721 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/98c122d7e496088ac5b86857407dfd26.mp4 d16533e208b57064c1e7fda6eef8534e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1bd1232c3678ba5eff2f53c29b33aa4e.pdf 8a217ed0f051a01828699dbdc7e02b32 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Mary Ann Gwatkin Total Time – (58:27) Background • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • She was born November 10, 1920, in Grand Rapids, Michigan (01:47) There were seven children in her family Her older sister died at the age of 13 from strep throat She her father was the mayor of East Grand Rapids, Michigan for 22 years (04:03) She attended elementary school at St. Stephen's School (04:51) o It was only half of a block from her home o Every day was started by going to mass (05:53) o There were only thirteen students in her class After she graduated in 1933, she went to Marywood Academy in Grand Rapids, Michigan (07:10) She played basketball in school She graduated in 1938 (07:59) During the summers her father rented a cottage in Grand Haven, Michigan Her dad frequently asked her what she was going to do (08:58) o She told him that she wanted to become a nurse (09:05) She went into nurses training at St. Mary’s School (09:21) o It was called the Mercy Central School of Nursing (09:29) She was in nursing school for three years She graduated in 1941 (10:12) After she worked at St. Mary’s, she received a position at Ferguson’s Sanitarium (11:25) o She made seventy dollars every month In 1941, the general feeling was that everyone wanted to help (13:44) o She had a younger brother that was drafted into the war before the attacks on Pearl Harbor Enlistment/Active Duty – (14:35) • • She quit her job and enlisted in 1943 (14:38) She enlisted into the Army Nurse Corps (14:44) �• • • • • • She chose to go to Gulfport, Mississippi where she received her uniform (16:08) o She automatically became a second lieutenant by taking the oath  It was probably an incentive to have women join the Nurse Corps There were nearly 120 women at Gulfport (17:03) The women had easy access to New Orleans, Louisiana, and would go into town after work She was working in a hospital at Gulfport (17:25) She served in both the Surgical and Contagious Wards (17:33) At this time, she was 23 years old Active Duty – Overseas Duty – (18:53) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • She then had the option of volunteering for overseas duty (18:56) o She decided to sign up In March of 1944, there were ten women that went up to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to prepare to go overseas (19:18) She learned basic marching skills in Fort Bragg After Fort Bragg, she was sent to Fort Kilmer, New Jersey (20:34) o She lived in barracks while in New Jersey  They were there for nearly three weeks  The women were able to travel and visit New York City (21:04) She then got on the Queen Mary to head overseas On the Queen Mary she stayed in a small, single, state room (22:33) There was no fresh water on board to bathe with There were 15,000 troops on board the ship (23:19) The trip only took four and a half days (24:41) On the last day, some of the sailors were given tea o It was the best tea she had ever had She met a fellow sailor on board from Charlevoix, Michigan whose sister she was friends with (25:18) The ship landed in the Firth of Clyde off the coast of England [Scotland] (25:40) When the sailors woke up they could see the English fog o They were taken by tanker into shore (25:56) Once she was ashore, she then took a train south to Colwyn Bay, Wales (26:52) The military paid families to house the women by giving them money and coal to keep their homes warm She was assigned to the third floor of a home o She took a bath in cold water o The home owner turned off their electricity at 9:00 at night (27:56) Every morning all of the soldiers would meet at a mess hall for breakfast (28:13) The Army had lectures every day that were mandatory They would go to mass on Sundays (28:58) o Some of the church members opened up their homes for soldiers to be able to take baths �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Once she left Colwyn Bay, she was sent to Oswestry, England (29:35) o At Oswestry, she was assigned to the 68th General Hospital The 68th General Hospital was a new hospital that had recently been built The nurses quarters were extremely nice She went to Liverpool, England while she was in Colwyn Bay (32:31) Before she went to Oswestry, she was on detached service in Hatfield, England (32:56) In Hatfield there was a huge tent that had cots along all the walls When she was there she could see the B-17 turning from the continent on their flights (34:15) There was one time when an air raid made her wet her pants because she was so scared (35:01) After Hatfield, she was then assigned to the 68th General Hospital (35:36) She was assigned to a psychiatrist (35:41) o She did not know anything about psychiatry She applied for a leave on what would have been D-Day When she was signing in to a hotel she heard Winston Churchill speaking on the radio about the invasion of Normandy (36:35) The American soldiers were not supposed to be in London at this time When she returned to the hospital, they began receiving casualties and injuries (38:41) o They were flown back o The triage was out on the lawn of the hospital o Doctors would go along and decide who goes where (39:00) As troops moved forward in Europe, the hospitals nearer the coast would receive more soldiers than their hospital would One of the Major’s at the hospital would use medicines and battle re-enactments to relate to soldiers and get them to talk about their experiences She was sent on detachment to train for two weeks in Portsmouth, England (41:53) She crossed the English Channel during the summer of 1945 (43:21) o They landed in Le Havre, France o The buildings were bombed out (44:53) She was sent to Neufchatel, France One night she was invited to an Air Corps party where there was great food and beer There were no patients in Neufchatel She was then sent to a staging area that had a hospital in Mourmelon-le-Grand, France (47:06) She worked at the hospitals in Mourmelon-le-Grand It was here where she met up with her brother (48:08) o She continuously tried to communicate with her brother so that she could meet up with him She was invited to a party when he brother was visiting and she was able to bring him along (49:36) �• • • After her time with her brother, she received a 3-day pass to Paris (50:38) o It was V-J Day when she went o She enjoyed her time in Paris Before V-J Day, it was rumored that the European forces would go through the Panama Canal and invade Japan (52:20) She then traveled back to Mourmelon-le-Grand and then boarded a ship to leave After the Service – (53:25) • • • • • • • • • Her ship landed in Boston, Massachusetts (53:30) o It was an extremely thrilling day From Boston, she traveled by train to Fort Dix, New Jersey where she received her discharge papers (54:07) She was then put on another train and traveled to Detroit, Michigan and then eventually to Grand Rapids, Michigan (54:26) o She was in home for Christmas of 1945 Because of the pension that she received from the military, she took a couple of months to enjoy her time (55:39) o Her father continued to ask her if she was going to go to work Once her money ran out she went to St. Mary’s and took a position there She worked at St. Mary’s for nearly a year and a half She was asked by another local doctor to go and work for him (56:24) o She began working for him in Lowell, Michigan in 1947 She did not have a way of getting back and forth to work so she went and bought a car with her savings (58:01) The car salesman and her began dating and got married a year later in 1948 (58:27) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gwatkin, Mary Ann (Interview outline and video), 2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gwatkin, Mary Ann Description An account of the resource Mary Ann Gwatkin was born in 1920 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She trained as a nurse, and enlisted in the Army after Pearl Harbor. She worked initially in Gulfport, Mississippi, and was then sent to Europe, where she worked at several assignments in Wales and England, and eventually transferred to France, ending up at the American base at Mourmelon. Along the way, she helped to treat casualties from the battles in France from Normandy to the end of the war. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Lowell Area Historical Museum (Lowell, Mich.) Blough, Ivan (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 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 2004-11-26 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GwatkinM1300V 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/999964f4d929646718c5525057e1d645.mp4 d57ca978adafc8ddf81ac1d716e0405d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8173d08a54fbf2c86061a52aacf0a746.pdf dc080f9189cc92fcab1a020c23986814 PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW FELIX GULLICK Born: Haskell, Oklahoma Resides: Grand Rapids, Michigan Interviewed by: James Smither and Louis Moore Grand Valley State University History Dept. Transcribed by: Joan Raymer February 11, 2009 Interviewer: ―Mr. Gullick, can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself? To begin with, where and when you were born?” I was born in Oklahoma in a little town they call Haskell. It was March 12, 1922. My mother and dad lived there about four years and we moved to Kansas. At that time, if you had more than one child, you had to pay five bucks for each kid to go to school, but they had free school in Kansas, so my family all moved to Kansas. :55 That’s where I grew up. I was about four years old when we moved there. I stayed there until I was seventeen and that’s when I came to Grand Rapids. Interviewer: “What did your family do for a living?” They were farmers like most people back in them days… were farmers. Interviewer: “Did they have their own land, or did they work on someone else’s farm?” Well, my grandfather left Tennessee when Oklahoma was a territory and he had two farms in Tennessee and he would rent one of them out. When Tennessee [Oklahoma] was a territory, if you went out there you got land, the government let you stake for land, so my grandfather sold his dang land and went out there and after he got out there, because he wasn’t born and raised out there, he couldn’t get land. 1:39 He had to start share cropping himself. That’s where my dad grew up and got married. My grandmother and grandfather had sixteen kids, eight girls and eight boys. 1 �Interviewer: “Now how much… did you go through high school, or did you leave school?” 1:59 I quit school when I was in the eighth grade, seventh or eighth grade out in Kansas. A little old high school they called Wayside. We didn’t have a football team there, but we played softball. That’s how I got interested in softball and baseball. My uncle played baseball. My uncle was a pitcher and he could pitch eight innings with his right hand and go nine innings with either hand, and he had a brother who was a left handed catcher and the Kansas City Monarchs wanted to sign him to play in that league. The Monarchs was organized back in 1922, I think it was, but my uncle wouldn’t sign with the Monarchs because they wouldn’t take his brother as a catcher because he was left handed. 2:47 My uncles and my dad, all of them were baseball players. Back in those days, there wasn’t any tennis or golf and you either went to the poolroom and played pool or you played baseball. It worked. Interviewer: “Did you go to work after you left school?” Oh yes, I was working before I got out of school. We worked on the farm and I had to stay out of school sometime, two days a week. I would go to school on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, I worked the farm. 3:22 That was before I came to Michigan. After I came here, I worked in the foundry. I was seventeen years old and I worked at that old foundry over there on Front St. They called it Libman and Geidem, a couple of Jews owned it, but they gave a lot of black guys jobs. They would go south and pick up a black guy and bring him here and put him to work. I had a couple of uncles, one of them was in WWI and he came in and worked for the city 2 �and that’s how my family got here. 3:54 He came in 1918 or 1919, somewhere around there. Interviewer: “Now, when your family moved out here to Michigan, where did you live?” When I first moved here they had a street down there off Ionia that they called Millis Court, now they got factories and stuff in there, then I lived on Grant Street and my aunt and uncle bought a place on Logan near Eastern and that’s where I lived until I was drafted. 4:17 When I went into the army and came out, my brother got married and he had a place up there on Neland and I stayed with him for a while before I got married and the next thing I knew I was nuts. Interviewer: “Let’s go back to the period before the war started. What year did you come to Grand Rapids?” 1939. Interviewer: “You got a job in the foundry etc., now do you remember hearing about Pearl Harbor and America entering the war?” 4:49 I lived it. Pearl Harbor was born on December 7th, 1941. I lived on Miller Street and I heard it on the radio. I’ll never forget, Roosevelt got on the radio and he said, ―your sons and my sons will go to war‖, and I was eighteen or nineteen at the most and I said, ―well, it will last six or eight months like WWI, and I’m not old enough to go into the army, I’ll never make it‖. Well, that dang war went on four or five years. 5:26 Interviewer: “Did you have friends or know people who actually enlisted after Pearl Harbor or did most of the guys you knew wait to be called to go?” 3 �Before the war they had a draft and if you were twenty or twenty-one years old, you went into the service and were supposed to stay 6 months or a year and you get out of the army, but a lot of them went in the dang army, the war got worse so they froze them and they had to stay in there. Way late they started drafting guys twenty years old or older and that’s how they got me. 6:07 Interviewer: “With the job you had, were you still working in the foundry until you got drafted?” No, I left that and went to the hotel. The Rowe Hotel, down there by the Post Office now, but I ran the elevator down there for a while and they were good jobs then. Working in a hotel was like a professional job. I worked there for a few weeks and months and then I went to the Morton Hotel and I started bussing dishes up there, bus boy, and that’s how I started and learned how to wait tables. I went to Mackinac Island and served up there at the Grand Hotel. About eleven or twelve of us went up there and they closed up for the season. That was in 1948 I believe. It was right after I came out of the service. 6:47 Interviewer: “If you had been in the foundry, it’s possible that you had a job that was more essential and maybe there’s a deferment or something like that, but with the other jobs, once your number comes up you get drafted, so you’re drafted in early 1943 then, is that right?” I stayed at the foundry, you see they had a pouring gang over there, they would melt brass and they would pour it and they had a pouring gang and the guys worked every other day. They would close the furnace up every so often to brick it. That’s why I got out of the foundry, I got laid off. A friend of mine came from Kansas City, but he was 4 �one of the head men down there at the Rowe Hotel and he heard about me looking for a job and that I was from Kansas City and he gave me a job running the damn elevator. 7:40 Interviewer: “While you were living in Grand Rapids before the war, did you also play some baseball or catch on with any of the teams? Oh ya, I tried to play baseball. We had a guy out here, he was from East Grand Rapids and they called him Stricklin or something like that, anyway I was down in Kalkaska, not Kalkaska, but about ninety miles south of here? Interviewer: “Kalamazoo? No, further south. Interviewer: Cassopolis? Ya, that’s it, Cassopolis, they had a lake down there, Paradise Lake, and this one guy would take teams down there and play, so I went down and played with him once or twice. That was before the war too. 8:31 He wasn’t known like Jesse Elser was, Jesse was known all over the United States it looked like. Interviewer: “Now, when you were living in Grand Rapids, was there a black team based there? Were there negro teams in Grand Rapids before the war? No, well they did, old Jesse Elser, the guy I played with, he’d have a team every year and he would get the better black ball players to play with him and then he would go to different towns every year. In 1946 when Frank Lamar and Ted Raspberry came in existence, they organized the Black Sox. 9:12 They took the better ball players. See, they went all over the United States and got ball players. We had a league here that they called The Grand Rapids---I know Muskegon had a team in that league and Flint had a 5 �team in that league. Elston Howard, he played with the Yankees. He was with one of those teams here and I sue to go out and watch him play. 9:40 Interviewer: “I was going to go back to the wartime story. We get to the point where you get drafted. Now, tell us what’s the process, you get a letter in the mail saying Uncle Sam wants you or…?” No, what happened was, you had to go down and get a classification and I had a couple of old religious aunts here and I hadn’t been classified and it worried the hell out of me every day. I would go to the draft board to see what my classification was. They could put you in 1-A as a single and they had another classification if you were married and had a kid, if you had two they put you in another classification, but they misplaced my classification when I applied for my registration. 10:23 One day during lunch hour, I went down there to check it out and the old gal had misplaced the thing. A week later I got a notice to report to the draft board here and be sent to Detroit for an exam for the army. There were ten or fifteen of us and we went down there. Well, I’d had pneumonia and I had a spot on my lung and when they x-rayed me that spot showed up. When we came back, they were telling guys, ―you’re in the army now, get in this line‖, or they would tell you to wait and they would send you home. Well, they run me back through the line and the thing showed that everything was ok. 11:06 He told me, ―you stay in this line and go home for a week and then go to Battle Creek‖. Interviewer: “Were they putting you on buses to get you to Detroit and Battle Creek?” 6 �Oh we had a train, Pere Marquette, the station was over where the Post Office is at now, I believe it was, and they had the New York Central and they were downtown. Most of the people going in and out of Grand Rapids came on the New York Central. 11:43 Interviewer: “So, they sent you down to Battle Creek? They sent me down to Detroit first and I came back here and stayed a week and then went to Battle Creek. Interviewer: “When you got to Battle Creek, what did you do there? They stayed there two or three days, they issued you a bunch of GI equipment, clothing and all that crap, and I was down there about a week and they put us on a troop train and sent us to Frisco. 12:07 Interviewer: “Now, before you made that trip, had you ever---you had taken the trip to get from Kansas to Michigan— That was by car. My folks would come to visit my grandmother and a lot of them came by automobile and that’s how I came, by automobile. Interviewer: ―Ok.” My brother and one of my cousins, some relative died in Kansas City they went to the funeral, and after they came for the funeral, I was wanting out of Kansas City, so they came by and picked me up and that’s how I got to Grand Rapids. 12:37 Interviewer: “So this was the first really long train trip you had taken, out to San Francisco?” Oh ya, back in them days, the only way you could take a train was you had to hobo. A young fellow would leave Kansas and hobo to California. Oh my, them dicks would knock you off them trains and beat you up and whatever. I was going to go hoboing 7 �myself once to California, but one of my buddies got killed on the railroad track up there near Kansas City and after that train derailed the track and he got killed, I said, ―heck with that hoboin’ business‖. 13:11 Interviewer: “With every trip you took from Grand Rapids to Detroit and then from Battle Creek to San Francisco with the draftees, were you guys segregated?” Oh yeah, see when I went in service they had a hotel in Detroit where all the black guys would have to stay at. It was called the Gotham Hotel and you would stay down there a day or two, well hell I had been around here and worked at a hotel. So all the guys get up in the morning and go to be examined and classified and I’m laying in bed being asleep and I call the desk and ask what time they serve breakfast and they ask if I was one of the guys to be examined with that group from Grand Rapids? I said yes and they said, ―Man, get the hell down here because everybody’s going to get an exam and classification whatever.‖ 14:00 Interviewer: “When you were being examined and when whatever else they were doing in Detroit and Fort Custer, did they always keep the black troops separate from the white ones or were there places where you were all kind of mixed together?” Oh no, see when I went in the service we were segregated and I’ll never forget when we got out in Texas, maybe Oklahoma, Arizona, well you pull the shade down at night because the damn Japs had just bombed Pearl Harbor and they thought they were going to hit the west coast. Man we went to bed that night and the next morning I woke up I was in Frisco. 14:41 I left here February 10th I think it was, cold, snow and ice 8 �everywhere, and when I got to Frisco the grass green and the sun was shining, I thought I was in heaven. I said, ―oh my god, where am I at now?‖ Interviewer: “What happened then? You get off the train, where did you go and what did you do next?” I got to California and we were there a few days, we didn’t have basic so they gave us basic training. We had a C.O. sixty five years old, he was too old to take troops back overseas and he had a young bunch, we was 541st Engineer Quartermaster [Battalion], we must have had 250 guys in there. We had an A and B Company, maybe another company, but he knew the commander-in-chief down in Los Angeles that ran the port of embarkation cause they were both West Point men and when he found out they needed soldiers down there to load and unload them dang ships, he had us sent to L.A. 15:48. I stayed down there a year. The only reason I had to go overseas—some dummy up there in Washington got the bright idea—them guys been over there two or three years and they need replacement. If you were a 1-A man here in the service, man they would send you over there as a replacement and that’s how I happened to get sent overseas. 16:08 Interviewer: “In Los Angeles, did you have time to go out to the city? Did you go like to Central Avenue? Oh yeah man, I use to be up there on 45th and Central, Dorothy Lamour and Hedy Lamarr was two white girls in the movies and they use to come to them theaters regular. I stayed in this little town they called Wilmington, we built tents down there and I stayed down there a year and I’d drive a truck hauling different soldiers and stuff from Long Beach to L.A., San Pedro and different places, but I was in L.A. about a year before they had any expressway down there. 16:50 9 �Interviewer: “Let’s back up a little bit to the training part. Where did you actually do your basic training?” I got it up there in Frisco, in Oakland. See [Camp] Stoneman was in Oakland, you crossed the bridge and you was in Frisco. We got our basic training and after I got my basic training—we had been in the army like six months and we hadn’t had a furlough home and you was entitled to one before they sent you overseas, so I was in that category. I finished getting my basic and I went on the rifle range and I qualified, so they give me a furlough home. 17:30 Interviewer: “But you hadn’t been in six months at that point.” I had been in long enough to get basic training and then get a furlough home before they sent me overseas. Interviewer: “Describe the basic training process a little bit. What sis they have you do in basic training?” Oh my god, the first thing you have to do is to learn how to stand up like a soldier and salute your dang officers. Then you had to respect your officers. They court martialed you if you didn’t do right in the dang army and put you in prison for the rest of your natural life. I was one of those young guys that was taught to always obey, so I didn’t have a problem or nothing like that. There was a boy in my outfit, they would go out drinking and come back at night at eleven or twelve o’clock at night and raise a lot of hell. The CO told them, ―you got guys in the army here, they got to get their rest because they got to get up in the morning and they got to sleep. When you guys come in from pass be sure you’re quiet.‖ Some of them didn’t do it and the first outfit comes through, going overseas, they was short of men, so they took ten guys and put them in 10 �outfits and sent them down there. One boy from Grand Rapids went in there with me and his ship got blowed up down there around Australia somewhere and we never seen or heard of him any more, but I know his brothers and stuff. 18:48 Interviewer: “All right, so after that happened, guys who made too much noise or got themselves in trouble, they get sent overseas. Did the other guys figure out that it was a good idea to behave, or did they keep on making trouble?” Well, there was just a few of them and we was in Frisco at that time, so I didn’t stay there much longer and we went down there to Los Angeles and when I got on that, peaches and cream. 19:13 The C.O. told us, ―if you guys got a wife or a girl friend, and you want them to come out and spend some time with you, send for her because we’ll be here for the duration.‖ I thought I would never go overseas, but I was there eleven months. Interviewer: “What kind of pay did you draw when you were down there?” Well, went I went in the service I think they were paying a buck private fifty dollars a month and out of that you had to take your insurance, which was five or six bucks, and maybe you got the rest, but if you had a family, you could sign up and I sent my dad an allotment and he got thirty seven dollars and some cents a month for three years and they probably take eight, ten or twelve dollars out of my check and put in the rest to send him this allotment. He got thirty-seven bucks a month. 20:08 The army did a lot of people a lot of good if they took advantage of the----I’ll tell you another thing. See, when I got married that GI Bill of Rights was the worst thing that ever happened because you take Monroe Avenue from down town, Michigan, and go out toward the Old Soldiers Home, all them homes was being built and you go out Lake Michigan Drive up on the hill there, all them homes were being built. Well, I got married and had two kids and I went to a 11 �bank to apply for a G.I. loan and that sucker wouldn’t loan me no money to buy a house in them areas. I had to buy a house between Division and Fuller, from Fulton down Hall Street. Interviewer: “Is that where the black people lived?” That’s where all of them lived. Interviewer: ―You weren’t allowed to—you basically had red lines, there were certain places where—“ If you were a doctor or something, he might have had a home in East Grand Rapids or something, but the majority of them, 98% of them lived in this area. 21:15 Interviewer: “Now when you guys were on base in San Francisco and Los Angeles, did you notice any types of difference between like racial treatment than here in Grand Rapids?” Oh man, L.A. as far as that racial business is concerned, was 20 years ahead of Grand Rapids. The white girls and the black guys got together out there then and how they got over---see, the Japanese use to own a lot of homes, a lot of businesses, they run that port of embarkation in L.A. and when the war started the government took all them Japanese and put them in a concentration camp there somewhere and the Japs let the black people have them home, cars and everything else. 22:04 When I got out there I see these blacks with all these nice homes and I wondered, what the hell is going on here?