gained interest through that, so [CUTLER and STOW: ok] But that, I think they stopped doing that in ninety-seven because my little brother just missed out. On it. But there are still like you can open, you can like use the tribe for, like bank account type purposes, like you can set up a trust fund yourself through them and the interest rates are really, really high, so, um that’s what my dad has done for my little brother, so, he will still at least get something [laughing] when he turns eighteen. So STOW: Um, so, for you personally, did you ever experience any sort of discrimination when you were growing up or even now? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, every now and then, I mean, I try to be I guess as modest and humble about the things I get you know like I rarely talk about, you know, getting the scholarship that I get and the tuition waver. I mean, in all honesty in the end I essentially make money for going to school because of the scholarship is worth so much money. I have a lot that I hang on to in the end, which I save, I’m not out like spending it ridiculously [laughing], um, but um, I mean, there are some people, who, you know, I guess it’s, I feel like It’s somewhat common knowledge that people know or assume that Indians go to school for free, but I’ve had people like, almost make like snickering comments, about “oh you go to school for free” and, you know, when I mention that I’m Native American, so, um, but its, you know, that’s one of those things where… like at first I kind of cared, it kind of bothered me, but now it’s just one of those things where I’m like “whatever” *CUTLER: yeah+ you know, I mean, it doesn’t matter to me. I mean I’m going to, I mean it’s not going to make me not want to accept the money. I mean it’s a great opportunity, I mean it’s an incredible opportunity, to be able to go to college for free. And um, I’d rather not take advantage of that, I know a lot of people do which also gives like a negative stereotype because, essentially I could be going here and just, you know, squeezing by with bare minimum and continue to, you know, get my way though, I would probably not get a degree with that [laughing] Page 7 �SKIPPERGOSH: ...but um, also, sometimes people make comments about the whole casino thing because like we do make money off the casino but, people assume that, I mean there are tribes out there, don’t get me wrong, that their members are making sixty, seventy thousand dollars a year, I mean it is enough money to live off of, you essentially wouldn’t have to work but, I mean there are very, very few of them [CUTLER: Yeah] um, you could probably count on one hand how many there are in the entire nation, um, but I mean people just assume that I’m like, taking in all of this money every year and it’s, it’s not much money I mean, I get five hundred dollars annually, which I mean, it’s five hundred dollars, but still it’s, it’s no you know, ten thousand dollars a year or anything so a lot of people like, have I guess assumptions about it, and I think it makes them feel negative about it um, I think the biggest thing would probably be like, it seems like a jealous factor almost, like I don’t wanna talk it up that much like make myself out to be, you know, someone that I’m not but um, yeah I mean it’s mostly the comments that have to do with the whole money factor and um, I, I mean I haven’t had to deal with it as much but I still have family in Charlevoix and I know some of them have run into problems where, you know, where being Indian still isn’t ok, which you know, it’s either older people that feel that way you know, who when they were younger, you know, were I guess prejudiced towards Indians and still are but, I mean I try not to let any of it bother me because it’s not really affecting me, and there’s nothing anyone can do *laughs+ about it so, I mean I’m going to accept what I’m given so, um, but yeah I would say the biggest thing is just with money so, and I mean I’ve heard, people have made comments too about like my tuition waiver, how it’s their tax dollars paying for it and they don’t think that’s ok that they have to pay taxes for people to go to school but, again I mean, I’m not gonna not accept it *laughs+ and it’s not like I was, you know, I didn’t come up with these rules they were come, you know, the laws were established many years ago and they’re federal laws it’s not a state law it’s not, a city law so um, I mean I guess that’s the biggest thing. STOW: Ok... *clears throat, brief pause+ um, I’m trying to think do you have anything you wanna ask about? [directed towards CUTLER] CUTLER: Do you think, uh I guess do you think it would be different if it were not in West Michigan like do you think, do you think um, like there would be less discrimination somewhere else or is it like, is there more because it’s West Michigan or... SKIPPERGOSH: Um, I actually feel like in West Michigan it’s...less than it could be *CUTLER: Ok+ other places, um, there’s such a small Indian population just in the first place and um, I feel like a lot of people around here don’t, like probably couldn’t say they know very many Native Americans, if any at all [CUTLER: Mhmm] um, I mean I was one of...three that I knew of in my high school [CUTLER: Ok] and I graduated with over four hundred people *CUTLER: Wow+ so our high school wasn’t small. But, I mean there were, you know, it’s, they’re few and far between I don’t think there are very many that go to Grand Valley [CUTLER: Mhmm+ I don’t know the exact statistic but, um, I know they like push to get, you know, of course they’re pushing to get diversity anyways, but um, I feel like there are a lot of places where it would be worse but there are also a lot of, I mean I’ve learned a lot about it just this year too, a lot more than I knew before um, from my sociology class but, like a lot of the reservations, especially in South Dakota, and like more out west um, there’s one, Pine Ridge, their unemployment rate is at about eighty percent right now [CUTLER: Wow] um, their like casualty rate due to alcohol or like, car accidents Page 8 �with alcohol is above and beyond any other *CUTLER: Mhmm+ um, their suicide rates are obscene it’s just, I mean they don’t, they don’t have work, the government refuses to help because the way the laws are, the federal government does not have to help them [CUTLER: Mhmm] so, I mean their houses are falling apart, they don’t, they don’t have food, they don’t have anything their schools are you know, below any sort of regulation, and I mean out there it’s, the alcoholism rates are, you know probably higher than their unemployment rates unfortunately and um, it’s one of those things where, unfortunately it fuels the negative stereotypes, and makes especially people out there feel even worse about it and um, still the government you know, I mean I feel very fortunate to live in Michigan because the government is very accepting of Native Americans [CUTLER: Yeah] and very helpful but out there they refuse to do anything like on the tribal land they can’t get welfare or anything like that so in order to, you know those families who are struggling, they can’t get the financial help that they need unless they go off the tribal land, but they still have a lot of like sacred rituals out there and they still try to live you know, the way they’ve always lived and it’s, you know, it’s hard because you can’t have it both ways, so...um but yeah I feel very fortunate in West Michigan too, I mean I’ve never experienced anything like that’s truly affected me, um, I mean like I said at first you know, I didn’t really like the way people I guess reacted towards like the financial situations but now, I mean I can’t, I guess I’ve just realized I can’t feel bad for it, um, I can’t, you know, feel sorry that I’ve been given a great opportunity, so, and I’m not gonna, obviously I’m not going to pass it up just because other people don’t like it *STOW: Mhmm+ there are a lot of people who really think it’s great and really, you know, are like happy for me and other people but it’s just, I mean there are a lot of things and it, um...I guess in a way it makes me angry that there are so many people who just continue to fuel the stereotypes, um like I’ve said my family’s very big I’m one of forty one first cousins *STOW and CUTLER: Wow+ so it’s, it’s I mean it’s huge and I honestly can’t say I even know all of them *CUTLER: Yeah+ um, I, half the time I can’t even remember their names *STOW laughs+ just because there’s so many of us *CUTLER: Yeah+ and um, I’m probably one of less than ten who have actually gone to college. [CUTLER: Ok] So, I mean, and we all have the same opportunity [CUTLER: Mhmm] all being from the same tribe. So it, it you know it frustrates me that like, there are others who have the same opportunity but aren’t taking it and you know I have a cousin who’s, he graduated a year before me and failed out of the community college up north and actually has to um, he has to pay the tribe back, for all [CUTLER: Oh, wow; STOW: Wow] of his tuition fees because if you, you know, I mean the money does come through the tribe, but essentially it comes from the state of Michigan first [CUTLER: Yeah; STOW: Mhmm] and if you fail out of all of your classes, they shouldn’t have to keep giving you money *CUTLER: Yeah; STOW: Right+ but, I mean and he’s angry that he has to pay it all back but I mean, if you can’t keep the grades, and like, it’s even more sad, he took a guitar class and a ceramics class, and just like, classes that weren’t going to get him anywhere, he had no direction and he failed all of them! I mean, how do you fail a ceramics class [STOW: laughs] and guitar class when he plays the guitar already? *CUTLER: Yeah+ So, you know it’s just, it’s like I, in a sense I understand why some of the stereotypes are there and why people are angry, so, it’s, I almost, it makes me not be able to be mad either and not be able to be affected by it because, I mean, people think what they think because of what they see and obviously there’s not very good representation of things you know, going well and even, you know, in filling out, because I have to do all of my paperwork at the tribe, I have to go up there and get it all figured, filled out and like, set and everything like that and um, even there, like it’s, it’s almost sad how like proud they are and happy they are to have a tribal Page 9 �member going to school like I was kind of stunned by the way they were like, treating me and how excited they were for me just to be going to school and I just feel like it’s not, I mean, shouldn’t we all be going to school? [Laughs] You know, I mean, so um, in a sense, like, you know as unfortunate as no one should be discriminated against at all whatsoever but, there are reasons and you know I do understand why some of it is, why the negative stereotypes exist, because people continue to fuel them and, so... CUTLER: So, are you the first one of your siblings to go to, uh, to go to college? SKIPPERGOSH: Mhmm, uh my oldest brother did go to a trade school [CUTLER and STOW: Ok] so um, I mean that was, you know that’s as good as anything *CUTLER: Yeah+ he has, he does have a very good job, um, he is, actually I don’t really know how to word it, um he’s I guess the second supervisor of all maintenance at our tribe’s casino, so he oversees everything going on in the casino and in our resort as well [CUTLER: Ok] um he, at one point he owned his own plumbing business but, when the economy really started to fall it, you know, it wasn’t working out for him so that’s when he went to work for the tribe and um, he just actually over the summer got promoted to the position he’s in now um, but, um, my other older brother, again, like I’ve said it fuels the stereotype, he’s almost thirty five years old and doesn’t have it together, he doesn’t have a high school education either, he never graduated, so, um, uhhh it’s, it’s, it’s kind of almost, I feel like it, in a way it’s backwards from what most families are like just in general because usually it’s the kids are the first to go to college *CUTLER: Yeah] I mean my dad you know, has a good education and he has two different licenses from a trade school and um, he’s only, he works with the city of Wyoming, there are only three guys who have this license who work for the city so actually there’s only two now because one of them retired so my dad’s only one of two who is actually qualified to do any of the signal work [CUTLER: Ok] um, and the stuff that he does out there and um, I mean there’s a lot, a lot to know *CUTLER: Yeah+ so it’s like it’s, um, there’s a lot of, I think it’s physics and stuff that are involved and you know, a lot of math and all that stuff so, but um, yeah so I mean it really became a big deal for me to go to college and so, um, I feel like it, I’m sure my little brother will too because I’ve set the bar kind of high *Laughs+ for him so if he doesn’t um, I’m sure that’ll be an even bigger deal *CUTLER: Yeah+ but he’s, he’s an incredibly smart kid anyways, so hopefully! [Laughs] STOW: So why is it do you think that so many people don’t take advantage of the opportunity? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, I really, I don’t, I have no idea, I mean...I don’t know how you couldn’t really, um, I can’t imagine passing it up, I don’t know how, like what there could be to justify *CUTLER: Yeah+ not, I mean you can go to any school in the state of Michigan whether it be the smallest community college, the smallest trade school or the absolute biggest university. Um, there’s no limit to it, you just have to be a full time enrolled student, um, you can go back to school with it, um so I’m really not sure why people don’t just take the opportunity especially I mean with the economy today you have to have a degree *CUTLER: Yeah; STOW: Mhmm+ to do anything even, you know there are a lot of things like I’m going into psychology and I know that a bachelor’s in psychology does not mean anything anymore so I’m already you know, prepared to go get my Master’s if not higher like there’s no question about it but um, I mean, there aren’t, there really aren’t any like loop holes that could hold people back um, all of the tribes as far as I know offer scholarships so you can, you know, if you wanna go away to school you can have at least some money towards housing, it may not be everything but I mean, you can still take Page 10 �out loans like everyone else who goes to school *Laughs+ I mean it’s, it’s just one of those things where I just, I really can’t come up with a logical reason why, I mean everything’s there for you all I have to do for my stuff and I mean, it could be a little different for other tribes but I literally have to sign my name on a piece of paper. Every, I think it’s every school year I have to resign but, um, that’s about all I have to do. I have to put my birth date and my social security number and my address...um, and then I just, I have to get, Grand Valley has to send a transcript now every semester like obviously after your first semester of going you have to have a transcript sent up there and a, um, schedule for the semester, for each semester and it’s just so they can, they have proof that you are going to school for at least, you know, at least twelve credits or whatever it is at you know, other universities but I mean, it’s not hard I, I hand a form to Grand Valley and they take care of it, the registrar’s office, because it has to be officially sealed and signed by a register but, I mean, all I have to do is give it to them with my information on it and it’s, it’s just like it’s stupid easy *Laughs+ is the problem like it is stupid easy and people still don’t do it and I feel like it’s very frustrating for, you know for me as well because I don’t, I don’t, I can’t see why someone wouldn’t take the opportunity and you know and then they don’t take the opportunity and they don’t have work and they can’t, you know, I mean I can’t imagine anyone finding a job you know if you don’t have some sort of education because I think now even at McDonald’s you have to, you have to either be enrolled in high school or have a GED or diploma to work there so, there’s nothing that people can do anymore [CUTLER: Yeah] and why you would want to not go about it, I mean, do you guys have a better idea? *Laughs+ I’d love to know, but I, I can’t come up with anything and so...yeah. CUTLER: So, so where do you hope to work after you complete your schooling? SKIPPERGOSH: Um...I’d like to work in a children’s hospital. *CUTLER: Ok+ Um, like with the children and their families as a counselor um, I don’t have anywhere specific um, I mean I, I’ve grown up in Grand Rapids and like I don’t know if you guys are from the area...? *CUTLER: Uh, I’m not+ No? Um, well, I mean I didn’t even really know this until recently but Grand Rapids is, is the second largest city in Michigan *CUTLER: Yeah, yeah+ um but I’ve always felt like Grand Rapids is small, maybe it’s just from growing up here *Laughs+ um, so, I don’t know how I’d feel about being somewhere too much smaller, um, but, I’d like to feel open about it, I used to be very like, close minded, like didn’t really wanna leave too much but just as long as I’m in like a children’s hospital and you know, wherever the opportunities are I guess that’s where I’ll go and, so, I mean it also depends on where I’m at in my life at that point too, whether, you know like, married or what not [STOW: Right] but I mean, so, yeah just wherever it takes me I guess, wherever the opportunities are! [Laughs] [CUTLER: Alright] Mhmm. [Brief pause] STOW: Um, so, you said before, is most of your family, they’re all in the state of Michigan? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, there are a couple who aren’t, um it was actually after my grandma passed away, some of the older ones moved out of state, uh, my oldest aunt and my two...no...my oldest aunt and then, it was not the oldest uncle because there are only two girls but the next two uncles, they left the state and then my oldest uncle stayed to make sure everything was ok with um, my dad and the younger ones who were in foster care. Um, but they started in Chicago, and that’s where one of them stayed and so that’s where um... *Interruption of people walking through our room into a meeting room next door] Page 11 �Um, so...what was I saying...oh, um [CUTLER: About Chicago?] yeah, so one of them stayed in Chicago and that’s where he um, was married and like raised his family and so a lot of my cousins still live there, they’re mostly older though, they’re actually the oldest cousins, they’re in their early forties now, so it’s a very big age span too, um, but um, and then there are two of them now, one of my aunts and my uncles are in Arizona [CUTLER: Ok] so, um yeah and then the rest are here in Michigan. One of my uncles, it’s actually the oldest uncle, he never left Charlevoix, um, he went into the Navy for a while but always ended up back there, um, my dad is actually...he is, it’s kind of an ongoing debate/decision right now because the city’s making a lot of changes and my dad has enough years with the city to retire *CUTLER: Ok+ um, so he may do that and go back to the company he started working at because he’s only had like I guess two real jobs since he’s gotten his licenses, and um, so he may go back and work for them because they’re a contract company um, and he might just retire and then he wants to wait until my brother graduates, which is only four more years, and then he wants to move back to Charlevoix *CUTLER: Oh, ok+ so um, he doesn’t, I guess, I mean he’s become accustomed to the city, he’s been living in Grand Rapids for probably thirty years now, right around there but, he um, he doesn’t call Grand Rapids home, he still calls Charlevoix home *CUTLER: Ok+ so, he wants to go back up there and that’s where, um I guess, I don’t know if you guys know Northern Michigan very well but Boyne City is right next to Charlevoix *STOW: Mhmm+ and that’s where my oldest brother and his wife and kids live so, my dad is kind of at that point in his life, I mean he’s gonna be fifty six next week so he’s kind of like into that grandpa thing, you know, having the grandkids, like it’s a bigger deal than us now you know, he’s moved on from the whole kids business [laughs] so um, he really just wants to get back up there so... CUTLER: And is that in Northern Michigan or is that in the U.P.? SKIPPERGOSH: Nope, it’s in Northern Michigan *CUTLER: Northern Michigan+ um, it’s about, um, around an hour from the bridge. *CUTLER: Ok+ So...mhmm yup it’s really really nice up there *CUTLER: Ok+ so I guess I’m guessing neither of you have been up there? *CUTLER: No... STOW: I have!+ Oh, you have? *STOW: Yeah, mhmm!+ Oh ok, um, but yeah, it’s I mean they’re all smaller towns but they’re very, very touristy. [CUTLER: Oh, ok] STOW: So if you were to move out of Michigan like after college how would that effect your tribal situation? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, it wouldn’t effect...no, the only thing um, I guess the only like, restriction is when you’re in college, um, unless I can come up with an incredibly good reason and pitch it to the board why I would need to go out of schoo--out of state for school, otherwise I would have to stay in state in order to get, um, the like scholarship money and stuff and the tuition money, but otherwise there are really no limits to most of it. The biggest benefits are in um, like if you live up or near the reservation that’s where like the tax waivers and stuff like that come into effect, but um, there just aren’t very many opportunities anyways in Northern Michigan right now. So they’ve–my sister-in-law works in the hospital up there and um if I were to work up there I would get more money...like my income would be higher per year, but the opportunities anyways are limited, they’ve made major cuts to their hospitals and they don’t even have um like a nice anymore, if they’re you know, like the newborns when there are problems they have to– Page 12 �they’ll helicopter them to traverse so I mean they’ve cut just about everything they can, so, there just isn’t too much to do up there otherwise I might consider you know, toughing it out, getting used to like a smaller area but, otherwise I mean, like there are some things that, like i guess if I went to med school and became a doctor I could work for the tribe, like we have our own tribal doctors and um, there’s a dentist and all of that but otherwise I mean might as well go where life takes me [Laughter] so... STOW: Um, have you traveled much outside of Michigan? SKIPPERGOSH: Um...I mean I’ve been to like Florida a few times, I’ve been to Washington DC, I’ve been to Missouri a few times um and...I mean I’ve been out of the country just only a handful of times I’ve been to um, I’ve been to Canada quite a few times but that’s not a really *Laughter+ that big of a trip um, and then I’ve also been to the Dominican Republic once...um, yea that’s about it. STOW: So did you experience any sort of discrimination when you traveled or anything? SKIPPERGOSH: Um...no I feel like not very many people know that I’m Native American um, a lot of times if i have to go somewhere like going out of the country you need two like two picture ids besides your passport so getting into the dominican I did have trouble because usually I give them my licensee and tribal ID because I mean my tribal ID is probably my second best like legal document but um, in the Dominican they didn't know what it was i guess they didn’t really understand it so I had to give them my school id instead, um so that was kind of interesting but otherwise i think there are quite a few indians in canada so um they’ve never really questioned it i mean I guess getting in and out of Canada isn’t that big of a deal anyways I don’t know if either of you have been but... CUTLER: Yea only once. SKIPPERGOSH: Okay, I mean it’s not a huge deal...um I don’t know if it’s helped but when I’ve gone I went with my boyfriend and he’s from Mackinac City so and um his dad is actually a retired state cop and FBI agent, so they’ll ask him why he lives in Mackinac and he’ll say it’s because his dad retires from the state police and usually that’s all they need to know *Laughter+. But yea um, I don’t think that many people like with my dad he looks very very Indian, I know there’s something on here about pictures I’m sure I could get you guys pictures if you wanted like pictures of some of our family um, my dad and like my aunts and uncles look very Indian but I don’t think I do too much most people don't know um I’ve actually I’ve only had one person that I can recall tell me that I look Indian which I was very shocked, I was like “oh my gosh, you...you noticed that!” so, um, yea the discrimination isn’t too bad, I’m sure if I went out to South Dakota or something like that it would be much different because it’s a whole other world out there when it comes to like the Indian reservations and stuff so... STOW: Um, do you have any experiences with other people like within your family that were being discriminated against? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, well, I guess something more recent, I did wanna make sure that I talked about this too um...within the last I wanna say like may around 10 years ago not long after my dad started working for the city of Wyoming um, he did run into, I guess you could say, a major discrimination problem. Page 13 �CUTLER: Okay. SKIPPERGOSH: He ended up suing the city of Wyoming and um, like now, the way everything works, in order to get a civil rights case, like to actually sue someone for discrimination, it has to be approved by the sate government, like the governor and everyone actually has to actually approve it, it has to be voted on like through whatever there um, and he was able to come up with a civil rights lawsuit. CUTLER: So he got all that passed? SKIPPERGOSH: Yep, he got everything approved. What had happened was, um...I guess they way they hire like in his department in the city is very much there’s no...no matter how long you’ve worked, you know, as an electrician everyone or whatever, it doesn’t matter, everyone starts at step one and there are three like levels of...I guess like it, you know, it has to do with like pay too, you get paid more as you move up but you also like every year my dad has to go take like more classes and they have to, you know, with a trade school like with a licensee it’s very similar to like a teacher’s license with how they have to renew it every so many years, they have to go take, you know, a couple classes and stuff and so he has to do that every know and then. Well, they hired another guy in who was just coming out of trade school and um, my dad was already like, you know, had already moved up in rank well they put him at the same level as my dad. And um, I know there were other issues with the discrimination thing and um you know, he tried to just bring it to the city and you know, my dad is a very civil guy, he’s not gonna trow a big fit about it or anything but you know, he tried to respectfully ring it in and say “this isn’t ok, I had to start here, no one else should be able to start at the same level, at the same pay” and it’s an understandable argument obviously. And they denied his request so he got a lawyer and um, they came up with, you know, how it could be a civl rights case and you know, it had to be approved by the state and it was and he ended up winning against the city and um so, that was...I don’t remember too much, I was younger, I do remember him having a lawyer and um, having to go to court and stuff for it but, um, I guess I didn’t really know the extent to it but yea um, he did win the case against the city and so it was kind of a big deal and the guy had to be moved back down and my dad still doesn't like the guy *Laughter+ but that’s for other reasons too. Um, I guess, you know, I mean it wasn't fair just in general for it to happen so um, yea, that was probably one of the most significant things that I mean, it was only a few years after he started working for the city and he’s only been working there for fifteen years so it was very recent. CUTLER: So was that a really big deal throughout the city and stuff, the case? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, I’m not too sure, I mean I’m sure in the sense that, you know, the like extent to which you have to like work to get a civli rights case, I mean that’s big in general so just ot have that against the city is a big deal and um, I mean to win it, you know it’s..like I know my dad, you know like because of that was slightly promoted but he didn’t take any money for it or anything like he didn't...it really had nothing to do with making money or profiting off of like winning this case or annoying like that but um, you know he..., um, you know he...um Someone enters room and interrupts interview. Page 14 �SKIPPERGOSH: Yea I mean the lawsuit the lawsuit wasn’t about like gaining money off it, he just wanted the respect and recognition that he deserved for what he had worked for. STOW: Um, so okay, you said that you’re a junior, right? SKIPPERGOSH: Mhmm. STOW: So, do you think that your experience at grand valley has been influenced at all by your background or any of those experience that you were talking about? Or how would you describe it in general I guess? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, I mean I definitely like being at Grand Valley, um it was...I really wasn't sure where I was going to go to school originally like it was between here and state and Western and I’m really not sure why I chose Grand Valley but I did and I guess I...I guess I really liked the opportunities that I had in general I mean its very, there’s not a whole lot of diversity but there are, like they promote different things. Like actually this month is actually um, I’m not sure of the politically correct term for it but it’s like Native American history month or whatever it is um, so, they have like a lot of speakers coming to Grand Valley for it and there is like a Native American student organization or something but I’ve never actually been...I’ve found a lot of people to be very interested like especially professors and um, stuff like that um, I’ve learned a lot in a lot of my classes, like I was really surprised by the things I've learned like from my professors too about the Native American history and even in my sociology class right now it’s just an intro class but I’ve learned a lot of things that I never knew and my professor's like a really big advocate for minorities and you know for him its like a really big deal and um, so it’s been really very interesting like learning a lot of this stuff and um I definitely like that there are a lot of different cultures here, and I don’t feel like i stand out or anything I mean I don't fell like most people know that I’m Native American anyways but um, I think it’s just like, its a conversation starter, like I’ve met a lot of people who have never met someone who is Native American and are like incredibly shocked and surprised. I’ve also met um, he was an international student and he was I guess technically studying abroad for international business um from Spain and um, he did not believe at first that I was Native American, he did not think it was possible. In Spain they learn that there are no more Native Americans in the world, they are completely like, an extinct race. CUTLER AND ST OW: Wow. SKIPPERGOSH: Um so, yea it was, it was very like, moving to know that that’s what other countries teach and I mean it took a lot of convincing and like he originally took it as a joke when I told him that I was Native American and I really didn't understand that either and he kept telling me that it wasn't possible it wasn't possible, and so yea, I mean it was, that was different it was very very different, I mean like I knew that other countries teach their history different because it’s based more on their own history but I really really was very surprised that I mean they have no idea that Native Americans exist anymore and like it is a dying race, there are less than 2 million in the entire world like actual like I guess North American Native Americans, but yea, um I found that very interesting, so there are a lot of things we learn here [Laughter]. Page 15 �STOW: Um, so were you ever involved with anything, I guess, before college like with Native...besides your tribe, with anything along those lines? SKIPPERGOSH: Um, no not really um, I mean I’ve always wanted to do more with the tribe essentially. There’s actually, they have a class but it’s only taught up there um, but it’s to learn the native language which I think that would be incredibly fascinating um because its a very difficult language to learn and it’s not...I don’t know of any schools that teach it like any universities or anything like that and my family doesn't...one of my aunts knows it a little bit and um her husband knows it quite well he’s actually um, well he's now technically retired but he’s a native pastor so he knows a lot of prayers and stuff and he does um, like he’s done all of our, like he’s married all of our cousins and um you know weddings and funerals, he always does all of that, and he says like a lot of native prayers and stuff so that’s really interesting. But um, my dad doesn’t...he used to know the language, I guess my grandparents used to speak it a lot and like my grandpa and my uncles spoke it all the time I guess my great uncles, I guess my dad only knew it through hearing it, he didn't really know it besides that and he’s lost it all by know. I don’t really know too much going on, I mean this project is actual first thing I’ve been really involved in, um, so yea, because Melanie approached me about it last year when it was...they were just like talking about it and coming up with what to do for the project, so, you know, I was kind of excited to have the opportunity to finally like talk about it and I mean I don’t know if I have really too many interesting things but you know, I mean it’s kind of cool to finally be involved in something. STOW: Um, so some of the things that you were talking about like with your dad’s lawsuit and all of that, did any of that kind of shape how you viewed yourself, like when you were younger were you really aware of your heritage? SKIPPERGOSH: I guess the first time I really became aware of um, like almost being a minority and like how, I don’t know if I would say how different I was, but like it was um, we did a third grade project and I remember it so specifically, but it was like, it was when we were learning about like cultures and origins and stuff and stuff like that and we each you know, especially people who were in all–just a little bit of everything around the world, you had to pick one that you were most likely to identify with and we got these little printed out pictures and it was someone dressed like, like that, whether it would be German or Polish, or Chinese, or Native American so they were dressed in what you would almost–not stereotypical but I guess like the ancient or old or very cultural way. So we were each to like color them and decorate them and, you know, they had our names on them and they would hang in the hall and it was to show how we were all like diverse and we were all from different places and I was the only Native American. So it was, like I remember there was like a small part of me not wanting to be the different one because of course in third grade your like ten years old and no one wants to be different. So I kind of struggled with that and I remember my dad like kind of, talking me through it, like this is who you are and you know you can hide it or you can just be who you are and so I choose to just be who i was, and I remember like most people just colored theirs in and um, my dad’s always, you know, been like big into our educations and stuff and so we took one of his old old leather coats and we cut like a piece of it out and we put the leather on there like on the girl’s Indian dress that she had on and I put like real feathers on top on her little headband, so yea that was like the first time that I had actually like realized that I was different from everyone else and that I wasn’t the same because I mean I’d always Page 16 �known you know, like I could recognize myself even then people who were like African-American or Asian but I didn't exactly see myself as different then, so, that was the first time where it was like eyeopening especially at a young age and it was hard to deal with for a minute, you know, I mean, being different isn’t, like I said, you know, I’m sure we all remember it’s not fun being different at that age, but, it was, it was an interesting experience, I still remember it so specifically, so...yea. If you guys have any other questions that aren’t on here feel free to ask anything, I mean I’m pretty open about whatever. STOW: Um, I’m trying to think. Um, CUTLER, do you have anything else? CUTLER: No, I don’t really have anything else. STOW: I think we’re probably good. CUTLER: No, I don’t really have anything else. STOW: I think we’re probably good. CUTLER: Yea, I think so. SKIPPERGOSH: I mean, if you guys feel like you have enough to use to write your paper, is that what you were–do you just have to write the paper? STOW: Yea, we’re just transcribing it and then we just have to do a short presentation. Oh ok, so, I mean, if you feel like you have enough for it, if there’s anything else, I mean you could always email me and...if there’s anything else then, um yea that’s about it. My last name is Native American so, that too. I don’t know if that’s interesting, but people ask that all the time *Laughter+. STOW: I think that was really good though. CUTLER: Yea, thank you very much! SKIPPERGOSH: Yea no problem, I’m glad I could help you guys and sorry I wasn’t getting back to your emails very quickly, I was–I’ve been so busy lately and I’ve been trying to talk to Melanie too and get back to everyone so... STOW: Oh, that’s fine. SKIPPERGOSH: Well good luck transcribing it! CUTLER: Thank you! STOW: Thanks! END OF INTERVIEW Page 17 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/27101735b8e430db2cfd00c3e1fda3b9.mp3 bc8730775b653d3fc6a962432ff90e64 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 Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Personal narratives Oral histories African Americans--Personal narratives Gays--Personal narratives Lesbians--Personal narratives Bisexual people--Personal narratives Transgender people--Personal narratives Veterans--Personal narratives Women--Personal narratives People with disabilities--Personal narratives Muslims--United States--Personal narratives Hispanic Americans--Personal narratives Homophobia Discrimination Islamophobia Stereotypes (Social psychology)--Upper Penninsula (Mich.) Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history recordings documenting the history of civil rights and social justice advocacy in Western Michigan. The collection was created by faculty and students as a project of the LIB 201 (formerly US 201): "Diversity in the U.S." course from 2011-2012. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project (GV248-01) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-05-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV248-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1930-2011 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 GV248-01_Skippergosh_Kristine_1 Title A name given to the resource Kristine Skippergosh audio interview 1 and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Skippergosh, Kristine Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cutler, Adam Miller, Michael Stow, Rebecca Description An account of the resource Kristine Skippergosh is a junior at Grand Valley State University. She is of Native American descent and her father works for the city of Wyoming in Michigan. She discussed the difficulties her father faced regarding race in his early years, as well as some of her own challenges. Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Discrimination against Indians of North America Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Relation A related resource Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-12-17 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/fae970e8fd5f11c8d151c77c3e7c7d7a.pdf 3c777a99a839530b241ef1d468f7ab53 PDF Text Text Speaking Out Western Michigan’s Civil Rights Histories Grand Valley State University Special Collections Interviewee: Kristine Skippergosh Interviewers: Alyssa Rogers, Cailie Johnson, Stephanie Johnson and Lyndsay Rhenshaw Supervising Faculty: Liberal Studies Department Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 4/2/2012 Runtime: 01:04:51 Biography and Description Kristine Skippergosh is a junior at Grand Valley State University. She is of Native American descent and her father works for the city of Wyoming in Michigan. She discussed the difficulties she faced regarding race in her early years. Transcript (Talking at beginning of interview between Kristy and interviewer) Kristy: We could always do it on my computer...I don’t know how...I have a mac and it has like the recorder program Interviewer: Oh right Interviewer: See but it’s got like the time thing... Kristy: But I don’t know how work it (laughing). Interviewer: I think we’ll just give this a go. I appreciate it though. So are we gonna get started here? Alright, well my name is Cailie Johnson. I am here today with Kristy...uh Skippergosh (laughing). Yes, uh... we’re here to talk about your experiences with civil rights in western Michigan. So, if you don’t mind we’re just gonna start broad, you know, what was your childhood like? Kristy: Umm, well I grew up in Grand Rapids. Umm I have 3 brothers, two older and one younger...grew up with both my parents. Umm, not too exciting I guess (laughing). Interviewer: Noooo? (laughing) Are there any like childhood memories, you would say, that you think fondly of? Kristy: Umm, I definitely love to play outside as a child. I was big into playing in the dirt and...wrestling around with my brothers outside (laughing). I was always hanging out with the boys, and doing that kind of stuff so... Interviewer: Alright, very good, if you don’t mind we are just going to jump right into, umm was there a particular moment either growing up or you know in your adulthood that you felt different or that you were treated different? If you don’t mind talking about you know who your Page 1 �identity, and that kind of thing. Kristy: Yep, umm...I think actually the biggest moment and I remember it so specifically was when I was in third grade, we were like learning about culture and like different ethnicities and things like that, and we had this big like, I guess it was throughout the entire third grade, a big project, where we had to choose our primary, umm...I guess...ethnicity or like orientation. And we would get a picture of someone like traditionally dressed from that country or wherever it was and you had to like decorate it and they were all hung in the hall. Well, I was the only Native American...out of all of the kids. I mean there were was three third grade classes of like almost 30 kids each so like probably around 90 kids and I was the only one that was like, I never really...thought about it before. Like I knew I was somewhat different but...I didn’t realize I was completely different from everyone else and it was kind of like a big deal I guess...so. Interviewer: How would you describe like the neighborhood where you grew up? You know like was there a lot of diversity? You said you were the only one in your class... Kristy: Umm...I would say it was primarily white, I mean a few, like a few Mexicans, or Hispanic families lived in the neighborhood and a couple of black families, but...as far as I know we were the only Native American family, so... Interviewer: Now did your parents bring you up in the traditions of Native Americans? Kristy: Umm...My dad like he doesn’t know a ton, but like what he knows we always talked about and he’s explained a lot of different things to me. Umm...he’s actually 100% Native American, my mom’s not at all. Umm...so like there have been little things we’ve always gone to powwows all my life. So that was always a big thing like in the summer, going to powwows and stuff like that...so Interviewer: Can you describe those powwows a little bit more? Kristy: Uh yea. Umm...it’s just kind of like a big gathering, umm anyone’s welcome. They have 2 here in Grand Rapids I believe. There is one the spring and one in the fall. Umm...and there’s like a big circle in the middle where there’s traditional dancing and traditional tribal music. Umm...and like it’s kind of...a cliché thing that people say, but they actually do it, they dance to the beat of the drum, Umm that’s like a big tradition and then set up all around it are...a bunch of like...I always call them trading stations, there are like people like make a bunch of homemade stuff and you just walk around to each of the little stands and you can buy whatever they’re selling so. There’s jewelry, and like picture frames, and shirts and all sorts of stuff so... Interviewer: Ok, now did your dad encourage you to learn more about your heritage would you say? Was he, you know, was he willing to teach you, that kind of thing, like share stories? Kristy: Umm...yea he’s always I guess...his stories aren’t exactly the happiest. But like he’s always told me stories about like of growing up. He grew up in northern Michigan umm...on tribal land. So...he’s always been more than willing to talk about that. Umm...like I said, we don’t practice too many traditions really...umm...like very few things, like at funerals, there are minor things that we do different or like on top of a regular funeral and at weddings, but that’s about it. Interviewer: Ok, are there a couple stories that stuck out to you that your dad’s told you over the years? Page 2 �Kristy: Umm...well I guess it was like a big part of his life when he was...either 8 or 9 years old, around then. Umm he’s one of the youngest of seven kids. Umm his mom died, and...she was in a car accident and ended up drowning in the lake. Umm all of the kids who were younger were put in foster care. And my oldest aunt at the time was I believe 20 and umm...the government had said that my dad, or my grandpa was unfit to take care of the kids by himself because he wouldn’t be able to provide enough income to feed them. But my grandma didn’t have a job, which was kind of interesting, so she never worked, so he was always the sole provider. Umm...and my aunt also offered to take care of the younger kids...and they said that that wasn’t allowed. So the ones who were young enough were put in foster care and the other ones were allowed to...go on their own...so Interviewer: Wow...now do you think there was any kind of discrimination in there at all? Kristy: Umm...yea definitely...umm.. at that time...it was in...the early 60’s. Umm...there were a lot of like civil rights movements with Native Americans all over the country. And...that was when our tribal police department was first like...making its stand I guess, up there, and they were making their post and...umm... tribal police are not under the jurisdiction of any other government officials. Umm...they have all say when it comes to tribal members...umm... so if you’re, if you’re a tribal member and you’re pulled over up there you can demand tribal police and...the state cops or whoever it is can do nothing more. So...no matter what the, unless it’s a felony that is committed, the tribal police have all the say...so.. Interviewer: Wow Kristy: Um huh, so that was kind of a really big deal, and there were a lot of...people mad about it I guess...so Interviewer: So what happened to your dad after this whole you know, rearrangement? Kristy: Umm...he was in foster care until he was 13...umm...all of the kids are about 2 years apart...so there’s one younger than him and then one older than him and they were for the most part together...all of the time. Umm...I believe at first they were split up for a while...until they could find a family that would take all three, but I guess it was hard to, which I believe it is still hard to find families who will take multiple children. Umm...most of the families that he stayed with were, umm on farms, and they had to do a lot of like the farm work and stuff, so that was always their chores and they couldn’t do anything until that was done and...things like that so... Interviewer: Right so did he eventually get placed into a permanent... Kristy: Umm...once he was 13 he was able to go back to live with my grandpa so, I’m not sure how long they stayed at the other homes. It, so it seems they kind of bounced around a lot so. Interviewer: Ok, and then he spent the rest of his...13 on up on the reservation right? Kristy: Yep, well it’s tribal land, it’s not actually the reservation...but um he grew up in Charlevoix and most of the land up there is tribal land so... Interviewer: Alright...now we’ll kind of get a little bit broader for a second and then maybe get a little more narrow, but how would you say, you know with hearing some of the stories from your father, and thinking about you know nowadays, how would you say Native American treatment has changed? You know when you hear your dad’s stories and when you think about how you grew up. Page 3 �Kristy: Umm...I think it’s definitely much different, I think it’s much more accepted. Umm...I’ve really never run into major problems. Umm...like my dad’s talked about, like, the problems have followed him all the way through school and high school. There were only allowed to be 2 Native Americans on the like sports team at a time. And he talked about there was one time, I believe it was his junior or senior year in high school there was a 3rd kid on the varsity basketball team and...the three of them were sat down and told one of them had to leave...because it wasn’t allowed. Umm..so I mean I never really experienced...anything significant...umm...I think more people seem, I guess, excited about it. Like I, all the time, people tell me they’ve never met anyone who is Native American before so...umm... I also...freshman year here...I had kind of an...I would say it was enlightening. I met an international student from Spain...and...in Spain they’re taught that Native Americans no longer exist...they were all killed off in the wars. And he did not believe that I was Native American, like it couldn’t be possible, they don’t exist anymore...It was kind of a frustrating situation to try to explain to him that I was Native American and he was very adamant about it, that it was absolutely was not possible, there is no way. And so that was...kind of interesting. I mean I had no idea but, umm as far as I know most European countries teach students that all of the Native Americans died off in the wars...so... Interviewer: That’s crazy. Kind of going off that like, has there been times, you know, we’re learning in class about the whole pilgrim thing, you know Kristy: Um hum Interviewer: Like the disparities and what actually happened and what we’re taught. Kristy: Um hum Interviewer: Did you grow up, you know, hearing about this Thanksgiving, and going home and having you know, your father go “what”? Kristy: Actually, see my dad’s never really like corrected any of that. I mean we do a, you know traditional Thanksgiving dinner like everyone else you know, tons of food and stuff. And I actually did not learn until I was in college what the real Thanksgiving was like. And I was, I was kind of shocked and...I almost thought like...I feel like it’s kinda funny that my dad still like...he loves Thanksgiving...he looks forward to it every year (laughing). It’s just, it seems kind of ironic...I mean I’m sure he must know...what happened...but...I don’t know it just...it seems so weird to me that like we would still celebrate it. I mean all of our, every now and then the entire family will get together, as many people as we can and...we all love it so (laughing)...why not? Interviewer: Right...I know we’re talking about Thanksgiving and you said some funerals are different...are there any other customs that you can think about that your family has celebrated differently then maybe we may have? Kristy: Umm.......not in particular. Umm...I think a lot like with like...I guess the ceremonies, like funerals and weddings. It may be a little bit different for my family specifically. One of my uncles is a, umm he was a pastor at a Native American church. So he knows a lot of like the prayers and stuff, in our native language. So we do, like we...say those. I’m, I don’t, I guess he says them. Umm...he’ll go through like different...speech type things in the native language at both. Umm...and at funerals...umm...I guess it depends on the time of year...umm....but we will Page 4 �have, you burn a fire for three days...like a, like a bonfire type of thing, and it has to burn for three days straight, and someone always has to be there watching it and it’s supposed to be like the family elders. Umm...and then on the final day you have a family meal together... and the first plate prepared is for the person who died. And everyone eats, and then the plate for the person who died goes in the fire, and then the fire is...put out with water...so Interviewer: That is really interesting Kristy: Mm hmm Interviewer: That is...So how would you um you know has your growing older learning more about your heritage how would you say you developed kind of take us from you said you were in 3rd grade your finding out you native America to today when your finding out the real thanksgiving you know kind of that transition? Kristy: Yea um I defiantly like I feel like I was very sheltered from the real situations that had happened um I guess I didn’t realize it was as hard for as many people as it was like I had always known that it was like difficult growing up as a native American you know before and like now the more I learn about it the more I almost like feel bad that I hadn’t known before like I just thought everything was fine and not that big of a deal and um like known I’ve learned about a lot of the reservations especially out west there are some of them that are like 80 to 90 percent unemployed. And um Indians reservations are considered um there own nation so the federal government can only intervene when there ids a felony committed so they don’t have to provide assistance to people they don’t have to provide food stamps or welfare or anything g like that at all they don’t have to provide schools they don’t have to provide anything so it defiantly the more I learn the more I think of it differently Interview: So going back to kind off your dads family dynamic and where you come from now you said the siblings were scattered what’s that like now were they able to kind of you know come back together? Kristy: Um yes and no um a couple of the older ones actually they went first to Chicago and one stayed in Chicago and the two other ones went to Arizona and um one of my uncles who was in Chicago he passed away about 4 years ago now and before that I believe it was close to 20 years before they had…. um all taken a picture together and that’s the last time they had all been together, all 7 of them. Otherwise like they had seen each other periodically and sometimes like 4 or 5 would be together but never all 7. So I mean they keep in touch they talk a lot, my dad’s really close to, um the ones who are still in Michigan, especially um my uncle and aunt who he was in the foster homes with. And then one of, it’s my oldest uncle, he actually stayed up north when the younger ones were put in foster care to make sure that they were okay so and after I believe it was once my dad was in high school then he went into the navy but like he made sure to stick around to make sure everything was okay and he still kind of makes sure everyone everywhere is okay so. Interviewer: Sounds like there is a real sense of like family. Kristy: Mmmhm Interviewer: Do you get that form Native American culture? Kristy: Yea. Yes. Definitely. Yup, I mean there’s still like in our family and there are a few Page 5 �people who keep their distance but we have a very large family. Interviewer: All right well if we kind of go broad again um talking about a big question I had was about media in the society. You know growing up in the age we have how do you feel like the Native American cultures been portrayed good bad that kind of thing? Kristy: Umm I guess I’ve I haven’t seen too much in the media but I think a lot of like there are some people that I've run into who do see it like see a lot of bad things. Like I’ve had negative comments about like the whole casino thing and like all the money that you lose go back to our pockets and a few people have made like rude comments about it. But um and then like there still like with the whole affirmative action type of thing and like even with that being gone um do to like the treaties that were signed whenever they were signed the government still has to pay for our school and nothing can like break that. So I feel like some people have resentment towards it like I have run into people who have made like they just mean things about it I guess but I guess I don’t really care.