‖ I found out that the Japs owned a lot of that stuff and practically gave it to the blacks. Integration was well under way back in 1945 and 1946 when I was out there, much better than it is here. 22:23 I know at night, when I was in Pittsburg, California, we’d get a pass to go to Oakland. Service men first and the bus would come up out there and the women worked, 12 �they had a lot of white girls, they’d be working and GI’s would get on the dang bus and get all the seats and stuff and a white girl would get on and she would have to stand up and pull her dang shoes off, but that’s the way it was when I was out there, but back here--never happen. 22:54 Interviewer: “You’re in L.A. for the better part of a year, was there a group of guys, a platoon or section of men that you normally worked with, so did you have a group of friends among them that you would go out and do things with or hang with?” One of the experiences I had when I was in L.A. was—we was in a camp down there and they captured a lot of Italian soldiers and one German and they treated them damn Italian soldiers much better than they did black guys, because every night they would get a pass and go to Long Beach, come back—they dressed them good and everything and we would maybe get a pass once a week and I asked them, ―how the hell you guys get captured?‖ The one German fella, I’ll never forget him, he drove an old tank and they had him down in the valley like and had him surrounded and I said, ―How did you let these American capture you?‖ He had a white flag and he waved that flag and they captured him and sent him out there. 24:09 At that time the Italian prisoners of war were treated a hell of a lot better than the black soldiers Interviewer: “Did you guys talk about that? How upset you were about it?” Oh man yes, well you see, if you were from the south—you probably heard stories about the southern states bases and that—you got to L.A. and I talked to guys from Mississippi, Alabama—things were so nice out there, one of them told me, ―Gullick, I’ll never go back to Alabama‖, because he was treated so nice out there. A lot of them out there was 13 �born and raised on a farm and they did a lot of logging and they had a white guy riding around on a horse telling them what to do and that they better do it otherwise they put them in prison and they might kill them. 24:59 Interviewer: “The unit you were serving with there, the quartermaster unit, so the soldiers were all black, the enlisted men were all black?” Everybody was black except the officers. We had white officers and if you were intelligent in the service—when I got overseas I run my outfit because I had a little Lieutenant, he was a young fella and I think he was afraid of the black guys because he let me run the motor pool. See, I was, let me see, what was my job? Anyway, I assigned trucks, all the vehicles that it took to build a road and maintain a road, I was in charge of that equipment and I had a Lieutenant, I had a Jeep and I run him down the road every day in the Jeep. 25:49 Different guys, I would assign them to a job and that’s what they had to do. I would take my Jeep and go out on the road and see how they were doing at everything. Interviewer: “that’s getting a little bit ahead of the story because that’s the stuff overseas, but back in California, your officers, were they mostly older men or kind of like that fellow back in Stoneman or were they men in their twenties and just recruits too?” 26:10 Well, we had some guys that just came out of—what did they call it? Interviewer: “Officers candidate school? Ninety-day wonders? West Point? West Point, I’ve had young guys in the service about twenty, twenty-one, they might have been twenty-eight or thirty, but you talk about some nice fellows—man them guys, West Pointers, some of them were excellent just like the guys are right now. 26:37 It is 14 �kind of hard to believe—now them older fellows you run into one forty, fifty years old, oh, he’s nuts anyway and they treat you like you are a fool. But, that’s the way it was and we had some real nice officers when I was in Stoneman—not Stoneman, but when I was down there in L.A. Interviewer: “When you got the news that you had to ship out overseas, what was your reaction to that?” Interviewer: I’ll tell ya, I had left L.A. and was in Sacramento and they had a detail there where you could go out and pick peaches every day and the government paid you. Well hell, I’d shoot craps and play poker and I made more money than the guys working, so I wouldn’t go pick no damn peaches. 27:24 I had an old first sergeant and he begged me to go out and pick some peaches. He said, ―Gullick, if you don’t go out and pick peaches, I’m going to put you on special orders and send you overseas‖. I’d been in the army over a year and wasn’t overseas. I didn’t think I would ever go, but I wasn’t going to go pick no damn peaches. So, one day they called us at attention and they said, ―the following names of enlisted men will report to the orderly room and get a new issue of equipment because you are going to be shipped overseas‖. They called my name, Corporal Felix Gullick, 36566937, that was my old dog tag number, report to the orderly room to get shipped overseas. Man, it was like I had a heart attack, but I went over there and got my crap and the next thing they shipped me right back to L.A, and we got on the boat, I think, the twenty fifth of September in 1944 and I went to Bombay, India. 28:26 Interviewer: “What kind of boat did they put you on? Was it an old Liberty Ship or a converted liner or something else?” 15 �Well, it was the S.S. General A.E. Anderson and I think the thing had been converted to all passengers. It might have been a… I don’t know. Interviewer: “A freighter or something like that?” Something like that, But I went to Melbourne, Australia, we left L.A. in September and got to Melbourne, Australia, we got off the boat—we had to be there two and a half days to refuel that ship, so they wouldn’t let the black soldiers off, they put a rope around this area and you could get in that area and that was it. You go down there in Australia and the white girls go crazy about the black boys. Anyway, we were there two and a half days and Tokyo Rose, you heard of her? She was with the Japanese, she got on the damn radio one morning and said, ―you guys left L.A. the 25th of September, you’re in Melbourne, Australia and your destination is Bombay, India‖. We didn’t know where the hell we were going and she wished us a lot of luck. 29:39 She said our buddies that were supposed to leave L.A. the next day will never make it because them damn Japs blew them out of the ocean down there last night. No kidding, they never got over there. We were torpedoed the first night I left Melbourne, Australia going to Bombay, but the dang thing missed us. 30:02 We survived. Another thing, see back in those days they convoyed all the soldiers; five, eight, ten of those ships would get together. The sent us over there on a boat by our dang selves and we didn’t have any escort until we got within four days of Bombay. We were very fortunate, I went through Corregidor, Bataan, not Bataan, let me see, I forgot some of those names. Interviewer: “That’s in the Philippines, was that on the way home?” That was on the way over there. We left Melbourne, Australia and I went through Singapore, and different islands like that. 16 �Interviewer: “A lot of those places at that time were still controlled by the Japanese. Singapore, they held on to until the end of the war. [The ship may have gone past parts of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, but not Singapore or the Philippines—ed.] Anyway, tell me a little bit about the trip on the boat. What was that like?” 30:56 Oh my god, we were in a damn hurricane—three days it was. Man, that damn boat would go straight up and come back down, we couldn’t go from here downtown in eight hours, that’s about how far that thing would go. They had to close off the compartments and they would lock them doors and stuff, but this one guy would get in the crow’s nest, you know they go a crow’s nest that’s up there and that guy would come out on deck and he had to crawl around to get on this ladder to go up in there, but we couldn’t even come up on deck for about three days. 31:54 During that storm, we ate seagulls and baked beans for breakfast. They’d tell us we had chicken or something. They fed you twice a day, but I was twenty one or two years old in good health and everything, I could eat anything and never go seasick, but a lot of guys with a weak stomach, well they probably didn’t follow orders anyway, but we would go to the mess hall and you had to stand up and you’d get a tray and I seen guys heave in the trays all the way back down to the compartment and you would walk in that crap. I stayed on that damn boat thirty some days and never got seasick and I did real good. 32:35 Then coming back, see we stopped in Guam to refuel, and come back, but I went through Melbourne, Australia and I don’t know how many islands we went through and you could see land and on one of those islands you didn’t have to have no permission to dock a boat there. I forget the name of that dang thing, but most places if you docked a ship anywhere, you had to get permission. When I came back home from overseas we stopped out there within three 17 �blocks of Alcatraz. An officer was supposed to come and inspect the boat and let us get off the thing, but them suckers were uptown there having fun and we had to stay there all night looking over there at Alcatraz. The next day they examined the thing and let us get off the ship. 33:26 Interviewer: “Let’s go back to your trip there. You left Melbourne and the Japanese submarine tried to torpedo your ship and you kept going and you sail on up to Bombay. Is that where you get off? What impression did you have of Bombay when you got off the ship?” Oh my god, that’s one of the worst, the poorest nation on earth because those natives over there—you see kids running up and down the railroad tracks, three, five, six years old and on up, without a stitch on and ain’t seen their mother or father in six or eight months and here’s Americans, we have a lot of coins and we’d throw coins out in the damn river and they would dive down and get the coin. I was in Bombay overnight or something like that and we got on troop trains and went up to India and Burma—there was a station up there, but they were narrow gauge tracks, they didn’t have no wide railroad tracks and man, it would take you a whole damn day to go forty miles. They got kids running up and down the railroad tracks every day without a stitch on begging you for something. 34:48 ―Give me something please, you very rich, me very poor, no mama, no papa, no sister, no brother, nothing, please give me something‖. I gave them all the coins I had in my pocket and one woman came up to me one day and she had a baby and I hadn’t seen no lady and a baby in I don’t know how long, so I’m just standing there admiring the baby and I asked her to let me hold the baby. She did. See over there they had rupees and a rupee was like a dollar bill and it wasn’t worth but thirty three cents, so I run out of 18 �coins and I gave her one of them dang rupees and she left me with the baby and started away from there. 35:28 I asked somebody what happened to the mother of the child and they said, ―man you just bought that baby‖, and I said, ―hell no‖, I had to go catch her and give the baby back to her, but I’d bought me a baby over there for thirty some cents. Interviewer: “All right, now you get up onto Burma and you’re going out—what unit did you join when you got up there?” I got with the 45th Engineers and they were building and maintaining about sixty-five or seventy miles of that road. In the Himalaya Mountains and it was in what they called the ―hump‖. That’s the lower part of the Himalayas and after you went through a certain level part of the country there, you went through the bump; the high part and you’re getting up near China then. I was up there in-between there because we built and maintained about sixty-five miles of that road. 36:21 Of course we had six outfits in my regiment and I was in F Company. I happened to be a dispatcher in the motor pool, that’s how I got to know all the vehicles and everything. Interviewer: “How many men were you in charge of at this point?” Oh, at that time—I’ve had seventy-five dump truck drivers under me in one day. My mechanics, the guys that run the heavy equipment – Caterpillar graders, low range shovels and all that kind of crap, all that was under the motor pool. My first, not my first sergeant, but my Lieutenant, he allowed me to run the dang motor pool. So, I was in charge of practically all of them guys. 37:07 Interviewer: “Now the 45th was that an all black unit or were there black companies in it?” 19 �It was all black. They had white officers and after the war, after old Roosevelt died and old Truman got to be the president of the United States, the war is over now and I’m getting ready to come home, but a lot of guys came home a lot sooner than I did. He integrated the dang army. You’re in the army according to your last name A, B, C etc. and they put you in outfits according to that. I’m in an outfit in the service with I think, three or four white boys. When I left Calcutta coming back to the states. We had one boy, I called him ―little rebel‖, he was from Missouri and another guy, one of them was from Pittsburgh or maybe from New York, but you know the white boys, north at that time were much different than those from the south. 38:03 This young white fellow from Missouri, he was very timid and everything and we get ready to go to lunch and I said, ―come on get your mess kit and let’s go eat‖ and them other two white boys said they already had gone, but I took him like a brother and his mother had gave him a bible and he gave me the bible and told me he wanted me to keep it and I never forget him, but he was a nice kid. I was three or four years older, but I have been around and had experience. I had a lot of life before I went in the army and a lot of them guys eighteen, nineteen years old ain’t been nowhere. 38:42 They were way away from home and didn’t know what the heck to do. My mother died when I was seven and I lived with my grandmother and my aunts and I never did see my dad much, so I’d been out there in the world getting it for myself. Interviewer: “Tell us a little bit what life was like up there in Burma. What did you do?” Well, it rained like a son of a gun, the monsoon, man you would go to bed at night wet and you get up wet. They had these old tents, they had American tents and British tents 20 �and like it rained today and the sun would come out and it would be hot as heck. The ground might crack it was just that hot. Then too, them old tents would rot and water come through tem things. I know the Air Force had a parachute and I got me a parachute and I put it up over my bed at night and the water would come through and hit that parachute it would drain off. I was up there a year and a half and we would take a five gallon container of fuel and light it and set it right by your tent cause at that time the animals, tigers and lions and whatever, man they would attack some of them guys. Three guys in my outfit got attacked by lions and tigers. 40:08 So that one morning I knew I’d take me that five-gallon thing and I would light it at night and put it right by the head of my bed. One morning I got up and got ready to go to breakfast and I looked at the side of my tent and a lion or tiger or something his old paw marks were up there and he was going to get in there and attack me I guess. One thing about the service, we had our rifles you know, it’s a piece they call it, but I had an M-1, boy, I could hit you as long as I could see you. That was my ―piece‖ and that was my brother and I kept that old rifle along side of my bed at night. 40:51 That’s the way it was up there and during the day things were a little different because I would make out trip tickets and give them out to the guys telling what they had to do and everything. We would be at the motor pool seven or eight o’clock in the morning and they would go out on the road and go to work. I had to go out there and see of all them vehicles were still in good shape and if they wasn’t I’d dead line them and have a mechanic come and take them—it had a name—we had a place where we sent stuff –1st, 2nd, 3rd echelon and if it wasn’t bad the mechanic would do it right there in my motor pool and if it was, they might have to send it to one of them other places. 41:27 If the transmission or something would go out on it. 21 �Interviewer: “Working on the road, were both blacks and whites working to build that road?” Well, we had thirty-three engineering outfits up there. Thirty of them were black and did most of the work. Now, the white boys, they might have built the bridges across them rivers and stuff, but there wasn’t too damn many of them. Interviewer: “Did you have either Chinese or Indian laborers who were doing a lot of the manual work? No, I seen Japanese one day. I was on the road—I thought he was a damn Chinaman and when I got to him I said, ―Boy, how you doing?‖ Interviewer: “Was he a Japanese prisoner?” He got lost from his outfit and he was lost up there in the jungles and he was trying to find his outfit I guess cause I passed him on the road and I spoke to him and I said, ―Hey Joe, how ya doing?‖ He spoke, but kept going. That guy had ammunition and I don’t know what all he didn’t have on him. I walked on up to my company and he did too and he went down the road about a quarter of a mile and the next thing I heard were shots. Well, some of them Americans seen him and they recognized him and they killed him. 43:18 They knew he was Japanese—I didn’t know he was Japanese. He had been up in them jungles I don’t know how long, but he got lost from his outfit. Interviewer: “When you were out there in the jungles, did you see anything of the local population? Were there any villages around or anything like that?” Well, they had a village quite away from us and they had—I called them the whores up there and they was socking it to you for 35 Rupees or something. I was 20 or 30 miles from a village where they had any women. I was up there twelve months and never seen 22 �a woman. When I did see one, she was like a half-mile or so from me and she dressed like the men. 44:00 She had on a damn uniform and you couldn’t tell whether she was a man or a woman. Interviewer: While you were up there working on the road, did you have much— did you know much about what was going on in the rest of the war or anything, or did someone just tell you one day that the was over?” Well see, I had a radio and we had newspapers come out occasionally. I had a radio and I could get the news darn near every day. I kept up with the war especially in Europe and down there in the Pacific and I know when the war ended. Well, the war ended in Europe and they were sending all those guys from Europe over to Burma and a lot of them didn’t get there before the war ended in the CBI, China, Burma, India and they let them go home. 44:58 I know when they dropped that bomb on Nagasaki, they blowed that damn thing right out of the face of the earth and we celebrated like the war’s over. And that was the greatest thing that ever happened during the time that I was in the army because the Japs said, ―to hell with ya, if you want the war that bad you can have it‖, and they quit. 45:21 Interviewer: “Once the war ended, did you continue working on the roads and doing the same things?” When the war ended, I’ll tell you what the federal government did, now they tore up the damn roads, see I was over there when they took graders and everything, the highways, the road we built going through Burma and India, they cut that thing up and destroyed it so the people couldn’t use it no more. A lot of the equipment we used to build that road with, some of them guys, they might have been rich Indians or something, but they 23 �bought a lot of the equipment and when I left, I was one of the last guys that left, I went to a staging area in Calcutta and we had to wait two or three weeks for a boat to come there and pick us up and bring us back to the states. 46:08 A lot of my guys got away from there a lot sooner than I did. Interviewer. “Why do you think you had to stay so long?” Well you see, they let you go home on a point system. If you had a wife and babies you got fifteen or twenty points for each one of them and I didn’t have a wife or baby or nothing. You got one point for being in the army and maybe two points for each year, each month you were overseas. Well, I didn’t have enough points, so I was one of the last guys that got to go home. Interviewer: “When you were in the staging area in Calcutta, did they make you stay there, could you go into the city or what did you do?” 46:52 Oh no, we was in a camp and they had women that drove around in them rickshaws, them old Chinese gals that had them slits in their dresses and man, they would ride by the camp and they would pull their dress up and you could see those big thighs and shit and a lot of my guys jumped over the fence and go down to the whore camp and buy a piece of ass. I said to heck with it. The Chinese women carried a disease they called the ―Chinese rots‖ and your privacies would drop off and I’ve been in the hospital and seen some of them that lost their privacies and nuts and the whole damn thing—they got a big sore spot down there. The Chinese women only have one kid. I said to heck with the Chinese. I would fuck anything over there but the dang Chinese. One day I seen one come by there and I had to go over the damn fence myself. They had a prophylactic; a place where you could go and take a pro kit and I did and I went to praying to god I kept clean. 47:55 I 24 �did alright. That malaria fever, they give you a pill in the morning before breakfast and it was a yellow tablet. It turns your skin yellow and a lot of guys would take that dang pill and throw it behind them, but I took that pill every day and I never got the malaria. 48:13 Interviewer: “That was the atabrine and that was the stuff that was intended to prevent you from getting it. Once you got it, it didn’t help you much. For you anyway it worked. Now, did you need to take those pills when you were up in the jungle, or was that above where the mosquitoes were?” When I was in Burma. All the while I was in Burma, I remember taking them pills every day. 48:32 We had a medic, the guy was a medical man, when you got ready to get in line to get your food you were supposed to have some water in your mess kit—it might have been—but some container that had water in it and you were supposed to have water and when you got to that medic he gave you that dang pill and you were supposed to take it when you went in there to get your food. I did. 48:58 Interviewer: “Now, were their other diseases or medical problems that the men up in Burma had? Were their other jungle diseases and things they got?” Man at that time they had more different diseases that our medical people in this country have never heard of and I don’t know half of them. Interviewer: “Did you have a lot of guys that wound up being sick and they couldn’t go out to work or would they just go out anyway?” When you got sick up there, they put you in the hospital, but you didn’t have to go to work, especially if you had a fever and were sick enough. I was very fortunate, I stayed 25 �over there a year and a half and man I worked every day. Rain like a son of a gun, Jesus Christ, that monsoon season lasts about six months a year and it rained every day. 49:55 Interviewer: “Now the time you were up there working on the road, did they ever give you a leave or a furlough?” Ya, I got one after I was up there a year and I went to Calcutta and man I think I had 1500 or 1800 Rupees when I got down there. When I got down there, man things were so good and shit, I threw them Rupees away so fast and after I was there about a week I took inventory and I said, ―I got to ease up on the money otherwise I’ll be broke before I even leave here.‖ I did some touring in Calcutta. See, I went to the temple down there and you talk about some beautiful churches, the temples—those Indians, they put out some marvelous work and some of those places you to, you couldn’t wear shoes, you had to pull off your dang shoes and the largest tree in the world, I bet it is as big around as this dang room almost, but I seen that in India. Another thing, Hindustani, Hindu people over there—Mohammad and Anglo are the three main tribes of India, now the Hindustani are the poorest ones out of the bunch and they call them natives. 51:11 When somebody died they take and build a dang place up there like that and they burn him and they tell me—everything burns on a human being but his navel string and those dang old Indians over there, they believe this shit. When somebody dies they take that navel string and throw it out there in the middle of the river and call it washing the sins away, but it was quite an experience over there. 51:41 Interviewer: “Now, you get to the end of the time, you come back down to Calcutta, what kind of a boat did they put you on to send you home?” 26 �Well, I’ll say there was a passenger ship because it was built for a lot of men, but the boat we was on was like that too. Now, you take that Queen Mary, it was one of the largest ships afloat at that time, well, it wasn’t nothing but a passenger ship and some of the boats I was on, two different ships, the U.S.S. General A.E. Anderson and I forget the name of the other boat I was on coming back, but they were both nice. 52:20 Interviewer: “Was it on the ship going back then, was the segregation breaking down, did you have black and white soldiers on the same ship?” Oh ya, see, when I left Calcutta they put you on a boat according to your last name and we were together, go eat together, you had a bunk, either me on top of you or you on top of me and stuff like that. Harry Truman, he made it possible. [Truman ordered the desegregation of the armed forces in 1947—ed.] Truman made that statement when he got to be president of the United States. When he got to his desk he said, ―the buck stops here‖, that means the bullshit to someone else. I’ve been to his museum down in Kansas City once or twice, but he’s got a heck of a lot nicer one than the one we got here in Grand Rapids. 53:09 It’s a whole lot better than that Gerald Ford thing we got. Interviewer: “Now you sail back, you stop off at Guam, were there other stops along the way? No, that’s the only place we stopped coming back and we got within two hundred miles of the Hawaiian Islands and there was a floating mine out there and it looked like a tea kettle and that dang old boat stopped and started circling and the guys on there that was in the navy and in the other branch of the service-Interviewer: “The Marines?” 27 �Yeah, the Marines, they started firing at this thing, I’ll bet they fired at that thing twentyone times before they hit it. The waves were bobbing up and down and the ship—finally that thing blew up and man, I was standing out on the edge of the ship and it knocked me back up against the rail on the back of the boat and we were 2000 miles out of Hawaii and I came on in Frisco and we spent the night up there watching that dog gone Alcatraz. 54:23 I had been stationed in Oakland and I could see Alcatraz every day and we’d go to Frisco at night. Well, on the train we would go by where you could see Alcatraz real easy. Interviewer: “So, they get you home and they finally let you off the ship in San Francisco, then, how long before you got to go home?” Well, I’d say two to three days maybe. The doctors would examine you to be sure you didn’t have no disease or whatever. The next thing you knew, they would send you to your nearest separation center. Well, I went into the army from Battle Creek, but there were so many guys being discharged in Battle Creek, they had to send me to Atterbury, down in Indiana somewhere or to McCoy in Wisconsin, so they sent me to McCoy. My brother, he had been overseas in Germany and I hadn’t seen him in three or four years and he and a friend of mind, they met me in Chicago and we got together and came home here to Grand Rapids. Interviewer: “Now, once you came back home again, were you staying with family again once you got back to Grand Rapids?” 55:32 Ya, I stayed with my brother. I lived with my aunt and uncle before I went in the service and my brother, he was married and had an apartment and I stayed with him, I don’t 28 �know, two or three months or something. The next thing you know I got a girl pregnant and I had to get married and then I got my own place. Interviewer: “Tell us about some of the things you did when you got back, what kind of jobs you were working.” Let me see, when I came out of the service--well see, they had a program, the government had a program and they called it ―the fifty-two twenty club‖ and if they didn’t give you the type of job you had in the army you didn’t have to accept it and you could draw that unemployment, every week for fifty-two weeks. So, I applied for a dispatcher job—they wouldn’t hire no black guys in this town doing that type of work, so I drawed unemployment for seven months. 56:23 The old bank roll was getting bad and I blew $2,000.00 dollars down to about $500.00 and I said, ―I better get me a job and go to work‖, so I went to work at General Motors right over here, the one fixin’ to close up, man I got out there and they told me about all the type of opportunities for advancements and what not—so I believed them—so I got out there and they give me a job that was nasty—I was just grinding metal on the side of a car—me and another guy, but they hired the white boys and they gave them a much better job than I had. 56:59 I never did get there until on a Monday, so that third week I went out there, I’d been sick with a strep throat or something and I had been sick for two or three days and the foreman said, ―Gullick, you’re taking too much time off work‖. Well, he didn’t know I had just got up from a poker table that night, went home and got dressed, I’d been drinking all night and I said, ―man what you talking about, you look, I’m right here now‖. Well they had been going south, picking up black guys and bringing them back and giving them jobs and stuff, so me and him had a few words and I asked him, ―can you go to the office and get 29 �my check?‖ He said, ―oh no, we can’t do that‖, and I said, ―well, that’s the only thing you can do for me because I’m leaving this god damn place. I ain’t staying in the army no three years and two months and come back out here and try to make these damn cars in one day and that’s what you people are trying to do‖. 57:48 If you went to the restroom, the foreman would work in your place while you’re gone. After three weeks I quit. My brother, I told him about it and he quit the same day I did, but he had been there three or four months. We got on the bus right out here at 36th and Division going downtown the old bus driver kept looking in the mirror—me and my brother were sitting in the back and we got down around 28th Street somewhere and the old bus driver said, ―well fellas you don’t have to tell me what happened, I used to work there myself and I wouldn’t go back out there if they gave me half interest in the place‖. 58:30 That’s when I started driving cab for the black guys. Interviewer: “That was for the Victory Cab Co., the black cab company?” Yes. I stayed there until they went out of business and then I went to Diesel in 1950. I stayed there until 1980 and I retired. I’ve been out for twenty-eight years. Interviewer: “That second job was a better one than the stuff they had down at GM?” At Diesel man, everything was nice. Precision work, clean—everything, but over there at General Motors, hell, all they built was top and doors and crap and you had to lift them and do all that crap and on top of that, you didn’t get no break. See, in the army they give you a ten minute break every hour whatever you did, but here you just kept on working. 59:17 If you had to go to the restroom, the dang old foreman would work in your place, so I said, ―to hell with this noise‖. 30 �Interviewer: “Tell us a little bit about how you wind up getting involved with the baseball club?” Well, when I came out of the service—I always loved baseball see, before I got in the service and I played a little before I went in the army. After I got out, they had this team and I got involved with them and every week-end they would go somewhere to play baseball and you would get two or three bucks, maybe seven or eight at the most, and I got to know a lot of the guys and I got to know the old manager because we had a pool room around here where we all met and they had a restaurant there and a hotel upstairs and everybody would be there and those guys would be playing ball somewhere this week-end and they asked me if I wanted to go and I said, ―heck ya‖, and I went. That’s how I got involved with baseball, but I was up there in Kalkaska and Traverse City. I was up there two days and come back to Bowen and the third day I was away from here playing ball and I got seven or eight bucks up there and I got three dollars in Bowen and I said, ―to heck with the ball business‖, because I was married and had two kids and they would rather have food than baseball. I came back here and I went to work for General Motors Diesel and they had a softball team and I played softball with them until I was forty-five years old. :43 When I went there, the ball team, everybody was on the team and I met the manager and after I met him we started talking about the game and I said, ―everybody out here is trying to manage the team, why don’t you give one of them the job and you be a player?‖ He made me the captain, so I told them, ―look fellas, we’re going to play ball, now you’re either going to play or you’re not‖, and I had my own team around here once and I told them then, there aint going to be only one manager and I be the manager‖. I had a raffle and bought them all Cincinnati red uniforms and give them 31 �to them and stuff. 1:23 I had three black guys and the bastards wouldn’t do right, so I fired them and got three white boys in their place. We had a lot of fun back in them days. Interviewer: “Now, when you played and went to colored baseball games for the Negro leagues, did they play on Sunday or Saturday and Sunday?” See the Black Sox and Bob Sullivan’s team, I forget the name of them now, but they used to have baseball here every Sunday because different teams from out of town played. I seen Homestead Braves and the Kansas City Monarchs, they was a traveling team and they come through here every year and I would see them play. They had a softball team here they called King and His Court, have you ever heard of them? Interviewer: “No .” 2:05 It was a four man team, Ed Finger was the pitcher and his right arm was dang near twice as big as his left arm and he traveled all over the United States pitching softball and I seen him play three or four times. Baseball use to be the thing if you was working and living in Grand Rapids on a Sunday when them ball teams came in here to play, you had to be there. Interviewer: “Everybody look’n their best, their best clothes?” Ya, ya, and old Ted Raspberry, you heard of him, see he use to have an east, west game in Kaminski Park every year and old Paul Goebel, when he got to be the mayor of Grand Rapids—he was a republican and he tried to get Ted Raspberry to campaign for him. Ted was a democrat and Ted wouldn’t do it, but he would have his All Star game in Chicago every year at Comiskey Park and Ted would make five or ten thousand dollars from that one game, so old Goebel told him, ―if you don’t campaign and support me in this election coming up and if I get to be the mayor, I’m going to bust you‖, and Ted 32 �worked up to have a team in new York in Yankee Stadium. 3:25 One day him and me was talking and he told me he was going to New York and he was going to make eighteen thousand dollars off of that one game in Yankee Stadium and the next thing you know, Goebel got to be the mayor and he busted Ted and he had to pay ten thousand dollars cash money because Ted had prostitutes, teams, a basketball team, a baseball team, a football team, running the numbers and all that kind of crap, so they popped him and he paid ten thousand like that and two or three weeks later he popped him again—he had to pay five thousand and he couldn’t handle this, so they stopped his action and Ted had to go to selling cars around here. 4:08 He introduced me to Buck O’Neill, then on the Monarchs, and I go to Kansas City and Buck died a couple of years ago and when I’d go down there he would let me and any of my friends go through there. They got a heck of a nice museum in Kansas city and that Hall of Fame, Ted Turner was the first man that invested some money starting that hall of Fame because ABC, CBS, NBC, none of them wouldn’t invest even a quarter. After Ted Turner made his investment, these other businesses started doing likewise. Man, they got a beautiful place down there. Interviewer: “When Jackie integrated baseball, how did you feel about that?” Well, I didn’t know what to think, but I figured it was going to happen eventually. Just like this old boy now that is running for president, who the hell ever thought he would make it to be the president. It was amazing when he came out of Pasadena. See, Jackie Robinson played with the Monarchs too, I think, before he got in the majors, but Jackie was an educated man just like Obama, and Branch Rickey, who owned the Dodgers, knew Jackie’s background and everything and told him what to do and how to do things. 5:23 He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers and man I’m telling you, he made the game a 33 �whole lot better than it was and he did some things on the diamond that a lot of people never seen or heard of. I seen Jackie play two or three times. Old Roy Capanella and Duke Snyder and I forget all them guy’s names. Anytime they would be in Detroit I would come down to see them. The All Star game, if I could get tickets to the game, I’d be going. Interviewer: “Now, back in Grand Rapids there was also a women’s baseball team, the Grand Rapids Chicks, did you ever see any of their games or know any of those players?” I seen Marian Ladwig, she played with the Chicks before she turned to bowling, but when I met her she was down at the Sanatorium and Morrisey, he’d sit in a chair like this and every time she would go up there and roll the ball she would come back and he would say something to her. I got to know his sons real well, a couple of them especially and then I got to know Marian Ladwig. 6:28 We was at a Hall of Fame thing here, I say for or five years ago, the last time I seen Marian Ladwig to talk to. She was interested in one of these bowling alleys and bought an interest in that thing. A while back I asked somebody about it and she is still living. I’m 86—86 now, but she’s close to 90years old. That hall of Fame, that Bowling Hall of Fame there in Kansas City and now they are building a new one in Dallas Texas, Fort Worth and I intend to go down there next spring and see what it is like. I bowled in New Orleans, New Jersey, California, Detroit and darn near everywhere in-between. I followed that circuit man, I been doing it man for thirty some years. 7:21 Interviewer: “You have certainly done quite a few different things—think back to the time you spent in the army, how do you think that wound up affecting you in the 34 �way you see the world or deal with people, what sort of effect do you think it had on you? I think if you travel and meet different people, it’s the best education you can get. I heard once that if you could afford get your kids graduated from high school and give them a trip around the world, it’s equivalent to four years in college, but I was fortunate enough to be half way around the world, I met a lot of people and one thing about me, I’ve always tried to increase my education. I read papers, the Washington news, go places, see things and do things and I believe that contributes to my good health and my way of being now. A lot of people retire like I did and they go sit on the porch and watch the birds fly by and watch television and All in the Family and that kind of crap. I promised God when I retired I would never be a couch potato and sit there and watch TV all the time. I’m going to find something to do, go somewhere and be active. I love to bowl, I love to play golf and I play baseball and stuff and I been going practically all my life. I really enjoy going and I think one of the best things in the world a man can do is meet different people. Interviewer: “Thank you very much for coming in and talking to us today.” It’s been a pleasure, I enjoyed it because that baseball career I had and I think about some of those boys get twenty million a year to play baseball and a lot of them after they get that money, like the Tigers here, man the payroll they had last year, they give some them people all that money and they aint played a game, they didn’t do a damn thing, but they got paid. I think about the times I played and I was out in that hot sun boy, it was something, but we made it possible for them to do what they’re doing. Interviewer: “You certainly did.” 35 �36 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gullick, Felix (Interview transcript and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gullick, Felix Description An account of the resource Felix Gullick spent most of his childhood on a farm in Kansas, and then moved to Muskegon, Michigan in 1939. He was drafted and served in the US Army between 1943 and 1946. He did his basic training in California, and spent about a year working on the docks in Los Angeles and Long Beach, and later was shipped to India and spent the last year of the war with the 45th Engineer Battalion, which was building and maintaining part of the Burma Road. He was the dispatcher for his company, and effectively commanded his unit much of the time. After the war, he returned to Michigan and played semiprofessional baseball during the last days of the Negro Leagues. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Moore, Louis (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 2008-11-20 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GullickF 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/7d8518707a05a5013fbd64b64dba31e6.mp4 fa847e95c8102d65bfb45fe903a04264 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1bdf99a74d6e1d41758cb72bba4768d8.pdf be684c1e033267528137a35bca0e7fbb PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project David Guevara Interview Total Time: 54:47 Background  (00:18) Born in Martin, Michigan on October 19th, 1947 o Parents were migrant workers so they moved around a lot  (00:50) They moved to different states, picked crops, and then went back home  (1:06) Went to school, sometimes fell behind but would make it up o Went to school in Pullman, Michigan, but when he got older he worked in the fields, so it was hard to get an education that way  (1:42) Mostly spoke Spanish growing up, sometimes English  (2:08) Went to school up to 7th grade when he was 14  (2:15) He got his GED after he joined the Marine Corps  (2:41) Once he was 18 he got a job in a factory, and also worked in the fields to help his dad  (3:08) Mr. Guevara didn’t go back home to Texas because the jobs were mostly in the fields, and the factory paid him well Drafted/Training  (3:21) Mr. Guevara got his draft notice in 1968 and went to Detroit for the physical  (3:45) He mentions that his brother didn’t get drafted because he had recently gotten married  (3:55) Within two months he had to report for service in the Army  (4:07) He said many people at the induction center had excuses and were trying to get out of going to Vietnam o Some were successful in their attempts and some weren’t � (4:41) He liked it because he worked in factories and he hadn’t seen California, etc [this was after he decided to enlist in the Marines, who trained in San Diego]; he wanted an adventure  (5:00) Mr. Guevara says he didn’t know much about Vietnam other than what was on TV  (5:15) He went back to Texas to visit his family after he got his draft notice o About eight people in his family had been drafted; Mr. Guevara and two other guys enlisted in the Marine Corps before he had to report to the Army o (6:15) One reason he decided to join the Marines was because it would be more of a challenge  (6:27) He did basic training in San Diego, and then went to El Toro, California, for AIT  (6:42) He said the reception he got when they first arrived at boot camp was terrible o Remembers a lot of running  (7:22) He said he was in decent shape but the training was a challenge  (8:22) Mr. Guevara said they put a lot of emphasis on discipline  (8:35) They wanted them to obey, because out in the field they could lose their lives if they did otherwise  (8:45) Remembers when they were marching before graduating, someone made a wrong turn and everybody had to do push-ups  (9:18) He said that he didn’t have a hard time adjusting; understood the schedule, learned quickly  (10:10) Average age of the guys he trained with were about 22; most were in their 20’s o A lot of them signed up to be in the Marine Corps o They were from all over the country  (10:55) The guys that trained him had Vietnam experience; showed them scars  (11:18) After basic, went to AIT o In AIT he learned how to escape a prison camp, all they had to eat was rice o They learned how to fight in hand to hand combat �o (12:15) Mr. Guevara describes a method they used to train them when during their sleep, if they did not have their rifles together, the trainers would take them and make them exercise o (12:35) After this, Mr. Guevara slept on top of it o It was a test to see how much they learned from training  (13:19) He was assigned to be a wireman, got training for it  (14:03) There was a variety of educated people that he trained with  (14:30) Found out that some soldiers had fathers that were senators or representatives, so it was a good idea to “hang around with them” o They wouldn’t make them work as hard  (15:08) He was in training for about 5-6 months, ended in about August of 1968  (15:30) Visited home for a couple weeks  (15:41) 185 Marines including Mr. Guevara got on the same plane and took off o Stopped in Hawaii to refuel, remembers eating treats that were sitting out o (16:25) Stayed at Guam for about 2 weeks, more training o (16:35) Went to Da Nang, Vietnam Vietnam  (17:00) Remembers it feeling like 120 degrees outside when they got off the plane in Vietnam  (17:53) Within 20 minutes he got a jeep and went to an airport  (18:18) Marble Mountain was to his right when they arrived, and it was being overrun by the Viet Cong, remembers seeing machine gun tracers  (19:00) Remembers reading that there was a hospital for the Viet Cong under Marble Mountain  (19:20) Remembers his base being surrounded by other military branches, but it was attacked almost every night because the enemy wanted to destroy the planes  (20:30) He was in communications, so his duty was to replace telephones  (20:46) He also did security once a month � (21:47) He was also a radioman, and was told to speak Spanish because the Vietnamese couldn’t understand it  (22:25) When they got off the plane, the sergeant sent them to a bunker and he started working  (22:57) There were about 50 of the guys in his unit altogether  (23:54) He remember the other guys in his unit being surprised that he only completed 7th grade  (24:28) He was offered $50 more to be a door gunner for a Huey but he said no because too many people were getting killed that way  (24:40) In the quarters, they had about 10 bunks o They all worked in different shifts o Different ethnicities from different states o They all got along well  (25:51) Mr. Guevara remembers guys in his unit getting letters from their wives saying they didn’t want to be married any more o There was a guy who had this happen and swallowed razorblades so he could go back home  (26:57) He noticed a lot of marijuana use o He knew he could go to jail so he didn’t use it o A lot of beer, only 14 or 15 cents a bottle o Mr. Guevara did drink beer sometimes  (28:05) USO came to Da Nang, drew numbers and those were the ones who would get to see entertainment o Remembers Bob Hope being there o Nothing was brought to the base, though  (28:38) Mr. Guevara started working by installing telephones, was taught how to use switchboards o He wanted to do something outside, so learned how to do those kinds of communications �o Had contest with other men to see how long they could stand on top of poles without falling off  (29:50) Because of where he was located, there was a low chance of someone trying to shoot him o At night was when they got rocket and mortar attacks, though  (30:07) Remembers being on the beach near South China Sea and all the sudden they heard a boom, and saw that it was coming closer and they ran to the bunkers o After that, they were sent to pick up what was left there o Two or three were killed, remembers picking up pieces of scalps and realizing how close they were to being attacked  (32:07) Mr. Guevara said the rocket and mortar attacks did a lot of damage; they were 122’s, created a big hole o Shrapnel would get someone if they weren’t in their bunker  (33:00) He said out of the whole time he was there, only one plane was hit  (33:26) Remembers sappers trying to get into his base and that’s why they had security  (34:34) There were Vietnamese civilians who worked on the base o Remembers feeling bad because he saw the people who picked up their food eating the leftovers  (35:57) He didn’t want to go off the base that much, but remembers going to deliver stuff in a truck to Da Nang  (36:34) Da Nang was a big city, saw a lot of friendly people  (37:20) There were instructions not to go to certain places in Da Nang, they were told to go in groups, and not to go out with women  (38:00) Mr. Guevara went to China Beach, often swam  (38:41) He heard from others who had been in the jungles that they were not going to win the war  (39:30) Some guys didn’t know why they were there, but still did their jobs well  (39:45) If they did a good job, they would be allowed to go to the bar sometimes  (40:00) Pot smoking would happen while they were off duty � (40:17) He had sergeants of different ethnicities and they all got along well o Recalls enjoying themselves  (41:25) Noticed men rotating in and out  (41:41) For his kind of unit, the rotation system worked well  (42:00) The most casualties they had were about 3, he said they were prepared most of the time  (42:12) Stayed in Vietnam for 12 months  (42:30) He was offered to stay, but he declined  (42:41) He and the other guys in his unit counted down the days until they could go home, especially after 7 months  (43:06) He had a friend that would write letters for him to his family  (43:30) Remembers his and another Spanish friend’s mothers sending them tortillas and Mexican candy  (44:35) Remembers hearing about a helicopter that veered off to the left during fog and the crew was killed because they ran into a mountain  (46:00) The worst thing he noticed was the “Dear John” letters to the guys Going Home  (46:18) Got to leave in 1969, remembers landing in Okinawa  (46:37) After Okinawa they didn’t stop, continued to fly for 14-15 hours  (46:55) They flew on a commercial plane home  (47:00) Everyone was happy on the plane going home  (47:14) Once they landed in San Francisco, they went to the bars to celebrate  (47:30) Remembers hearing about the protestors and feeling bad that it happened; they had to take their uniforms off to avoid trouble  (47:58) Once he got back to El Toro he had another 3 or 4 months left  (48:20) He stayed on the base and did more wiring and communications work  (48:50) Remembers encountering a strange woman at the bar, after running away he found out that she was part of a gang � (49:58) After his time was done at the base, he flew back to Houston, Texas and went home to his mom, brothers and sisters  (50:10) He got his GED while at El Toro  (50:40) He went back to Michigan and started working in a factory again  (51:04) Mr. Guevara learned to always watch everything that’s going on around him  (52:15) He never got into fights after getting out of the service, knows people who did though  (52:35) He still gets up early in the morning because of his Marine Corps experience  (53:00) Mr. Guevara does migrant ministry; bringing them food and clothes o He has been doing this for the past 20 years � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Guevara, David (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Guevara, David Description An account of the resource David Guevara was born in Martin, Michigan on October 19th 1947. He grew up moving around a lot because his parents were migrant workers. He went to school when he could and worked in a factory. In 1968, he was drafted into the Army, but enlisted in the Marine Corps before he had to report. He trained in California and became a wireman for a communications unit. He was assigned to the Marine air base at Marble Mountain, near Da Nang. He mostly worked on the base laying communications lines, but also did some radio work, at times communicating with other Hispanic soldiers in Spanish, which the Vietnamese could not understand. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Marine Corps 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 2011-11-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GuevaraD1288V 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/0d8beb3d73466696a631308f592427b3.mp4 83115932a371edc4908a4e01d6d60dce https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2d1aff1da65e8fff1635d59888000a33.pdf 09be6087f7ad651e7fc472d872b837e9 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Tom Grosser (00:15:50) (00:14) Introduction • Born in Wayne, Michigan. • Adopted by his parents at a young age. • His father worked for Sears Roebuck in Detroit, Michigan. • His family moved to Houghton Lake, Michigan when he was five years old. • Attended a special education program at Okemos High School in Okemos, Michigan. (07:50) • Drafted right out of high school. • Was first sent to Fort Knox. • He was scared when he first arrived. • The men were polite to him. • Remembers marching quite a bit during his basic training. • After basic, was sent to Fort Custer, Colorado for two weeks. • He received orders to go to Vietnam. (10:30) Vietnam • Flew to Vietnam. • Cannot remember his first memories of Vietnam. • Does not want to talk about most of his experiences at Vietnam, because they scare him. • He was supposed to be a mechanics assistant, but was sent to DaNang. • He had to guard men who were working on a satellite dish. • He was very close to the DMZ. • Remembers being attacked, and being afraid. • The Vietnamese were fair towards him. • He cannot remember seeing any children while in Vietnam. • Lived in a tin shack while in Vietnam. • Ate Chinese food while in Vietnam, but does not eat it anymore. • Stayed in the same place the entire time he was in the service. (15:50) After the Service • Flew into Oakland, California when he arrived back in the states. • He received his discharge while Oakland. • He was supposed to fly to Detroit when he flew home, but was sent to Lansing instead. • He had to wait until his parents arrived home so he could call them and tell them that he was in Lansing. • His grandmother thought he was a ghost when he arrived home. • Worked as a custodian at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, 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/. Title A name given to the resource Grosser, Tom (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grosser, Tom Description An account of the resource Tom Grosser served in the US Army between 1971 and 1973. He served in Vietnam and saw some combat, but is still suffering the effects of PTSD and is reluctant to talk about it. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer) Collins, Carol (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-03-26 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GrosserT 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/5562568785d1bad69cb7e85003ca7ccb.mp4 7c97c2c30ee910cdecd4fc597ee821af https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6c438d16816739503fe094c3e15c2551.pdf f08cf6529aa0e105d16197a734f37428 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project Vietnam War Larry Groothuis Interview Length: (01:15:07:00) Pre-enlistment / Training (00:00:10:00)  Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943 as the first of seven children (00:00:10:00)  Groothuis grew up in Grand Rapids until the 8th grade, when his parents joined the flight to the suburbs (00:00:24:00) o Groothuis’ father worked as a produce trucker delivering produce to restaurants and hospitals from Grand Rapids as far as South Haven, Michigan (00:00:45:00)  Because of Groothuis, his father did not have to serve during World War II (00:01:03:00)  During the war, Groothuis’ father drove the produce but also hauled milk and butter (00:01:06:00) th  Through the 8 grade, Groothuis attended the Southwest Christian School; after his parents moved to the suburbs, Groothuis attended Hudsonville Unity Christian, graduating in 1961 (00:01:28:00)  After graduating from high school, Groothuis wanted to get into business because accounting was something that came easily to him and he enjoyed, so he attended Davenport University in Grand Rapids for a few years (00:01:52:00) o After finishing Davenport University, Groothuis took a job working for a wholesale distributor in the northern part of Grand Rapids (00:02:03:00) o At the time, it was only a two-year program to earn a business degree from Davenport; because the war in Vietnam was siphoning off young men, when he finished the program, Groothuis had five job offers (00:02:26:00)  At that time, Groothuis had registered for the draft in Ottawa County, Michigan and had received the classification of 1-A, although the draft was not really that big of a thing at the time (00:02:58:00) o When Groothuis and his girlfriend began talking about marriage, President Kennedy passed a law forbidding the drafting of married men (00:03:09:00)  Groothuis and his girlfriend married, purchased a plot of land between Jenison and Allendale, Michigan with the intention of building a house and someday starting a family; however, the Johnson Administration eventually changed the law regarding the drafting of married men (00:03:20:00) o When the law changed, Groothuis would go to the draft board monthly in Grand Haven, Michigan to check on his status and finally, in October 1966, he walked in and a woman at the board said she thought Groothuis would go the following month (00:03:42:00)  Groothuis went home, told his wife, and a couple of weeks later, the papers finally came (00:04:07:00)  At the time, if a man was in college or was a teacher, then he had a deferment; however, that was for Michigan because Groothuis had friends in other states who did not have the same opportunities to get a deferment (00:04:30:00) �   o In November and December 1966, there was an unusually large amount of men drafted from Ottawa and Kent counties, Groothuis included (00:04:48:00) Groothuis left with a group of around fifty other men who had also received draft notices; the group filled an entire Greyhound bus and left from Grand Haven following a short ceremony, where each man received a Bible with instructions to read it every day (00:05:22:00) o The bus initially took the men to Detroit and from Detroit, the men traveled to Fort Knox, Kentucky (00:05:41:00) The group arrived at Fort Knox in the afternoon and the bus driver told them that they had about thirty seconds of laughter left (00:05:55:00) o The bus stopped at the reception center, where a man jumped aboard and told the men they had five seconds to get off the bus; Groothuis had been around the block a little in his life and he believed that the instructors were just trying to intimidate the men, especially the younger men (00:06:05:00) o The men got off the bus and their life “began anew”; they received their uniforms, shots and took a large number of tests (00:06:26:00) o When he arrived at Fort Knox, Groothuis was over twenty-three years old and after awhile, it became fairly evident that when the NCOs needed something done, they would pick the older, more mature men, such as Groothuis, as opposed to someone just out of high school (00:06:41:00) In high school, Groothuis had not been a athlete but he was still in pretty good shape; he worked on his feet all day during high school and college but once he got a job and began working behind a desk, things changed (00:07:08:00) o When he arrived at Fort Knox, Groothuis was in, at best, medium-shape but that all changed in eight weeks (00:07:29:00) o Because they arrived in November, two of the events that the men had coming up were Thanksgiving and Christmas and Groothuis’ mindset was that the instructors were not going to keep the men at the fort during those holidays, so he anticipated going home at those times (00:07:43:00)  In the meantime, the men ran around the base for their training, as well as qualifying at the rifle range; Groothuis suspects that a lot of the men training with him had been hunters because there were several good shots among the group (00:08:02:00) o By the time the eight weeks of training were complete, Groothuis was in excellent physical shape (00:08:21:00)  The day before Thanksgiving, Groothuis received word that all the men would get three weeks' leave for Christmas, so he called his wife on Thanksgiving day and let her know (00:08:30:00)  Groothuis and his wife had not seen each other since he enlisted, although she could go down to the base if Groothuis had a weekend pass, so he made sure he did everything he could to get a pass (00:08:56:00) o One time, the wife and a friend drove the four hundred miles down to see Groothuis; after Groothuis went through inspections and some other stuff, he spent the rest of the day and Sunday with his wife and her friend (00:09:09:00) �   Once he finished his basic training, Groothuis was supposed to stay at Fort Knox for another eight weeks of training (00:09:46:00) o However, Groothuis and the others did not realize the Army was going to take the top 5 percent of the class and train them to be teletype operators (00:09:53:00)  One morning, Groothuis and about ten other men went up after formation and were told that the following morning, the men were going to get up, get on a bus, and travel to Fort Gordon, Georgia (00:10:04:00) o Groothuis and the others arrived in Georgia around Easter weekend and Groothuis received permission for his wife to move down and that the couple could live offpost, away from the base (00:10:23:00) o While at Fort Gordon, Groothuis received training in the radio teletype skill and during the last two weeks, the men received training in cryptology (00:10:46:00)  At the time, use of the radio was two-fold, either with the voice talking over a microphone or by Morse code using a code key (00:11:09:00)  Groothuis learned about radio teletype at Fort Knox but at Fort Gordon, he and the others learned how to set up large systems to send messages back and forth (00:11:04:00)  At the time, there was a gray box and the men had to set different buttons to the code of the day; this was the second part of the training at Fort Gordon and Groothuis sworn an oath of secrecy about the box and received top-secret clearance (00:11:39:00) Groothuis spent another six or seven weeks at Fort Gordon before graduating and receiving orders to report to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, which was in the middle of nowhere; the Fort’s remoteness acted as a deterrent against running away, because a soldier could either only go to Mexico or be in the desert (00:12:06:00) o Groothuis’ wife followed him from Fort Gordon to Fort Huachuca, driving with a friend of hers; the couple got another house off-post and while Groothuis would go onto the base, his wife got a job working at a local bank (00:12:36:00) o Fort Huachuca was Groothuis's first permanent duty station, although a lot of the work involved guard duty and working on equipment; Groothuis did not consider the work constructive but it was meant to hone his and the other soldiers’ skills (00:13:21:00)  Most of the other soldiers lived in barracks but the married men lived in a town outside the base (00:13:40:00) One morning, the soldiers had their usually formation, although this time, the brigade, battalion, and company commanders were there and the men were told that the unit had received orders to go to Southeast-Asia (00:14:08:00) o By this time, Groothuis’ wife was pregnant, which they were both happy about, but when Groothuis received the deployment orders, he was able to get a couple of days leave before Christmas to take her home; the day after Christmas, all Groothuis’ relatives were at the airport to wish him farewell (00:14:32:00)  When Groothuis and his wife arrived in Arizona, they became acquainted with a small church there that was similar in culture to the churches in west Michigan, so when Groothuis returned to Arizona, a man and his wife from the Church was waiting to pick him up (00:15:08:00) � When the man dropped Groothuis back at the base, the man told Groothuis two things: first, he told Groothuis to write home and take a lot of pictures and second, he told Groothuis to stay strong in his faith (00:15:36:00) o Groothuis was unable to call his wife because the Army cut off all outside communication and a couple of days later, the unit left the base very early in the morning (00:15:55:00) Deployment (00:16:03:00)  From Fort Huachuca, Groothuis’ unit flew to Tucson and from Tucson, they flew to Long Beach, California (00:16:03:00) o The entire unit was deploying at the same time, which was nice because Groothuis knew all the men and their spouses knew each other (00:16:09:00) o Once in Long Beach, the unit boarded a boat named the U.S.S. Upshire, a troop transport (00:16:27:00)  Bunks aboard the ship were stacked up six high and Groothuis happened to be second from the bottom, which was nice; each man hung all his gear from his individual bunk (00:16:54:00)  It took a couple of weeks but the ship eventually arrived at the island of Okinawa, where it stopped briefly but the men were not allowed to get off (00:17:11:00)  When the ship left Okinawa, it got steadily warmer, so the men would sit on the deck of their ship in either their t-shirts or shirtless, soaking up the sun; Groothuis himself was writing home every day to occupy his time, as well as playing poker and making new friends (00:17:18:00)  Apart from Groothuis’ unit, there was also a company of Marines and a company of engineers (00:17:32:00) o One morning, the men were on the deck of the ship and they felt it turning and changing course; looking over, the men saw a destroyer escort for the ship, which indicated that they were getting closer to Vietnam (00:17:42:00)  The unit ended up debarking from the ship at a port named Qui Nhon, which was a coastal city (00:18:04:00) o From Qui Nhon, the unit convoyed with live ammunition through the mountains to the city of An Khe (00:18:10:00)  Before arriving in country, Groothuis learned that there were a lot of skirmishes as opposed to large battles along front lines (00:18:33:00) o According to Groothuis’ own recollection, the United States was in Vietnam in order to gain a military victory to oppose the domino theory, which held that if Vietnam fell, then other countries would follow and the United States would lose power in Southeast Asia (00:19:01:00)  One of Groothuis’ friends in the unit was a man from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and during the convoy to An Khe, the man’s vehicle stopped (00:20:10:00) o The rule in a convoy was not to stop to assist any broken-down vehicles and Groothuis will never forget the look on the man’s face as he sat in his truck with mountains on either side with only one another soldier (00:20:18:00) o The convoy kept going, although a wrecker eventually came, picked the vehicle and the two soldiers up, and brought them to An Khe as well (00:20:34:00) �  When Groothuis’ unit arrived at An Khe, there was a brigade from the 82nd Airborne; the 82nd, along with the 101st Airborne, were tough and would do the lion's share [not a view shared by men in other units] of the fighting, a dynamic that changed during the Tet Offensive (00:20:48:00) o Once the soldiers arrived at An Khe, they received a meal of steak, as much as they could eat, which was a far cry from the food they had been eating on the ship, which, although nutritious, was not very good (00:21:04:00) o Groothuis’ unit arrived at An Khe in January 1968, at the very beginnings of the Tet Offensive; the soldiers' first night in An Khe, they came under an enemy rocket barrage (00:21:19:00)  During that first attack, all the men tried to get their clothes on before heading to the bunker; later, the men learned to just grab their rifles before going to the bunker (00:21:44:00) o For the first two weeks they were at An Khe, the men understood that their mission was to support the 1st Air Cavalry Division with communications between them and the 101st Airborne and the Marines (00:22:01:00)  However, after two weeks, the 1st Air Cav. and the 101st Airborne moved north and Groothuis’ unit followed behind (00:22:16:00) When the unit moved north, they did so at night and when the soldiers arrived, they took over a series of barracks, what they called “hooches”, which were nothing more than a roof with screened-in sides and plywood (00:22:32:00) o The Marines already occupying the barracks had to move into tents and there was a lot of tension and fist fights; the men in Groothuis’ unit were told to leave the Marines alone because the Marines had been through some fighting (00:22:42:00) o Shortly after Groothuis’ unit arrived, the battle around Khe Sanh began to intensify (00:22:58:00)  As the fighting increased, news came that President Johnson had ordered the soldiers to dig in and fight, which scared the men because it made them realize the severity of what they were involved in (00:23:07:00) o Once the unit arrived at Phu Bai in the north from An Khe, there was a promotion board for any soldier to go up, so Groothuis and another soldier both received promotions to be Spec-4s; originally, Groothuis’ MOS was as a radio operator but with the promotion, he became a chief radio operator (00:23:32:00)  Groothuis began operating a single radio then moved up to operating an entire radio network (00:24:18:00)  Apart from the other units, the I Corps tactical headquarters was also in Phu Bai and Groothuis lucked out because he eventually received a job at the headquarters working in an air-conditioned office (00:24:25:00)  Every so often, a general would walk into the room where Groothuis’ was working, scaring the daylights out of Groothuis (00:24:53:00) o While in Phu Bai, the soldiers ate okay, although the main menu item, which was the same thing for several weeks because the Army was unable to get supplies to the city, was mutton; to this day, Groothuis’ detests mutton (00:25:13:00)  It reached the point that Groothuis would walk into the mess, smell the mutton and decide to get a burger at the NCOs club instead (00:25:26:00) �   o All the roads in the company area were dirt and the bunkers were already built, although the soldiers had to be careful because there could be either large rats or snakes in the bunkers (00:25:45:00) o Groothuis would walk to his duty station, alternating twelve hours on and twelve hours off, seven days a week (00:26:01:00) While Groothuis would be on duty for twelve hours, every hour, he had to contact the other radios on that particular network, which were scattered throughout other bases and positions in the area (00:26:16:00) o To contact the other radios, Groothuis’ used voice mode, scrambling his voice in a box before sending the message out (00:26:27:00) o A lot of the times at night, the other radio operators would go to sleep and Groothuis would be unable to contact them, something that Groothuis would mark in a log; because he was near a general staff, Groothuis did not dare sleep when he was on duty (00:26:35:00)  Groothuis was friends with another one of the radio operators in the building and they helped keep each other awake (00:26:46:00) On the base, there were not Vietnamese soldiers but there were civilians who took over working in the kitchens (00:26:58:00) o Groothuis and the other soldiers did not have too much of a concern about the Vietnamese civilians being part of the Viet Cong; nevertheless, the soldiers were told to watch out for certain behaviors (00:27:33:00)  One time, Groothuis was sitting on top of a bunker and he saw a Vietnamese counting steps, so he immediately called his orderly room, who called the MPs, who arrested the Vietnamese; the Vietnamese was marking off the distance from the motor pool the Corps headquarters (00:27:43:00)  Groothuis and the other radio operators were kind of sitting ducks because the enemy were either going to attack the airport, which was right across the street, or the signals building, where Groothuis and the other radio operators worked (00:28:07:00)  Groothuis and the other operators experienced a large number of rocket and mortar attacks (00:28:20:00) When attacks did happen, they were often small, with the enemy “walking” the mortars in and “walking” them out; on the other hand, when the rockets came, it seemed like an earthquake (00:28:30:00) o One time, Groothuis and his friend were on duty and the friend needed to go to the bathroom, so Groothuis told him to go and he would monitor both radios; the friend was killed when a rocket attack came in and a softball-sized piece of shrapnel went through him (00:28:45:00)  After the friend had been gone a while, Groothuis asked the commanding officer, a major, what had happened and the major said that the friend had died instantly (00:29:12:00) o Overall, Groothuis believes that the enemy was just lobbing the rounds into the base; the mortars were somewhat accurate but the rockets worked with an “area of accuracy”, which meant that the rockets would land in a large area, but the enemy could not pick a specific target (00:29:48:00) �    o Next to Groothuis’ barracks was a generator trailer and one night, when a mortar attack was happening, a mortar round hit a tarp support on the trailer, causing the round to explode above the soldiers (00:30:15:00)  Groothuis, who had been lying in bed, was hit in the shoulder with shrapnel and a couple other soldiers were wounded as well (00:30:40:00)  The next day, the first sergeant told the injured men they were eligible for Purple Hearts but Groothuis did not really want to accept the medal because he had been wounded while lying in bed (00:30:56:00)  Had the mortar round actually hit the ground, the injuries amongst the soldiers would have been much higher (00:31:16:00) Because he was head of an entire radio network, Groothuis would have to occasionally go by helicopter to check and communicate with the other radio operators, who were often unreliable (00:31:35:00) o During the flights, Groothuis would fly with a general in the general’s helicopter around to the various bases in the area; the flights were during the day, which was fine with Groothuis, who did not want to fly at night (00:31:52:00) o The other radios were operated by whichever unit was stationed at the base, be it Marines, or the 101st Airborne or any other unit (00:32:34:00) During his final week in Vietnam, Groothuis went to his commanding officer (CO) to ask to visit a friend from Grand Rapids who was stationed at a nearby base (00:32:52:00) o The CO gave Groothuis the keys to his jeep, telling Groothuis to only have the jeep back by meal time, so Groothuis drove to the base where the friend was (00:33:20:00) o Groothuis found the friend, who asked how long Groothuis had been in country and when Groothuis said he was going home the following week, the friend began to cry because he had just arrived in Vietnam (00:33:31:00) When flying from base to base, the general’s helicopter would take ground fire from the enemy; however, that particular helicopter was the gunship variant of the Huey, armed with Gatling guns and rockets, so if they took fire, the crew would look for where the fire came from and attack (00:34:17:00) o Groothuis believes that the majority of the ground fire was from rifles as opposed to machine guns (00:34:43:00) o The helicopter would often get hit by the ground fire but never went down because they were never hit in a vital area (00:34:50:00) o Groothuis was more afraid of getting hit by gunfire from the open side door, so he often sat near the center of the helicopter (00:35:06:00) When Groothuis’ unit first arrived in An Khe, their CO fit in well with the company; there were a large number of Latinos in the company, either from Spanish Harlem or Dominican immigrants and the CO spoke Spanish fluently (00:35:24:00) o When the unit moved north, it was split into three parts and Groothuis’ part received a new CO, who happened to be a West Pointer (00:35:50:00)  At different times, the soldiers had to attend various classes, such as history, something they disliked doing; the classes were taught by either the NCO with the lowest seniority or the NCO with what the soldier labeled as the lowest “mentality” (00:36:08:00) �    One time, a friend of Groothuis’ raised his hand in a history class and asked if George Washington was a Democrat or Republican (00:36:36:00)  When the class ended, the West Point CO was waiting for both Groothuis and his friend and the CO warned both men to never pull a joke like that again (00:36:49:00) o Groothuis had good NCOs but because he was a little bit older and more mature than the other soldiers, the NCOs recognized that (00:37:07:00) Groothuis had a hard time obtaining any R&R but when he finally did get some, he received four days to go to Hong Kong (00:37:38:00) o Groothuis did not have a lot of money for the trip, so he wrote to his father, who sent him a hundred dollars; Groothuis also managed to get another hundred dollars in advance pay before he left (00:37:44:00) o Going to Hong Kong was nice and although Groothuis considered getting a tailored suit made because they were extremely cheap, he decided not to because he needed to send home as much money as possible to his wife and child (00:38:04:00) Groothuis also went on convoy duty, which helped him get away from the base, although everyone told him he was crazy because if the convoy was attacked, there was the possibility he could be seriously wounded (00:38:19:00) o With about two weeks to go in his tour, Groothuis was considered a “short timer” but he wanted to get out of the base, so he went up to his CO asking to go on convoy duty; the CO said Groothuis could go but he thought that Groothuis was crazy (00:38:32:00) o Convoys went daily from Phu Bai to Da Nang to pick up supplies and bring them back to Phu Bai (00:38:51:00) o The road from Phu Bai to Da Nang wound through the mountains and along the coast; at one pass in the mountains, the ground along either side kept giving way, so engineers placed a piece of metal with a metal railroad tie along the side of the road (00:38:58:00)  When the convoy went through the pass, Groothuis looked out the side of his truck and saw it was only a couple of inches away from the edge of the railroad tie, beyond which was a thousand foot drop (00:39:20:00) o The convoy eventually made it to Da Nang and began loading supplies, during which Groothuis went to the USO and got a real hamburger and French fries, which he had not have in months (00:39:35:00) o Accompanying the convoy were five-ton flatbed trucks with quad-.50 machine gun turrets mounted on them; if the crews on the guns saw so much as a puff of smoke, they would begin firing and obliterate the area (00:36:50:00) o The road was maintained by a group of engineers who slept in a culver off the side of the road guarded only by a single M-60 machine gun and a bulldozer (00:40:11:00) o Going at that single convoy was enough for Groothuis (00:40:35:00) The USO would occasionally go to Phu Bai in order to put on shows for the soldiers; it was nice to see American girls (00:40:44:00) o The soldiers also got to see the Bob Hope show once, which was nice (00:41:04:00) �     One of the biggest changes that Groothuis noticed was the attitude of incoming replacement soldiers (00:41:42:00) o Back home, Walter Cronkite and the media portrayed the war in a negative light almost every night and demonstrations at colleges and universities began to increase (00:41:50:00) o When Martin Luther King Jr. was shot, the Army played very soft music for three days because there was perceived to be a large amount of racial tension amongst the soldiers (00:42:06:00) o A couple of months later, Robert Kennedy was killed, so a large amount of the information the soldiers received about home was negative (00:42:26:00) o Groothuis believes that the United States went to Vietnam with the intention of getting a military victory but that idea changed in 1968 when Cronkite began calling for the removal of soldiers (00:43:01:00) o Groothuis and the other soldiers noticed the changes on incoming replacements, who were often insubordinate (00:43:20:00) Over the course of his tour, Groothuis’ unit accomplished their job; overall, signal soldiers were usually some of the top members of a class, so that was to be expected (00:43:47:00) When Groothuis’ unit split into three parts in An Khe, one section (Groothuis’) went north the Phu Bai, one stayed in An Khe, and one went to Chu Lai, south of Da Nang (00:44:35:00) o Initially all the soldiers were on the same schedule for going home but over time, individual soldiers would leave; replacements would come in for the departed soldiers but the replacements were often green as grass (00:45:07:00) Although Groothuis’ individual platoon, the radio platoon, was considered the “cream of the crop”, other platoons in the unit, such as the generator platoon or the motor pool, had trouble with rabble-rousers (00:45:52:00) o One time, a first sergeant who had fought in Korea pulled his pistol on an insubordinate soldier and the next day, the sergeant was gone; the older soldiers could not handle the rebelliousness of the incoming soldiers (00:46:10:00) o Instead of confronting the trouble-making soldiers, Groothuis often tried to work with them, pointing out that he did not want to be in Vietnam either (00:47:05:00)  One time, a newly-arrived soldier was pulling guard duty when Groothuis was sergeant of the guard (00:47:16:00)  Both men were on guard duty when another soldier, who was a bit of a wise-ass, began picking up rocks and throwing them in front of the guard post (00:47:25:00)  The new soldier issued the challenge word, the other soldier did not respond, so the new soldier shot him (00:47:54:00)  Both Groothuis and the other soldier were confined while the situation was investigated (00:48:08:00) For Groothuis’ individual company and battalion, the racial climate was very good and it was never a big deal (00:49:26:00) o The biggest issue was during a promotion board when everyone but the lone African-American was promoted, which upset the African-American; however, it was an honest test and the African-American honestly failed it (00:49:37:00) �    o A battalion of Marines eventually moved next to Groothuis’ unit and Groothuis’ first sergeant warned the men that if a Marines cut in line at the PX, then just let it go (00:50:28:00)  It was good advice because the Marines were wound tighter than a drum but after awhile, the tension cooled down (00:50:53:00) o Overall, the racial tension ebbed and flowed (00:51:03:00) Use of illegal and illicit drugs by soldiers was prevalent all over the base (00:51:11:00) o One of the soldiers, instead of getting breakfast after his shift ended, would smoke marijuana in a drain culvert near the barracks (00:51:20:00) o Some of the soldiers would get heroin from nearby villages that was so potent that all the soldiers needed to do was sprinkle the heroin on their cigarettes and smoke