(Laughing) Interviewer: Right Kristy: So um but yea otherwise like I don’t really see too much in the media um maybe the biggest thing is often which it’s not exactly untrue but Native Americans are seen as like having alcoholism and like problems with alcohol but the statistics do show that it is true .I mean so, its I guess ,it’s just difficult that that’s all that’s ever shown and like unemployment and stuff like that so but I mean I feel like it’s no different than any other society with poverty. Interviewer: Now have you or maybe your dad um connected I guess like with a community you know advocate anything you know that kind of is he a part of any groups would you say? Kristy: Not really um but he’s definitely willing to stand up for himself. Like he does not take anything um about 10 years ago he sued the city of Wyoming for a civil rights lawsuit um he was and I don’t know all of the details but he was discriminated against and he um got a lawyer and a civil rights has to be approved by the state in order for it to go to court and it was approved and he won so I mean he’s just he won't take it from anyone at all um I know in school he had a hard time also like with the whole sports team thing um teachers would tell them that they would fail them in order to keep them off the sports teams and my dad played varsity basketball , football all 4 years of high school was all state all four years of high school in track um he also played baseball he played I believe he played baseball at the trade school he went to um he like he was recruited to tons of schools he was actually recruited to Harvard to play basketball after college but he didn’t want to wear a suit and ties the rest of his life so hahahah so he didn’t go um like that’s his only reasoning I guess. Interviewer: Will go with um has anyone in your life um encouraged you your dad other relatives to learn more about it? Kristy: Um my dad does in kind of subtle ways um in Northern Michigan the community college up there I'm not exactly sure what it’s called they offer language classes and my dad’s kind of like wanted me to go take them and um I believe they have 5 classes for it and um he also like he’s talked about um me working for the tribe after college because we have like there are medical staff they have like everything that I mean we have dentists and doctors and psychologists and all sorts of things and he would love for me to go up there and work for them Page 6 �but I don’t really know if that’s the place for me so um well like its mostly in subtle ways um I’ve had a few professors also like encourage me to learn more and like I kind of think it’s more of them being interested and wanting to know like through me but um yea that’s it that’s about it one of my brothers he at one point started learning some of the language quite a few years ago and wanted me to also learn it but it’s very difficult to learn especially on your own so I never really got into it I kind of wish I had but hmmmhm. Interviewer: What would you say it was like growing up you know with your dad you said being 100% Native American and what’s your mom’s nationality? Kristy: Um I believe she’s German and French. Interviewer: Oh okay so how’d they combine that I guess and raise a family? Kristy: Um I guess it wasn’t too difficult um I think the biggest problem my family had was with religion um my dad originally like before the foster homes was brought up catholic and stock with that and my mom was raised Baptist and they're very different and they could not agree at all um but otherwise I mean I would say it was very similar to anyone else I think (Laughing). Interviewer: So back to the professor you were talking about professors do you ever get this sense like you said kind of wanted information through you? Has there ever been that kind of thing were okay they need a question answered about Native Americans so hey they pick you out, have you ever felt like that? Kristy: Yes kind of um I've it’s more of like hinting at maybe I should talk to my dad about something or they would love to know what my dad thinks about something or they would love to know how my family would you know dealt with something. I mean I don’t I don’t find it offensive at all I mean most the time I haven’t thought of the question myself and then become interested in knowing but um often though I guess the professors who want to know things also usually more than I do in other aspects of it like of the culture so it’s kind of like it more personal questions rather than like broad about the culture itself like maybe how just my family has dealt with something or how they would deal with something or so instead of like actual facts about things that have happened if that makes sense (Laughing). Interviewer: Yea it does. So at grand valley do you really you know connected with other Native Americans is there any kind of group that you’re a part of? Kristy: Um I'm not a part of any groups um I only know of one other Native American kid here. I mean I know there are quite a few but I've only actually met one other person um and he actually approached me after class one day and um because I had commented on something about being Native American and so he came up to me after class and kind of asked about it and it was interesting because I really don’t know anyone else who is native American besides my family so it’s kind of its different talking to someone from like a different tribe and the different things that like they have for school and like deal with for school like he said he can’t take summer classes his tribe won’t pay for summer classes or anything like that and just like I guess the subtle differences and but yea and the only the one person I believe there I think there is a club or something a Native American club but I haven’t really looked into it so it kind of scares Page 7 �me though (Laughing) like I feel like it’s going to be like one of those native pride clubs type of things and I just hahha that’s a little bit above and beyond me. Interviewer: If you don’t mind going kind of back to your dad a second um you know you mentioned some of the things that he went through are there any other stories you know that stick out you know I'm very interested in what life was like growing up for him Kristy: Yea um lets see I know he mentioned like he told me one time about because I did I did this same interview with him when I took the class um so he had mentioned like the part about just learning you were different um and it was when he was young he would like you know the kids go play baseball or whatever well they went back to one of the other kids house to get something to drink after words and the parents told my dad he was not allowed to go into the house and he had to drink from the hose outside but all of the other boys could go inside and it was because my dad was Native American so he wasn’t allowed in the house and he like said that that’s always stuck with him which I can’t imagine how it wouldn’t um so I thought you know that was definitely interesting um he said just like little things going like in school with sports teams and stuff teachers would try as hard as they could to get them off the teams if they could and my dad actually ended up graduating um we have um the actual plaque at our house now and he graduated with honors and academics and athletics and he was the only one presented with the award I believe he was maybe second or third in his class graduating um he still holds two track records at the high school that have yet to be broken um so I mean it was, he’s definitely if you tell him he can’t do something especially because he’s Native American he’s definitely going to do it um so I mean I know he said he was worried when he moved down to Grand Rapids about getting a job because he had a hard time the reason he moved down here was because he had a hard time up north and a lot of times they would flat out tell him because he was Native American and this was in like the mid-70s so it wasn’t that big of a deal to tell someone because of your ethnicity we can’t hire you um but when he came down here he said the first job interview he had he was hired on the spot so again it’s just one of those things where you know he seems to find the good in it um but he did say that people used to um make comments when he was working he’s an electrician so he works outside and um people would often make comments about why he had the job and they didn’t and why they would let him work and wouldn’t give them the job and just comments like that but I don’t think he really cares hahaha um lets see he also talked about when he first moved down here he lived with a family friend until he could get himself established get a job make some money and get his own place um and the guy happened to also be native American and he said that he kind of like showed him around told him the bars you could and couldn’t go to um I guess if you know any sort of trouble in a bar or whatever started you know just leave right away because you they would always the Native Americans would always be arrested no matter what so it was always there fault so he knew the places he could go to the places he couldn’t go to and um but like now it’s much different so and then yea like he sued the city and so I wish I knew more about it but um I know that with the whole lawsuit a big part of it was in his because he works with traffic signals and stuff like that um he has theirs like a electricians license and there also a traffic signals license that you have to have and my dad has both but he also has an engineering license with Page 8 �electronics and they have at the city they have like a ladder of how you move up and everyone starts at the bottom everyone starts at like level one and you have to take so many classes to move up...umm...well they hired a guy right out of traded school who did not have the, all three licenses as my dad did but they put him above him and like all of their contracts say that they have to like everyone starts at the bottom no matter what...umm...I don’t know what else happened with that I don’t know what you know the details about the actual civil rights part...how he was discriminated necessarily when it came to race but...something was there (laughs)...and it worked so...umm I know during that too he said a lot of people told him you know he he shouldn’t be suing the city because they were just going to fire him but... he said he knew better because there was no way the city would fire him when he is suing them for discrimination so... which they didn’t (laughing)...so umm...umm yea...that’s about all I know for the most part..umm...I don’t think there is anything too major for trade school he went to school in... New Mexico I believe and it was a native trade school so obviously he fit right in there (laughing) so but umm yea that those were like the major things I would say Interviewer: Do you feel like he sheltered you from the civil rights law suit at all I mean how old were you, you know, kind of to paint the picture Kristy: I was, I was probably ten...so I remember it all happening I remember him having to go talk to lawyers I remember him having to go to court I remember all of it happening but and I feel like he probably did tell me but I just had no idea what any of it meant nor did I really you know at the time I probably didn’t really care it wasn’t a big deal to me I mean I was too worried about whatever else (laughing) I had going on at that age...umm...so yea I mean I remember knowing about it I remember him like having paperwork and I believe once or twice the lawyer came to our house and I remember them like having to sit down and all of that but I didn’t really know what was going on so..but yea I don’t think he so much sheltered me.. I guess...I believe I did know that it did have to do with discrimination but I don’t think I really understood what that meant exactly anyways so... Interviewer: You said that you know your dad obviously didn't put up with much with this lawsuit did that affect your upbringing did he really you know press it upon you that if you are ever put in this situation you stand up for yourself Kristy: Yes, yes that that’s always been a big deal...umm..I mean some of its come from my dad has only two sisters and there are five boys and I also have three brothers so I’ve always been taught you know you stand up for yourself no matter what...and you know you do what you have to...umm...I mean like they my dad never he didn’t like advocate for violence but he always told me like if people say anything like you know way out of line don’t be afraid to hit someone like don’t be afraid to push them down I mean like I u know at the time like I thought it was great like my dad was telling me I could do this it was awesome but like now I understand like especially seeing the things that he went through like I can’t imagine he had it easy I can’t imagine that he didn’t have to stick up for himself in that way often growing up to so...like I understand where its coming from now I never had to do any of that..umm.. I never really found it a big deal and most people like I guess you can't tell I am Native American most people don’t know I’ve only had one person ever say that I like without knowing say that I look Native Page 9 �American so...I don’t think people really it’s not as easy to tell so...I’ve never really dealt with too much I’ve never really had to deal with it..umm.. but yea he’s definitely told me to stick up for myself do whatever I have to do to stand my ground and...so..I guess I have for the most part but most things don't really bother me so I just let it go Interviewer: Right...what about your older brothers...you have two older brothers right? have they ever come across anything Kristy: Umm...I’m I’m really not too sure...umm..one of them he kind of likes to pick fights with people anyways...he’s just that kind of person like he’s just always far superior to everyone so I really I don’t know much about the actual discrimination but I’m sure..I’m sure they’ve dealt with it to an extent umm..especially because they they are quite a bit older they are 35 and 36 so...they grew up in a much different time and I feel like things were probably still worse then..so but I don’t I..I don’t know of much..umm My oldest brother...I couldn't say much about I mean he works for the tribe now so I know he’s not dealing with much anymore but...umm they both did grow up in Northern Michigan though so Interviewer: Other than the Pow Wows you talked about that are in West Michigan..are there any other kind of you know activities that maybe your family goes to are there any kind of you know awareness I guess about it in West Michigan Kristy: I, I'm really not sure...umm..in the fall I got an email from...it was from I believe the education department at our tribe and they did have umm it was like a dinner or something like a banquet type night down here it was at an elementary school to raise awareness umm..about the Native American culture to like younger kids I didn’t actually end up going which I kind of wish I had but I don’t really know much more about it so I think they’re I mean they are starting to do more they are trying to do more...umm..but otherwise yea we..there’s..we go to our tribes Pow Wow every year...umm but that’s up north..but otherwise in West Michigan all I’ve really ever done is gone to the Pow Wows and I don’t really know too much more of what they have going on...so I’m sure, I’m sure there must be stuff but I’ve never looked into it so... (silence) (Laughing) Interviewer: About your tribe...what’s the name of your tribe and you know how is it I’m new with this so how does it kind of differ from other tribes that kind of thing Kristy: My tribe is the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians...umm in all honesty I don’t really know much about how tribes differ umm..the only thing I know is like with money how much money they put out and what I learned with the kid who I met here about how they go about their like the education department how that works umm... but otherwise... I don’t know too much more umm...I really don’t even know too much about what goes on within my tribe only the things that my dad complains about and stuff like that (laughing) so that’s about all I know about the things that they are doing wrong and umm...I mean they ultimately they we have all different departments and like there's an education department they have umm...what is it called..maybe natural resources or something like that I don’t ... it's something strange you wouldn’t think it has all different things but they have umm that’s where they like take care of hunting and fishing licenses...if you are part of the tribe you can hunt and fish like extended times during the year...like my dad’s hunting license starts in September instead of November or Page 10 �whatever it is I don’t know when hunting season starts but he can umm..he can gun hunt starting early September umm.. it has to be north of the Grand River and West of something umm not exactly sure where that middle line is umm..and then with umm...fishing he doesn’t have to like go get a license to fish it’s on the back of his tribal card and with hunting too they send him like the deer tags or however that works and he can get as many as he wants umm which I don’t know much about hunting but apparently that’s great if you're a hunter umm.. (laughing)...I don’t know too much about it my dad doesn't really say much about it I can’t remember the last time he has even come home with a deer it’s been years so...I don't... I don't know too much apparently that that’s just awesome if you can get unlimited hunting tags and... if your already like your fishing license is ready and available all the time I don’t really know (laughing) about that umm...let's see we have our casino that we run umm...most tribes have their own casino and most of like the bigger ones especially if they have a bigger casino they also have a hotel or a resort with it...umm ours is slightly smaller... a tribe that we affiliate with is umm...The Grand Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians and they are in Traverse City umm...their casino is huge they have an amazing golf course they have all sorts of really really fancy things that we don't have but...umm let’s see we have an elder program umm...you are considered a tribal elder...at 55 umm..they provide all sorts of assistance for anything you need umm...you can send if you hang on to like grocery receipts you send them up at the end of the year and they reimburse you.. for like 500 dollars or something towards groceries umm we...as a tribal elder you have free all dental work whether it just be regular cleanings or cosmetic..umm...free doctor visits they provide healthcare if you need it umm...what else...then there is the education department they take care of like scholarships for college and you can also get umm scholarships during high school too..umm...for like private schools and stuff they'll give you money to go there umm...I don't really know much about that...umm...what else...they at the tribe they hold a lot of different umm they have like a breakfast for elders daily...umm...they have housing assistance they have employment assistance umm...pretty much any if especially if you are within the tribe they will hire you right away to work there just to make sure that you have a job and you are getting money and stuff so...umm...I'm not really sure what else they have.. again I don't really look into I only look into the things that like my family you know whether my dad uses it or utilizes it or the things that I need so.. Interviewer: Okay what would you say you know are some normal things that your dad you know just things that you know is he at the tribe...how many times a year like that kind of thing Kristy: Umm well one of my uncles still lives in Charlevoix and my oldest brother lives in Boyne Falls and our actual tribe is in Harbor Springs which is right there I don't know if you guys know the area very well but it’s all there all together up there umm the casino and resort is in Petoskey so everything's like in that area...umm..we try to go up there a few times a year if not more umm...we go up every summer we have a family reunion..umm...during the summer my uncle’s house and whoever can make it makes it..umm and we usually try to schedule that around the Pow Wow so everyone can go to that too umm...but every time we are up there I feel like we go to the tribe I don’t really know what we are doing there half the time my dad I mean everything like any forms cause everything you have to fill out a form for and most of the forms Page 11 �are just sign your name and send up there and it’s not a big deal well...my dad doesn’t trust the mail or something I don’t know we have to bring every form there personally to make sure everything is like handed in set and ready to go so...we're always doing that I...were always there doing who knows what half the time he's harassing people that he knows there (laughing)so...most the trips are pointless but usually a few times a year I would say at least three or four times a year if not more... so Interviewer: Are there any moments when you were you know on the reservation kind of growing up any things that stuck out in your mind things that happened within the tribe and... Kristy: Umm... (pause)...not really umm again I don't really know too much about what's going on umm I do know right now and its its now a concern just because I know more about more things I guess and umm...but we're losing a lot of money we the tribe decided a few years back to build a new casino and we already had a casino that was perfectly fine but they wanted to build a bigger and better one..and apparently we did not quite have the money for that...so that was a problem but they thought if they built a bigger casino that was better it would attract more people and they would quickly make money off of it... well they're not and they're not I mean I, I guess not very many people win it's hard to win there so...people don't really like to go there as much so it's kind of like backfiring umm..and...there's a board at the tribe umm so there's like the president, the vice president, the secretary and all like the typical board and they umm...we hold elections every couple years or something for that well they keep electing people and then... they...fire them or kick them off the board but it's actually more expensive to kick them off the board and then bring someone new in. I don’t know how that works exactly, but apparently it is tons of money to do that, so my dad is always complaining about it and just thinks they are all idiots apparently and I am sure he would much rather run the tribe himself because he always has better ideas than them. umm, but I guess it is a little concerning, especially because the tribal money is for people who need the assistance. It is the elders and all the tribes’ money, it is not government money, so they have to provide their own funds to give these people the money that they need. And there are tons of people that don’t have houses and they need this assistance for housing and all of that and I guess it is kind of concerning that we are slowly running out of money. We have no idea how we are going to get the money back because we keep kicking people out for doing the wrong things but it costs us even more money to do that. Again like I said, I don’t really know how that works but my dad and uncles will talk about it and how mad they are about it and how we are just wasting money. Apparently the tribe keeps buying more land up there which they buy it, but they won’t do anything with it, it is just there. Like there are tons of land in northern Michigan that we own we have no money to do anything with it because we keep buying more and using up all the money. so I think it is kind of concerning to know that all this money is slipping away so.. Interviewer: You talked about the drinking problems the tribe faces and the statistics are there like you said, have you noticed if, you know within your tribe if that issue has been addressed? Kristy: umm, I think it is more or less not in my immediate family as much, but in my family. like I mentioned, I have a really big family. I believe there are 41 first cousins. umm.. I think we are definitely the smallest family with 4. One of my cousins has 10 kids. Umm..(pause) I have Page 12 �cousins who have children who are older than me. So..(laughter) There are so many people but just half of them can’t seem to get it together. umm..like one of them, she just recently, well I guess, this past summer she was arrested for her 3rd DUI. She thinks it is stupid that she won’t be eligible for her driver’s license until 2013, like this horrible judge won’t give her her license back (laughter). Umm.. I mean half of them they just can’t keep jobs and it is for stupid things like not showing up for work and that same cousin, she has been fired and rehired at our tribe 3 times...twice was for drinking on the job. So, like they will give you a job no matter what, like you get caught twice drinking on the job and they are still going to give you a job. But, she got fired again for not showing up and being late too much, like they have an attendance policy if you work for them and there aren’t any exceptions and she can’t seem to keep a job, she is only 25 and umm..another cousin is a year older than me, he failed out of his first semester, or first year at the community college up there and he was taking guitar class, pottery class, something else which... he has been playing the guitar for years, he has a bass guitar, acoustic guitar. He knows how to play the guitar, but he failed out of the class. So, now he has to pay back the tribe for his money because he failed out of classes, they are not going to keep giving you money to go to school. So, he now has to pay the tribe back, he has also been fired from the tribe. Umm..a couple of them are.. couple of my cousins are in jail..umm, so it is just like you know the stigmas are there about Native Americans but .. I mean, the stereotypes are true you know if you fit that, if you continue to you know act on this then of course it is going to be there. So you know, I hate having negative stereotypes but like I look at my family and they are all doing it. They can’t keep jobs you know they aren’t going to school, they are constantly in trouble, it is just kind of sad but I think it is more, I guess, it almost makes me mad that they do this. I just think it is so stupid, like I think a lot of them chose the unemployment, of course if you don’t show up for work you are going to unemployed. You can’t expect to show up whenever you want and keep your job. It is..it just sucks and I know some people aren’t choosing it but.. a lot of them are. A lot of them are just lazy. Interviewer: Do you think it really is just laziness or do you think there is a larger problems? Is the tribe too lenient? Kristy: I don’t know if it is too lenient. I think a big thing is that the tribe wants to get rid of the stereotypes and wants to get rid of the statistics and wants to have the most employed that they can, and will get as many employed as they can, they will. And you know, like I said they will hire you back as many times, just so that you are employed so you do have money, like they don’t want people to be on the streets or anything like that but...I also feel like maybe if they didn’t hire people back maybe it would be a wake-up call but..I don’t see that happening because it is more important to them to have people employed so people can feed their family but, it is still just, it’s like a lose, lose situation. No one, you know, you can’t win either way so.. Interviewer: Do you see this problem, you know, like you said, they are trying to work on it but do you honestly see these statistics and stereotypes changing, getting better? K: umm... not really. Uh, like with our tribe it’s not as bad, the statistics on our reservations, not nearly as bad, like the unemployment rates are probably not any worse that like the regular ones umm but there are some of them out West, there are, I think the biggest one it is called Rosebud. Page 13 �I am not sure of the exact percentage, but it is somewhere between 70 and 90 percent unemployed. Like I said, the government doesn’t have to help, so they don’t. And they don’t have to give them money or like, let them go to school. Like the schools, I saw a documentary on them, the schools are literally falling apart. And of course on the reservation they don’t have don’t have money because everyone is unemployed, so they have no way to fix up the school and the government won’t do anything about it because they don’t have to because it is not their duty. So in some places it is much worse and I don’t see it changing because... I mean, especially with just regular statistics, like with how many people are unemployed, like it is a problem right now and the economy is a problem right now too. If they are not doing as much to help everyone else why would they bother there too? Where they don’t have to. By law they don’t have to, so why would they, you know, I feel like it’s logical but not ethical. But it’s logical, I mean why would you put your money where you don’t have to? Soo.. Interviewer: Wrap up question, now looking forward, umm I know you mentioned going back to the reservation as a possibility, how do you see if you choose to go back, you know would you bring up your kids Native Americans? What kind of life do you hope they have? How much do you want them to know about their culture? Kristy: umm..I like, they don’t plan much on doing anything much different from any other family, but I would definitely like them to know. Like, I wish i would’ve known a little more about what my dad went through. Even when I was younger, I wish I knew. I always knew that they lived in foster homes and I knew it was because my grandma passed away, but I didn’t know all the details. I would hope that I can teach them that there were a lot of bad things that happened and that you know, even my dad went through these things but I wouldn’t want them to grow up feeling like.. being Native American like they, what’s the word...like I don’t want, I wouldn’t want them to think that people should treat them different, like they should be treated differently because you know, they are Native Americans and Native Americans went through horrible things. I wouldn’t want them to think that, like I would want them to feel like everyone else. There are not going through it, well i hope they wouldn’t be going through it. Like I didn’t go through anything. So, I mean I don’t feel like anyone should treat me different, I don’t feel like I should have better treatment just because people in the past went through bad things. I think just a regular upbringing but know what’s happened and, like be educated and understand that it happened but..move on from it, I guess. Interviewer: Alright, well, um we can also talk back to the whole government assistance thing, what do you think should happen and what do you hope happens? Should the government be helping out your tribe? K: Umm, I mean, I feel like they are ok for now umm..but I definitely think more should be done for other tribes like, I mean, just even above 50% unemployment, like that is so sad. And, like the documentary that I watched I guess it was a 20/20 special so it was on ABC or whatever the local channel was...Diane Sawyer, or whatever, i believe that’s who it was...she went to the reservation and umm was talking to some of the children and there are kids there who are like 10 or 11,12 drinking, like actually drinking on a daily basis, like there are many of them. It is not uncommon to have an alcohol problem and to have an alcohol problem by the age of 16. Maybe Page 14 �3 or 4 kids graduate from high school a year, maybe.. a lot of them die very young, just from health issues in general because they are drinking so much and things like that. They have a much higher rate of umm..like death from car accidents specifically because people drink and drive umm..what was the question(laughter)? Interviewer: just about the government... Kristy: Oh yeah, like I think in places like that more needs to be done, like I don’t think that is acceptable at all, umm not just because it’s, on a Native American reservation but just because it is any society. I mean, I don’t believe, the government would let any other society, like if it was Grand Rapids, they wouldn’t let the unemployment be that high, they would not let, you know something would be done to stop it. You know, just because they don’t have to, they don’t. I think that, I don’t think that everyone needs to be employed, but I think the unemployment rate should be the same all the way around. I mean, there are people who can’t feed their children, I think children need to fed like whether, whatever the adults are doing, that’s whatever, if they want to have drinking problems, the government doesn’t do much. You have to be willing to get the help, but I think, especially the children, every child deserves to have an education and go to school. I really wish that the “No Child Left Behind Act” or whatever, well that doesn’t apply there. So, that’s when kids don’t graduate because they don’t have, like most schools don’t have any computers at all. Uh, they don’t have, if they have textbooks, they are from like the 70s and 80s that they have just kept, they don’t have the money to get anything new. Everything that they could be learning, it probably isn’t useful or relevant anymore. So, it just, I don’t understand especially with children how they can just let it go, I mean obviously you aren’t doing anything for the children, nothing is ever going to get better because children become adults some day and still do not have an education. I still wish it could be like equal all around so...but I don’t know if it will happen. Interviewer: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about? Kristy: I don’t think so, I mean if there are any other, like last questions anyone else has? Interviewer: I guess the only other question I had, was umm, in class we discussed how kids sometimes, they keep things that have happened in the past, like especially in history like kind of like sugar coated, is the best word I can put and I just wonder, like what your input would be? like, should we let kids get taught the real thing like what they real thanksgiving was about like, you know what I mean? Kristy: Umm, I definitely think it should be a little bit more fact based, I mean, I definitely, like, I said, just learned that you know, for the real thanksgiving everyone ate together and then they killed all the Indians afterwards, like I had no idea, like I have always thought of thanksgiving as like the Indians and the pilgrims came together and everyone ate and it was a great time and everyone was happy afterwards...and I had no idea like how it was, and I think that, i mean especially like being Native American, it was like shocking to learn, like this is what I have always been taught, but this is what really happened so, I think people should know more along the lines. I mean not, I don’t think we should teach like the horrible things to young children, I mean, you don’t need them to have nightmares, but I don’t think it should be so much you know Happy Thanksgiving everyone was happy afterwards, I mean, like I know in school they didn’t Page 15 �exactly say that, but you can assume, if they all came together and had this great dinner together and everyone got along then everyone got along afterwards. I think things are left out and I think some of the details should be included and I think it should be a little less sugar coated maybe not you know completely like blunt facts but a little less. END OF INTERVIEW Page 16 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5b0f7f8dce30aca9f0ea71144db1bb91.mp3 10555297b4c32a1b47d5c396113a9359 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 Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral Histories Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Personal narratives Oral histories African Americans--Personal narratives Gays--Personal narratives Lesbians--Personal narratives Bisexual people--Personal narratives Transgender people--Personal narratives Veterans--Personal narratives Women--Personal narratives People with disabilities--Personal narratives Muslims--United States--Personal narratives Hispanic Americans--Personal narratives Homophobia Discrimination Islamophobia Stereotypes (Social psychology)--Upper Penninsula (Mich.) Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history recordings documenting the history of civil rights and social justice advocacy in Western Michigan. The collection was created by faculty and students as a project of the LIB 201 (formerly US 201): "Diversity in the U.S." course from 2011-2012. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project (GV248-01) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-05-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV248-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1930-2011 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 GV248-01_Skippergosh_Kristine_2 Title A name given to the resource Kristine Skippergosh audio interview 2 and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Skippergosh, Kristine Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rogers, Alyssa Johson, Cailie Johson, Stephanie Rhenshaw, Lyndsay Description An account of the resource Kristine Skippergosh is a junior at Grand Valley State University. She is of Native American descent and her father works for the city of Wyoming in Michigan. She discussed the difficulties her father faced regarding race in his early years, as well as some of her own challenges. Subject The topic of the resource Civil rights--Michigan--History Indians of North America--Personal narratives Discrimination against Indians of North America Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Relation A related resource Speaking Out: Western Michigan Civil Rights Oral History Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-04-02 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/eec49c7e6d75012c4bfb9a870823e9e1.jpg ee635e5395fe5478b2963256f8dff26e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Decorated Publishers' Bindings Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Description An account of the resource From the early 1870s to roughly 1930, many publishers issued their commercial book covers with a remarkable variety of graphic designs and illustrations. This sixty-year period saw many artists and designers contributing to this art form. While some can be identified from their style or initials, others remain unknown. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection Michigan Novels Collection Regional Historical Collection Lincoln and the Civil War Collection Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-08-30 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>, <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source Seidman Rare Books. PR6031.E56 K76 1899 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-01_Bindings0147 Title A name given to the resource Kronstadt Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource [unidentified signature] (Designer) Description An account of the resource Binding of Kronstadt, by Max Pemberton, published by D. Appleton & Company, 1899. Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Pictorial bindings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1899 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/f2a87fe6a8cf425e52d3d95093716b22.pdf be2d5915b74a19d8b3a0adb13f1444ee PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Vietnam War Dale Krueger (34:36) Background Information (00:20)   He was drafted into the Air Force. He served for 4.5 years. (00:22) He thought that he might be able to fly while in the Air Force. However, due to the rule that the men had to serve the amount of time they stayed in school during active duty (i.e. 4 years of school in training meant 4 years of active duty) he joined the Army instead. Dale was engaged at the time and did not want to serve this long. (00:44) Training (2:04)  Dale switched to the Army because he did not like the way the Air Force was regimented. (2:00) Service in Vietnam. (3:11)       In 1971 Dale was sent to Vietnam. He did not want to leave his life at home when he left. (3:12) Dale was able to keep in contact with his family and wife through mail. Writing every day however, was difficult. (4:15) Dale did experience some action but did not think that he saw the worst of what the war had to offer. (5:36) He believes that dealing with the emotional trauma of the even gets harder with age. (6:18) Dale did form a lot of close relationships with the men he served with. (7:11) Dale had exited the service already when the war ended in 1975. (8:41) End of Service (9:12)    Dale was flown home from Vietnam. He thought the process required to get him home was a “nightmare.” (9:15) He was thrown to San Francisco and then to Chicago. (9:58) The decay of how men in uniform were treated during dales time in the military was very insulting. Middle to older aged civilians treated dale better then the younger ones. (11:05) Life after Service (12:54)     Dale didn’t have much direction in his life. However he felt that the duty to serve was always a guiding influence. (13:36) Dale served in Iraq in 2005. He worked at a road side check point by the 14th of July Bridge during an election. (15:25) He was thanked by Iraqi civilians for the voting process that the military had made possible in that area. (17:00) From Dale’s experience, the Iraqis liked the U.S. during his time there. (18:30) �Thoughts on the War in Iraq (20:03)        He thinks that it is unjust to gauge what has been done in Iraq with the condition it has fallen into in the late 2000s. (20:03) For most of Dale’s service he was not fighting Iraqis. He recalled while driving on a road there were billboards put up by Iraqi citizens warning solders of IEDs. (22:25) He does believe that there were mistakes made during the U.S. presence in Iraq. (24:55) He believes that there had been fewer deaths in Iraq during the U.S. presence as opposed to when Saddam was in power. (26:20) Dale served in Panama as well. He recalls that some men did not want the military there. But when he was interacting with the common man and farmers they were please the U.S. was there. (27:50) He believes that patriotism is the main uniting factor that should unite the Iraqi people. (29:00) He agrees that the war could have been handled better. (33:35) � 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 KruegerD0966V Title A name given to the resource Krueger, Dale (Interview outline), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Krueger, Dale Description An account of the resource Dale Krueger served in the U.S. Army from 1971-1974 in the Vietnam War. He also served in Iraq at a check point as well as in other countries such as Panama. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ezinga, Olivia (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. Air Force United States. Army Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource 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 2010-06-03 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a1d3cd97e0a958b0585c7c400414b201.mp4 355d23d1c03ca98f500c567e9c2e05f8 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c747835154253254f0aa9eaa06aa570e.pdf 61346f8570c7bb2ee90c47a582f6fb64 PDF Text Text William James College Interviews GV016-16 Interviewer: Barbara Roos Interviewee: Krystal Miller Date: 1984 [Barbara] How did this happen? It still sounds like magic. [Miller] We talked a lot about power and taking your own power. We talk about authority; authority coming from the word author, and who is the author? And that you give people power or you take power yourself. And thinking about how you used your own personal power. We talked a lot about ourselves – it wasn't just educational. It was something that was out there, away from us. It was something that was within us and that you had to look at who you were and what did you want? What were your emotional needs? And it wasn't just, you know, facts and dates that were somehow removed from us. We were involved in the world and could create change and that change came from individual. That the old grassroots movement, which is a phrase from the sixties and seventies, but you can't really go out there and make the world change. What you can do is change yourself and be honest and deal with people and try to be honest and then that change can create change in other people sometimes. I mean you can't force it, but by doing your own thing that's one person changing and if every person works on their own self then that creates a change that is more powerful than the political revolution. [Barbara] But how did this happen in courses? I don't understand. [Miller] Sometimes it always didn't happen in the classroom. Sometimes it happened when you were talking to people afterwards because the conversation seldom ended right in the classroom. Sometimes it happens when you are at home alone. And that if you kept thinking that… we talked about if you kept thinking change was everybody else and not you that you weren't doing it, you were just intellectualizing about it. I don't know. [Barbara] That's fine. I didn't want to cut you short. I had a real sense of real communication during all this part, you know. [Miller] I'm trying to think about how that happened in classes though. It happened with students questioning each other. [Barbara] Say that again. �[Miller] Sometimes having one student question each other in classes… if you were saying something that other people didn't understand or didn't think was quite real – it’s not like you – they jumped on you or anything. But you were questioned and asked directly: "Why do you think that? Why do you feel that? What does it have to do with what we're talking about?" And you weren't supposed to remain just intellectual, you know. All of you was involved in the classes. That's the word engaged again - that hands on, that looking at something and pulling it apart and looking at the different pieces. Peeling an onion layer by layer and that things just aren't facts and dates. We talked about spirit of the times. What were everyday people doing at that time? How do they think? What did they want? What did they do? And we just looked at the world more like that, than like "On this date in history the Declaration of Independence was signed." You know, how did it happen? Who lead that? What was their thought? Who were they personally? And that just made it so much more interesting and you learn so much more that way. I mean, we weren't psychoanalyzing each other in class or tearing each other a part – it wasn't that. I mean, sometimes there were some confrontations. I mean it's like sometimes people would get angry, or excited, or happy, you know. It was there was such an air of excitement in those classrooms sometimes. You know it's not like every day, it was just the most exciting thing in the world there. But it happened so often. And I have developed a lot of really good friends through schools that I still have. We have similar ideas. We weren't programmed to think a certain way. We were just programmed to think about what we thought. And to keep working and growing. Growth and change is exciting. It’s scary sometimes, but it's also very exciting and you know. One of my favorite sayings is change is scary but consider the alternative. I don't… [Barbara] Let me check focus. [Miller] I remember there were some folks… some students that seemed really frustrated, and anxious, and didn't quite get William James College because nobody told them what to do. They didn't tell them who they had to be, how they had to do it. Part of William James was figuring that out yourself. What you wanted. How we wanted to do something. Your own ideas, the internships, the projects. And that's hard for people who have been always told what to do, when, where, and how. Especially in an educational or institutional setting. To reach into themselves and to look within. I mean that's, I think, one of the biggest problems in this culture is that we're so removed from ourselves, and from feelings, and how do we want to do things. And I think there were some people that were real angry or intimidated because they were scared to do that and needed to be told what to do. And I think William James hard for them. There were a lot of other people that were so excited at finally being allowed to put their hands on something and do it themselves and to think! When a lot of times questions were frowned upon in classes; it was an interruption, it was insubordinate somehow. And I never felt like that at William James. That the �more questions, even if they seem sort of silly sometimes, some of the most incredible discussions came out of the smallest questions. So, you know maybe William James wasn't the right school for some people. [Miller] But part of the reason why I'm angry that it's not still there is that there are a lot of people out there starving to be able to learn that way and to be involved… to have their personal self involved in the education and not just sitting in a classroom writing notes and taking a test with multiple questions. So, that's some of how we learned how to think or how to be. Just by the probing, keep looking and keep trying. And if it doesn't make sense, maybe there's a reason why it doesn't make sense. That there are seldom simple answers. One of the things that’s been hard for me since leaving William James is that questioning part of me that says: "But why?" Or if it doesn't work, then let’s change it or trying to change it is sometimes very scary to the people that I work with. That the questioning, the "Well, let’s make it better!" is just intimidating to people who are lazy or scared to death of change. And you can become the bad guy because they're intimidated and not ever used to seeing change as exciting and something that makes life and work interesting – the growth. And people are scared to death to grow. And when you work in a world that is scared of that it sometimes makes it difficult for you. It's very frustrating to be seen as the bad guy; to be shut out, to be fired sometimes. And you were the strange person, not them – they’re comfortable. [Barbara] So, was William James education lacking because we didn't learn how to cope with that dissonance? [Miller] No, I think I've learned how to cope with it, but that doesn't mean that it's never painful, or hurtful, or frustrating. You know, life isn't always easy, and we learned that and learned to deal with it. But that doesn't mean you don't feel the weight sometimes. � 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_36b_Miller Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Miller, Krystal 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 Krystal Miller interview (video and transcript) Description An account of the resource Interview with Krystal Miller 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. Krystal Miller was a student of William James College and in this interview she discusses her experience being in the classroom and the personal growth she experienced being a part of the WJC community. This interview is part 1 of 1 for Krystal Miller. 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 Alternative education College environment 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/3f02c0761f2c8f57bf10e98a76e9d674.mp4 79e94970b698ad048b963218c6b9a7fe https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fdf9e54cdec40323da03436af10eb475.pdf 02af6e337dca5ee5594cb406828a2baf PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Joseph Krzeminksi Total Time – (01:24:41) Background & Civilian Conservation Corps • • • • • • • • • • • • • He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1919 (00:16) His parents moved to Grand Rapids from Chicago, Illinois and were originally from Poland (00:41) His father was a brick mason His family moved to a home with an indoor toilet as his father became increasingly successful (01:30) o The home was in the city  They had rabbits, chickens and other animals When he was eight years old, he would go and pull beans for a local farmer (02:32) There were seven kids in his family When the Depression came, his family lost their home (02:59) o His mother had a breakdown and died o His father was extremely depressed After that, his family bounced between different homes and lived on soup (03:27) o When they moved around, they found dumps that they would live in He went to school until the tenth grade (04:12) He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) April of 1936 (04:31) Before he was accepted, he had difficulty meeting the minimum weight requirement of 107lbs. – he weighed 102lbs. (04:48) o He worked to plant trees o The CCC mimicked the Army – There were barracks with a similar social structure (06:15)  There were some Army officers in charge o They ate extremely well – the cooks were World War I veterans (06:48) The CCC broke up and the camp was split and he was sent to Fife Lake near Traverse City, Michigan (07:43) o He was discharged and ended up weighing 138lbs. After he left the CCC, he began working in a factory (08:30) o He was laid off from the factory job �• • • • • • He then got a job working in the kitchen at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids(09:14) They started taking men for the CCC again He went into the program and was sent to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (09:32) o He was in Newberry, Michigan In Newberry, he began working in the gravel pit until he was sent to work on the Fox River where he built a shack (10:35) He was then sent to be a surveyor on the lakes o He would work alongside rangers (12:13) He finished the CCC in June of 1940 and then joined the Army Enlistment/Training – (13:22) • • • • • • • • • • • • He signed up because he was disgusted with the times – the job situation, etc. (13:27) When he was in the CCC, he heard the news of Poland being hit by the Germans When he enlisted, he knew that it was possible that he would be in the war (14:48) After he signed up, he was taken to Detroit at Fort Wayne where he was processed He then went to Monterey, California (15:37) o He stayed at Presidio of Monterey (16:13) o He received two weeks of training  It was called recruit training (17:06) o He had a lot of training from CCC that was useful He stayed in Monterey for roughly one month (18:35) The military was good because it provided all of the necessities – food, clothing, housing, no bills, etc. (19:31) He was transferred to Fort Ord, California (19:58) When he was at Fort Ord, he was in the 7th Division with the 32nd Infantry Regiment (20:52) o There were inspections every Saturday followed by a parade o There were a lot of new recruits going into the camp (21:28) o The draftees started going into the camp around November He got shipped to Oregon in February of 1941 (22:05) o He was stationed at Camp Clatsop, Oregon (22:10) o Two battalions were being formed to go to Guam  They were formed from the 6th and 7th Divisions (22:34) At this point, he was a PFC (Private First Class) o It was difficult to get promoted in the military (24:28)  There were many older military personnel When the soldiers had time off they would go and be “rowdy” �• When he was in Oregon the soldiers slept in tents Active Duty – Part I - (26:49) • • • • • • • • • • • He was sent to the Aleutian Islands in July of 1941 (26:58) o They received supplies every two weeks o They were sent to the Aleutian Islands on a transport ship (27:35) The voyage to the Aleutians was difficult for many o They were very seasick (27:54) o He had received some training at Fort Ord on how to deal with seasickness In the Aleutians, they were sent to Dutch Harbor, Alaska (29:08) o They were surprised to see the new barracks for the soldiers (29:15) o There were only men at the harbor – he only saw one woman o He spent 32 months in the Aleutian Islands (29:56) Before Pearl Harbor, his platoon was doing patrols o There were four men on each patrol (30:31) o They would go out and survey the beaches to see if there were any that an enemy could use to their advantage (30:57) He heard about Pearl Harbor when he was on outpost at Morris Cove, Alaska (33:52) o He then went with a friend to Ugadaga Bay where they replaced two men (34:11) o When they were leaving, a note was delivered to his lieutenant that told them Pearl Harbor had been bombed o It became a miserable night Patrols were then sent out all over to ensure an attack would not happen (35:52) There was a fire in their tent so they could keep warm o They heard a shot that was fired to signal to a ship that could not communicate (37:03) The winter was extremely difficult o The infantry was always out patrolling or on outpost (38:04) o There were no toilets or showers o It was not extremely cold (38:30) o It was extremely windy (38:43) o There was one man that was killed while walking on the beach from a piece of tin that flew off a building (39:28) The soldiers were informed of what was going on, but they did not have specific details (39:58) The Japanese attacked Dutch Harbor on May 27, 1942 (40:16) o The Colonel called his company and told them that there was a Japanese fleet coming towards them (40:56) o They were told that they were not going to get any help (41:25) o His Colonel told them to watch their ammunition There was only one battalion in Dutch Harbor at the time (42:23) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • They began fortifying the areas – built machine gun nests, set up wires, etc. (43:16) The Japanese eventually attacked with aircraft (43:48) The soldiers moved out of the barracks and moved into large bunkers o At this point, he was the second commander in charge in the squad He woke up one night when he heard a growling off in the distance – it was a seaplane (45:18) o The plane continued to get louder and louder o A friend looked out and thought that it was a friendly plane  As soon as he said that they heard a bomb explode (46:33)  They grabbed their rifles and got into their positions (46:49) o He saw four planes coming across and could see the bombs dropping out of the planes His squad had BAR’s (Browning Automatic Rifles) (48:14) o The Americans had mortars and other weapons as well The Japanese left for the night and came back the next day with dive bombers to hit what they had missed the day before (48:48) o They hit fuel storage tanks o The barracks began to burn (49:15)  There was a crater right in front of their barracks o Eleven men died from the attacks (50:43) After the Japanese attack, they did not come back (51:14) o They were told that they had landed on Attu and Kiska islands (51:28)  They also landed on Adak and Atka Island [the Japanese did not, but the Americans did] Reinforcements were being pushed past Dutch Harbor The military began building an air base on Adak Island (52:20) o The Japanese were surprised that the Americans had built the base He was told that he was going to board a ship and leave the next day o They joined a convoy the next day (56:04) When the convoy arrived on Adak Island, they were picked up from a Navy boat on the bottom They stayed in tents while on Adak Island (57:48) o They would play poker, shoot craps, etc. (57:46) o They were going to be called when they made a landing The attacks on Attu Island happened during the middle of 1943 (58:50) Active Duty – Part II – (59:03) • In February of 1944, they boarded the USS Columbia o There was a dance floor on the ship (59:40) o They crossed through the Bering Sea and it was extremely rough weather (59:55) o He was placed on guard duty one night �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • o The ship stopped in Ketchikan, Alaska (01:00:28)  They were not allowed to get off After Ketchikan, the ship traveled to a Canadian barracks where they stayed for one week (01:01:18) o They stayed in Prince Rupert, Canada The men were waiting to land on Kiska Island (01:01:37) o They were not told what they were waiting for, but they knew When the men were supposed to leave Adak, the replacement privates returned to their original units (01:02:41) While in Prince Rupert, the soldiers would pass the time by shooting craps, playing cards, etc. o One of the men was caught with a set of phony dice From Prince Rupert, they were placed on a train and taken to Sumas, Washington (01:03:46) o The train went through Vancouver on the way through o The curtains had to be drawn down on the entire ride From Sumas, they traveled to southern Oregon at Camp White in Jackson County, Oregon (01:04:40) o Camp White was inland – away from the Pacific coast After Sumas, they were shipped out to different outfits (01:05:14) o He was sent to Arkansas for more training o Some of the men were shipped to Europe (01:05:53)  He was at Camp Robinson near Little Rock, Arkansas (01:06:30) He was a trainer in basic training o They started out with seventeen weeks  They then began rushing through basic training so that men could get through it in thirteen weeks (01:06:47) During training, they would go into the field and teach soldiers how to protect themselves (01:07:14) o They would often camp out When new soldiers would come in, they would train them, ship them out and then receive more new soldiers (01:07:57) He was satisfied with staying in Arkansas (01:08:54) o He knew that they were needed He trained roughly one thousand men in Arkansas (01:09:51) The rest of his time in the service was spent in Arkansas (01:10:13) He was taken to the hospital in Chicago, Illinois for his neck and back (01:10:36) o He went to a sick call and had X-rays taken on his back  The doctors did not know what was wrong with him (01:11:11) Before Chicago, when he went on sick call, the doctor told everyone to take their undershirts off – it was during the winter (01:12:17) o He was so cold that he did not do it o When he was called, he walked to the doctor with his shirt on (01:12:56)  The doctor knocked his helmet down  The doctor told him to get out of there (01:13:33) �• • o He told his story to the first sergeant and was told to get a prisoner and watch over him  He got to sit there while his prisoner worked (01:14:15)  He had to be with the prisoner all the time  During lunch, the man did not want to leave and he had to be forced to leave (01:15:20) • He threw the man through a door • His commander saw it happen, but he ignored it When he saw non-commissioned officers come to the camp, he knew that he was being replaced (01:16:52) He remembers walking through the mess hall and vomiting – he was sick in the stomach (01:17:15) After the Service – (01:17:30) • • • • • • • • • He went home after nearly one week (01:17:31) He returned to his father's one bedroom apartment o Two of his brothers lived with his father as well (01:17:43) His stomach never got better – he is currently on pills for stomach problems When he returned home, he was unemployed for nearly one month (01:18:47) After one month, he got a job working at Kelvinator (01:18:56) o He stayed at Kelvinator for thirty five and a half years o He did a lot of work as a welder He was married two times (01:20:13) o His first wife had a child before they were married o She found another man at her work and left him (01:20:21) He married his second wife and was married for forty-seven years When he reflects on his experiences in the Army, he believes it was a good thing to join (01:22:10) He is not sure what way he would have gone if it were not for 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 KrzeminskiJ1459V Title A name given to the resource Krzeminski, Joseph (Interview outline and video), 2012 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Krzeminski, Joseph Description An account of the resource Joseph Krzeminski was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1919. His family suffered during the Depression, and he left high school and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936, serving two stints, and then joined the Army in 1940. After training at Fort Ord, California, he joined the 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Division, at Camp Clatsop, Oregon. His battalion was sent to the Aleutian Islands in April, 1941, and stayed for three years. He witnessed the Japanese attack on Dutch Harbor in 1942 and helped with preparations for later American landings on Attu and Kiska, and then went to Camp Robinson, Arkansas, to serve as a trainer until he was discharged. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-10-09 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/6240615bab353439a2a03be93a12f3c2.mp4 9e313a94e3f8cc07e519e49cc1610b7e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6b733f25dea7106cff07e28443ddbc8f.pdf 70571e77299e3a943ec71c14ee1b4b5c PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project John Kuennen Vietnam War 1 hour 47 minutes 21 seconds (00:00:24) Early Life -Born on March 1, 1950 in New Hampton, Iowa -Grew up on a farm near Fort Atkinson, Iowa -The farm had been in the family for one hundred years -It is still in the family in his name -Both of his parents worked on the farm growing up -He had four brothers -He was the youngest -The farm still relied on manual labor even in the 1950s and 1960s -Had to work a 280 acre farm by hand -Attended St. Lucas Catholic Schools for eleven years until it closed -Transferred to a different Catholic high school and graduated from there in 1968 (00:02:36) Awareness of Vietnam -He was aware of what was happening in Vietnam -There was a local radio station that would report on Iowans killed in Vietnam -Hearing about local men getting killed made the war even more real -Some young men from their community were killed in action (00:03:23) Attending College & Volunteering for the Draft -He wanted to go to college -Attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa for one year -At the time he assumed that he would eventually be drafted -Went to his local draft board to talk about volunteering for the draft -He was told that if he volunteered for the draft he could go to Germany -Decided to volunteer for the draft on the off chance he’d go to Germany (00:04:37) Basic Training -He reported for basic training on June 20, 1969 and flew out of Des Moines, Iowa -Sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana for basic training -It was somewhat of a culture shock because he had never been out of the Midwest -Arrived at Fort Polk at 10 PM -Immediately noticed the distinct smell and heat of Louisiana -Didn’t have to go through processing since that had been done in Des Moines -Basic training wasn’t very physically challenging for him -Because of the heat that summer they had days off and the physical training was relaxed -It was slightly difficult for him to emotionally and psychologically adjust -Example: Getting called to formation for inspection, randomly, at 2 AM -He trained alongside draftees, enlistees, National Guardsmen, and Army Reservists -The draftees were treated with a little more respect by the drill sergeants -The vast majority of the men at Fort Polk were draftees -He received training with the M16 assault rifle �-Also with the LAW rocket launcher, M60 machine gun and .50 caliber machine gun -Basic training lasted eight weeks (00:09:37) Leadership Training -At the end of basic training he was given the option to go to Officer Candidate School -Decided not to take that offer, so he was offered Leadership Training -Decided to accept that instead -Received Leadership Training at Fort Polk -Consisted of classroom work on how to be a good leader -Lasted only two weeks (00:10:28) Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) -After Leadership Training he took AIT at Fort Polk to become an 11 Bravo (infantryman) -His leadership training meant he would be a squad leader during AIT -He would be in charge of ten other soldiers during the AIT course -It just so happened he wound up being in charge of ten black soldiers -There was a slight cultural divide, but there were no major problems -In AIT he received more detailed weapons training -Went out in to the field for training -Marching through swamps -Living out in the field like he would in Vietnam -Received some survival training -Learning how to scavenge for food and survive independently -There was also training on how to interact with Vietnamese civilians and search villages -AIT lasted eight weeks (00:12:40) Deployment to Vietnam -He was given thirty days of leave to go home -He had orders for Vietnam, but he didn’t have any orders for a specific unit -His parents were stoic about his deployment and not openly emotional about it -He spent time with his girlfriend (who would later become his wife) -He flew out of Oakland, California to Alaska and then to Japan (00:15:17) Arrival in Vietnam -He arrived at Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam on November 29, 1969 -The first thing he noticed about Vietnam was the tremendous heat -For the first week that he was in Vietnam his body had to adjust to the environment -He had to deal with an intestinal problem for two days -Spent most of it just sitting on the toilet (00:16:20) Assignment to the 1st Infantry Division -He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division -They were operating about thirty miles north of Saigon, South Vietnam -After joining them he received a quick refresher course on weapons training -Firing his M16 rifle on the firing range and throwing grenades -Heard about training accidents where men died from grenade accidents (00:19:02) Patrolling with the 1st Infantry Division -The 1st travelled almost exclusively with trucks, not helicopters -Drove around the area occasionally stopping to set up an ambush -Started patrols with them in December 1969 -Stayed at the Michelin Rubber Plantation on Christmas Eve, 1969 �-On Christmas Day they were treated to a huge Christmas feast then had to go into the field -Remembers being on the plantation and taking sniper fire -The area had been mostly secured, but the plantation was still in the “free fire zone” -It meant anyone that was unconfirmed as a friend was a target -Also meant that after curfew anyone non-American could be shot without question -Despite being in the “free fire zone” they couldn’t discharge weapons from 7 AM – 6 PM -There were still civilian workers that worked on the plantation -Remembers a civilian being killed at 6:57 AM -There was a dispute over whether it had been a legal kill, or not -Never found out if he was just an early worker, or Viet Cong -During the day on the plantation relaxed, played cards, and slept -Only stayed on the Michelin plantation for ten days at a time before going back to the field -The main focus of their patrols was the Mekong River Delta (00:23:26) Enemy Contact and Duty with the 1st Infantry Division -In the Mekong River Delta region they would routinely find enemy bunkers and booby traps -He walked point a few times -Leading a patrol, but not in command of it -His initial job was to carry extra ammunition for the M60 machine gun -Later on he would become a radioman and carried the PRC 25 radio for a squad -He would go out with squads to set up an ambush, or establish an observation post -Operated in mostly uninhabited areas which meant not having to deal with civilians as much -There weren’t even that many villages where they were operating -Their enemy in the Mekong was the Viet Cong -The problem is that the Viet Cong could blend in with civilians and were hard to identify -The Americans would initiate most contact with the Viet Cong -Remembers during one ambush killed ten Viet Cong soldiers and then buried them -The next day they killed another ten Viet Cong and buried them as well -They were almost always the aggressors and never ran into Viet Cong ambushes -On patrol the main threats were booby traps and snipers -If a bunker was discovered it was treated with extreme caution -They would usually throw in grenades to kill anyone that might be inside -Sometimes the bunker was so deep that not even grenades were effective (00:28:14) Travelling in Vietnam -There were a lot of roads in the area that they were operating in -It meant being able to travel between the field and the base relatively quickly -Operated around a place called Black Widow Mountain -Remembers walking through a river and almost falling into a bomb crater -The water was clear enough that he could see where the crater was (00:30:00) The Things They Carried -He as a radioman carried a fifteen (or sixteen) pound radio and a five pound backup battery -Carried five, or six grenades (each weighing about one pound) -Carried twenty clips of ammunition for the M16 rifle -Some rope -They were able to drink the water from local sources -Carried four to five quart sized canteens -C rations �-The total weight of all the things they carried was about sixty to seventy pounds (00:31:32) Reassignment to the 101st Airborne Division -He stayed with the 1st Infantry Division until mid-March 1970 -At the time he 1st Infantry Division was being pulled out of Vietnam -As well as anyone who had had at least ten months of service in Vietnam -He accepted that the 1st Infantry Division was going home, but he wasn’t -He was taken to the rear and was then reassigned to the 101st Airborne Division -He was flown up Hue via C-130 transport and took a truck from Hue to Camp Evans -At Camp Evans he was assigned to C Company of the 2nd Battalion / 506th Infantry Regiment -When he arrived, C Company was in the field, so he was taken to them by a Huey helicopter -Once he met up with C Company he was introduced to the jungle and to Captain Vazquez -Vazquez was the company commander at the time -He was the “new guy” but was treated with more respect since he had seen some combat -The men of the 101st were generally welcoming of men from the 1st Infantry Division -Upon joining C Company he met and befriended another man from Iowa (00:37:31) Duty and Patrolling with C Company -His initial duty was just to be a rifleman and to carry extra ammunition for the M60 -He also wasn’t expected to walk point immediately either -They were patrolling in thick jungle -Eventually the monsoon season began -Had to walk up and then down steep hills in torrential downpours -Usually patrolled as squads, or as platoons, but not as a full company (00:39:58) Enemy Contact with C Company -Their main enemy was now the North Vietnamese and not the Viet Cong -The North Vietnamese were far more aggressive -By early April 1970 two men in C Company had already been killed -Learned that bullets don’t really make a sound like they do in the movies (00:41:53) Conditions in Central Vietnam -The terrain was hilly and the heat was oppressive -Completely different environment than where he had been with the 1st Infantry Division -Some men passed out due to the heat and the changing oxygen levels -If a man passed out another man had to go down to him and carry him back -There was one time where the man sent down wound up passing out as well -Passing out from heat stroke meant an immediate medical evacuation from the field -If you cut your hand on bamboo as you came down the hill you were evacuated -A cut could be deep enough that it reached the bone -After a while the patrols and the inherent dangers of them became routine and avoidable (00:44:14) Establishing Firebase Ripcord -After a night spent at the base of the hill Ripcord would be on the company got up early -Started walking up the hill to the top expecting to run into enemy resistance -On the way up and at the top they received no enemy fire or found any enemy soldiers -The most they found was some abandoned bunkers -They secured the hilltop and started digging foxholes -In the middle of digging a soldier was killed after hitting a grenade with his shovel -John was close enough to take a piece of shrapnel and get covered in blood -A medevac was called in and he and the other soldier were evacuated from the hilltop �-He was taken back to Camp Evans -While there he met Colonel Lucas the commander of 2nd Battalion -Talked about how things were going in the field and if Ripcord was secure -Wound up spending ten days at Camp Evans -Three days in the hospital and seven days on guard duty -After healing at Camp Evans he returned to Ripcord -When he got back the fortifications were built and the howitzers and mortars were set up -C Company was in charge of guarding the perimeter -They occasionally took incoming fire -C Company was eventually relieved by another company and flown off Ripcord (00:52:14) Activity before the Battle of Ripcord -After being on Ripcord he remembers flying to various hills in the vicinity -The one thing he remembers the most is how a landing zone was established for an air assault -First the artillery would bombard two potential landing zones -This was so the North Vietnamese didn’t know the actual landing zone -Then Cobra gunships would come in and strafe the landing zones -He was always proud to have been part of those air assaults -Doesn’t recall Captain Vazquez leaving and being replaced by Captain Hewitt -After leaving Ripcord they carried out patrols in the area around the firebase -In May and June of 1970 C Company didn’t take many, if any, casualties -The only concept of time that he had was the night and day cycle -Usually didn’t even know what day of the week it was -During one operation he remembers being on the last helicopter out -The door gunners started firing at targets on the ground -The helicopter veered left and then right violently -Learned that they were receiving fire and had been hit -The M60 gunner in his squad had been hit in the thigh -The fuel line had been hit by enemy fire -Flew back to Camp Evans and the M60 gunner was evacuated (00:59:00) Battle of Firebase Ripcord-Battle of Hill 902 Pt. 1 -On July 1, 1970 his platoon went to the top of Hill 902 -At the top he dug a foxhole and got settled in -It was the second night that 3rd Platoon had been on the top of Hill 902 -Tremendous strategic mistake because the North Vietnamese knew where they were -He was acting as the radio operator for Lieutenant Campbell at this point -At one point he was told to move to a different foxhole with the M60 gunner -This position was on the western edge of the hill near a trail -He felt they would be the most exposed to a North Vietnamese assault -Fortified his position with mines and prepared for the night -That night he couldn’t smell the North Vietnamese in the jungle when he usually could (01:05:09) Battle of Firebase Ripcord-Battle of Hill 902 Pt. 2 -They would sleep in shifts, and when the attack began on the morning of July 2nd he was asleep -He was woken up and told that there was movement -Immediately after that there was an explosion directly behind them at the command post -John manned the radio immediately and remembers hearing the screaming of the wounded -The Battle of Hill 902 was the only time that he ever fixed his bayonet �-He called in artillery and told them to “fire for effect” -At first thought that he had become the acting company commander -He thought that everyone was dead or incapacitated -The artillery barrage that came in from Ripcord was incredibly close to his position -He called in a flare to illuminate the hill and popped right over the command post -Didn’t call anymore so as not to potentially give away any American positions -During the fighting he was able to collect a wounded soldier nearby and pull him into the hole -The position next to his was hit hard by a satchel charge -The original foxhole that he had been in took a direct hit from a rocket -One soldier was vaporized by the explosion -At one point the commanders in the rear thought that they had been wiped out -He detonated all three of his claymore mines and threw all of his grenades during the fight -The enemy was too close to shoot at with a rifle, or a machine gun -Ran the risk of hitting your own soldiers at that point -Cobra gunships eventually flew in and started giving supporting fire (01:15:07) Aftermath of Hill 902 -As soon as it was light enough out 1st Platoon was flown in to relieve them -Everything (equipment, people, weapons, vegetation) had been shot up and destroyed -Remembers that there were bodies everywhere -After the fighting they collected the dead North Vietnamese and dead Americans -Counted at least thirty dead North Vietnamese -Official numbers are around ten to fifteen dead North Vietnamese -The area was secured and he returned to where his original foxhole had been -He had to identify the remains of one of the men that had been in it -By 11 AM July 2nd he, and the rest of his platoon, was pulled off of Hill 902 -Along with a crate full of unexploded ordinance -After the battle he was so shell-shocked that he felt physically ill -They were taken back to Firebase Ripcord and had to go right back into the field -They weren’t even allowed to have one day off -Expected to go back out without a medic or a company commander -After Hill 902 he couldn’t bring himself to eat for two days (01:19:44) Battle of Firebase Ripcord-Battle of Hill 1000 -On July 7, 1970 they were flown out to aid D Company which was pinned down on Hill 1000 -While moving forward on the hill he remembers a man directly behind him getting killed -During the assault on Hill 1000 C Company was down to only being the size of a platoon -At this point Jeff Wilcox was their new company commander and they had a new medic -Remembers that on Hill 1000 that was the only time he saw a flamethrower in Vietnam -It was never put into use on Hill 1000 though -He stormed Hill 1000 as a radioman -They started taking enemy fire and Cobras were called in to provide covering fire -The medic was killed almost instantly on the second assault on July 8 -He was able to pull the medic’s body down the hill to be evacuated -They were eventually ordered to pull off of Hill 1000 and regroup at a landing zone -Remembers Captain Wilcox arguing with Colonel Lucas at the landing zone -Colonel Lucas wanted a third assault and Captain Wilcox refused �(01:28:21) Battle of Firebase Ripcord-Evacuation -C Company went to Hill 805 for one night -Remembers the commander of B Company being struck by lightning, but surviving -On July 23, 1970 C Company was pulled back to Camp Evans and Ripcord was abandoned -On July 23rd American B-52 bombers flew in and bombarded the NVA on Ripcord -Learned at Camp Evans that A Company was still in the field and pinned down -D Company was sent in and successfully extracted A Company (01:31:12) Reassignment to the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) -He was scheduled to go on R&R in August -There was a chance that he could go to the rear to serve in the TOC -Decided to cancel his R&R -Had to tell his brother and his parents that he couldn’t meet them in Australia -He was reassigned to the TOC at Camp Evans to be a radio operator for the 2nd Battalion -Remembers that the new colonel for 2nd Battalion didn’t have much combat experience -Colonel Lucas had been killed on July 23rd during the evacuation of Ripcord -The new colonel would want to go out and meet with companies in the field -Also wanted to be able to get the Combat Infantry Badge -John would accompany him into the field -Recalls that the colonel was a little bit naïve and gung ho -Example: The colonel would walk point despite being a colonel -He would work nights at the TOC and would check in with companies in the field each hour (01:36:12) End of Tour & Coming Home -He finished his tour and was relieved of duty -After his tour was up he still had some free time on Camp Evans -At one point he volunteered to go on a supply run to a unit five miles from Camp Evans -In retrospect felt it was a bad move, but fortunately nothing happened -Upon returning home he flew out of Hue -He and the other soldiers were told not to celebrate until they left Vietnamese airspace -Once they were over the South China Sea everyone on the plane cheered -They flew directly from Hue, South Vietnam to Seattle, Washington (01:38:26) Drug Use & Racial Tensions -While in Vietnam he didn’t witness much drug use -There was some use in the rear, but never saw drugs being used in the field -Noticed that there was some racial tension in the rear, but not in the field -He never had any problems with people due to their race -Feels that he may have been too young or naïve to have noticed any tension (01:39:44) End of Service -Upon coming home there were some meetings about taxes and healthcare -He was given thirty days of leave to go home -Upon coming home he was warned about the possibility of being harassed by protestors -He was told not to pay them any mind or to react to them -He never encountered any protestors when he came home though -He flew back to Iowa for his leave then flew down to Fort Hood, Texas -Arrived at Fort Hood on November 30, 1970 -While at Fort Hood he was allowed to go home for Christmas -Drove up to Detroit with some friends then flew to Chicago �-From Chicago flew to Iowa then after Christmas flew back to Fort Hood -His time with the Army ended in April 1971 -While at Fort Hood he took part in some radar testing -Aside from that just stayed busy by cleaning vehicles and trying to kill time (01:43:51) Life after the Army -After the Army he returned to his family in Iowa -He was only home for one week before returning to work in construction until August 1971 -He got married on September 4, 1971 -After his honeymoon he went to the University of Northern Iowa -The first year back for him was difficult -He was trying to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder -Wound up graduating from in 1975 with a degree in business management -He was able to attend college on the GI Bill -He got a job at the Post Office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa -Nine months later he quit the Post Office and bought his uncle’s farm -His uncle’s farm was right next to his parents’ farm -He actively farmed for twenty years, and still farms part time -He fathered three sons and one daughter -After farming for twenty years he returned to the Post Office and still works there (as of 2014) � 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_KuennenJ1692V Title A name given to the resource Kuennen, John (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-09 Description An account of the resource John Kuennen was born in New Hampton, Iowa, in 1950. After graduating from high school in 1968 he attended college for one year before volunteering for the draft. He trained as an infantryman at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and went to Vietnam in November, 1969. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division and patrolled the Mekong River Delta area as a radioman. In mid-March 1970 the 1st Infantry Division was sent back to the United States and he was reassigned to C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division based out of Camp Evans as an infantryman and then as a radioman. He took part in the establishment of Firebase Ripcord on the edge of the A Shau Valley and later in the Battle of Firebase Ripcord specifically on Hill 902 on July 2nd and then on Hill 1000 on July 7th and 8th. After the fall of Firebase Ripcord on July 23rd, 1970 he was reassigned to the Battalion Tactical Operations Center at Camp Evans as a radio operator. In the fall of 1970 he returned to the United States and completed his service in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas in April 1971. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuennen, John Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McGregor, Michael (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Vietnam War, 1961-1975--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/588e52bea85822e36b9d05d5f09de124.pdf 5489e16a2116f1cbaa6bd27c1f6b8030 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Robert Kuhn (22:19) Background Information (00:04)         Born June 9th 1934 in Grand Rapids Michigan. (00:05) Reached rank of Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. (00:15) His step father was superintendent of Maintenance for a light medals corporation. His mother worked for Amway. (00:45) He had a brother who was killed in the Air Force. Robert also had a half brother and half sister. (1:25) He attended Creston High School and played football, baseball, and track. (1:38) Robert also liked hunting and fishing. (2:21) While his brother was in the Air Force and home on leave, he was killed in an automobile accident. (2:45) Robert enlisted in the Air Force with his friend who was to be drafted. (3:20) Training (3:40)      He attended Hanson Air Force Base in Ney York and then to flight training in Texas. (3:46) After completing flight school, Robert was examined to determine the type of air craft he was best suited to fly. (4:06) He had no trouble adjusting to military life. (4:23) Robert was married for most of his service. The men were very social with each there and he had a lot of friends. (5:10) Robert was married July 17th 1954. (5:38) Service (5:57)         He served at K55 in Hoson Korea. In the winter the area was very cold. (6:03) Robert lived in a tent during his time at K55. (6:25) While flying, Robert could see fights playing out on the ground. He himself never saw actual combat. (6:45) His wife had a baby girl while Robert was in Korea. His brother also was killed during this time. (7:05) Prior to his first tour of duty, Robert was sent to Korea on temporary duty. He was then sent back to California then Montana where he met his wife. He was then sent back to Korea on a second tour. (7:44) While in Korea it was not recommended the men leave the base. (8:35) Robert worked selling tires, as a manger or a gestation, and as a manger in a super store after he was out of the service(9:55) Robert spent approx. 18 months in Germany after serving in Korea. Then he was given orders to be sent to Vietnam. (10:35) �Service in Vietnam (10:40)           In Vietnam he flew C4 gunships. A typical mission lasted seven and a half hours. At least one plane was airborne at all time. (11:34) Robert was stationed in Saigon. The men would fly out of another base for brief periods if other units had men on R&R. (13:20) Robert’s unit did not lose any crew members during his time in Vietnam. He and his crew was, however, shot down. (14:16) When the C4 was being shot down, the position was radioed in. the crew was picked up by the Army. (14:34) The base at Saigon rocketed attacked weekly. (15:20) The men on base could tell if they were going to be rocketed on a particular night because many would not show up for work. (15:51) The heat was unbearable while serving in Vietnam. (16:25) Robert was aware of the anti-war moments occurring in the U.S. (16:55) When Robert returned home he was sent to Right Patterson Air Force Base where he served until his retirement. He returned for Vietnam in Jun of 1969. (17:37) Robert was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. (18:34) Life after Service (19:00)     Every so often Robert will have a flashback or night terror pertaining to his service. (18:55) Robert has never been back to Vietnam or Korea however he has toured the battle grounds of Europe. (19:33) Robert’s family was helpful in helping him readjust to home life. (20:20) Despite having opportunities to join veteran’s organization, Robert does not belong to any. (21:53) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KuhnR1197V Title A name given to the resource Kuhn, Robert (Interview outline), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuhn, Robert Description An account of the resource Robert Kuhn, born in 1934 in Grand Rapids Michigan, served in the U.S. Air Force between 1954 and 1974. He trained as a pilot and did two tours in Korea. He was later sent to Vietnam, where he flew AC-47 ground support aircraft, and was shot down once. After returning from Vietnam in 1969, he completed his 20 years at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Bueckman, Greg (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. Air Force Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American 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 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 2011-05-22 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a1fa9e8cc60b380481e1b53e39d7ca56.mp4 b2833473866adbe9e8d4d6c4fabf1a61 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/99f2aa2a86bc4afbd81924504c8875d9.pdf 62511826687abe9e52cf34caca97c379 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project George Kuiper World War II 1 hour 56 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in February 1926 in Holland, Michigan -Grew up in Holland -Father worked in the Holland Furniture Company -During the Great Depression he only worked three days a week -Despite having a job, the family still didn't have much -He had three brothers -His aunt lived with them -Mother stayed home and took care of George and his brothers (00:01:10) Start of the War and News on the War -Remembers hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor the afternoon of December 7, 1941 -In school they were discussing the events unfolding in Europe and Asia -Always enjoyed history, so that stuck with him -Still, he was only fifteen (or sixteen) so it wasn't of great importance They still had family living in Germany during the war -Father would write to them once in a while -Had male relatives living in Germany that wound up fighting for the German Army -Didn't think that the war would be over before he would have to serve -Started receiving extra physical education in high school -Preparing all of the young men for military service (00:03:14) Getting Drafted -Graduated from high school in June 1944 -Received his draft notice to report for an Army physical in Detroit -This happened shortly after he turned eighteen in February 1944 -Reported to the draft board in Holland in June 1944 -Father dropped him off there Sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois by train for processing (00:04:42) Basic Training and Field Artillery Training -From Fort Sheridan he was sent to California by train for field artillery training -The train ride was dirty from the soot produced by the steam engine -Travelled across the Rocky Mountains and the Great Salt Lake -Received his training in Camp Roberts, California -Between San Francisco and Los Angeles -Went to Fort Hunter Liggett -Proving ground for the field artillery at Camp Roberts -Received basic training and field artillery training at the same time -Trained with WWI-era artillery pieces -Learned how to prepare a charge, load a round, and set coordinates for �the gun -It took seven men to load and properly fire a howitzer -His job was to load the powder charge -Determined the range and elevation of the round -Received their coordinates from headquarters via field telephone -Later in the war, his job was to lay down telephone wire -Establishing coordinates involved trigonometry -Could fire three rounds per minute when the gun crew was trained enough -Each artillery shell weighed about ninety six to ninety eight pounds -Had to also qualify with the M1 Carbine -Went to a firing range and shot at targets 100 yards and 200 yards away -Marched around Camp Roberts -There was a strong emphasis on discipline and Army protocol -Bed had to be made just right, everyone had to have their things uniform