it (00:51:34:00) o Because he was a little older, Groothuis was not a victim of drug use; he saved his money and sent it home (00:51:50:00) o In Groothuis’ platoon, he does not believe that the drug use affected their overall performance to any great degree; however, in some of the other platoons, drug use was a detriment (00:52:05:00) Groothuis did not observe much in the way of tension between the soldiers who stayed in the rear area and the soldiers who had to travel to the front lines and the fire bases; however, this was because neither group had much contact with the other (00:52:54:00) o The base at Phu Bai was not an R&R area for front line soldiers to rest at; those bases were further to the north; around Phu Bai were largely more permanent bases, with a large motor pool and the I Corps headquarters (00:53:03:00) Groothuis did not often travel off of the base because he had no reason to travel off the base (00:53:36:00) o One soldier went to a village looking for company and the get a hair cut and after the hair cut, the barber slit the soldier’s throat (00:53:44:00) o There was also a large number of STDs and given his conservative Dutch upbringing in west Michigan, they scared Groothuis (00:53:53:00) o When soldiers did go off the base, it was not for very long because at night, sappers would try to attack the main gate (00:54:10:00)  Once, a couple of soldiers went into town to eat at a restaurant and they came back sicker than dogs (00:54:23:00)  The Americans owned the city by day but at night, the Viet Cong took over control (00:54:33:00) o During one sapper attack, the sappers made it as far as the front gate and were tossing their satchel charges over (00:54:44:00) Towards the end of April, a runner came looking for Groothuis to tell him that a message was waiting for him from the Red Cross; when Groothuis read the message, he found out his son had been born (00:55:32:00) o A couple of times, Groothuis was able to call home using the MARS (Military Associated Radio Stations) system (00:55:50:00)  Once, Groothuis tried to say where he was stationed but a soldier monitoring the call said that Groothuis was not allowed to tell his wife that information (00:56:09:00) �  One time, Groothuis needed to go on sick call because he had an upper respiratory infection, so he received permission to visit a small MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) set up in a tent (00:56:28:00) o When he walked into the tent, Groothuis saw the doctor working on a child that had been run over by an Army truck (00:56:46:00) o The doctor ended up being a Dutchman from Wisconsin and he offered to spend time with Groothuis when he got off-duty, which Groothuis accepted (00:57:41:00) When he first arrived in country, Groothuis was unable to attend church services until he learned the ropes of his job (00:58:33:00) o Although Groothuis did eventually go a couple of times, the services were very unlike the ones back in Michigan; still, they were better than nothing (00:58:57:00) Return / Post-Military Life (00:59:23:00)  Groothuis knew the date he was leaving Vietnam, November 4th, for some time, so on the 4th, he went to the orderly room, where the first sergeant told him to come back the following day (00:59:23:00) o Groothuis went back the next day and the first sergeant told him that he needed to go visit several different people; the CO also offered six thousand dollars tax-free if Groothuis would re-enlist for another six years, but Groothuis respectfully declined, saying he had a family at home he needed to get back to (00:59:35:00) o After processing out, Groothuis flew out the next day on a flight to Da Nang; from Da Nang, he flew to Cam Ranh Bay (01:00:02:00) o In Cam Ranh Bay, Groothuis boarded a plane with soldiers who he had spent his entire time in the military with (01:00:13:00)  From Cam Ranh Bay, Groothuis arrived back at Fort Lewis, Washington; throughout the day, the soldiers processed out, including receiving their final pay and a plane ticket (01:00:32:00)  It got to around eleven o’clock at night and although there was an offer to spend the night at the base, Groothuis and another soldier took a cab to United Airlines, where they learned there was a flight to Chicago leaving in ten minutes (01:00:50:00) o When the flight arrived in Chicago, Groothuis decided to call his wife to let her know he was back in the United States (01:01:18:00) o Once Groothuis arrived at the airport in Grand Rapids, his wife, six-month old son, parents, and in-laws were all waiting for him (01:01:38:00)  When Groothuis arrived in Washington, the animosity towards the servicemen was not that bad yet; if there were any demonstrators, Groothuis did not see them because he and the other soldier ran from the cab to the airport (01:02:09:00)  While he was in Vietnam, Groothuis received a lot of support from back home, including letters from two older ladies who had done the same thing for his father-in-law (01:03:36:00) o As well, he was fortunate to be working for a good employer because when Groothuis received his draft notice, his boss to him that when he returned, his job would be waiting for him (01:04:01:00) �      In the first couple of days that followed his return, individuals kept coming over to Groothuis’ apartment to welcome him home (01:04:17:00) o It took Groothuis about a week to readjust to civilian life, after which he called his old boss, who told Groothuis that they had been waiting for him (01:04:40:00) o Groothuis goofed off for the month of November but when December rolled around, he went back to the same job he had before enlisting (01:04:56:00) By in large, Groothuis did not talk with others about his experiences in Vietnam; one of Groothuis’ customers had also served in Vietnam and the two men made a compact to never talk about their experiences (01:05:15:00) o Within the past five years, Groothuis is able to talk about his experiences without become too emotional (01:05:30:00) When he returned home, Groothuis carried both physical and emotional baggage, including exposure to Agent Orange, which involved contacting the Veterans Administration (VA) (01:06:07:00) When Groothuis arrived in Vietnam, he knew that in one year’s time, he would be going home, which was a nice feeling; on the other hand, soldiers today do not have that sort of luxury (01:08:15:00) Serving in the military was a tempering experience for Groothuis; he was a young Dutch kid raised in the culture of conservative west Michigan and serving in the military wised him up very fast (01:09:04:00) o It was the same experience for Groothuis’ wife, who, while Groothuis was stationed at Fort Gordon, got a job working in a grocery store that had segregated bathrooms, something neither of they could believe still existed (01:09:18:00) o Prior to his time in the military, all of Groothuis’ friends, contacts, and acquaintances came from a very specific culture but serving in the military cause him to have a greater appreciation for his country and made him realize that just because someone came from a different culture does not mean they were a bad person (01:10:05:00) o Groothuis believes that his service strengthened his faith, although it caused him to doubt several times in different situations (01:10:53:00) Presently, Groothuis and his wife work as part of a disaster relief group working out of Grand Rapids (01:11:49:00) o As part of the group, Groothuis and his wife have been to the Gulf region at least a dozen times, to North Carolina, to Washington state, and to California amongst other places (01:12:35:00) o When Groothuis first joined the group, he worked in both Turkey and Kosovo as part of international relief efforts (01:14:13:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Groothuis, Larry (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Groothuis, Larry Description An account of the resource Larry Groothuis was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943. He was drafted into the Army late in 1966. During basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, he was selected to go to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for training as a teletype operator, and from there was sent to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he served until late in 1967, when his communications company received orders for Vietnam. The unit went by ship, arriving in Vietnam in January, just before the Tet Offensive. His unit initially coordinated communications between the 1st Cavalry Division and other units while based at An Khe, but soon moved north to Phu Bai, and Groothuis was promoted and put in charge of the communications net for all of I Corps. He remained at Phu Bai for the rest of his tour, but made regular trips to other bases by helicopter with his company commander, and also periodically traveled with road convoys simply to get off the base. The base itself was relatively secure, but subject to regular mortar and rocket attacks, one of which killed one of his friends, and periodic sapper attacks. 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 United States. Army Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-06-17 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GroothuisL1119V 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/77c1a4415dcf73fb30ef51bba7fae8d3.mp4 c400e4e9b43f4c5294a42f00c8fdf194 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/54448aa218121c8a6a179ba4846d3539.pdf 0bf3a6efb1a0a5184871432d5453a2a7 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project World War II Richard William Groggel Length of Interview (00:43:33) Background and Training (00:00:00) Born July 22, 1924 Served in WWII, France and Germany 1st Lieutenant, highest rank achieved Wanted to join the Marines with four of his buddies, but found out that he was color blind Took one semester of college at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo (then called Western Teachers’ College) Called into Service, went to Camp Grant, Illinois for Induction (00:01:25) Then went to Texas for Basic Training and Anti-aircraft Sent to North Carolina for Officers’ Candidate School  Groggel’s instructors called him a “90-day Wonder,” reserved a 2nd Lieutenant commission Went back to Texas for Anti-aircraft Training with a battery of officers  Training in anti-aircraft automatic weaponry  40 millimeter machine guns Went to Fort Benning, Georgia for eight weeks to train as an Infantry Officer Shipped to Camp Roberts, California, to train troops; 16-week training  Got fed up with the trainees  Wanted to enlist somewhere else �France and Germany: 90th Infantry Division Before this happened, had orders to go overseas; went to Fort Meade, Maryland (00:03:35) Shipped over to Liverpool, England; stayed for a couple weeks Crossed the English Chanel over to France Joined the 90th Infantry Division as a Replacement Officer; 359th Infantry, 3rd Battalion, KCompany, 2nd Platoon (00:04:05) They had just crossed the Moselle River when Groggel was shipped in; very tough battle, had a 110% turnover Groggel was given charge of the 2nd Platoon; no men left, was given 20 men, supposed to have 48 His Platoon worked their way to the Saar River, crossed there in engineering boats (00:05:02)  It had flooded, so they had to wade most of the way across Groggel was sent out into the Siegfried Line, a man from another Company took his Platoon out at night  Strung up phone lines  His Platoon was replacing another, in a German Pillbox  Artillery fire caused them to lose communication with their Company Next morning, found a three-story Pillbox  Went down a ramp to the entrance; had beds and food on the base floor  2nd Floor, had sliding-door entrances  3rd Floor, a tower with a periscope and four or five doors that opened and allowed the machine gun to fire  Germans would always attempt to shoot the periscope out  The Germans landed on the top of the tower one night and smashed the periscope  Whenever Groggel’s Platoon heard someone outside, would throw out fragmentation grenades; could hear when someone was hit � Threw a few German Concussion Grenades if they weren’t sure someone was coming; these grenades had varying fuses The next morning, had a BAR Team (Browning Automatic Rifle) stationed at the two sliding door entrances; pulled those men out from that level for a break (00:08:02) The Germans blew those doors out; thankfully no one was hurt His Squad leader, whom had a German background (Schwarz), attempted to use a porthole to fire a machine gun Germans fired and a piece of shrapnel hit Groggel’s Sergeant’s cheek The Groggel’s men thought they would surrender On the way up (from Moselle River), had lost their Platoon Leader, who was from D-day  The Platoon Leader had been injured, but not too badly; ran off to the back of the lines  The previous Squad Leader had also been injured and ran off POW (00:09:53) Groggel had a decision between fighting until they were blown out; or to surrender and save his men’s lives The Squad Leader called out to the Germans; it was dark at this time The German in charge came up to them and pointed to a dead man on the ground, saying it was his best friend  Groggel thought that the Germans would take them back and shoot them  Taken to a bunker, instead Groggel’s men were all searched The German in charge acted cocky, like the portrayals of German Officers in the media They eventually took Groggel away from his men (he doesn’t know what happened to them) (00:11:15) Held with some other officers and outfits that were taken Wound up being taken to register as a POW �Went through Poland and five different War Camps; in Poland for less than two weeks, Russians had come  Had to quarantine because some men had Scarlet Fever Marched with the refugees, 350 miles in 45 days up to the Baltic Sea  Went to Hannover, Germany In Hannover, was with prisoners from other countries Hannover, March 27: heard battle outside, thought they would be liberated (00:12:22)  General Patton had sent a company of Tanks and Armored Infantry 60 miles behind the lines; the General had a cousin, Lieutenant Colonel Waters, who was in the camp Wound up going to Nuremberg, Germany; there for three days in the prisoner camp; American troops were coming, were marched to Münchberg, Germany (near Munich) (00:13:00) Liberated from Münchberg on April 29, 1945 Had been captured at the Pillbox on December 9, 1944 Came back home, given a leave-of-absence; went to Florida to get reassigned Wound up at Camp Robinson, Little Rock, Arkansas; discharged from there Marching Poland (00:14:28) The trek across Poland, when he was captured, was very grueling  Little food, marching with the Polish, who were very kind people  Sometimes ran across a Red Cross Parcel  Used cigarettes to trade  One night, stood in the rain for 14 hours for a cup of soup and a loaf of bread split between six people Heard about another prisoner (a few years before present day) that had gotten sick during the march 225 miles in; was captured by the Russians (00:15:52) 1500 prisoners in Poland to 500 prisoners in Hannover; many had gotten sick, or captured �The conditions in Bavaria were a little better because the weather was warmer (00:16:35) Was reunited with one of his buddies he enlisted with, a Tail-gunner in a B-24 just before they were liberated Recognized Val (his good friend) on a motor bike, but finally met him when he was in the latrine a few days later Went back overseas together During the march, had to worry about frost (00:18:00)  Every night, the Germans would try to house the prisoners in a barn  When they would leave to continue the march, would send dogs into the barn to see if anyone was hiding in it; they also would shoot the barn with machine guns  Some would try to escape, but it was futile unless they knew how to speak German When he was captured, along with four other officers, they boarded all prisoners on a 3rd Class train on Christmas Eve (00:19:10)  Had three guards on them; youngest was 57 years old and the oldest was 61 years old  When approaching Koblenz, Germany an air raid was alarmed and everyone was taken off the train to the shelter  One of the guards forgot their rifle, so Groggel handed it to him; figured they would need it  Went on to Lindberg, Germany to get registered (as a POW) During the war, food was scarce, so as they took the train from Poland, Groggel could see carcasses of horses along the tracks cut away (00:20:20)  Would be fed horse meat, some men even ate it raw  Had grass soups  Had to get through it, some men couldn’t handle it �German Pillbox Story, revisited (00:21:18) The base floor had a lot of bunks and food stored The second floor had the sliding doors for protection When they had to get out, they burned the maps and information; then waited till dusk so it would protect them from enemy fire They were going to escape, but they had already begun firing at the doors; so they were captured April 29, 1945, General Patton came through Münchberg and liberated them; they were overjoyed (00:23:15)  One man wrote it as, “If you wanted to see grown men cry…” after their liberation Military Life and Training (00:24:05) Had a lot of new responsibilities; early morning calls, evening: taps; training systems Basic Training for Anti-aircraft had to train with rifles and weapons; Infantry: learned to counter blows against an opponent with the butt of a rifle, very rough Part of the training for Infantry, Infiltration Course: crawled across the ground on your stomach to avoid machine gunfire, conditions would change often Bivouac days, 25-mile march back to camp after two weeks of training on the field, a little tough Didn’t write much after going overseas; when captured, was given the opportunity to write a card home (00:26:03)  Newspaper back home (in Kalamazoo), would list MIA’s, so Groggel wanted to tell them what had happened to him; he arrived home before the card ever did Groggel had an older brother in the Marines who was over in the Pacific, there for about three years (00:26:55)  Groggel wanted to be in the Marines but couldn’t due to his Colorblindness  Out of the three guys he had signed up with for the Marines, only one got in, John Rapids Describes his specialization in Anti-aircraft (00:28:00)  Divisions and Units were always sent together overseas �Home (00:28:47) Wasn’t hard to readjust to civilian life; went back and finished college  The hardest thing was going back in to Chemistry  Went into Business, Mathematics and Accounting mainly; got a Bachelor’s Degree in Science Kept in contact with one of his buddies (Val) after the War, knew of others who had served A man in Lansing who had been in his Battalion and Regiment saw Groggel’s write-up in a Bimonthly Division Paper contacted him (00:30:03)  Invited Groggel to go to France to review the territories after meeting with him a couple times  The French were celebrating the Veterans and what they had done for them; paid for their travel, one day  Heard about this in a newspaper (Chicago Tribune)  Spoke with another Veteran who went through the March from Poland, as well France, revisited (00:33:50) Wasn’t in the ETO for very long  Went across the English Channel and landed in Omaha (after the Invasion)  Very choppy waters, storms  The conditions for battle were very foggy in France  Trenches were filled with water; Army Paper: change your socks everyday  There was a German tower beyond the hill Groggel’s men were behind, but couldn’t see anything  Germans would fire mortar and artillery, shrapnel  When “Screaming Mimi’s” were heard, had to take cover in the trenches  Always heard the V-1 and V-2 Bombs; couldn’t see them because of the fog  Had to keep silent to see where they would explode �o At the beginning of the War, the Germans did not have many of these Bombs, it could have made a difference in the War’s turnout Felt overjoyed when coming back home, didn’t really think of how the War affected him (00:37:15) Glad that he didn’t go into the Marines or his other choice of service (gliders?) because he may have never come back home Did not have any serious individual meeting with the Germans; had their zone to protect; very short period of time Very thankful for being able to come back home Lessons (00:38:55) Learned to listen, be on time; think as a whole, not about oneself As an officer, had to be a strong leader When at the Pillbox, sent out some scouts Found out that Groggel’s Division (90th Division) was at the Battle of the Bulge, December 16 Had another older brother in the Navy and a younger brother who was a Paratrooper The fights now are different; in WWII, you knew who your enemy was, now there is a lot more subterfuge For those who aren’t sure what they want to do, joining the Army is a good way to learn discipline Feels very proud to have served his country � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Groggel, Richard (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Groggel, Richard Description An account of the resource Richard Groggel served during World War II in Germany and France as a Replacement Officer for the 90th Division in 1944. Shortly after arriving, he and his severely shorthanded platoon were captured by a German outfit when defending from a pillbox. Groggel was then registered as a POW on December 9, 1944 and was sent to a camp in Poland. A few weeks later, as the Russians approached, the prisoners marched across Poland to Germany, under grueling conditions, and then had to march south from Hannover to Munich as other Allied forces approached. His liberation by General Patton's forces came on April 29, 1945 in Münchberg, Germany. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Krieger, Ben (Interviewer) Schram, Donald (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 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 2009-10-11 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GroggelR0327V 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/19d62439ce950adfa373ba357a48845f.m4v d553df72c794f75b1ef4eca437ab548b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fd2a2533f572e042e0e06a5cf2ef6787.pdf 6a8aa027e4585531fa2803c9366deece PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project World War II Jake Grit Length of Interview (01:19:16) Background (00:00:16) Born in Grand Rapids, MI; March 16, 1923 Father was a cabinet makers; wasn’t able to keep his job through The Depression Lost the farm during that time Christian High School, graduated 1941 Wasn’t worried about what was going on in Europe, more focused on sports Had a job in the furniture factory, then a railroad job Service (00:02:42) Drafted into the Army on March 1943, on his birthday  Didn’t consider enlisting before because he wanted to help out his family (00:03:40) Reported to Allegan County (00:04:08)  Told him when he would report and was sent to Camp Grant  Given a uniform in Camp Grant Sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina for basic training (00:04:48)  Learned how to be a soldier  Regular Army training; learn to follow orders and march  Did well with the training; was able to follow orders well  Not many men got in trouble, good crew of men from all over the country  Did AIT, as well; there for a few months  Always with the same group of men Would get passes into town (00:07:29) � Close to Raleigh, North Carolina; would visit places, eat food Regular Army Training- combat training (00:08:12)  Trained with a rifle and .30 caliber machine guns  Stayed in the camp for a long time, was in the 78th Division  When going overseas, transferred to 9th Division Was a PFC when leaving North Carolina (00:10:13) Europe (00:10:37) Shipped out and sent overseas, sailed out of Boston  Kaiser Victor Ship  Sailed in a convoy, zigzag across  Some ships in the convoy took submarine damage  Sub emergency drills- had to go onto your bunk, stay out of the way and off deck Very stormy weather in Northern part of the ocean, a lot of people were sick (00:12:33)  One staff sergeant was sick the whole way Took about 14 days, landed in Moscow (00:13:08) Shipped down to somewhere in Wales; went as a Replacement (in 9th Division), designated this when leaving the United States (00:13:27) Joined the Army in ’43 and had been in training for about a year (00:15:00) The invasion of Europe happened after Grit arrived; watched fighter and bomber planes fly overhead (00:15:12) Grit had to get his teeth filled before going into combat (00:16:12)  Joined his unit in the 9th Division on September 6, 1944 Crossed the Channel in a British boat, got on landing craft and landed on Omaha Beach (00:16:43)  Saw what was left of German houses and bunkers (00:17:38) �Crossed France in an Army truck, picked up from the beach after landing (00:18:06) First action happed two days after joining the 9th Division, September 8 (00:19:25)  Was in the front lines  Can’t remember it very well After getting across France, was in the “War Zone” (00:21:02)  When Grit arrived to his company had about twenty other men, at most, who were there as replacements  Sergeant gave orders and Grit had to follow them  Most men usually didn’t talk to replacement soldiers because they believed they would get killed right away (00:22:29)  Grit wasn’t given much advice about combat; some men gave advice though, usually his Sergeant did this  Told to keep your head down and follow the Sergeant’s orders because they had to work together  Did connect with the other men eventually Battle of Hurtgen Forest (00:24:40) Was in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest  One of the worst battles his company ever had  Was in a thick fir tree forest, very dark  Had fire lanes in there which the enemy watched closely; tanks and guns  The enemy used a lot of artillery  Had to be careful and quick to get into a foxhole or out of sight  Made foxholes at night so they couldn’t be seen Was a rifleman during this time, only a PFC (00:27:10) Became a Sergeant not long after because of numerous casualties (00:27:28) � Wasn’t the easiest job  In charge of a squad of 12 or 15 men; sometimes smaller, 3 or 4  New men almost every day, did his best to prepare them  “Keep your head down.” During the Battle of Hurtgen Forest, had food brought up by crews from the kitchen gang (00:29:20)  Given C and K-rations  Always kept fresh water in his canteen Was cold there, had trouble with Trench Foot  The moisture froze in the foxholes The Hurtgen Forest was a hard fight for both sides (00:31:48)  Hard to see the enemy in the forest  Saw the body of a dead German Officer, no one moved him for fear of getting shot Was pulled out of the line and into the Reserve Area for a while until a replacement came (00:33:20) Battle of the Bulge (00:34:38) Went into the Battle of the Bulge with the 9th Division, came in at the North end of the Bulge  99th Division replaced them and were hit hard  Saw German soldiers using an American jeep to go into town, was the 99th Division’s  Were using it because they had it, no subterfuge 9th Division was mostly in defensive positions during December ’44 and January ‘45 (00:37:05)  Stayed in the front but then the whole unit was moved back  Had to camp outside during this time, many men got frostbite and trench foot because it was so cold  Given canned heat, Grit kept his socks dry � Told his men to do this, as well The men’s morale was low, always complaining (00:38:47) Often saw American artillery observation planes overhead (00:39:07)  Sometimes saw a few patrols of bombers and fighters  Didn’t get support from the Air Force often, the Colonel had to call in to get support  Saw Thunderbolts (P-47’s) dive bomb during combat; didn’t use rockets, used 500lb. bombs Remagen Bridge (00:41:18) Early 1945, Grit’s unit moved toward Remagen Bridge  31 mile march  Bridge was riddled with holes, crossed on the bridge  Did this during the cover of night  Unit crossed it in the period of one day  Fought hard to keep from being pushed back  Mostly fought enemy infantry and some tanks, a lot of artillery  Felt like they were being shoved back, had to stand and fight  Got some support, just infantry  The fight lasted about a couple days, hold position at nights After securing the position, they kept moving forward into Germany (00:43:47)  Half the time wasn’t sure if he was in Belgium or Germany Didn’t see many civilians; when put in reserve, saw more but wasn’t allowed to speak to them (00:44:55) After American troops crossed the Remagen Bridge, the German soldiers fought harder; the closer they got to Germany, the harder the enemy fought (00:45:38) Doesn’t remember where he went after crossing at Remagen �April of ’45, saw a German airplane crash near Grit’s position (00:46:43)  Ran over to see what happened  The lieutenant Grit was with took the dead pilot's jacket “More fighting to do” (00:47:51) 1945, was hiding in a house from the Germans  Hid 14 of his men in a house for 12 hours  Was in a barn and could see German soldiers through the knocked-out tile of its roof  The Germans eventually left  The 47th Regiment of his divisin came and they joined them After joining them, Grit and his men had more fighting to do (00:50:00)  Went to the next town and found no enemy soldiers  Became more and more common that German soldiers evacuated the towns before American troops arrived  Grit felt that they were afraid of the Americans, afraid of being shot After a while, the enemy soldiers knew they wouldn’t be shot, surrendered peacefully (00:51:35) Had to stop some Russian soldiers from crossing American lines with a truck (00:52:05)  Shot the front tires off  Had a man in his unit who could speak Russian and spoke with them  Told them to go back to their own lines and they did When the war had ended, Grit’s troop had been at a city in Germany (00:53:30) Grit never saw the war or concentration camps (00:54:05)  Went through Nordhausen where he saw pits filled with the dead  All hadn’t even been covered up, bodies were just thrown in �Occupation (00:55:07) Was in the Occupation for six months after the War ended  Acted as an American Police Force  Had men and three jeeps under his command that patrolled counties of Taffenhoffen, Germany  The countryside was similar to America, a lot of farms  No fraternization allowed Policing similar to that in America, protected the civilians and made sure no one got hurt (00:56:20)  Germans didn’t cause any trouble for Grit Had a point system and couldn’t wait to go home (00:57:00)  Grit didn’t have much time in the Army, so his points were really low; had to wait a little while Got out of the Germany after he got all of his points (00:57:42)  Discharged January of ’46, so probably got home late ‘45 Battle of the Bulge Injury (00:58:11) Was in the Battle of the Bulge, and a mortar shell hit ahead of him  The shell was designed to give men concussions, no shrapnel  Blew him against a tree  Caused him to get a Purple Heart  Out of action for three days  Was brought back to a mess tent so they waited for him to awake and rest  Medics didn’t do much with him because he had no shrapnel wounds  His back and leg were injured  Was given the job of calling in the mortar fire � Didn’t have to walk, carried the car beam Used a walkie-talkie to call in the mortar fire (01:03:00)  Worked about less than a mile ahead of the mortar crew  Gave them the range  Had to go ahead of the line for observations  A very dangerous job  Germans tried to pick up on his radio’s signal to block it  Did this for the rest of the War  Never got hit and kept his calls short as possible  Confirmed hits and the situation  Called in the crew when there were enemy machine guns  Could see if the shells would land When Grit saw the 99th Division come in, brand new soldiers that came to relieve his unit (01:07:08)  A lieutenant had wanted to bring in his bedroll into combat and Grit told him not to  The man did listen because he couldn’t fit his bedroll in the foxhole Stories/Extra (01:10:20) Was in a town where Grit butchered a chicken so his unit could eat it, the woman who owned the rooster was very mad and started yelling at them in German  First time they had fresh meat since leaving the U.S. Depended on the action to gauge whether they lost a lot of men or not (01:11:55) Near the end of the War, everything slowed down; less casualties and actions (01:12:45) He was the oldest man in the company, had more experience than a lot of the officers (01:13:03) �Going Home (01:13:40) Took him, and many other men with the same number of points as he, and took them in trucks to Omaha Beach, shipped back to England, then back to the U.S.  