and lined up -He adjusted well, although initially the coarseness of the drill sergeants was a shock -Believes that it would teach a lot of young people discipline -He was a little homesick at first, but got over it -Spent sixteen weeks at Camp Roberts -The howitzer was pulled by a modified tank -Could go to Paso Robles, California which was a town near Camp Roberts -Took the bus from the camp to the town -It was good to get off the base on Saturdays -If you didn't have anything to do, they'd find something for you to do (00:17:28) Pre-Deployment -After Camp Roberts he was sent across the country to Fort Meade, Maryland -Stayed there for about one week -Went to an infiltration course -Crawling under barbed wire while a machine gun is fired over your head -One day had to march eight miles to the infiltration course in the pouring rain -Afterwards had to march the eight miles back -Did the infiltration course three times -At Fort Meade he was still a replacement and did not have a unit (00:20:07) Deployment -After a week at Fort Meade he was sent up to Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts -Stayed there for two days -Boarded the RMS Aquitania (sister ship of the RMS Lusitania) -Sailed alone and left after dark -He pulled guard duty, four hours on eight hours off, looking for U-Boats -Took seven days to sail across the Atlantic Ocean -Weather wasn't too bad -Some men got seasick �(00:22:14) Arrival in the European Theatre -Arrived in Glasgow, Scotland -Went by train to Southampton, England -Boarded a ship and was given a loaf of bread and a ring of bologna -It was a small transport ship -Had to sleep in hammocks -Anchored just outside of Le Havre, France -Couldn't go into the harbor because it was heavily damaged -Had to climb down the side of the ship using rope ladders to board LSTs -Also dealing with twenty foot high waves -In Le Havre they boarded "40 and 8" boxcars and traveled to Paris -"40 and 8" boxcars: capable of carrying forty men, or eight horses -By now it was November 1944 -In Paris he went to a replacement depot and was assigned to the 191st Field Artillery Battalion (00:26:10) Joining the 191st and the Battle of the Bulge Pt. 1 -From Paris he traveled to Belgium in open topped trucks to join the 191st -By the time he joined them it was mid/late December 1944 and extremely cold -Saw a lot of American planes flying east into Germany on bombing runs -German planes would show up occasionally and strafe them -The first night that he joined the battalion he was placed on guard duty -It was freezing and he could see Germans and Americans exchanging gunfire -They followed the infantry and the tanks as they pushed the Germans back -They were attached to the 4th Armored Division -Working with "split trail" howitzers that had longer barrels -Pulled by trucks -Took an hour to set up one gun -After it was set up the 1st lieutenant would sight the gun -He was assigned to #1 Gun in A Battery -They would receive orders to do "harassing fire" -Fire a shell every two minutes at the Germans to keep disrupting them -Had to learn how to sleep through the artillery fire -Wore long underwear, two pairs of pants, combat boots, a sweater, and a heavy jacket -Also wore a wool cap under his helmet -This was all just to keep from freezing to death -Not allowed to light a fire because it would give their position away to the Germans -German 88mm gun crews could spot the fire and zero in on their position -Didn't know anything about the progress of the battle or the progress of the war -Just advanced and followed orders to carry out fire missions -Some days they advanced a couple miles -Other days they had to stop and bombard the German positions before moving (00:34:53) Rhine River Campaign Pt. 1 -The next major fighting was crossing the Rhine River at Worms in early spring 1945 -Their job was to ire shells over the river to cover the Army Engineers �-The Army Engineers were trying to set up a pontoon bridge to cross the river -Had to contend with German artillery and German Me 109s -One plane got so close that he saw the pilot's face -Could see low level dogfights and high altitude bombers going into Germany -Punched through the German lines and advanced fifty miles into Germany -The German line closed behind them and they ran out of gas for three days -German bombers would come in and harass them -One gun got hit and one truck was hit and they took some casualties (00:38:22) Battle of the Bulge Pt. 2 -Once the Germans had begun to retreat, they began to advance out of the Ardennes Forest -This would have been near the end of January 1945 -Could see charges tied to trees along the road -Germans were going to try to block the road but retreated too quickly -Couldn't see any of the German frontier fortifications due to the snow (00:40:00) Rhine River Campaign Pt. 2 and Advancing into Germany -While crossing the Rhine River the Germans tried desperately to stop the Army Engineers -The Germans failed and he was one of many that crossed on that pontoon bridge -Before crossing over some men found a warehouse and found several big cases of wine -After they had crossed the Rhine River they had to deal with mined roads -Remembers seeing German soldiers leaving their foxholes and retreating, some without guns -Got caught behind German lines for three days before they could get refueled -Once they got refueled they kept advancing and were at the front of the advance -Because of this they didn't see a lot of prisoners -Went through towns that they had had to shell -Saw the civilians living in the rubble -Pushed the Germans back every day -There was still some last ditch German resistance near the end, mostly artillery harassment -Remembers one night after crossing a river he was camped out next to a house -German artillery was so intense that he thought it was a thunderstorm -The next day he saw an artillery shell lodged in the porch of the house -Had it not been a dud, he probably would have died -Started seeing more civilians retreating east that were trying to get away from the Allies -Had been brainwashed into thinking the Allies would kill any civilians they saw -Proved the propaganda wrong and just drove around the civilians (00:48:00) End of the War Pt. 1 -Got into Czechoslovakia by the time the war ended on May 8, 1945 -The 191st entered Czechoslovakia on April 29, 1945 -Saw Ohrdruf Concentration Camp in Germany around April 7, 1945 -First concentration camp liberated by the U.S. (April 4, 1945) -Saw corpses laid out like cord wood, couldn't fathom the inhumanity �-Went back into Germany for a while after the war on occupation duty -Russia had begun to set up their occupation zones -He was reassigned to the 405th Infantry Regiment for a while -Then he was reassigned to a unit within the 4th Armored Division (00:50:14) Field Telephone Work -Enjoyed laying down wire for gun batteries more than being on a gun crew -Safer than being on a gun, surrounded by gunpowder -Rode around on a weapons carrier -Combination of a jeep and pickup truck (00:50:58) End of the War Pt. 2 -With the war over they were able to stay in houses and sleep in beds -Had more contact with German civilians, and contact became more positive after the war (00:51:44) General Patton -Only saw General Patton a few times during the war, and that was close to the front line -Tried to avoid him, simply felt that he didn't need to be where high ranking officers were (00:52:12) End of the War Pt. 3 -Stayed in Germany on occupation duty until early 1946 -Drove around Germany in a jeep, transporting personnel around the country -Got to drive on the Autobahn -Saw that the parts of Germany that were intact were clean and advanced -Towns and cities had been flattened by the bombing -Could smell rotting bodies in the rubble -Some men in his unit would try to help civilians whenever it was possible -Everyone mostly kept to themselves though -He got to take a short trip to Paris -Another culture shock seeing brothels -Got to see Notre Dame -Stayed in a hotel -His travel companions brought back prostitutes at night -The vacation only lasted a few days -Knew that venereal disease was pretty common problem -One soldier needed ninety consecutive shots of penicillin to treat his infection -Did some duty with the Military Police on a train -Stopping people from jumping on the train, or stealing anything -Black market activity was a problem after the war (00:59:04) Coming Home and Life after the War -In early 1946 he received orders to go home -Took a train across northern Germany and northern France back to Le Havre -Boarded the SS George Washington and sailed to New York -From New York he was taken to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey for a few days -Took a train to Camp Atterbury, Indiana and was discharged there -Worked as a mechanic in a garage for a few years after the war -Started working on boats and started his own boat repair shop in Zeeland, Michigan � 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 KuiperG1775V Title A name given to the resource Kuiper, George (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource George Kuiper was born in February 1926 in Holland, Michigan. He grew up in Holland and in February 1944 he received his draft notice. In June 1944 he reported for duty at the draft board in Holland, was processed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois and was sent to Camp Roberts, California for basic training and field artillery training. After sixteen weeks of training he was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland for an additional week of training and then left the United States out of Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. He sailed over, stopping in England, and arriving in Le Havre, France. He was sent to Paris where he was assigned to the 191st Field Artillery Battalion attached to the 4th Armored Division. He joined the battalion in Belgium in mid/late December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge and was assigned to #1 Gun in A Battery and also laid down field telephone wire for the gun batteries. After the Battle of the Bulge they advanced into Germany, crossing the Rhine River at Worms, going south and seeing the Ohrdruf Concentration Camp, and entering Czechoslovakia on April 29, 1945. After the war ended on May 8, 1945 he was reassigned to the 405th Infantry Regiment and then 4th Armored Division before being sent home in early 1946 and getting discharged at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuiper, George Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army 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 2015-05-27 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/8646d2d6ba383f1a5b9761152042efc1.m4v b2a76c5639d811f24a86d9ea2dc00069 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/843a73b4394aa93e6b02cabba9c86627.pdf 1296a60998d6cf821e86860e329683f6 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Harold Kuizema Length of interview (1:00:15) (00:00) Background Born in Grand Rapids, MI in 1925. (00:00) Went to Oakdale Christian School, which was the same school that his father had attended and his mother was a teacher there. (00:12) Describes his reaction to the bombings of Pearl Harbor, which occurred while he was in high school. (00:50) Once he graduated high school, he wanted to join the Air Corps. However, the testing determined that he was colorblind. (02:00) While taking a trip to California in September of 1943, his parents had received notice that he was to report to Detroit because he had been drafted into the U.S. Army. However, he was unable to report for a few weeks because he was out of state. When he returned in November, he had to report to Detroit. (04:00) (05:30) Basic Training After reporting to Detroit, they were sent to the Chicago area for induction. From there they traveled by train to Camp Roberts in California for seventeen weeks of training. (05:41) Woke up at 6:00am for revelry, followed by breakfast, calisthenics, and then specialty training. He was in the artillery unit and communications in the 106th Infantry Division. (07:44) His speciality was primarily communications. He learned to operate the telephone, radio, and semaphore. (08:42) Describes the physical training. Recalls that overall, he enjoyed it. (09:08) Recalls that his drill instructor, Sergeant Webb, was a very disciplined individual. Thinks that the drill instructor must have liked him because after the first few weeks, he made him an Acting Corporal. (09:52) At this point, he had no idea where he would be going. (10:23) On the weekends, he either visited his cousin or went to Pasadena with some of his friends from high school who were also at Camp Roberts. (10:36) His training at Camp Atterbury was much more specialized and intense. He was placed in a Wire Section where his responsibility was to lay wires from the guns to the Observation Point (OP), and to either operate the phones either at the guns or at the OP. (12:10) After laying the wires, they were usually the last people to leave because they had to pick up the wires. (13:00) Colonel Kelly told them that they were going to be “German killers.” He assumed that he was going to Germany. (14:17) After his seventeen weeks, they were given fifteen days of furlow time and he went home to visit his family before reporting to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, (11:01) Because his father was a World War I veteran, when Harold left him to go overseas, he broke down because he realized that it might be the last time he saw his son. (11:27) �Reported back to camp before boarding the U.S.S. Wakefield. (15:06) (15:15) Service in France Recalls that he had never been on a ship before, but was lucky because he did not get seasick despite the rough oceans. (15:15) The trip took approximately seven days before they reached Liverpool, England. Ship zigzagged in order to avoid submarines. (16:14) Traveled to a camp. Was delegated to go to Wales to pick up trucks. (16:36) Afterwards, they went to Southampton to pick up LSTs and then traveled across the English Channel. (17:09) Thinks that he learned more about what they were doing after his service ended. (17:25) Traveled by truck across France, camping along the way. Recalls that it was cold and rainy in late November. (17:41) Thinks that he was too naive at the time to realize the dangers. Admits that he was afraid and concerned, but not as much as the older men. (18:27) Traveled across France to the frontlines without resistance, where they took over the positions of the 2nd Infantry Division. Were told that the area was very quiet that was wellequipped with bunkers. (18:53) (19:44) Battle of the Bulge Their artillery was firing day and night. Some men were sent to operate at the outpost to operate the phones and were captured the first day, on December 16. Luckily, at the time, he was stationed at the battery. (19:44) On the morning of the 16th, they were shelled very heavily. Because they were so well dug in, he doesn’t recall any casualities. However, by the afternoon, tanks began arriving and they sent out men with bazookas who were killed immediately. (21:03) There was a battery across the road that had a gun that was not put in position. and they used direct fire on the tanks down the road and were able to destroy one of the tanks. But in the meantime, the remaining tanks opened fire on them and they suffered from many casualties. (21:50) During this encounter, he was delegated to go to Schomberg to get ammunition. When they arrived, Schomberg was being heavily shelled as well. Describes the difficulty they faced while returning. (22:32) Was assigned to go to the rear to find new positions to retreat to. (24:34) Recalls that during the retreat, he found a cave to hide in for protection. While he was in the cave, three 88 shells landed within 1500 ft of him. (25:39) Suggested putting the switchboard in the cave. Began laying wire from the switchboard across the road. However, they were told to evacuate before they were able to finish because they were notified that German tanks were coming. (26:11) Describes the retreat to Schomberg. All of the trucks except for one made it. Troops were never able to get their guns out of the area and they were consequently destroyed. (27:37) Describes how he kept warm during this time. (30:53) Continued retreating until they reached St. Vith in Belgium where he rejoined the men from his particular wire section. (31:40) Describes the scope of this battle. (33:17) �By the 19th, they had retreated to an area near Vielsallm where they reorganized and acquired food. Describes staying at a farmhouse where they pulled guard. (33:41) The following morning, they received notice to turn the area into a defensive position. Describes their process. Several troops eventually joined them there within the next few days. (36:26) On the morning of the 20th, a German patrol of about 25 or 30 men came down the road. Opened up their 50 calibers and killed the majority of them and had taken several prisoners. (38:40) Describes his impression of the Germans. Recalls that the majority of them were startlingly young and many were very willing to give up. (40:06) Recalls that there were snipers who had managed to hide in haystacks who had killed some of their men. (41:22) Thinks that the Germans didn’t realize what they had because of the fog. (42:00) On the 23rd, the Germans had completely surrounded them. Describes this encounter. (43:02) At one point, a shell hit his thumb. He went to the CP and realized that his wound was largely insignificant compared to what others were suffering from. While he was there, he watched them interrogate a German officer. (43:27) Describes the German tanks hitting their building. While trying to escape, he was hit in the leg. They retreated to a ditch and someone dressed his wound. Everyone who had stayed in the CP had been captured. (44:40) (46:43) Recuperation Describes his experience escaping through the woods towards a field hospital where there were several American and German wounded men. Spent a few days there before being sent to another hospital. (46:43) Was transported first by train then by ambulance to Paris. The hospital in Paris had just been set up by American nurses. Describes some of the serious injuries he saw. When he arrived, he wrote his first letter to his family. Before that, his family had received a notice saying that he was Missing in Action. (47:45) Was flown to England where he spent the next four months recovering from wounds and frozen feet. (49:35) After three months in the hospital, he was given a job at the hospital from the head of the ward who he knew from Grand Rapids. Describes some of his duties. (50:23) After his four months, he returned to his outfit and was given a pass for a week off. Describes some of his unique experiences. (51:20) He had had difficulty returning to his outfit because they were responsible for dealing with prisoners. Describes his travels throughout Europe. At this point, he had a strong sense that the war was ending. (53:00) When he finally returned to his outfit, it had been completely reorganized, the majority of which were replacements. Describes some of his duties. (54:17) Describes the “jubilation” he saw on VE-Day. (54:57) Left his outfit in August to return to the United States to join the 104th Division to go to the Pacific. VJ-Day occured when they were about to leave. Describes the celebration when they arrived in New York Harbor. (55:43) �(57:19) Life After Service When he landed in Chicago, he visited aunt and uncle before taking a train to Grand Rapids. (57:19) Doesn’t recall exactly how his parents greeted him, but says that it must’ve been one of pure elation. (58:37) He met his wife during this time, who he married four years later. (58:55) Because he had had some typing experience, he was sent to Camp Campbell, Kentucky, where he was placed in a discharge center until he had earned enough points to be discharged in December. (59:02) Thinks that his military service forced him to grow up and mature very quickly. (59:31) � 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 KuizemaH Title A name given to the resource Kuizema, Harold (Interview outline and video), 2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuizema, Harold Description An account of the resource Harold Kuizema was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1925. After high school, he had tried to join the Air Corps, but was unable to because the testing determined that he was colorblind. In November of 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army Corps during World War II. He trained with the 106th Division, which went to Europe in the fall of 1944. His specialty was primarily communications and he was responsible for operating the telephones and laying wires from the guns to the observation points. His artillery unit had just taken up positions on the Ardennes front when they were attacked at the start of the Battle of the Bulge. He managed to stay a step ahead of the Germans, and was fighting at a roadblock when he was wounded and evacuated to England. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Michigan Military Preservation Society (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-03-03 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/8a8b91ed3887a63215284425e74062eb.mp4 ab5e5bd37ca4990be87cabd7ff17d31b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ff1f7bc2ac74a67fef14f27d9d5c8d8f.pdf 9d59b669f652f5f079e308676104175e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran History Project Interview World War II Anthony Kuna Total Time – (38:29) Background • • • He was born April 23, 1923 in Shepherd, Michigan (00:35) He was a part of the 71st Division He received many medals from the military o He received two Bronze Stars for bravery (01:08) o He is not exactly sure how he earned the Bronze Stars (01:59) Enlistment/Training – (02:04) • • • • • • • • • • • • He was drafted when he was 18 years old (02:37) o He was not given time to make a decision if he wanted to enlist Before he was drafted he had a job He went to basic training at Camp Carson, Colorado (02:45) o It was his first time out of Michigan o He enjoyed seeing the mountains He went out there by train (03:09) The first weeks at basic training were very difficult o They weren’t used to receiving orders o They were trained by veterans (03:38) He had been at Fort Custer in Michigan for a few days receiving medical shots, etc. He does not know why he had been chosen for artillery duty o He just happened to be in that camp (04:04) At Fort Carson, every man that was over six feet tall was chosen to work with mules because he could load a mule without having to stand on his toes (04:43) o It was extremely different to work with mules – they are smarter than horses o Those from the city had a tough time dealing with the animals In an infiltration course, the machine gun fell and shot a man in the helmet – he ended up being fine (06:05) After Fort Carson, he was sent to California (06:50) o It rained the entire time that they were on maneuvers They used mules to haul supplies through swamps and for hauling supplies He was then sent to Georgia (08:13) o He did not like Georgia because it was so hot and muggy (08:15) �• • • • • • The food in training was pretty good (08:36) o Their cook made their food the way it was supposed to be cooked At Fort Benning, Georgia, his made duty was cooking (09:19) A month before they were preparing to go overseas, they pulled him out and put him on a machine gun (09:25) He was trained on a 50 caliber machine gun He was attached to an 155mm artillery unit It was strange to transfer from civilian life to military life (10:19) Active Duty – (10:47) • • • • • • • • • • • • • He was shipped to Europe by a boat o He was excited to get on the ship because it was something different (11:01) o There were many that got seasick It took 12 days – there were 112 ships in the convoy that went across (11:26) o They left New York Harbor  They could see the Statue of Liberty when they left They were bunked in the ship – there were 6 levels of bunks They were attacked by a submarine (12:38) They landed in Le Havre, France (13:01) From Le Havre, they traveled to a place where tents were set up in a field (13:25) o They stayed in the field until their equipment made it o They were there for nearly 10 days After spending time in the field, they left for Vichy [not Vichy, but tot he AlsaceLorraine sector near the German border], France where they began fighting (14:25) o They went back and forth with the Germans o They softened up enemy positions for the infantry He continued on until reaching Wels, Austria (15:28) When he got into Germany, there was nothing left to the towns but piles of bricks (16:12) o Saw a railroad engine two blocks from the railroad yard He was assigned to the 155mm cannon crew (16:39) o There was a gunner, guy on the breach, two men on the tray, and two would ram the shell in, and then two men would put the powder in (16:56)  The recoil was roughly 4 to 5 feet o The shell of the 155mm weighed around 96 lbs. each. (17:39) o His main duty was to protect the cannons The perimeter was set by placing machine guns around it (18:25) For gun placement, they would try to get into the woods in order to hide o Sometimes they had to be out in the open (18:54) Their job was to soften the German front lines so that the infantry could come through �• • • • • • • • • • • • • They ate C-rations wherever they were and they slept on the ground (19:38) o At one point they had to eat K-rations  He enjoyed the C-rations more When they slept they would sometimes dig a hole (20:46) He was able to send letters nearly once a week o Receiving letters made the soldiers feel good (21:41) o He had a girl back home They crossed the Rhine River at night (22:37) o They were crossing on pontoon bridges At one point, two planes were strafing them – he shot down both of them (24:02) Another time, they were told they were surrounded o He shot off around 5 cases of ammunition – 500 rounds in each case His unit found civilians hoarding Red Cross supplies (25:27) o The packages were supposed to be used for their prisoners of war In Wels, Austria, he was sent on guard duty outside of the city (26:07) o He was not aware before he got there that there was a death camp  They opened the gate and he could smell the death (26:27)  There were “walking skeletons”  Pits of people  Some were cut from head to toe  When those in the camp were fed real food they died – their stomachs were not used to real food (27:19)  The prisoners thanked the soldiers that liberated them  He had guard duty in the death camp  He was here for two weeks o He began wondering how humans could do that to another o At one point he gave a cigarette to a prisoner and instead of smoking it, he ate it (28:42) o The military brought the people of Wels in to see it (29:05)  Those in the city said that they did not know what was going on  The military ordered them to build coffins and give proper burials to the dead prisoners (29:21) He later met with a man that was a prisoner in the Wels concentration camp (30:55) o They hugged when they met o The prisoner was a teenager when he was at the camp o They are still in touch (31:38) He was able to see one of the first jets that Germans had during the war After the war, he went back to Germany to try and accumulate enough points to leave When he went home, he was loaded onto a train and taken to a camp where he was designated as a cook (35:03) He then went from Le Havre, France back to America – there were 15,000 aboard the USS General Taylor (35:30) �After the Service – (35:49) • • • • • • The Statue of Liberty signified to them that they were home The war made him into a man – went in as a boy, came out as a man (36:33) When he returned home, he went back to work at the a trailer plant (36:43) o It was not hard to get a job there – they accepted them right back in He then became a cop in the Alma, Michigan o There were two sets of laws in the town – a set for the poor and a set for the rich He retired in 1988 (38:02) Went to Central Michigan University and retired from there � 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 KunaA1308V Title A name given to the resource Kuna, Anthony (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuna, Anthony Description An account of the resource Anthony Kuna was born in 1923 in Shepherd, Michigan. He was drafted into the Army when he was 18 years old and was sent to Camp Carson, Colorado, where he trained as an artillerist. After maneuvers in California and further training at Fort Benning, Georgia, his unit, the 71st Division, was shipped to France. He served as a machine gunner assigned to a battery of 155 mm guns. His unit fought through the Siegfried Line in January, 1945, and moved across southern Germany, ending the war in Austria, where his unit liberated a concentration camp. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Weber, Mark (Interviewer) Lowell Area Historical Museum (Lowell, Mich.) 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 World War, 1939-1945--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 2007-01-15 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c14cf2ca482b991a5448f0a69a373d2a.mp4 c602099bbe999d428bd551264baab01c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Gasdick-3 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gasdick, Joseph Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941 Title A name given to the resource Kunming and AVG Air Training, circa 1941 Description An account of the resource Color film taken by American Volunteer Group (AVG) Crew Chief Joe Gasdick (no sound). The footage, dated circa 1941, documents the training and flight activities of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers," servicemen organized by the U.S. Government to aid in the defense of China during the Second Sino-Japanese war. Time-stamped scene list: 00:05 Chinese flag in a compound. Boats on Kunming lake. 01:05 Chinese rice paddie. Water irrigation pump. Women washing clothes in river. 02:22 Chinese children on street. Farmers at work. Mule convoy on street. Farmers pounding rice. 03:50 Workers sawing lumbers and breaking rocks. 4:32 Chinese peopel on track and mule convoy in a rural area. 04:45 Thieves. Market in Kunming. 07:00 Chinese hideouts. 07:57 Two men talking at Kunming airfield. 08:20 US bomber planes. 08:45 Runway construction on Kunming airfield. Chinese worker rolling the ground, having lunch break. 10:40 Chinese airplane laying up side down on the ground. 