Went in a better ship than when he came to Europe, was in a regular transport ship  Was a faster boat, as well Landed in New York, could see the Statue of Liberty (01:16:06)  Not sure where he went after  Headed straight home after being discharged from Camp Atterbury, Indiana  Took a bus home Didn’t take a job right away, rested for a while (01:17:00)  Went back to the railroad he left, asked to become a mechanic  Ended up a foreman in the mechanical department, specialized in airbricks Learned discipline, how to discipline others, and how to give and take orders; learned quite a bit (01:18:30) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grit, Jacob (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grit, Jake Description An account of the resource Jake Grit was drafted into the Army in 1943 and fought in World War II. He served in a rifle company in the 9th Division, which he joined as a replacement in September, 1944. He saw action in the Hurtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, at the Remagen Bridge, and in the advance into Germany. Despite the intensity of some of his combat experiences, he did not have enough points to go home right away, and spent several months with the Army of Occupation in Germany. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-09-22 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GritJ 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/634bd9b46f6f6eb361e3618383de126f.mp4 e248ed0d0c5bea216648c6bbebbe8e3f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8381d6ccbaa5d142640e1740e9c211e3.pdf 95f679ac63a1adcce3c6809aac7fe88e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee name: Guy Green Length of Interview: 32 minutes Pre-Enlistment (00:11) • Background (00:18) o Green served with the 336th Bomb Squadron of the 95th Bomb Group and the 13th Combat Wing of the 8th Army Air Force. (00:20) o Mentions that he was inducted into the Army on January 1943 in Chicago, Illinois. (00:44) • Education (00:47) o Graduated from high school and then was assigned to Fort Sheridan, Illinois for induction. Was there for 2 weeks. (01:03) o Upon completing testing to determine possible capabilities he was sent to Keesler Field in Biloxi, Missouri for basic training. (01:21) Enlistment/Basic Training (01:22) • Where he went and what company he served with (01:25) o From here he was sent to Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he attended radio operations and mechanical school for 16 weeks. (01:32) o Was then shipped to Treux Field in Madison, Wisconsin and upon graduating from here worked for 3 – 4 months in the control tower. (01:50) o After this time, he was shipped to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri for classification. (02:12) During his stay here he was hospitalized for 34 days. (02:20) ƒ Unfortunately due to his hospitalization he missed cadet training and had two options: either go to gunnery school or return to work at the control tower. He chose gunnery school. (02:32) ƒ Upon graduating from here, he went to MacDill Field in Tampa Bay, Florida for overseas training for a period of four months. (02:54) �o Afterwards, he was shipped to Hunter Field, Georgia and then to Savannah, Georgia and then to Dow Field near Bangor, Maine where he received his equipment to go overseas. (03:27) ƒ Describes his Atlantic crossing and some of the places they stopped along their way. (03:37) o Upon landing was transported by train from Wales to the 95th Bomb Group in England where he had further training from September 1944 to March 1945. (03:51) Active Duty (04:04) • Background/summary of bomber campaign (04:10) o Green mentions that he flew 35, combat missions over Germany. (04:14) o Backs up and mentions that before being sent overseas he had a 30-day leave upon which afterwards he was sent to Santa Ana, California where he believed he would be assigned to work with B-29s headed for Japan but instead was sent to Sebring, Florida to work for a month at a B-17 transition school. Briefly describes his one month there. (04:51) o Was then shipped to Greenville, Mississippi waiting for discharge and then sent back to Treux Field where he was discharged. (05:03) • Friendships while in the service (05:15) o Describes in some detail the type of relationships he had with his bomber crew; where they were from and what positions they held while serving together. (06:13) o Also mentions what each of his friends did after serving in the military in some detail. (06:55) Mentions that his bombardier became a group bombardier leader. (10:12) o Mentions a story of one of the wives of his friends flying in a B-17. (10:42) o Also relates several stories at the veteran reunions of them swapping stories of the bomber campaign in Germany. (11:27) • Emotions aboard the bomber plane (14:09) o Describes the daily routine of a day in the life of a bomber pilot consisted of. (14:44) �ƒ Also discusses what military briefings entailed in some detail. (15:54) o Also mentions that bomber pilots never knew if when they went on bomber missions whether they were going to return or be shot down and captured. (15:48) ƒ One possibility discussed by Green is that if you crash landed in the Netherlands that you could be captured by the Germans or Dutch sympathizers who would than turn you over to the Germans. (16:23) ƒ Discusses how one of his buddies was rescued by a Dutch boy who then helped him into a hospital only to be turned over to the Germans afterwards. (16:45) ƒ In another instance, another one of his friends relates his experiences to him of his time in 16 POW camps. (17:33) ƒ Green mentions that for any bomber pilot it was a stressful situation in being shot down. (18:05) ƒ Describes his friend Bill’s D-day landing in the swamps and that everyone who served in the service had different perspectives. (18:53) ƒ When WWII ended he was stationed in Greenville, Missouri and ended up celebrating his birthday when Japan surrendered. (20:07) ƒ Was sent then sent to Treux Field where he was discharged. (20:45) After the Service (20:59) • Adjusting to Home (21:02) o After being discharged in September 1945, he went to Wabash College in Indiana the following January and was there for 2 years. (21:33) Afterwards he attended and graduated from Northwestern University. (21:40) o Mentions that he never discussed his military service until after 1985 when some church goers read about his experience in a local magazine. (22:11) o Briefly describes what both German cities and London looked like after the carnage by U-2 bombs and buzz bombs devastated the area. (22:42) • Life Lessons (23:26) o Describes what the Army taught him in some detail. (23:42) �o Briefly describes some of the events that his unit took a part in at several veteran reunions. (25:21) o One story he relates is of being given a rifle and told to guard German POWs and that if they tried to escape to shoot them. (26:54) o Going into the service Green mentions was a great thing and how U.S. citizens don’t appreciate all the opportunities we have in our country. (27:57) o Briefly discusses his grandchildren and wraps up by showing pictures of his time in the service. (30:02) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Greene, Guy (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Greene, Guy Description An account of the resource Guy Green is a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army's 8th Air Force from January 1943 to September 1945. In this account, Greene discusses his pre-enlistment, enlistment and basic training, and also gives one a brief picture into the bomber campaigns over Germany entailed. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Albright, Ashlyn (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Air Force 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 2008-06-01 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GreenG 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/b9c7160a7a33193b5c88f75cf3d53dc7.mp4 7def7f9b5edb0590a7dca90ce01d8dd6 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7e02a83db55d3df6d74ca5946863b6e8.pdf cccb66d11180f3174a4525053dc49c86 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: Vietnam War Interviewee Name: Rex Greenawalt Length of Interview: (01:22:33) (03:45) Background Information       Rex was born on October 5, 1947 in Plainwell, Michigan His father owned a dry cleaning business in Wayland, Michigan where Rex worked part time with his parents and siblings Rex went to Wayland High School and often rode his bicycle on the freeway to get there It was a small school and there were only about 30 students per grade Rex ran track, bowled and was part of the chess club He graduated from high school in 1966 and had planned on going to a business school in Maryland, but was drafted into the Army in September of 1967 (14:00) Training  Rex had a serious girlfriend before getting and had wanted to get married, but they decided to wait until he was finished with the service  Rex went through basic training at Fort Knox in Kentucky  He later went through infantry school at Fort Polk in Louisiana  90% of the men training at Fort Polk were expected to be sent to Vietnam  Rex was able to take time on leave to visit his girlfriend and go to the prom with her  He then went to Fort Benning in Georgia for non-commissioned offer’s training school  Rex unfortunately washed out of this course and then received orders to go to Vietnam (23:05) Overseas  Rex shipped out from San Francisco during a Fourth of July celebration in 1968  They stopped in Hawaii and then eventually landed in Vietnam  From a distance it looked like the whole area was on fire; there were fires burning everywhere because they burned their sewage to prevent it from effecting the drinking water  Rex was placed in a holding company and had to help with laying cement sidewalks  He was not enjoying his duties and volunteered for scout dog training school (28:05) Scout Training School  Rex sat around in the school for days waiting for the dogs to be shipped in from the US  His dog came from an animal shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada and had already been training at Fort Benning in Georgia �       The school was actually for the men and the dogs had already gone through training During his first day with his dog, Rupert, Rex spent the whole day just talking to him and getting to know him The dogs would go out in the morning and had to be completely silent Their job was to check out an area before a company went through and sniff for bombs, enemy forces, etc.. The dogs were only allowed to work 3 days in a row and then had to have 3 days off The scouting was like a game to them and after a few days they would get bored with it Rex spent a total of 2 weeks training with Rupert (38:40) 25th Infantry Platoon  Rex and Rupert were sent to the 25th Infantry Platoon Scout Dogs after their training  They were divided into squads and put into a small fire base that was an old French outpost where the US troops were storing cannons  They usually had 4 days off at the base and then were out working for 1-3 days; they were basically on call  The Vietcong were offering civilians a reward of $1,500.00 for capturing scout dogs and their masters  That was a lot of money considering the annual income for civilians at the time was only $2,000.00  Rupert was very protective of Rex and his belongings (46:20) Scouting  Rex had been issued a sawed off M-16 so he could still work with the dog while carrying the gun  They found many things while working: weapons, caches, bodies, enemy, graves…  Whenever they stayed out over night he always had to build shelter for Rupert before himself  His orders were that the dog came first; he had to feed the dog before himself  He was to work with the dog, never to get into combat  They once had been walking along a trail and his dog picked up an unusual scent  Everyone was very careful while the dogs were looking around, but no one could find anything  They all knew something was up, but could not figure out what was going on (56:15) Wounded  Rupert ended up walking into a trip wire attached to a 250 pound bomb  The explosion scared everyone and they were all shooting with lots of confusion  Rex was shot in the leg and went down during the confusion �   The explosion had been from a US mine that was stolen from the Vietnamese Rex was put in a hospital in January 1969 and Rupert was given to a different handler After recuperating Rex was put on light duty and he was very sad that he could no longer work with Rupert (1:00:05) Wounded Again  In March of 1969 Rex had been traveling through the jungle and his unit was attacked by the Vietcong with AK-47s  He was hit twice in his other leg and went down while grenades were landing all around them  He was in shock and could not feel his wounds, so was able to run and escape  Rex was separated from his unit and trying to find the trail back  He was very happy when he found his men and he began to realize that his wounds would allow him to go back to the US  Rex was flown out of Vietnam and into Tokyo, and then to Okinawa for 1.5 months while recuperating  Rex eventually made it back to the US and was in a hospital in Kentucky for another 1.5 months because his wounds had become infected (1:10:20) Discharged  Rex was discharged on July 10, 1969 and his parents drove to Kentucky with his girlfriend to pick him up  It was nice coming back to Wayland and Rex soon proposed to his girlfriend  They got married on November 15, 1969 and have since been married for 35 years  They moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and Rex began working for K-Mart  In 1998 he began having health issues and later retired in 2002 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Greenawalt, Rex (Interview outline and video), 2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Greenawalt, Rex Description An account of the resource Rex Greenawalt was born on October 5, 1947 In Plainwell, Michigan and graduated from high school in 1966. He was drafted into the Army in September of 1967 and went through basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and then infantry school at Fort Polk in Louisiana. Rex was sent from California to Vietnam on the Fourth of July in 1968. Rex went through Scout Dog Training School and became the handler of a dog named Rupert. They then began working with the 25th Infantry Platoon Scout Dogs. Rex was eventually wounded in both legs and sent back to the US and discharged in 1969. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer) Collins, Carl (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-08-21 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GreenawaltR 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/82af93bc3522f462c8f3753a011c38a8.mp4 476acee06182a6f1682a5b02fba74c23 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/88ae41a6c253449eaf131042562588e5.pdf c19296f77a44e2927ec84494a76a99e5 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Robert Green (00:36:31) Background (00:10) • Born 08/3/1930 (00:10) • Served two years in the army at Fort Carson, Colorado. (00:27) • Grew up in Lowell. His childhood was normal for the times. (00:56) • Frequently fished at the Grand River, sometimes alone. (01:05) • Had summer jobs. (01:15) • Had one younger sister, and one younger brother. His brother was nine when he was in the service. (01:24) • Played with other kids on the West Side. (01:44) Enlistment (01:56) • Was drafted, did not enlist. (01:56) • Expected to be drafted, knew it was coming. Some older men had already been drafted. (03:18) • Went to Detroit for a physical, took a bus. (02:25) • Fort Carson was “quite an experience.” (03:06) • Left by train. (03:20) • The train ran out of ice for the air conditioner, so they opened the windows, which let in smoke. (03:27) • The trip took overnight. (03:45) • The dining car was just a box car with stoves installed. (03:51) • Work at Fort Carson was very physical and the training involved lots of walking. Korea had very hilly terrain, and the army wanted them to be prepared. (04:03) • He saw his Army activity as being like other jobs. After Basic training the experience became more interesting, as he had more free time. (04:35) Active Duty • After Basic, he went to a service company. He was a mechanic with armored units. (05:11) • After Basic, names were read for deployment to Korea, and then Germany. Everyone else was left in Colorado. (05:41) • He was asked if he wanted to be a mechanic or a truck driver, he chose to be a mechanic. (06:22) • After deciding to be a mechanic, he took a ten week long course for mechanics. (06:44) • He was trained for tracked vehicles in MOS. (07:28) • Fort Carson was near Camp Riley. Camp Bunson had basic training with one thousand men, and was especially rigorous. (07:40) • The schools had small groups. There was also a cook and linemen’s school. (08:16) • When he finished at the schools, he went back to Carson. (08:30) • At Riley, he worked on engines. They also had a good size pond, which they sometimes used to test tanks in. (08:40) • His favorite part was test driving units after fixing them. (09:28) • The area was very desolate. (09:51) • Daily life at Carson was very similar to civilian life. They woke up at seven to east breakfast in the mess hall. They had another hour at noon, and worked until the evenings. The evenings �• • • • were free, and sometimes he took a bus to Colorado Springs. This schedule held for Monday through Friday. (10:10) He was a mechanic until he was discharged. (11:06) He became a corporal, and probably could have been sergeant but ranks were frozen. (11:16) He had ten days furlough each year, during which he came home. The first time by train, the second by car. (11:53) It was a long drive, about two days and two nights. The train ride was about twenty hours. (12:12) After The Service (00:12:38) • After the service, he got a job at a shipping garage. He transferred from one garage to another until he worked in Grand Rapids for thirty years. (12:38) • He married 1955. (13:50) • The military was a great experience for him. It changed his perspective. (13:57) • He saw people from all over the country, from all walks of life. (14:02) • Some had deep roots. One man was related to Davey Crockett. (14:31) • He enlisted with his cousin. He didn't keep in contact with many of his Army friends. (15:19) • He worked as a factory mechanic from 1962-1992 as a heavy equipment mechanic. (15:53) • His father was a mechanic, but worked on cars in the Model T days. (16:44) • Knows a lot about older cars. (16:44) • Junked cars before working for the military. His first car was a 1937. (17:16) • Member of the American Legion. (17:38) • Member of the Black Horse Organization. An armored car unit. (17:48) • Knew men in the 14th infantry from working with them. (18:38) • His brother served in the Marines in Vietnam, and a cousin served in the Navy for twenty years on aircraft carriers. (19:00) • He likes to attend Army reunions, especially for Iron Horse. (19:45) • The speakers at the events are usually Colonels or Generals, one had received a Medal of Honor. (20:07) • A young George Patton started the Army reunions. (20:30) • Another man involved in the reunions served under Patton and was enlisted during WWII, Korea, Vietnam and then retired and became a teacher. (21:06) • Iron Horse regiments have been used everywhere. Iron Horse regiments chased Pancho Villa. (21:53) • They have also been used in Falta, Germany, and California. (22:15) • One battalion has been used in Iraq. (22:45) • Has four children, fourteen grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. (23:18) • Has been married for fifty-one years. (23:34) • He met his wife through his sister, who was her co-worker. His sister was sick, and she came to visit. They met in February and married in June. (24:44) • Small-towns were different at the time, he finds it hard to explain. (25:12) • Very few buses in the area. (16:19) • Everyone from Cascade Road to Forest Hills went to Lowell High school. (26:29) • Before going to the army, he was told not to volunteer for anything. If they needed men, they would be ordered to go. (27:07) • ROTC and West Point are good gateways into a military career. (27:57) • Computers, electronics, or similar jobs are generally good. (28:47) • Navy was a good branch. (29:12) • Many of the trucks were six by sixes. Many of the truck drivers worked for other bases when �• • • • • • needed. (30:35) One year at the camp, they made a movie. A fake village was constructed, to look like a Korean village. The truck drivers worked on the set. (31:51) The actors drank large quantities of beer. The truck drivers often drank as well. (32:40) Camp Carson was a mixed staff. Armored car, Air Force rescue outfits, 4th and 97th Field Artillery were in the area as well. (33:05) Mules carried wheels and barrels for the artillery. The men with the mules walked to Grand Rapids. (34:03) The mules were moody, and sometimes ran off. (34:44) The Army was sometimes hard, but full of good people. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Green, Robert J. (Interview outline and video), 2006 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Green, Robert J. Description An account of the resource Robert Green served in the military for two years during the Korean War. He was drafted, but served at Fort Carson, Colorado. He was raised in Lowell, Michigan along with his two younger siblings. While in the Army, he was a mechanic on tracked units. He reminisces about some of his camp experiences, and explains some of the training he underwent. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Newman, Bradford (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 United States. Army Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2006-06-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GreenR 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/5ce97532aa7bad6b9d18b8a6022a1134.mp4 e29bb642cab831aa7fdcc3adffa3f255 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/169bf04329784986894e41ca8238bf96.pdf 300151485a9f615d3cde9a6f8fd338ad PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Charles Grasman World War II Total Time: 1:00:56 Childhood and Pre-Enlistment (0:00:00) • • • • • Born in Georgetown Township, MI in 1923. Enlisted in December, 1942. He was 19 years old. His parents did not want him to sign up at first, but they finally agreed. Attended school up until the 8th grade. Wanted to be a pilot when he signed up for the Army Air Corps. Training (0:05:25) • • • • • • • • • • • • Left in February, 1943 for Basic Training in Miami Beach, FL. They were housed in the Haddon Hall Motel in Miami. Was there for two weeks and then moved across the street. They were there for a further two weeks, and then they were shipped to Erskine College in South Carolina. He was at Erskine for 5 months and learned mathematics. (0:08:52) He was then shipped to Nashville, TN where he was classified. He was put into pilot training. He was then shipped to Alabama where he was taught the coursework on how to fly a plane. Then he went to Clarksville, MS to fly training airplanes. This training was about 9 weeks long. (0:10:10) From there he was sent to Greenville, MS and then to George Field, IL for twin-engine school. (0:11:00) Then attended four-engine B-17 school in Florida. Got married to his girlfriend and then they moved to Sebring, FL so he could finish basic training. He was then shipped to Lincoln, NE where he was supposed to enter B-29 school, but they didn’t have enough openings in the program so he was unable to attend. He was sent back to B-17s He was then sent to Ardmore, OK with the crew that was assembled. He attended combat training in Ardmore. Then went back to Lincoln, NE and was issued their combat equipment and were shipped to Norfolk, VA where they got on a boat for Europe. This was in March, 1944. He was on the SS Mariposa. There were around 400-500 men. On the way over they ran into a German submarine and had to turn around for a time but they finally turned back He graduated as a second Lieutenant �Active Duty (0:24:40) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Disembarked the boat in Naples, Italy and took a train to the boot of Italy. They slept in tents in Italy. They had 4 officers in one tent and 5 enlisted men in another tent. (0:27:40) His first mission was in early April. He flew as a co-pilot with a seasoned crew. The mission was over Northern Italy, and lasted 6 hours 8 minutes. His crew got along very well. After the war ended, his B-17 shuttled soldiers from France home between Pisa and Casablanca. (0:34:14) His typical mission was to either Northern Italy or Austria, and was generally 6-8 hours in duration (0:34:54) On one mission, he got two of his engines shot out on the same side. They were shot out by anti-aircraft fire. He was on his way to the target when he lost the engine over Austria. He was escorted back by Tuskegee Airmen to the base. Remarked on how good the Tuskegee Airmen were. The Germans looked for stragglers when they were attacking bombers. One of the worst places to fly was the oil fields in Romania [Ploesti], as there were so many anti-aircraft guns. They usually bombed around 28,000 feet. A good bombardier could hit target from around this height. Generally bombardiers did not decide when to deploy the bombs, they just deployed theirs when the lead bombardier in the formation deployed theirs. (0:44:23) Their group had a good range of experience. He had four missions by the end of the war. He was initially going to go home at the end of the war, but they changed the system so he didn’t get to go home immediately. (0:46:40) He did a number of tasks in the interim, including flying troops around and accident investigation. Got to spend some time in Switzerland after the war, and noted the May Day festivities. Had some opportunity in Italy to tour around as well. He was shipped to Le Havre, France, and was shipped back to New York. Got on a train to Camp Atterbury, IN and joined the Reserves. Post Service (0:55:40) • • • Did quite a bit of work with the Civil Air Patrol when he was in the Reserves. Was also assigned as a ground school instructor. Spent some time on the road as a salesman Lived in Traverse City, MI and worked as a housing manager for a Ski Resort, and then moved back to Grand Rapids, MI and then back to Traverse City, MI. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grasman, Charles (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grasman, Charles Description An account of the resource Charles Grasman was born in Georgetown Township, Michigan in 1923 to a family of farmers. He enlisted it the Army Air Corps at age 19 and began a lengthy training regime to become a pilot. He was eventually assigned to become a bomber pilot and flew B-17s for the duration of the War. He was stationed in Southern Italy, and flew raids into Austria, Romania and Northern Italy. After the War, he served some extra time in Europe flying GI's to ports to be sent home, and doing other tasks. He joined the Air Force Reserves after his discharge. 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 United States. Air Force 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 2008-09-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GrasmanC 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/a670b43f92de530c13831e4e5429f4d4.mp4 56f1a9efe455af3ea0e7e4d5dead3c4f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e63bab6d808ffb8c2b5a3633328d57b3.pdf 233c837706ff97cdf7ec6770cdc72566 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Bruce Grant World War II (51:19) Background Information (00:14)     Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1923 (00:16) Enlisted in the Marine Corps when he was 17. (00:24) His mother passed away when he was an infant. His father worked as a tailor. (00:45) Because his father traveled often, Bruce lived with his aunt on occasion. (1:10)   He attended Hughes High school and later the University of Cincinnati after his service. He enlisted before Pearl Harbor because the Depression made work difficult to find. (2:40) Basic Training (3:14)           He was sent to Parris Island, South Carolina, for boot camp before being transferred to Camp Pendleton, California. (3:40) Boot camp involved a lot of physical training and practice with rifles. (4:50) There was a lot of emphasis on discipline. (5:15) He remembers a particular Sergeant (Sergeant Woods) who aided Bruce with his schooling and got Bruce into radio training. (5:55) He was sent to the Hawaiian Islands by boat from San Francisco California. (7:20) When Pearl Harbor occurred in December of 1941 Bruce was in the 1 Marine Division at Camp Pendleton. He was soon transported to Hawaii after Pearl Harbor. (7:48) In September of 1942 Bruce’s Unit is sent to Guadalcanal. (9:30) At this point Bruce was a foot soldier and carried a rifle. (10:00) While traveling across the Pacific there were constant air raid warnings. He went across the Pacific on a cargo ship. (10:10) When he crossed the Equator men who where new in the Navy (Pollywogs) were initiated as Shellbacks. (11:09) st Guadalcanal (11:33)      He came in with the initial landing at Guadalcanal. (11:36) After securing Guadalcanal, Bruce was sent back to the Hawaiian Islands where he was enrolled in a radio school. (12:10) Landing craft were used to land on Guadalcanal. (12:22) While on Guadalcanal Bruce and his unit ran patrols until they encountered Japanese soldiers or were relieved. (12:40) He could see the shelling from battleships off shore at night. (13:24) �       Every night the Japanese would try to breach the Marines' line. (14:00) Patrols were conducted by the Marines during the day and the night. (15:00) Early on in the battle there were supply shortages. However, Bruce’s unit never ran low on food. (15:26) He was able to see Henderson Field and eventually was stationed on it. (16:05) Henderson Field was often bombarded at night while Bruce was there. (17:17) Near the end of Bruce’s time at Guadalcanal Bruce did encounter some of the native people that were being used as scouts. They were very courageous fighters. (18:10) His limited knowledge of Morse code made Bruce one of the more qualified soldiers for radio school. (19:40) Service in Radio School (20:28)       Radio School lasted 2-3 months. (20:48) He joined the BMB 612 Squadron after having completed radio school. This squadron flew converted B25s. (20:56) This squadron flew only at night. (21:37) He trained with this squadron while in Hawaii and stayed with it till the end of the war. (23:27) He admired the men in his squadron. There were high casualties among pilots. (23:50) The squadron’s first main base for flying missions was in Hawaii. However, this location was only intended for training. (24:55) Service in the Pacific (26:30)           The Squadron flew 37 missions all together. (26:45) Almost every mission there would be a target. The aircraft were told to fly only above a particular parallel and attack any target that moved above that parallel. (27:00) The aircraft did not have escorts. (27:38) The aircraft flew individually in 3 separate sectors. (28:28) The aircraft would be out on a mission for 12-14 hours. Extra fuel was carried to compensate for this extra time. (29:10) The base facilities were all very good. The pilots typically slept in tents. (30:12) There were 18 planes in Bruce’s squadron. (31:17) The squadron took very high losses (approx. 50%). (31:26) He did not see too many Japanese prisoners. (33:40) When Bruce arrived at Iwo Jima there was still fighting on the North end of the island. (34:12) Shot Down (36:35)   Bruce’s plane was shot down while at Iwo Jima. When it was hit, he and his fellow crewmen ditched the plane and landed in the water. (36:40) All the crew members had life jackets. Bruce sent in a radio signal that his plane had crashed. After 12 hours in the water the crew members were pieced up by a PBY Catalina seaplane. (38:00) �      The men stayed together by verbal communication while in the water. They were very frightened of sharks. (39:30) The crew was not given any time off after having been shot down. (42:28) The squadron then was stationed at Okinawa. Here the squadron flew missions to Japan and Korea. (42:45) Bruce was on Okinawa in August of 1945 when the war ended. After the war ended he was stationed in Japan. (44:46) Bruce served in Japan for 2-3 weeks. Here he did very little work. (45:22) He was discharged from Great Lakes Naval Base in 1945. (46:35) Life after Discharge (46:40)      After being discharged Bruce returned to the University of Cincinnati in Ohio and worked in communications. (46:48) Bruce worked in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids Michigan at a radio station. (47:14) He worked at WJBF for 7 years. He helped start WGRD in Grand Rapids Michigan and WTRU in Muskegon Michigan. (48:19) He also worked in television doing voiceovers in advertisements. (49:30) He was invited back to the Marines in approx. 1950 for the Korean conflict however Bruce turned it down. (50:06) Effects of Military Service (50:20)  Bruce had a very determined “get it done” attitude after his military service. (50:38) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grant, Bruce (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grant, Bruce Description An account of the resource Bruce Grant, born in Cincinnati Ohio in 1923, served in the U.S. Marines Corps from 1940 to 1945 in the Pacific during World War II. When the war began, he was with the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, and deployed with the division to Hawaii and landed in Guadalcanal in September, 1942 He initially fought as a rifleman, but wound up as a signalman on Henderson Field. When the division was relieved, he was sent to radio school and then assigned to a Marine bomber squadron that flew night missions in B-25s. His squadron trained in Hawaii and then flew out of several different islands, including Iwo Jima and Okinawa. His plane was shot down off Iwo Jima, but the crew was rescued by a seaplane after about twelve hours and put back to work. 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 United States. Marine Corps 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 2011-07-26 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GrantB1171V 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/70e243ebdaecba21a6c9a68b3dd80bc8.m4v ff7d8c825340dd2d42829ed03019ce5a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/52dc7e7c40c08b7e6d601f53eb3de51b.pdf 0d110250158e9df53de9ecea570d6a8b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project Bob Grahl World War II Length of Interview (01:13:50) Background (00:01:10) Robert J. Grahl, Sr. Born May 21, 1923; Taylor Township, MI (now lives in Polk City, Florida) Was drafted into the Army, was living in Wyandotte, Michigan Working at Ford Motor Company, on a four year scholarship in dye making  Went to school on his off hours Was married at this time February 18, 1943; Mary, born in Richmond, VA Basic Training (00:04:20) Took a train to Detroit and was inducted in Fort Wayne, Detroit Went to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan; there for a couple of days Put onto a train, didn’t know where he was heading; arrived in Fort Butner, North Carolina Didn’t have too much to debate because Grahl wasn’t sure what was going on Given a uniform in Fort Custer and not much else Took basic training in Field Artillery in Fort Butner; 3 months  Learned to operate all the weapons of his unit: 105 Howitzer, 50 caliber machine gun, M1 Carbine, 45 caliber Pistol  Learned different firing positions: ammunition bearer, position, firing Can’t clearly recall any of his instructors, were reasonable people (00:07:40) Lived in a two story barracks Stayed in the camp after graduation as he was a part of the artillery unit; more training  307th Field Artillery Battalion, M Company, 78th Infantry Division �Stayed in the camp for 16 months all together, working with other units of the division Overseas (England, Italy) (00:10:50) Taken from the unit and sent to another camp closer to the coast In Virginia a couple of days for shots, sent to Maryland Boarded a ship to be transferred overseas to Scotland Ship called the Aquitania (a cruise ship converted into a transport) Landed in Scotland; ship was able to outrun U-boats, so no convoy Would often watch the zigzag wake from the back of the ship Glasgow, Scotland (00:12:50) Got on a troop train in southern England (100 miles from London) Visited London after getting a pass for finishing training; visited the bombed areas Spent about 6 weeks training in Infantry Tactics July/August 1944, travelled to Italy (00:15:15)  Went to the coast of England and took the same transports as those used for D-day; landed on the beach of Omaha  Stayed at the top of the hill for a couple of days, trucks eventually took them to Cherbourg, France  Took a C-47 to Italy (hadn’t known where he was going at the time) Plane landed in an airport near the Leaning Tower of Pisa (Pisa, Italy) (00:17:36)  A camp was nearby where they received their latest equipment; issued a .45 pistol, was in the machine gun squad  Went to a city called Florence (by truck) and travelled north to the center of the state Met by officers to be assigned, then went to the M Company camp as replacements  M Company, heavy weapons company; facing a part of the Gothic Line  Didn’t have any artillery pieces in the M Company � 363rd Infantry, not in an artillery unit yet Would go up to the Gothic Line to protect from German infiltrators  Two week cycles between R&R and going up to the Line  Would protect different areas every cycle  Terrain was mountainous, but would be in the valleys most of the time  Didn’t encounter any infiltrators; saw no action during this time The third time being at the front, Grahl became ill; had hepatitis (00:24:18)  Sent to an Aid Station in Florence then flown to a hospital in Naples  Spent three months in hospital; no medication, just bed rest and balanced diet  Took physical training to get back in shape Flown back to Florence to the same company (M Company) Continued the two week cycles Heading North (00:27:40) Spring Offensive  Gothic Line, coast to coast of Italy (north of Florence) After the initial contact, started attacking the German positions (heading north) May 6 (Germans surrendered), made it up to Trieste, on the border with Yugoslavia Stayed there for a couple of months First casualty in the unit was a man setting up a machine gun; the bullet had hit the steel liner and injured the man’s neck  Was with a corporal (a radio operator), had dug a foxhole (three feet deep) and Grahl was sitting on the edge of it  As Grahl was about to settle down in the fox hole, heard someone holler, ‘Medic!’ the corporal next to him had been shot (German sniper from an adjoining hill- very accurate)  May have been aiming at Grahl because the radio was near him (April 1945) � Infantrymen formed a squad and brought the German soldier back on the hill; German was eliminated before he made it up the hill Drew back from the position and was taken over by a different squad; began heading north (00:33:45)  Kept chasing the Germans and would engage those they found  Moved daily to follow Kept this up until the Germans surrendered VE Day (00:35:34) Near Trieste, , near the coast of the Adriatic Sea Grahl and a group were given passes to Venice, Italy for a day His unit stayed in Trieste for a couple of months  Didn’t do much but guard (perimeter security) Rode in boxcars and stopped in Rome (returning to the United States) Got to Naples where a ship was ready to take them to the States Two weeks later, arrived in Norfolk, Virginia (their ship was near the Rock of Gibraltar when the Japanese surrendered – VJ Day) (00:37:40) Scheduled to go to the South Pacific but given a referral Stayed in the camp in Newport until his papers were organized; went to Camp Grant, Illinois to get a 45 day referral A friend of his (combat engineer) had just been married and both he and Grahl’s wife were sharing an apartment together Discharge (00:40:30) Got a second pass for 30 days, eventually went back to Camp Grant Didn’t have enough points and had to wait until the points were lowered Discharged January 8, 1946; went back to Wyandotte, Michigan to reunite with his wife Returned to Ford Motor Company to continue his education Graduated from the Tool-and-Die class �A recession was happening at the time, so Grahl was laid off Took a job with a relative Life in the Military (00:42:45) Had his faith to get him through the War  Carried the New Testament Bible in a plastic cover over his heart On the Line, ate K-rations; R&R given hot food, able to take showers  No problem with supplies Stress was their lifestyle No particular games for entertainment; no USO Shows, played softball during R&R (00:46:53) In England, was given a pass to London, made a trip to the bombed areas (00:48:15)  Spent a couple of days there During training (Camp Butner, North Carolina), made to fire a 50 caliber machine guns at moving targets (00:50:45)  25 or 30 machine guns set up; Grahl in the first row to fire  Given the order to fire, Grahl pulled the trigger and the gun promptly exploded  Wearing leggings (made of heavy canvas, laced up the sides) at the time; unlaced them before the medics arrived  Had been in a seated position, legs stretched out in front of him; pieces of the metal from the cartridges injured his legs during the explosion  Taken to the camp hospital; found powder burn, some bleeding (from the metal) After the Military (00:55:20) Retired from active work after 30 years of working with a company (May 6, 1983); a machinist Didn’t establish any close friendships during his military years (00:56:50) Didn’t join any Veteran’s groups, sends donations to Disabled Veterans of America Afterthoughts (01:03:00) The wars we have been in recently have been difficult; hard to fight people so set in their ways � The enemy was more clearly defined in World War II After the military, tried to maintain the same standard and style of living he had before the War Shows and explains documents and pictures from his time in the military (discharge papers, military pictures, patches, V-mail) (01:07:20) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grahl, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grahl, Robert Description An account of the resource Robert Grahl was drafted in 1943 and trained as an artillery gunner. He was shipped to England in 1944 and initially assigned to the 78th Division in Normandy, but before he saw action there, he was reassigned to the 363rd Infantry Regiment north of Florence. He spent several stints in the front lines confronting the German Gothic Line defenses during the winter of 1944-45, but this was interrupted by a bout of hepatitis. He returned to his unit in time to participate in the spring offensive in 1945, and his unit had reached Trieste on the Yugoslavian border by the end of the war. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Erichsen, Wallace J. (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 2010-07-03 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GrahlR 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/c00da6c27a518e0d3025220c379c85c3.mp4 30d23b9f809d8c1f0f44a21290a95c20 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/87d0b9d830f366a992cef39ec1a6615c.pdf 82a8f685a8728a76da4949f2b6813a81 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Walter “Red” Graham Total Time – (02:11:00) Background · His father was born in Lowell, Michigan to English parents and his mother was born in Ohio (00:03:20) o His mothers family is supposedly related to Jimmy Carter’s family · His grandfather had a farm in Lowell Township on Cascade Road (00:04:35) o It was 160 acres · He was born January 1917 in Lowell, Michigan (00:05:23) · He had a relative named Robert Graham that was a well known architect o His relative was the architect for 14 buildings in the Chicago Expo in 1893 (00:12:10) · On the farm, they had a rotation of oats, wheat, corn, and hay (00:15:15) o Wheat was their main crop o They sometimes grew potatoes as well · They raised short horn cattle, sheep, and pigs (00:16:02) o They farmed with horses · He spent a lot of time working on the farm o He took care of the chickens (00:16:38) · His brothers were named Elmer and John – he had an older sister as well o They were all 18 months apart · His sister died from diabetes when she was 17 years old (00:19:12) · He went to school at Merriman School (00:20:23) o It was a country school o Got there at 8 in the morning and got done at 3 in the afternoon · He walked to school every day (00:20:51) · During school, for recreation, they enjoyed playing games – hide and seek, red rover, etc · The school had roughly 20 students (00:23:49) · After going to Merriman, he went to Lowell High School where he graduated in 1935 (00:25:42) · They drove their parents cars to school o They drove a Chevy · His future wife went to Lowell High School as well (00:26:39) �· He did not have much of a social life o Living on a farm, there is always work to do (00:28:03) · He ran track in school and played football for 1 year o They played Belding, Grandville, Allegan, Ionia, East Grand Rapids, and many others (00:29:55) · In high school, he studied Agriculture, Math, English, Algebra, Physics, etc. (00:31:15) · He was 18 years old when he graduated from high school · After graduation, he began working at a service station · He was allowed to use a field that the community made a baseball diamond out of (00:32:31) o He pitched for nearly five years (00:32:50) o They named their team “Hot Points” (00:33:32) o They played all around the area · Besides the station, he worked with trucks as well (00:37:39) Enlistment/Training – (00:41:02) · The draft began in 1941 (00:41:14) · He was number 38 in the Kent County draft (00:41:21) · When he received his draft notice, he knew that he had to go (00:41:38) o He got a postcard in the mail that told him he had to report · He went to Lowell, Michigan for his physical o Went to your local doctor (00:42:09) · He then received a date to appear at Fort Custer (00:42:26) · After signing up, you had 48 hours before you had to leave · He was at Fort Custer for 3 days (00:43:11) · The draft was supposed to only be a 1 year obligation · He was then sent from Fort Custer to Seattle, Washington (00:44:25) o Went on a train – it took five days (00:45:14) · There were nearly 200 men in the train · Once they arrived in Seattle, Washington, there was a ship waiting to take them to Whidbey Island (00:45:55) · The majority of the men were from Chicago, Illinois · His girlfriend did not want him to go, but she realized that it was what had to be done (00:48:14) o She went out to Seattle to visit two times o She traveled by herself on a train (00:49:27) o She stayed nearly two weeks · At this point, he was at the very bottom of the ranks (00:50:34) · On the island his job was to clean guns, pick up cigarettes – they trained on antiaircraft guns, 3in guns, and he became a certified power operator (00:50:57) · He then applied for a fireman job �· · · · · · · o Had that for nearly a week (00:51:58) He spent nearly a year on the island His girlfriend Dorothy came out the second time in September, 1942 (00:52:46) o They got married September 27, 1942 He wrote her and told her that they should get married (00:53:19) Dorothy stayed out there and ended up doing office work for the Navy (00:53:34) He was one of the few soldiers that had a car – he rented out his car $.10 a mile (00:54:57) o Someone wrecked and damaged his car He earned 400-500 extra dollars a month from his side business In Seattle, he worked on anti-aircraft guns, 3-inch defense guns, and then on machine guns (00:59:58) o He was working to protect the harbors of the United States Active Duty - (01:01:10) · He was then transferred to Alaska (01:01:19) · They went up to Alaska in the ship “Cordoba” – it was an old wooden ship (01:01:43) o It took a week to get there · He was stationed at Kodiak, Alaska (01:02:29) · The Japanese were within gun range of Dutch Harbor, Alaska (01:03:25) · He never actually saw any Japanese ships · At one point, he saw a floating dead seal – he skinned it and kept it to take home (01:05:36) o Made cigarette pouches for his comrades · He was a Private First Class (01:09:00) · He only saw one accident with a gun when he was in the service (01:10:30) · In Alaska, he was part of the 14th Coastal Artillery (01:10:57) · After Alaska, he went to Fort Lewis, Washington - 1944 · From Washington, he was sent to Oklahoma where he was retrained before being shipped out again (01:11:47) o This training was essentially the same thing as previous training § Everyone had to be able to read weather, learn to walk, hike, care for different weapons, etc. (01:12:32) · He then shipped out of Oklahoma to Newport News, Virginia (01:13:07) · They shipped on a brand new luxury ship set up for troop movements (01:13:28) o It took roughly a week to get to Italy o They went across the Atlantic and through Gibraltar o They stopped somewhere in Africa for refueling (01:14:24) § Probably Algiers o They landed in Naples, Italy · Once he arrived in Naples, he headed up through the mountains in Italy �· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · (01:16:29) o Eisenhower’s philosophy was to take the route, regardless of manpower (01:16:52) He traveled through the Po River Valley in Italy (01:17:32) o The valley compares to the Mississippi River – it is large and navigable o There is a lot of agriculture and food raising o The soldiers were warned to go in doubles or more They sometimes divided their food with the local children (01:19:14) One night, there was 4 inches of snow at night and they went into town where there was a building with a hole in the roof – the snow had fallen in on everyone inside (01:20:00 o There were around 32 people inside o When the soldiers got their food the next day, they divided it with those in the house (01:20:35) The local people were very good to the soldiers o There were not many soldiers that could speak Italian (01:21:07) He had contact with Germans – “if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you” o There were Germans and Americans in the bars together (01:22:37) Never had any wish to kill anyone, and he never did They had 10,000 German prisoners – Rommel’s soldiers [some may have fought in North Africa--Rommel was not in Italy] (01:23:39) o He was manned on a 50 caliber machine gun to keep them ordered up § They let them play soccer in the daytime for exercise § The prisoners never gave them any trouble § They were brought sea rations once a day (01:25:08) o One day, one of the Americans shot one of the prisoners As he was going farther north in Italy, they were protected by the mountains (01:28:03) The British were ahead of them with 10 pounders – it was an infantry gun They never faced any aircraft activity The Germans had dug into the mountains, but they were all gone by the time the Americans got there (01:28:50) They ended up being 20 miles from France o They stopped because there was no activity for periods of time They had to be careful when traveling on rural roads because the roads were not built for heavy vehicles (01:30:04) o If a bridge was destroyed, they had to fix it When he heard the war was over, he was in northern Italy (01:30:59) They were going to be shipped to Japan but they had too many points - 1945 He and his wife were able to correspond through letters o He wrote to Dorothy every day (01:32:51) When he returned to America, he landed in Newport News, Virginia (01:34:47) He came back to America on a Liberty Ship (01:35:30) o They were cheap, steel ships �· He then traveled by train to Camp Grant, Illinois (01:35:59) · After going to Camp Grant, he was shipped out to Camp Carson, Colorado where he was discharged (01:36:10) After the Service – (01:36:12) · · · · · · · · · · Once he was back, he was met by his wife at Camp Grant (01:36:41) They traveled back to Michigan in late 1945 They stayed at Dorothy’s parents when they came home (01:37:43) He began working while he built their first home o He worked there for 8 months (01:38:45) In 1946 he began working building homes in the local area o Starting to build brick houses – it was a symbol of status (01:41:14) He and Dorothy began raising a family (01:44:48) o They raised their children and their grandkids for many years In 1967, he built [4th showboat] (01:47:00) He never really retired – has always had something to do and stayed busy (01:52:38) After the service, he enjoyed fishing (01:53:59) o Looked for property to fish on o Paid 6,000 dollars for a plot of land where they built a cottage (01:55:08) He also enjoyed hunting in Colorado and Canada (01:56:10) o He got two moose Memories of Lowell, Michigan – (01:57:22) · The horses that hauled product would trot on the gravel roads but slow down on the dirt roads · The town had a blacksmith shop in it (01:59:34) · There were buildings where people could store their horses while they were in town · There were fairgrounds where they would have horse races (02:00:50) · The city had an airplane factory (02:02:29) o There was an airplane-helicopter aircraft that was shown in a parade · He believes that times are much better now then they were when he was growing up (02:06:19) o Nearly everyone has a car, people vacation, and the medical industry has increased the average lifespan � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Graham, Walter (Interview outline and video), 2006 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Graham, Walter Description An account of the resource Walter "Red" Graham was born in January of 1917 in Lowell, Michigan, and lived there until he was drafted into the Army in 1941. He spent a year and a half training on Whidbey Island, near Seattle, Washington, and was then sent to Kodiak, Alaska as part of the 14th Coastal Artillery. In 1944, after spending significant time in Alaska, he was sent to Oklahoma for retraining before being shipped to Italy. Walter traveled through the Po River Valley in Italy until they reached Northern Italy when the war was won. Walter was eventually discharged from Camp Carson, Colorado in 1945. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Blough, Ivan (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 2006-11-27 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GrahamW1322V 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/e91561fd071ca64298ca0364da3cdd4b.pdf 8abd9d70ed70b4057318ff954f71b3e7 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview General Mark Graham Total Time (00:04:24) Intro/Timeline (00:00:03) • Mark Graham was born August 10th, 1971 in Douglas, Michigan. At 18, Mark joined the Air Force right out of high school. He went to Lackland Air Force Base in September 1989 (00:00:18) • After basic training, Mark went to Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois to work on cruise missiles; his first station was Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana (00:00:33) • He worked at Chanute for four and a half years and cross trained to work with C-130 transport aircrafts (00:00:40) • Mark was transferred to Pope Air Force Base in 1994 and served there for an additional seven years totaling his time served at 11 years (00:00:55) Training/Air Force (00:01:44) • Basic training and technical training were pretty easy for Mark; the tough part was waking up early in the morning (00:01:59) • One of Mark's favorite missions was in Arizona where he performed as part of a mock mission for the C-130 aircraft as they tried to dodge F-16's and their simulation missiles- it was Mark's duty to locate the F-16's (00:03:01) Post Air Force (00:03:37) • Mark got out in 2000 after eleven years in the Air Force; Mark and his wife wanted a life-style change due to his strange hours and being gone quite a bit as they were ready to settle down and have a family (00:03:53) • Although Mark didn't notice much of a change from his time in the Air Force, his friends and family noted he was more structured; Mark comments that the military teaches people how to be more polite and teaches good work ethic (00:04:18) � 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 Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Graham, Mark (Interview outline), ca. 2013 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Graham, Mark Description An account of the resource Mark Graham was born in 1971 in Douglas, Michigan. At 18, Mark joined the Air Force right out of high school. He went to Lackland Air Force Base in September 1989. After basic training, Mark went to Chanute Air Force Base to work on cruise missiles. His first station was Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. He worked there for four years and was transferred to Pope Air Force Base in 1994 and served there for seven years. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rogus, Kelsey (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force 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 2013 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GrahamM1506V 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/b9b0cb89c435b58302694bbc7f6158ea.mp4 9d8a95a2166c81de078adb6af2c841ab https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dfff464a13d549a084751b03539d2616.pdf 80c074ca60450cfcce3e46fbceda82be PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee name: John Graham Length of Time: 12 minutes Pre-Enlistment (00:15) • Background (00:17) o John Graham mentions that he served with the Anti-Aircraft Corps as a private. (00:19) o Took basic training at El Paso, TX and Camp Higgins, VA. Was discharged out of Baltimore Maryland. (00:35) • Childhood (00:41) o Was born in Newell, South Dakota some place. (00:44) • Education (00:48) o Went to school at Catholic Central, and then [Davis Tech] in Caledonia. (00:49) Enlistment/Training (01:15) • Why he joined (01:16) o Graham was drafted and joined the service on Sept. 23rd 1944. (01:21) • Where he went and what company he served with (02:01) o Describes the first couple of days of training while being shipped out from Grand Rapids to Great Lakes Naval Recruit Training Command, IL. (02:10) o Relates how basic training was tough. (03:10) o Kept in contact with family via the phone while he trained in Texas and Virginia. (03:45) o Doesn’t remember when his service time ended. (04:45) o Graham reflects on the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by mentioning that he was helping to take care of a sick relative. Briefly describes his reaction of Pearl Harbor being attacked. (05:10) �Active Duty (05:26) • Background (05:27) o All he really discusses about his active service is that he was sent home due to breaking his ankle and was discharged at Baltimore, Maryland. (05:41) After the Service (06:10) • Adjusting to Home (06:15) o After being discharged, he went back home and returned working on cars and jeeps. (06:27) o Briefly mentions how he tried to qualify for a pension but because he was only 10% disabled he did not qualify. (07:36) o Briefly discusses his other career pursuits in some detail. (07:44) o Briefly discusses who he got to know in the service. Relates one brief story about tracking down a buddy from Oklahoma City. (08:40) o Briefly mentions what he is doing currently in retirement. (09:38) o Wraps up by discussing what he learned in the armed services. (11:15)   � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Graham, John (Interview outline and video), 2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Graham, John Description An account of the resource John Graham is a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Anti-Aircraft Corps from September 1944 to an undisclosed date. In this account, Graham discusses his pre-enlistment, enlistment, training, and active duty. While not going into much depth about his active duty he does mention where he trained in the U.S. Graham concludes by reflecting on his time in the service Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Williams, Nick (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans 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 2004-12-07 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GrahamJ 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/e8c95177e5577c86abf1ffeedb434d7d.mp4 82c178fbac78132b4d36742c0bedfd89 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/afa3fa2403324f9b20f453bbfe7eb371.pdf 860ee6bf5b3ed3fefb3d03eba9d42829 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Marion Graff (1:11:06) Background information (00:49)                    Born in Ironwood Michigan in August of 1922. (00:53) In 1924 he and his family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he spent most of his life. (1:05) His mother and father were immigrants from Europe. (1:20) His father worked in an iron ore mine, but his mother wanted to move to Grand Rapids in order to be closer to her sisters who resided there. (1:25) In Grand Rapids his father worked making furniture. He lost this job during the Depression. (1:49) His father than worked on his brother’s farm where he got paid with food. (2:10) There were 6 children in his family. (2:31) The family also had a gardens, chickens and rabbits. (2:40) He attended school at St. Adalbert church. (3:12) He graduated from high school in 1940. (3:46) He attended Aquinas College for several semesters after high school. (3:50) He recalled hearing about Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 on the radio. He knew very little about Pearl Harbor’s location. (4:32) He paid little attention to the conflicts occurring in Europe. (5:10) His parents emigrated to the U.S. from Poland. His parents paid close attention when Poland was invaded. (5:20) He hoped the U.S. would stay out of the war but knew that the nation would probably get involved. (5:50) He enlisted in the Navy because he had a brother who was in the Army who told him to stay away from the Army. (6:04) Before enlisting he studied drafting at Aquinas College. He had completed three semesters before entering the Navy. (6:40) He enlisted in the Navy near the end of 1942 and attended boot camp in March 1943. (7:17) He had boot camp at Camp Perry, Virginia. (7:23) Basic training (7:30)        From Detroit he took a day and a half train trip to Camp Perry. (7:48) The camp had barracks with 30-50 men per unit. (8:22) When receiving training the men used broom sticks to train as if they were a rifle. The men never fired a rifle in boot camp. Most of the work was marching. (8:42) The men were educated with films. (9:10) A lot of emphasis was placed on discipline. (9:26) It did take some time for him to adjust to life in the Navy. (9:44) Boot camp lasted approx. 14 weeks or 3 months. (10:00) �     After completing boot camp he was given liberty. During this time, he went to Washington, D.C. (10:13) All of boot camp was on shore. (10:46) After completing boot camp he was sent on a train from Virginia to Tiburon California in May of 1943.(11:00) In Tiburon he was put on as a striker (or a laborer) through September of 1943. Here he cared for several patience that the base had. (11:35) The base had a dry dock. Basic training was also carried out for men who worked on dry docks. (12:30) Specialized Medical training (13:00)             He was then sent to Balboa Park in San Diego, California. (13:35) Here he attended medical corps school for 14 weeks. (13:42) He was trained to give shots using oranges. Most everything else was learned through a book in a classroom.(14:00) He was given liberties here where he went to Los Angeles however the freedom was similar to boot camp. (14:50) At one of the U.S.O.s he saw Bob Hope. (16:16) In Balboa Park he lived in tents. Many men fell ill with colds.(16:50) The Red Cross charged the soldiers for coffee and cigarettes. Other places would commonly give service men goods or food. (18:11) He was then sent to Treasure Island for three days and then went to Bremerton, Washington, where he lived in a converted YMCA. These men were all medical corp. men. (19:14) He was assigned to the BB 48, the USS West Virginia. He was sent to Bremerton because that is where the ship was in dry dock. (20:05) The West Virginia was sunk at Pearl Harbor. It arrived in Bremerton after being raised (20:10) The West Virginia was then stripped and rebuilt. The ship was also given “Blisters” to protect from torpedoes. (21:02) He was at Bremerton from January to September of 1944. (22:00) Service aboard the West Virginia in the Pacific (22:10)        The ship's crew started with some experienced crew members aboard assigned to train the new members. (22:48) The Ship docked briefly in Pearl Harbor but did not stay there long. (23:37) On approx. the 15 of October 1944 he sailed to Leyte and the Surigao Straits where the West Virginia engaged the Japanese. (25:17) The ship was engaged by Japanese aircraft. However he did not have any encounters with kamikaze pilots until he sailed to Okinawa. (25:04) His battle station was on the top deck where he worked in a first aid unit. There was however a hospital room located on the ship below deck. (25:33) The room was noisy due to its proximity to the heavy guns. (26:15) He saw several Japanese planes. One he believed hit the bulkhead of the ship. (26:40) �The Battle of Surigao Straits (20:15)         The West Virginia was involved in this battle for about 15 minutes. (27:27) The ship fired 90 rounds in 15 minutes. The ship started out 42,000 yards away from the enemy. (28:05) The captain of the West Virginia was very experienced and gave the sailors a lot of freedom. (28:40) He saw the officers frequently because he was with them often in the medical compartment. (29:30) The ship did cross the date line. This involved an initiation into the deep sea. The ceremony lasted 2 days. (30:16) As part of the initiation the new sailors were hazed. (31:20) Before crossing the equator the men were pollywogs. After words they were shellbacks. (31:50) The only news he got after the battle at Surigao Straits was that the Japanese had dispersed. (32:50) Combat n the Pacific (33:00)  After the battle of Surigao Straits the ship went back to Leyte. Here he provided support for troops who were on the ground or storming the beach. (33:20)  The shell's warhead was 16 inches by 2.5 feet. (34:22)  From Leyte the men traveled to several other locations where they would be called for to provide support for soldiers on land. (35:20)  The ship ran aground and damaged 3 props. In November of 1944 the ship went into dry dock. The repair took 3 weeks. (35:40)  During this time the men were given liberty to go on shore. Here the men swam and drank beer. (36:15)  After the ship was repaired the men traveled back to the Philippines and stayed stationed there until February 1945. (36:51)  In February 1945 they where stationed off Iwo Jima. Before this the men were supposed to be given liberty but they weren’t able to have it due to this battle. (36:00)]  Iwo Jima was invaded at 6:00 AM . The ship began firing at 12:00 noon. (37:45)  He recalls being at Iwo Jima for about a week. (38:35)  The men were given some rest after Iwo Jima but it was cut short to be sent to Okinawa. (39:25)  For R and R the men were sent to a small island. The men called it Mog Mog. (39:38) The Battle at Okinawa. (40:00)  In Okinawa the ship encountered Kamikaze pilots. (40:15)  The sailors were told that theses pilots were trained how to land and take off. They were given sake and enough gasoline to his a carrier or battle ship. (40:30)  For a long time the West Virginia was called the “ghost ship” because in spite begin involved in so many battles the ship was not hit until April 1st 1945. (41:40)  At 5:00 in the afternoon, several Japanese planes were spotted and shot at. One aircraft struck the nose of the ship but didn’t damage it. Another, carrying a 500 pound bomb, struck the ship �  and ruptured several levels. The bomb did not detonate. 4 sailors were killed while 7 were injured. (42:00) He does not know for sure if the aircraft that struck his ship were an actual Kamikaze or not. (45:00) The ship was not struck after this instance. (45:20) Life aboard ship (45:30)  While on the ship he did conduct surgery. (45:50)  Some of the naval doctors were not as good as others. (46:20)  For 8 hours a day the men were in “sick bay” or the hospital room. Though he did not enjoy it, many men gambled on ship. (47:35)  Some time he would read his medical book just because it was something to do. There were also films showed on the ship. (48:09)  The ship was in Okinawa from April through August of 1945 when he learned that the Missouri, New Jersey and West Virginia were going to go into Tokyo Bay. (48:55) The Japanese Surrender (50:20)  He got to see parts of the ceremony from the crow’s nest on the West Virginia. (50:33)  He thought there were about 100 naval ships in Tokyo Bay during the ceremony. (51:12)  The men stayed in Tokyo Bay and then were sent to Yokohama where they had liberty. (52:02)  There were very little rules for men who went ashore in Japan. The men traded chocolate and sugar for goods. (52:54)  He thought that the Japanese people were frightened of the American soldiers. (54:01)  One of the books he got by trading goods was a book documenting the Japanese Chinese war. (55:28)  After being stationed in Japan, the ship went back to Pear Harbor and took on 2,000 servicemen to take them back to the U.S. (56:50)  The ship stopped in San Diego. The weather on the way to the U.S. was not the best. (58:12)  The West Virginia made about 4 “ferry trips”, carrying approx 12,000 men. For a couple of months. (59:22) Life After Service (59:30)  He was discharged in February 1946. (59:54)  He was discharged along with a bunch of other men form the ship. He was provided transportation to Great Lakes Naval Base where he was discharged. (1:00:10)  He graduated from college in 1949 with a BA in accounting. (1:01:23)  After college he worked in the insurance business and even had his own agency until he sold it. He has been working all the way until 2010. (1:01:35)  While on the West Virginia the crew never changed. (1:02:32)  He has stayed in touch with his fellow service men. (1:02:52)  He learned a lot and saw a lot in the Navy. He would not want to do it again though. He served in 6 major engagements and was rewarded 6 bronze stars. (1:03:19)  He witnessed many ships being hit. This was very frightening. (1:05:04)  One of his friends had the keys to a refrigerator which meant he could take some food when he wanted. He was also put in charge of the supply closet that housed any alcohol on the ship. He often stole these shipments of alcohol. (1:06:41)  One man on ship made wine from the fruit that was on board. (1:09:00) �� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Graff, Marion (Interview outline and video), 2012 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Graff, Marion Description An account of the resource Marion Graff, born in Ironwood Michigan in August of 1922, served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946 in the Pacific during World War II. During his service, Marion was a Medical Corpsman aboard the U.S.S. West Virginia and provided anything from basic medical care to surgeries for the sailors on aboard. During his time spend on the West Virginia, he participated in several major engagements, including the Surigao Straits, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. 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. Navy 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 2012-01-12 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GraffM1335V 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/1546221d6280c1ff1f184d8a9cb89286.mp4 1aa9a175ac723cb2ae10da21cba6ec45 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8d97f229b10dbb9c1d55bd4866d747fe.pdf d363ac532d1d332016774b4350737375 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Iraq War Michael Gower Length of Interview (00:11:54) Background: (0:00:22)  Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan  Four sisters, one brother  Was in school before entering the service  Enlisted, was not drafted  Joined the Army Enlistment: (0:01:58)  Basic training was at Fort Benning , Georgia o Break you down as a civilian, and into a soldier o Marksmanship, etc.  Rations are small, but very high in protein in Basic  After Basic training, you can go anywhere  Served in Iraq  Served in the First Stryker Brigade o Describes a Stryker (00:04:28) o First to go into Iraq with the Strykers o Large success, and the Army put more money into the equipment  Talks about more of the horrific scenes he saw (00:06:14) o Children getting torn to shreds by mortars o Insurgents  Made friends while over in Iraq o Interpreter is one of them  Was deployed twice  Had a difficult time communicating, mostly by letter at first, and then phones sometimes  Second deployment, by telephone and internet  Returned home August 2nd, 2007 o Vehicle hit by an improvised explosive and killed three of his squad and dismembered a few other squad members. o Was injured turning the explosive, and was discharged medically  Was difficult to readjust to civilian life  Stays in touch with his friends over Facebook and Together We Serve, and through phone calls After the Service: (00:11:48)  Learned that life is short � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gower, Michael (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gower, Michael Description An account of the resource Michael Gower was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and served with the Army in the Iraq War. He served in the First Stryker Brigade to enter Iraq, and was deployed twice. He was discharged for medical reasons on August 2nd, 2007 after being injured in an explosion that killed three of his squad members and injured several more. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Bailey, Anna (Interviewer) Luyk, Veronica (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 Iraq War, 2003-2011--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 2009-11-04 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GowerM0317V 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/362cb55397ef3338c704fb576f50d5dd.mp4 ff61c5c50c53fab3c6c2969e4ce2d3dc https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/25b1b6cf355a25b22102ace073639a46.pdf 72a9b57387c6beb7656161366b5138c3 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project Jerry Gore Length of Interview (00:09:13) Background Born July 9, 1949 Served in the Vietnam War, Army Drafted into the Army Living in North Baltimore, Ohio During the time he was drafted, a Marine Sergeant picked which men would go into the Marines and who went to the Army, no choice Received a letter, was working at a rubber factory that made road seals Everyone was getting drafted during this time Tried to join the Navy, but wasn’t accepted Fort Gordon, Georgia, did training there in March into the summer Would run up a hill called Big Red, due to the red clay; it was terrible, horrendous It was tough getting used to being away from home, had to adapt Went through Advance Infantry Training in Fort Gordon Did Jungle Training  Used the forests and swamps to train  Remembers doing night maneuvers, could see water moccasins in the swamps  The training wasn’t for him, he was a just a kid from a farm town  Once, during training, snuck around to the “enemy” headquarters where they didn’t know what to do �In Vietnam, he was a Machine Gunner, M-16; also was a Tunnel Rat  Tunnel Rat is someone who goes down tunnels that may be hiding the enemy Always saw combat, but doesn’t want to talk about it Once was sent back to the rear to Base Camp where they had the hospital Had microscopic worms making him sick with fever  These things happened often because they were living in the jungle While he was recuperating, the Playboy Bunnies came in and took pictures with the GI’s  When they heard what he had, they just took right off Was never a POW Was awarded the Purple Heart (wounded), two Bronze Stars, Army Commendation with Vdevice for Valor, Air Medal for combat assaults in a helicopter, Good Conduct Medal, Combat Infantry Badge for the amount of time in combat, Vietnamese Medals for serving in Vietnam, Cross of Gallantry which he received later Wasn’t married before he left Used radio to stay in contact with his family  A ham radio operator would contact the States with a telephone operator who would then connect their call to the family Would usually eat C-rations, also smoked (they were very dry) Towards the end, had Warp Rations, basically dehydrated foods, which were pretty good The stress of carrying a backpack about 45 pounds, and a 20 or 30 pound gun through the jungle is memorable for Gore � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gore, Jerry (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gore, Jerry Description An account of the resource Jerry Gore was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War in 1969. Having gone through Advanced Infantry Training, he served as a machine gunner and tunnel rat until he became too ill to fight. He states that he was in combat all the time, but chooses not to talk about it. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Bennett, Bradley (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-11-08 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GoreJ0316V 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/821c289514ad9b234b9cb8f2b0cc4e2f.m4v 2fda56a315b25910f14a81b983223b01 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/149565706651507f86906fe48c841ef9.pdf c048b384bb4e187219f8ad5c3eec83c4 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project World War II Alexander Gorashko Length of Interview (02:06:27) Background Born in Saginaw, Michigan; 1st generation American, son of Russian immigrants Father owned a grocery store Born in1924 Father eventually sold the store and became a commercial fisherman near Saginaw Bay; Gorashko started school there Chevrolet Foundry, moved to Saginaw Went into trade school in Saginaw, only went up to the 11th grade; 1942 Remembers hearing about Pearl Harbor on the car radio after church Recalls hearing about Hitler, but that was all he knew at that time Had several jobs after school Remembers his manager telling him he wouldn’t be drafted, found it doubtful (was 18 years old) Wanted to work for the telephone company and kept going there to see if there were any openings January 1943, was employed at the telephone company Training and Service (00:03:36) Drafted two months later  Went to Detroit to be examined  Sworn in on March 27, 1943  Given one week to settle affairs  Michigan Central Depot, he and 200 other men were sent to Fort Custer by train �Inclined to work with electricity and wires (00:04:40) Wanted to be a radio operator on a plane Sent to Atlantic City, New Jersey for basic training; Army Air Corps. Took him about two days to get there by train  Went in a tunnel under the Detroit River into Canada, then into Pennsylvania where Gorashko saw a lot of electric trains, then to Atlantic City Atlantic City is known for being a tourist area, so the government converted all the hotels to barracks for all the men in training  Rooms were bare, cement floors, cots  Five or six men to a room  Had to close the drapes for blackout conditions Training included mostly marching (drill), calisthenics, airplane recognition, first aid, “over-thehill” (00:07:14) Had a drill master who wasn’t too strict Training took about one month A group went by several trains to Scott Field, Illinois for Radio School Had to do KP (Kitchen Police) for a week Had code class in the morning, radio mechanics in the afternoon  As he got more proficient, the speed of the code went higher  Gorashko wasn’t able to go over 16 words a minute  Wasn’t going to be a radio operator  Kept attending classes anyway until his group graduated Had Saturdays off, went to St. Louis, Missouri; a ship called “The Admiral” would patrol up and down the river to monitor the men Gorashko himself didn’t drink, but always found something to do �Gunnery School (00:11:08) Continued with his graduating class and wound up at Gunnery School in Harlingen, Texas Enjoyed gunnery school Taught how to take a machine gun apart and back together; then learned how to do that blindfolded (00:11:40) Also had simulations (a company in Detroit that made the