11:00 AVG trucks, jeeps. P-40s in repairing area in Kunming. Dog. 11:15 Chinese flags. 11:40 Airplanes taking off. 12:05 Training airplanes. 12:19 A city of China. People running at the air raid warning in Kunming. Group of army passing by. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Subject The topic of the resource China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945 Air pilots P-40 (Fighter plane) Kunming Shi (China). Liang shi ju Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp5 Language A language of the resource eng chi 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 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/a3d9795ccc079dceb1c1ce4243e46d3e.mp4 d4358b716e86897f17e6fbed1c9bd889 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flying Tigers Interviews and Films Subject The topic of the resource Oral history United States--History, Military China--History, Military Veterans China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Chinese World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Description An account of the resource Collection contains original 1940s films and interviews conducted in the 1990s, documenting the history of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers." The Flying Tigers were organized by the United States to aid China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Original filmstrips were recorded by AVG crewmen Joe Gasdick and Chuck Misenheimer, as well as Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu, who was assigned to assist Col. Claire Chennault as he trained Chinese pilots and established the AVG. Interviews with members of the American Volunteer Group (AVG) “Flying Tigers” were conducted by Frank Boring for the documentary film Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, which he co-produced with Frank Christopher under the production company Fei Hu Films. The AVG Flying Tigers were a group of American aviators, mechanics, medical and administrative military personnel, led by Col. Claire Chennault to assist the Chinese Air Force in their defense against Japanese air strikes from 1941-1942. The AVG Flying Tigers also flew in defense of the Burma Road, a major Chinese military supply route. The group disbanded and returned to regular U.S. military service after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boring, Frank Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films Research and Production Files (RHC-88)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938/1991 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fei Hu Films Christopher, Frank Gasdick, Joseph Misenheimer, Charles V. P.Y. Shu Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4; application/pdf Language A language of the resource English; Chinese Type The nature or genre of the resource video; text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-88 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1938-1945 World War II Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Moving Image A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Shu-127 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource P.Y. Shu Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1938 Title A name given to the resource Kunming, 1938 Description An account of the resource Black and white film taken by Chinese Air Force Interpreter P.Y. Shu (no sound). The footage was recorded by Shu as he traveled with Col. Claire Chennault to aid the Chinese Air Force in training and establishing the American Volunteer Group (AVG). The footage documents Shu's travel and family as well as Chennault's and the AVG's activities during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Time-stamped scene list: 00:06 Kunming sightseeing and family affairs. 10:25 Chinese and Western personnel at an official party. (Reynolds, a pilot instructor, in crowd) Chinese Army Band. 10:56 Chennault talks to "Tiger" Wang Shuming, interpreted by P.Y.Shu at the party. Chennault and Chinese officers. 11:27 American pilot-instructors and young Stilwell at the party. Band plays music. 11:47 Sightseeing and family affairs. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Chennault, Claire Lee, 1893-1958 Subject The topic of the resource China. Kong jun. American Volunteer Group World War, 1939-1945 Chennault, Claire Lee, 1893-1958 Wang, Shuming Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/540">Fei Hu Films research and production files (RHC-88)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp15 Language A language of the resource eng chi 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 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/e8b573ead4efd7daf33528fe1b6c0ec6.jpg bb9c4ec5b5775573ea03bd3aecf973dc https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e5253723918e710d6f642eec25f444ae.jpg a4cc54910b0c50ccdc8430447e1e4176 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 Insel-Bücherei Series Description An account of the resource The German publishing company Insel Verlag was founded in 1899 by Anton Kippenberg in Leipzig. In its early years the firm only printed expensive, beautifully-produced volumes, until demand led to the publication of the more modest Insel-Bücherei series in 1912. Relatively inexpensive but with the same careful sense of design and typography, these smaller-format books reprinted shorter works from a variety of German, European, and world authors. The series numbers considerably more than a thousand titles and is still being issued. The Digital Collection contains the scanned covers of 140 titles held by Grand Valley State University Libraries. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1904-1987 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection 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 Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing 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-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource ger Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-09-29 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-05_IB0979 Title A name given to the resource Kupferstiche Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing 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 Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1973 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-09-29 Description An account of the resource Cover of Kupferstiche, by Johannes Wüsten, published by Insel-Verlag, 1973. Insel-Bücherei Nr. 979 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books. Insel-Bücherei. Z315.I5 B83 no.979 Language A language of the resource de 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/6ed3e8a5c03803c435a418f3dae4d782.mp4 1805295fd1164da45033b7b401d840f4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/518c67bc70e7fcbeea0ad8d90535c8e5.pdf 3d90ff8960f8fa1b36d20940bb63107e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interviewee’s Name: Sophie Kurys Name of War: All American Girls Professional Baseball League Length of Interview: (00:49:12) Interviewed by: Gordon Olson, Saturday September 26, 2009 Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, April 6, 2010 Interviewer: “Sophie, before we begin can you tell me a little bit about the earlier days? When and where were you born, your parents and that sort of thing.” I was born in Flint, Michigan on May 14, 1925. My dads name was Anthony Kurys and my mother was Antoinette Pogeska and she was from Poland. Interviewer: “What nationality is Kurys?” Kurys is Ukrainian. Interviewer: “Ukrainian, ok.” One person said I was a Uka Polock. Interviewer: “It works for me. It works-- it works. You grew up on the Flint area?” I grew up in Flint, Michigan. Interviewer: “How did you get started playing ball? Did you have older brothers?” I had two brothers and a sister and we lived across the street from an empty lot and so the kids in our neighborhood—we had one ball and one bat and we would knock the stuffing out of that and re-sew it and keep knocking the stuffing out of it. That’s all we ever had, but it was a wonderful time in my life. When we played in that empty lot it was a salvation because there were a poor bunch of Polish families in that area. Interviewer: “If you were in Flint, were they working in the auto industry?” Well it was in Flint, Michigan and they built Buicks and they had Chevy and that’s where most of the people worked. My dad worked at the Buick factory and of course we all went to the catholic school. 2:35 Interviewer: “When did you start playing any form of organized ball?” Well, as I got older—when I was about thirteen or fourteen, then I played in the city leagues and I played there until I was seventeen and then when I was seventeen years old Wrigley sent scouts all over the United States and Canada and I wasn’t even home when I was scouted. I mean the girls called me up and they finally tracked me down and said, 1 �“Are you going to the tryouts?” I said, “what tryouts?” They said, “Well there’s a scout here from Chicago and Wrigley is forming a women’s team because a lot of the guys are already signing up and going into the army and he is afraid he’ll have an empty ball park. 3:35 ” And I said, “tryout? You know it’s thirty two degrees out there and we got snow flurries” and they said, “we’re going to tryout in a gym” and I said, “In a gym?” They said, “Yeah, Burstyn Field House”, and I said, “Well, that’s near my home and that’ll be ok”, so they picked me up and I had on a skirt and sweater and like in the movie—they had rain and we had snow flurries so, our windows were protected, so I didn’t break any and he hit us grounders and we played catch and batted and he picked three of us, but the one girl was married and the other girl was taking care of her elderly parents, so I was the only one that left from Flint. 4:24 Interviewer: “Did you leave right away after the tryouts?” Ya, well, I left in May and they sent me a Pullman ticket and I had never been on a train, I had never been out of Michigan. I didn’t know what the heck was going on. I thought well, ok and the train was a Grand Trunk and I had the lower berth and it was bumpy going on this train and when I got into Chicago it was just pouring rain, so they said what to do, “get a cab and go to the hotel and we’ll reimburse you”, and when I got there and got into the room I thought, “what am I doing here, I could play ball in Flint”, I was so homesick I wanted to go home and they said, “wait a minute, wait a minute, who are you rooming with?” I said, “I don’t know”, and they said—Johnny Gottselig, he was Canadian and being I was only seventeen he would get me with women who were older and kind of baby me. 5:45 that wasn’t really necessary because the next day the sun was shinning and I was ready to go and everything was ok. Everything came out great Interviewer: “The sun came out and everything looked better. Johnny Gottselig was the scout who---?” Johnny Gottselig was a Hockey player and wasn’t too well versed and in spite of it we won the championship. Interviewer: “He was your manager and he was the one who did the try out.” We had chaperones and that was part of the deal because a lot of the women wouldn’t--my dad said, “no way was I going”, but my mother said, “she loves to play, let her go”. 6:22 Interviewer: “So it was your mother who –“ She was the best and she was my strongest supporter. My sister Emma would say, “why doesn’t Sophie have to do the dishes?” My mother would say, “never mind, let Sophie play”. Interviewer: “Bless her heart.” My mother was great. She was the best. 2 �Interviewer: “So you got to Chicago and then you?” We had spring training at Wrigley Field and it got cut short because it was raining pretty hard, so they thought they would send us to our respective home towns and get acquainted there and maybe the weather would be better, so we were met by a contingent of—I remember a little Rabbi that was in—they met us and we were housed with different families. 7:15 Interviewer: “Which town did you go to?” I went to the Thielands, they were—they had three boys and of course they told me how to play ball and never take the first pitch and all that stuff. Interviewer: “The first town that you went to and that you played for?” Racine, I played with Racine all the time. I played from 1943 to 1950 in Racine and then I went to Battle Creek for about a month. Interviewer: “So they sent you off to Racine, you had a little bit of spring training, but not a whole lot.” We had spring training, but not too much because the weather was just as bad there. We were only sixty miles from Chicago, so there wasn’t any improvement. 7:59 The people were great and they first came out to see—out of curiosity to begin with and then when they came out and saw that we could really play then they came out in droves and we did real well. They had sixty-five hundred people at the playoffs. 8:22 Interviewer: “Wow, that’s a big crowd. Now when you had been playing back in Flint, that was softball right?” Yes, they made us steal bases and they changed the length of the bases and that and Dottie, she could almost throw a side arm, which is acceptable. Interviewer: “You started in 1943 at the beginning of the league.” Yes. Interviewer: “And it looked a lot like softball yet at the beginning.” It wasn’t really softball and it wasn’t really baseball. It was a combination of the two and it worked out beautifully. 9:02 Interviewer: “Except they permitted base stealing and that’s the strength of your game. Let’s jump right in and talk about stealing basis.” You know, even in the big leagues the pitchers have a little bit of—you know they might open their shoulder a little bit or they might have their feet a little bit closer to first base. 3 �They always have a little bit of something that you can pick up on them and your first thing is that the first step is the most important step and if you get that you’re on your way and as I said, Ricky Henderson was a great base stealer, he was cocky as the devil, but he was a good ball player and they would always compare me to him and it was silly because he was a far better player than I was. 10:04 Interviewer: “You stole an awful lot of bases though, so you watch the pitcher and you look for?” They might open up a shoulder a little bit when they’re going to throw and they always got a little something that you can pick up on and body language is very important and you pick up on those things. Some of the pitchers, if they didn’t pay any attention to me, I could steal their pants off because you know if you kept throwing at me and kept throwing to first base you could tire me out, but if you didn’t pay attention I could really go. 10:43 Interviewer: “And when you start your first step is it a crossover step?” The first step is the most important step in stealing. Interviewer: “Did you use like a crossover step? Left foot cross over and go?” Yes, you know this league was just fantastic and nobody paid attention to it for the longest time and then we had a reunion in Fort Wayne and all of a sudden Penny Marshall saw that documentary. They had a documentary on PBS and she saw that and it clicked in her head that it would make a great baseball movie and by golly it did and she made tons of money on that movie and they still show it. 11:35 I still see it every now and again. Interviewer: “It’s very popular and it changed a lot of things. I want to focus on your career now though. Base stealing gets you from first to second, but as they say, you cannot steal first base. You were a leadoff hitter?” Yes that was it—my job was primarily to get on base and if I would get on base our good hitters would bring me in and they said, “Well, if Sophie gets on first, she’s on third”, so that worked out pretty good. Interviewer: “You would get on and immediately figure—“ You know, a lot of times of they didn’t pay attention to me on second base; I could steal third at will. It’s easier to steal third than second. 12:26 Interviewer: “The pitcher has a harder time watching you.” That’s right. Interviewer: “There’s no baseman on the base to hold you close.” That’s exactly right. 4 �Interviewer: “And off you go. Now, that’s a lot of running and sliding into those bases all the time—“ I had strawberry upon strawberry and even today I get up sometimes in the morning and this bothers me a little bit, but not bad. Interviewer: “So you still have some of the residual effects.” Right, right. Interviewer: “A strawberry just rubs the skin raw.” Yea and when it’s sore it leaks, but our chaperone was pretty sharp and she made a donut affair and put it across the strawberry so it wouldn’t leak on my clothes because if it did it would stick to you and you would have to pull that off and you’d be in agony. 13:29 She put that donut affair so it wouldn’t touch because it would leak. Interviewer: “I got to ask you—you’re standing on first base and maybe you got a walk, you walked quite a bit, but you could hit, you were a hitter too. Let’s say you get to first base and you stole three bases last night and you got a strawberry that won’t quit already, did it ever occur to you while standing on first, “well maybe I’ll just stay here”?” No, no never, never, we never quit. You could get strawberry upon strawberry and you could go on the other side and you’d get another strawberry, but I’ll tell you these women were far tougher than these guys are playing ball nowadays. 14:13 You know, I asked somebody, “what is a spasm that some of these guy get? What do they get in their back that they can’t play?” I still don’t know what they mean by a spasm. Interviewer: “Did you miss many games when you were playing?” Yea, I had a very bad sprained ankle and couldn’t play, but I was there yelling come on, come on, come on. Interviewer: “Most of the time you played every game.” Yes, I played one hundred and twenty-five games and some of those guys that make twenty-five million don’t even play a hundred and thirty games. 14:54 Interviewer: “You’re right, they have to rest every day.” You know Al Kaline was one of the guys that said after they game him a hundred thousand dollars, “I don’t deserve a hundred thousand dollars”. Now that’s my kind of a guy. Interviewer: “A lot of people in Michigan think he’s as good as it gets.” 5 �He was one of the best. I met Hal Newhouser in San Francisco at a card show and he said, “Sophie you know I won twenty games and you know what kind of a raise they game me?” I said, “no”, and he said, “five hundred dollars”, and I said, “God, if you were playing today you would make twenty million a year.” 15:38 You can’t say enough there. Interviewer: “What about the pay you got? Do you remember what you got paid?” We started out with fifty and the highest paid would be one hundred and twenty-five and later on when I played in Battle Creek, they paid me three hundred and twenty-five a week and then I got a bonus for being the most valuable player in 1946. Interviewer: “What was the bonus?” A thousand bucks. Interviewer: “Did you send money home?” 16:12 Yes, always. Interviewer: “Your family needed some help?” Yes, they were rough times and I always sent money home. Interviewer: “So you played right through the war years?” Yes and you know when we traveled we didn’t have luxury with these guys and those were war years and we often sat in the isle of a train on top of our suitcases and finally they gave us one of the rickety buses and they couldn’t even find a bus like that for the movie. And you now when we had to stop for some of the girls, a pit stop, the girls, if we had shorts on, we had to put dresses or skirts on because we never could be seen in public in shorts or slacks. 17:13 We always had a skirt and a dress to go into a restaurant or a pit stop. Interviewer: “Is it also true that you had to have lipstick on?” Yes, you know the one thing we did put on one of our chaperones, because Johnny Gottselig was always telling us what the hockey players did, so we said to this Canadian chaperone, “do you have the key to the coaches box?” And she said, “well no” and we said, “we can’t play until we get the key to the coaches box” and she said, “well where can I get it?” and I said, “well you got to go to Johnny, you got to go to our manager and get the key because we can’t start playing”. 18:00 She didn’t know anything about baseball. “You don’t have any lipstick on” and we looked at her and said, “are you for real?” That was one of the things we pulled on them. Interviewer: “Did she ever find the key to the coaches box?” No. Johnny looked at her like she was crazy and said, “Aw, they’re pulling your leg”. 6 �Interviewer: “You got to have fun doing this that’s for sure.” We had a lot of fun. One thing about our league is we made wonderful friendships that have lasted forever. You know we’ve known some of these girls for sixty years. 18:34 They’re all great. Interviewer: “That first year, you stayed with a family? Were you the only one?” I had a roommate and they had three boys in that family and naturally they gave us tips and tell you this and tell you that and we would say, “you know, we have a manager and we have to pay attention to the manager”. 19:03 Interviewer: “So you continue—you were seventeen years old when you started and you continued to learn more and more about the game.” Oh yes, of course I’ll tell you—these guys that are playing ball right now, I told one of the girls—you know they have and E for errors, and I said, “they have an ME which means mental errors, these guys they throw home when they should be throwing to second base. The ball goes to the short stop, he’s on second and he runs to third and he gets thrown out and that’s a mental mistake and they shouldn’t allow them to get away with that stuff. 19:39 They better take them back to spring training school and teach them all over again. Don Zimmer said, “you’d be surprised how many games are lost on the bases”, and that’s very true. Interviewer: “Bonehead base running.” Right—dumb, dumb. Interviewer: “You’re not a large person, were you a singles hitter, line drives?” No, I could hit to all fields, whichever they pitch to ya. They always try to get me out on the outside pitch, but I hit to all fields. Interviewer: “You take that one to right?” Yeah, sometimes I would try to push one to second to get on base. 20:24 I tried everything. Interviewer: “Did you bunt? Did you bunt to get on base?” Yeah, once and a while. You always have to do something different. Interviewer: “I saw in the record books you have home runs by your name. Were those—“ 7 �Yeah, the one thing—they made the big mistake was we didn’t have the snow fences like you have in the—those home runs were inside the park home runs. Seven home runs inside the park, that’s crazy. 20:52 Interviewer: “That’s a lot.” It’s what we said—we should have had snow fences where they would be two thirty or two fifty and where you could really hit a home run and jog around the bases. Interviewer: “They didn’t do that.” No, that was the one big mistake that they made Interviewer: “Were there some women in the league who hit real home runs, over the fence home runs though?” The only ones that you could hit in the stands were Grand Rapids if you were a left handed hitter, but the rest of it—they were all inside the park home runs, which is crazy. 21:29 Interviewer: “Fun to watch.” They were running and they were trying to get the ball to get them out. Interviewer: “You were obviously very fast. Did you win races as a youngster running against boys?” I ran races on the playgrounds, fifty-yard dash or the hundred-yard dash and that was fun. Interviewer: “You ran faster than the boys?” Yeah, you know I won the decathlon when I was a youngster and you had to have five thousand points and I had four thousand six hundred and ninety one and I threw the length of the field with a baseball and I got a thousand points for a baseball throw. 22:11 Interviewer: “That put you over the top.” Well I had a—at that time, when I was young, I had a strong arm. When you’re young you can do a lot of crazy things. Interviewer: “And you think you can do even more.” I don’t think I could do that now. Interviewer: “Ok, you were an infielder?” 8 �Yeah, I played second base and in Michigan I played third and short and then I played the outfield the first few days because Clara Schillace was our— one of the four women they picked and she was out center fielder, but she was a school teacher and she could only come in the week-end because she was still teaching school, so I played the outfield the first few days and then one of the girls got hurt and I played second and she never got it back 23:06 Interviewer: “when you started playing second base, at that time did you know how to make the pivot play? You had to learn it.” Yeah, I could make it because I played shortstop—it was easy. Interviewer: “You knew what had to be done.” I knew what had to be done, yes. Interviewer: “But most of your career you played second base?” Yes. Interviewer: “I’ve always thought that one of the reasons you want a second baseman with a strong arm for the double play?” Yes, that first card show shows that—that was an action shot where I played. That was actually throwing a double play ball. Interviewer: “But you also have to go out and get the ball from the outfielders and make some strong relay throws.” 23:54 Yeah, I played, I think, eight games and didn’t make an error. Interviewer: “That’s good, so you’re an all around ball player. You get a lot of recognition for your base stealing.” I can’t say all those things because it makes me feel funny to say that. Interviewer: “I’ll say them, because first of all, as I said, you’ve got to be a hitter and you’ve got to have a good eye at least, that’s the key to being a leadoff hitter.” 24:27 You know, I can’t repeat that enough times to say how wonderful that league was for all of us. Here we were kids of seventeen and now we’re in our eighties and we’re still getting along and having a lot of fun with each other, which is fantastic. Interviewer: “That’s great. Who was the toughest pitcher you faced?” Annabelle Lee, she was a left-hander. She had a kind of special—you know, the rotation of the ball. I don’t think she fanned me, but I didn’t hit as well against her as I did other people. 25:14 Interviewer: “The ball moved a little?” 9 �Yeah, the movement in there and you know hitting is timing and she would throw my timing off. She had a crazy slow pitch and then she would throw the fast and it’s timing, everything is timing and she disrupted my timing. Interviewer: “Now, I have a question about pitchers. Was there a pitcher that was more difficult to steal against than other pitchers?” Again it would be lefty because she had a good move into first base. Interviewer: “Much harder, but you stole against about all of them?” Yes. Interviewer: “One year you stole two hundred and one bases.” I just went nuts that year, I just had it going and I was like the energizer, you can’t quit. I stole mostly because even when we were behind and I got on second, if we were two or three runs behind you get a run in and before you know it you’re back in the ball game. 26:29 When they say you shouldn’t steal if you’re behind, that’s crazy, you steal whenever you can because you can still score and you can get a run here and a run there and peck away and before you know it you’re tied. You can steal whenever you get a chance, I feel. Interviewer: “But you don’t want to get thrown out.” No, you gotta be sure you’re gonna make it if you’re behind, that’s for sure. Interviewer: “And I should say that you stole two hundred and one bases and that was out of two hundred and three attempts—all year long you got thrown out only twice?” 27:08 Ya. Interviewer: “You don’t happen to remember who threw you out or how you got thrown out?” Ya, Bonnie Baker threw me out once and I’m not sure about the other one. Bonnie Baker was the one, and -------could have been the other; they were both all star catchers. Interviewer: “That’s an incredible record, it really is.” You know, I can’t believe that sometimes either. I can believe it when I wake up in the morning sometimes. Interviewer: “I can say it, that’s an incredible achievement. You played 1943, 44, right up to 50?“ 43,44,45,46,47,48 and 49, six all star games—teams. 10 �Interviewer: “While you were playing, the rules were changing. The bases were further apart.” That didn’t bother me. Well, you know it didn’t bother me, they said that they did it purposely, but I didn’t know that that’s what they did to try to stop me from running. I didn’t know that until I read it. I really didn’t know that. 28:31 Ignorance is bliss, right? Interviewer: “You just kept running.” I just kept running and I never knew that they did that. I read that on a card and I thought, “I didn’t know they did that”. Interviewer: “They also changed the rules for the pitcher so the pitcher could throw more—slowly raised the pitchers--” 28:57 When Max Carey became out president, he was a baseball man, so he wanted baseball and then they went to overhand and sidearm. Interviewer: “Did that affect your—“ No Interviewer: “didn’t affect your hitting really either?” No, I liked baseball better; you got more time to look at the ball. With fast pitch they’re right on ya and you gotta be ready. Everything is timing and you gotta be a pretty fast swinger with the softball. 29:28 Interviewer: “Right, the swing is different for baseball.” You know these guys are doing this—why are they monkeying around with their bat doing this and that—just wait and you’re right there ready. Interviewer: “Get set and be ready.” Just be ready every time. Interviewer: “Pretty simple. Are there things a leadoff hitter has to do differently?” 30:00 Well, you gotta make sure you get on base so the other people can bring you in. The main purpose of your job is to get on base. Interviewer: “Do you take more pitches?” You take more pitches and usually I always took the first pitch. One of the boys would say, “you always take the first pitch”, and I said, “my job is to get on first base”, and I’d never seen the pitcher before and I like to see what they’re throwing. 11 �Interviewer: “And you still got two more strikes?” Right. Interviewer: “As they say and particularly for you, “a walk is as good as a hit”, it’s as good as a triple.” Better than that sometimes. 30:39 Interviewer: “Those years you were playing, did you get into the playoffs, into the championship?” Yeah, my first year we won the championship in 1943 and we won the championship in 1946 when we played fourteen innings against Rockford and we won 1-0 as a consequence of—I got a base hit and stole second and tried to steal third, because they hit the ball to right field, I scored with a terrific slide. It was coming from right field and I was coming from third and I had a slide away from the tag. A very close play and that was the ball game. 31:25 Interviewer: “that had to be—one to nothing, fourteen innings, who were the pitchers?” We had sixty-five hundred people at that game. Carolyn Morris was pitching the no hitter for nine innings and when somebody got a hit he took her out. We always thought, “good, get her out of there”, and then he put this Mildred Deegan in and I said, “this game is ours” when he put her in and we did, we beat her. Interviewer: “You could hit her or get on base?” I got on base and that was the ball game. Interviewer: “You stole second, it’s almost—it’s not a hit and run if you’re on second.” They thought it was a hit and run, but it wasn’t. 32:07 I started to steal third and she hit—I told her to take one pitch for me, that’s all and I never told them before, but when I tip my cap give me that pitch and I’ll get to second. I never did that before. They could hit and do anything you wanna do and I would go when I felt it was time to go. 32:34 Interviewer: “201 out of 203, you had to be pretty confident you were going to make it.” Yeah, yeah, I was just a kid and when you’re a kid you don’t have any nerves. Interviewer: “Any other games? I know another game I want to ask you about. You once stole seven bases in one game.” I don’t remember that one. 12 �Interviewer: “Well, the book says you did. They said that was the record for the league and that’s incredible.” Well you know, if you got the ability to do it, you do it.” 33:19 Interviewer: “It makes sense to me. Now, you played until 1950—you didn’t play in 1951?” I played until 1950 and then I went to the Chicago league and then Battle Creek got a team, so they scouted me and then I went to Battle Creek to play. Interviewer: “So that’s where you were in 1951, you left the league.” In 1952 I went to Battle Creek. Interviewer: “Why did you leave the league in 1951 to go to Chicago?” Because we lost our franchise in Racine and we were done. We started losing fans and we lost our franchise, so a guy came in from Chicago and he scouted Joanne Winter and me, so we went to Chicago. 34:08 Interviewer: “By that time you’d been playing and stealing a hundred or two hundred bases a season for seven years. Did your legs start to bother you? You had to be taking a beating.” Well, I had the hip problem there for a little while, but it was ok. Interviewer: “So you were still a base stealer right up to the end, came back to your last year?” I came back to Battle Creek and my last game was in 1955 in Arizona and then I went back to softball. 34:41 Interviewer: “That was it for baseball?” Yea, that was the last year that I played. Interviewer: “In Battle Creek, were you injured when you played there that last year?” No, I left because—I don’t want to get into that. Interviewer: “Not even with the camera not running?” No, there was a reason why I left and I don’t want to go into it. Interviewer: “Ok, that’s your privilege. What happened after baseball?” After baseball—I had been working for this fella when I was in Racine and then he asked me if I had any money and I said, “a few bucks”, and then I went into business with him. 35:36 13 �Interviewer: “What kind of business?” We made parts for aeronautical, automotive and electrical parts and so I did—a small business like fifteen or twenty people you wear many hats. I did the payroll and did the purchasing, inspection and billing, whatever there was to do, we did. I was there from 1952 until 1972 and then I came into Phoenix, to Scottsdale. 36:17 Interviewer: “You retired. Did you cash out of the business?” Yes Interviewer: “What was the mans name?” The name of our business was Apex Machine Products, Inc., Racine, WI. My business partner was Paul Douglas and he was ninety-one years old and he was my best pal. He was a very good friend and my best friend. 36:44 Interviewer: “A good partnership?” A great partnership. Interviewer: “That’s good, that’s good. You went back to softball after baseball.” Ya, well I played all sports, I played basketball and I bowled and I play golf. Interviewer: “How long did you continue playing ball of one sort or another?” I played until 1955. From 1943 until 1955. Interviewer: “Ok, and softball after that?” No, I was done in 1955, which was the last softball game I played in Phoenix. 37:21 Interviewer: “Did you miss it?” Of course, I miss everything. Interviewer: “ I understand that. Now, did people who knew you later know that you had been a—“ You know, they had a write up in the Arizona paper about me playing ball and it was on the front page of the Arizona Republic and the guy across the street ran over and said, “God, I didn’t know you played ball”, like I was going to advertise it. Nobody knew that we were ball players. It was over really until the movie came out and after that things went crazy and everybody wanted our ball playing days and all that. The movie really brought a lot of publicity to all of us. 38:21 Interviewer: “Did you like the movie?” Yeah, I liked it, but a lot of the stuff wasn’t true. No manager would ever come in and urinate and we never kissed sailors or threw at the fans, we never did that, but the 14 �telegram about somebody being killed that was true. There was a lot of it that was true. Hollywood, they embellish everything. 38:54 Interviewer: “Once the movies out, fans rediscover you.” Ya, more or less we all rediscovered. Interviewer: “Do you get invitations to speak to groups?” I still get baseball cards that people want signed and they send me blank cards. We never sign blank cards. They had the Ted Williams card and I get a lot of those. Then they send me a 9x12 pictures and we sign those. I get two or three a week for signatures and autograph. 39:33 Interviewer: “I don’t understand the Ted Williams card, what is that?” Did I bring my purse? Ted Williams made cards of ten of us and they told me to bring some cards, so this is it. Interviewer: “Ted Williams put this card together? There you are and your record.” That’s where I read about them extending the bases to try to stop me from running. You might as well cut my legs off. 40:22 Interviewer: “That would finally stop you, although I’m not sure you wouldn’t learn how to run on your hands and keep running anyway. That’s a nice card and maybe we can get a shot of that before we’re through. Now people look at the women’s league—“ You know it’s surprising, we had—the room was full of people and I thought, “Where did they come from?” Tim must have put something in the paper about having autographs because there’s no sidewalk out there. Where did they come from? Interviewer: “They heard about it.” Yeah, they came and boy there was a ton of people that came in there. I think it’s wonderful because they—I get a letter from a few guys that say, “I didn’t know your league was out there. I wish I could have seen you play ball”, and these are from men. I wish you could too, but it’s too late. 41:30 Interviewer: “Do you hear from young girls?” Yes, they’re writing a thesis or something and I send them clippings from the paper and they appreciate that. Interviewer: “Do you speak to groups?” 15 �Yes. I don’t do it any more, but we use to go to church things and golf, at the golf courses and different places. They really enjoyed the women, playing ball, they really did. 42:19 Interviewer: “Have you ever thought of yourself as a pioneer?” Yeah, I told Dottie White, I said, “You know, you don’t ever talk about the girls that were here from the first four teams. We really were the pioneers and you came after us”, so when we had a reunion they had the girls there from 1943 and 1944. I said, “if it wasn’t for the girls in 1943 and 1944, 1943, actually the first four teams, if it wasn’t for their ability and deportment, you wouldn’t be here today”. 42:55 We actually paved the way for them. Interviewer: “You were the true pioneers.” 1943 teams were the real pioneers. Interviewer: “Are you a feminist?” Yes, aren’t you? Interviewer: “Absolutely.” The women never get the breaks that the men do. Look at golf, the men if they win a tournament they get a million dollars and when a woman wins it, she’s lucky if she gets three fifty. To disparage a girl, that’s awful. I give Billie Jean credit when she said, ”we’re not playing unless we get the same amount as men do at Wimbledon”, and by god they get the same amount as the men do. 43:49 Do you think that’s ever going to happen in golf? No way. Interviewer: “You’re right.” It’s not fair; they play just as hard and work just as hard as those guys do. Interviewer: “And you took the abuse physically to play, just like the men did.” You know they get the money and if they don’t get paid, they don’t play. We played when we were hurt. 44:20 Interviewer: “Would you have played for free?” Yes, we all would have played for free. Just to be out there playing in front of the public. When we played amateur it was free. We had our own glove and we didn’t get paid. Interviewer: “It’s about the game.” That’s it, it’s about the game, we really loved the game, there’s no kidding about that. Interviewer: “I jumped over it, but Jim reminded me and I need to ask you just a 16 �little bit about spring training before the season started. You went to Cuba and played there—lets talk about how you got ready for the season.” 45:14 Well, we went to Wrigley field for spring training and they hit grounders and we batted, you know regular spring training like the men have. You played catch and you hit grounders and fly balls to the outfielders and the pitchers—we got in shape running and doing exercises. We had great spring training. Interviewer: “While you were playing they went to different places for spring training including one year in Cuba.” Ya, Max Carey instigated that because he was from Florida, so in 1947 we went to Cuba and had spring training there and they went wild over the women. We had twenty-five thousand people and the Dodgers were playing and they couldn’t figure out why they didn’t have all the people, but they said, “baseball feminine, they’re over there watching the women” and we had to be escorted to the ball park because those crazy—they love blonds, man they love blonds and we had to have the security people escort us to the ball park because they would steal your glove or anything. In fact when we were in South America and it was the time when Simalsa was---and his son—Dotty Schroeder was a good looking blond with pig tails and he said to her, “anything I can do to you let me know”. He meant “for you” and we razzed her and said, “hey Dottie anything we can do to you?” Anytime she got up to bat we really razzed the daylights out of her. That was funny. 47:12 Interviewer: “That’s a good story. Any questions from back here? You went to the Cooperstown ceremony?” Yes, but I didn’t go when they had the statue because it was a bad time for me. I did go when they had the first one, but not when they had the statue. Interviewer: “How do you feel about being in Cooperstown?” Wonderful, you know first they were just going to show us where people wrote them a lot of letters that the women deserved to be in Cooperstown, so all our names are on a plaque and that’s going to be there forever, so that’s wonderful and we got a little recognition anyway. 48:05 Interviewer: “And now there’s an exhibit that talks about the league.” And we got the statue, so that makes it extra special. Interviewer: “So there will be a separate Hall of Fame?” Well, I think some of the girls deserve an individual, but for all of us it’s great. I think it’s ok for all of us to be in there. It’s wonderful. 48:23 Interviewer: “Well deserved and I thank you very much. 17 �18 � 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_SKurys Title A name given to the resource Kurys, Sophie (Interview transcript and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kurys, Sophie Description An account of the resource Sophie Kurys was born on May 14, 1925 in Flint, Michigan. Early on in childhood she played baseball with the neighborhood kids and then started out in city leagues playing organized baseball at thirteen until she turned seventeen when she tried out to play professionally. She played for the Racine Belles from 1943 to 1950; played for a Chicago league from 1950 to 1951, and then Battle Creek Belles in 1952 until 1955 and left for reasons unsaid. During her long career, she predominantly played second base but switched to various positions when she was with the Battle Creek Belles. For the Battle Creek Belles she played third base, shortstop, and outfield. Kurys set many records. Among the most notable highlights were setting the league record for stealing 201 bases in 1946 and hitting seven home runs in 1950. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Olsen, Gordon (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--Personal narratives Baseball for women--United States Baseball Sports for women World War, 1939-1945 Baseball players--Wisconsin Baseball players--Michigan Women Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-09-25 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/467e40f3c5695af6a1e2cbdb3d0c1f98.mp4 f61b03769f1ebd62e000bd1d3ebd905a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7d0dd915a577548ca4692695f6d1fca3.pdf b5b820d17a8ce795d5b9258977b43cde PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Harry Kutten Length of interview (1:07:28) (0:00:00 – 0:08:11) Background Family (0:00:34 – 0:08:29)  Father and mother born in Russia, father came from Odessa, mother from Belarus (0:00:42)  Father left Russia before 1913 for the U.S. in hopes of bringing his wife and three children to the United States, he already had family in the United States  Father was hired by the International Shoe Company as a foreman in St. Louis, Missouri  Father is of Russian origin, came to the United States and settled in St. Louis, Missouri in 1913 (0:01:27)  Father was a skilled shoemaker, was hired by International Shoe Company as a foreman in St. Louis (0:01:48)  The war broke out in 1914, ending all forms of communication with his family  Paternal grandmother raised father’s children (0:02:05)  Mother married a wealthy man in Belarus, stayed in Russia through the Revolution, came to St. Louis to stay with her sister in 1924 after members of her family died, came to the country illegally (0:02:55)  Parents married in 1924 (0:06:14)  Harry Kutten was born in 1925, was only child of parents. Had a half-brother and halfsister, both now deceased (0:06:19) Childhood and education (0:08:29- 0:10:31)  Grew up in St. Louis (0:08:17)  Went to elementary school, and was a promising young artist, and won a young artists award with the Washington University School of Fine Arts. Attended Washington School of Fine Arts every Saturday until graduation (0:08:52)  Enlisted in the Navy while in high school and went to war, and returned to the Washington School of Fine Arts when he returned (0:010:11) (0:10:47 – 0:15:44) Enlistment and Training Motivation for enlistment (0:10:47- 0:11:20)  Had heard of the tragedy of Pearl Harbor, and felt “astounded” that the U.S. had been so wide open to an incident like that (0:10: 42)  Cited the influence of Hitler and the burden on England to maintain a democracy, he felt “someone had to do something”, he felt obligated (0:10:56) � He wanted to enlist, particularly because his family had been affected by war (0:11:13)  His mother objected to his enlistment, because she had already lost much of her family to war (0:11: 26) Enlistment (0:11:20- 0:13:56)  Enlisted during high school in the fall, before his draft age in 1943  He enlisted rather than waited to be drafted so that he could choose which branch of the military he wanted to serve in (0:12:00)  Chose to enlist in the Navy “for selfish reasons”. He didn’t want to live in a foxhole, and live off of rations. He wanted to have three meals a day and a warm bed at night (0:12: 21)  Had no previous experience with boats (0:12:43)  He was given the responsibility of managing the rest of the trainees, though he was younger than them (0:13:17)  His duty was to control the route of traffic from St. Louis to Farragut, Idaho (0:13: 57) Basic Training (0:13:56- 0:15:44)  Was inducted in St. Louis, and sent to Farragut Naval Training Station in Idaho for basic training (0:13:56)  Took a train ride that passed through Montana to get to Idaho, was impressed with the views of Montana, desired to spend some time in the future in Montana (0:14:00)  Winters in Farragut were “extremely cold” at 30 below zero (0:14:23)  Stood guard at night, putting on layers of clothing  Basic training involved six weeks of straight exercising  Training involved a swimming requirement, with a minimum of 60 yards (0:14:51)  Had a greater chance of surviving the pull of sinking ship if you could swim 60 yards (0:15:19)  Was given liberty, then began active duty on a ship (0:15:42) (0:15:44-0:48:27) Active Duty (0:15:44- 0:18:00) Beginnings  Joined a merchant ship that went across the ocean, ended up in New Caledonia, France (0:15:52)  Beautiful weather during sailing, many people were sick (0:16:17)  Sailors would chew on raw potatoes to stave off hunger (0:16:35)  Got to New Caledonia, assigned to the USS Montpelier (CL- 57) (0:16:45)  Was assigned to be a signalman (0:17:06)  Stationed near the Solomon Islands (0:17: 40) (0:18:00 – 0:23:15) Conflict and battle �               Bombarding Japanese installations in the Solomon Islands (0:17:25) Ship was sent to enemy battle scene almost immediately (0:17: 39) Ships were 10 miles away, zigzagging through the water (0:17:58) Japanese ships were shooting, causing water spouts (0:18:32) The USS Montpelier chased off enemy ships, there were no battleships at the time of this conflict (0:18:45) Mostly surface ships were involved in this conflict, no aircraft (0:19:30) The ship returned to Pearl Harbor, where men stayed in Hawaii hotel (0:19:52) Men were granted liberty before joining a large flotilla of ships (0: 20:11) Created Cruiser Division 12, in section, following the admiral (0:20:16) The flotilla included battleships, destroyers, light cruisers, heavy cruisers, and aircraft “Was grateful to be in such an enterprise” (0:21:06) Flotilla left on a mission going to Guam, Saipan, and Tinian (0:21:16) Many of the planes did not return (0:21:39) The aircraft searched for the missing ships, but did not immediately turn on the lights for fear of being spotted by Japanese submarines (0:21:54) Admiral Second in Command gave orders to turn on the lights, everyone in the fleet cheered because they did not want to lose their ships (0:22:17) Health Issues (0:23:15 – 0:23:40)  On the way to Guam, Siapan, and Tinian he developed a pain in his right side (0:22:59)  Doctor thought it was appendicitis (0:23:21)  Was given an enema, and pain was relieved (0:23:33) (0:23:40-0:36:15) Mission               Went into Saipan, Guam and Tinian (0:23:40) Saipan had the largest number of enemy troops Provided fire support to the troops already landed (0:24:06) Troops would send messages to the ship and tell them where to send shells (0:24:18) Before ships fire, it was custom to ring a bell. Once, a bell did not ring, Harry was standing over the rail of the ship, when the guns went off (0:24:42) Hot flash sent Harry back, Harry went deaf, couldn’t hear the officer's command (0:24:45) Harry was sent to a position in the deck board after this incident until the hissing in his ear dissipated (0:25:13) Harry then went into fire control (0:25:52) While at Saipan, they were sent to battle in the Philippines, where General MacArthur was going to shore. Harry’s fleet was backup, and protected Navy supplies (0:26:13) Speaks of Kamikazee attacks (0:30:01) Anchored in Subic Bay (0:32:00) Was given liberty on the island (0:32:26) Given liberty out to see to avoid a typhoon (0:32:40) Fell off dock, between launch, was pulled up by a friend (0:33:17) � Was in the middle of a typhoon in the China Sea (0:34:16) (0:35:15- 0:48:27) Daily Life on ship  Enjoyed the Navy, said “I’d never had it so good” (0:35:15)  Was offered chance to go back to the U.S. to go to Annapolis, declined offer (0:35:30)  Ship was sent to Okinawa (0:36:25)  Cousin came to visit (0:36:54)  Became Admiral's secretary, and was a backup for the communications department (0:37)12)  After Japan surrendered, ship was sent north to Hiroshima, and support a hospital ship to a naval port (0:38:04)  Volunteered to go across the bay to carry a message in a pouch (0:39:04)  Witnessed the devastation of the atomic bomb (0:41:10)  “Surprised at the power of this one bomb” (speaking of the atomic bomb) (0:41:14)  Arrived at a POW camp, where he saw a number of Americans, and he turned over the paper messages he was to deliver (0:42:21)  The ship left for home, men were given souvenirs, and a number of photographs were taken (0:43:07)  On way back, heard that the Indianapolis had been hit, so their ship took precaution to not turn on any lights (0:43:35)  Went through the Panama Canal to New York City (0:44:03)  Took train to Chicago, in 1946, and was discharged (0:44:14)  Had liberty in Japan. He enjoyed it, thought it was lovely, thought of going back at times (0:44:37)  On the way back, his unit was part of a test in which they blew up another atomic bomb to see the effect (0:45:22)  Had seen what one bomb had done, and was not so curious about what the atomic bomb would be like, he stayed below deck while others watched the atomic bomb explode (0:45:49)  Enjoyed sea duty, but preferred excitement outside of military life (0:47:16)  Witnessed a lot of poverty, and felt glad to be an American (0:48:27) (0:48:27-1:06:42) Post Service  Went back to St. Louis (0:48:42)  Finished high school and enrolled in Washington School of Fine Arts (0:48:54)  After earning his degree, went with buddies to Paris, the government was offering schooling (0:49:18)  Bought a one way ticket to Paris on a merchant ship (0:50:18)  Went first to Amsterdam and then took train to Paris (0:50:39)  Spent year in Paris, took a train to Rome to view art, was greatest experience he’d ever had (0:50:55)  Wrote a letter to his mother for a ticket to get back to the States (0:52:30)  Helped his father as a tailor. Father said “Only good artist is a dead artist”, father wanted him to have a trade (0:53:08) �             Regrets not being an artist, learned a trade to help his family (0:53:40) Met future wife, she lived in Michigan, traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan (0:54:06) Enrolled in Western Michigan, earned a Master’s Degree (0:54:39) Was hired by Kendall College of Art and Design, retired at age 65 (0:54:15) Navy was a “great” experience, despite what he saw (0:55:09) Went to Sears and Roebuck Co., after father died, the family business was not very successful, and earned teaching certificate in Chicago (0:56:06) Went to Israel after saved up vacation time (0:56:51) Was interrogated while traveling in Israel (0:58:51) Because of Jewish identity, felt like he had to go to the Wailing Wall to represent all of the Jewish people who didn’t make it (0:59:14) Stayed in Israel for six months, and wrote a resignation to Sears, staying he wanted to stay in Israel (0:59:56) Met his half-brother in Israel, whom he hadn’t seen in 15 years (1:02:10) Signed up for the Israeli home guard, because he thought he would be in Israel for awhile (1:05:03) Returned to the U.S., but made several trips back to Israel (1:06:42) End of interview 1:07:28 � 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 KuttenH1174V Title A name given to the resource Kutten, Harry (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kutten, Harry Description An account of the resource Harry Kutten was born in St. Louis in 1924 to Russian immigrant parents, and enlisted in the Navy while still in high school after he heard of the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. He felt obligated to join the armed forces after this incident, and cited the growing influence of Hitler and the threat to democracy as his motivation. Harry completed basic training at the Farragut Naval Training Station in Idaho. After training he joined a merchant ship that sailed to New Caledonia and assigned as a signalman aboard the light cruiser USS Montpelier. He served aboard the ship in the Solomon Islands, and later on as part of the flotilla that went to the Marianas and provided support for troops on Saipan. From there, he went on to the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. 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 Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945--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 2011-08-18 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/1c043e66af8d104cdcd5a5ada088d4bd.jpg 47f3880b171fed19efacdc76ea885b77 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 Grand Valley State University Photographs Subject The topic of the resource Aerial photographs Universities and colleges Michigan Grand Rapids (Mich.) Allendale (Mich.) Building Facilities Dormitories Students Events 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Description An account of the resource People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource News & Information Services. University Communications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">News &amp; Information Services. University Photographs. (GV012-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-03-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s-2000s 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. Local Subject Subject headings specific to a particular image collection 1970s Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">University photographs, GV012-01</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01_UAPhotos_001373 Title A name given to the resource Kuwait Police College officials greet Board of Control member Ella Weed and other Grand Valley representatives Description An account of the resource Kuwait Police College officials greet Board of Control member Ella Weed and other Grand Valley representatives. After five Kuwaiti visitors toured Grand Valley_ Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State College Michigan Allendale (Mich.) Universities & colleges-Michigan--Allendale Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977-02-20 Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives black and white photo https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/957900fa9d42771877bfaec61c3cb1e1.jpg 57f994abf32b99ed8562084006fcbb37 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 Grand Valley State University Photographs Subject The topic of the resource Aerial photographs Universities and colleges Michigan Grand Rapids (Mich.) Allendale (Mich.) Building Facilities Dormitories Students Events 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Description An account of the resource People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource News & Information Services. University Communications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">News &amp; Information Services. University Photographs. (GV012-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-03-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s-2000s 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. Local Subject Subject headings specific to a particular image collection 1970s Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">University photographs, GV012-01</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01_UAPhotos_001374 Title A name given to the resource Kuwait Police College officials perform for Grand Valley representatives Description An account of the resource Kuwait Police College officials perform for Grand Valley representatives. After five Kuwaiti visitors toured Grand Valley_ Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State College Michigan Allendale (Mich.) Universities & colleges-Michigan--Allendale Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977-02-20 Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives black and white photo https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a4176ef6ad052571e512cbf157270289.jpg e93c4ad2ad26b528745346f245bdcef6 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 Grand Valley State University Photographs Subject The topic of the resource Aerial photographs Universities and colleges Michigan Grand Rapids (Mich.) Allendale (Mich.) Building Facilities Dormitories Students Events 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Description An account of the resource People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource News & Information Services. University Communications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">News &amp; Information Services. University Photographs. (GV012-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-03-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s-2000s 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. Local Subject Subject headings specific to a particular image collection 1970s Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">University photographs, GV012-01</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01_UAPhotos_001375 Title A name given to the resource Kuwait Police College officials perform for Grand Valley representatives Description An account of the resource Kuwait Police College officials perform for Grand Valley representatives. After five Kuwaiti visitors toured Grand Valley_ Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State College Michigan Allendale (Mich.) Universities & colleges-Michigan--Allendale Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977-02-20 Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives black and white photo 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/31af19d7cf91c146c20c467d0dfce9e3.jpg b8aaa3ac8cfdaedaafbfeb3499ea50f6 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-Brigham-D_0142 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brigham, D. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-07-04 Title A name given to the resource Kyle & Geoff Brigham holding American flags Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of Kyle & Geoff holding small American flags at Beech-Hurst. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Allegan County (Mich.) Children Flags (United States) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file contributed by D. Brigham 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 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives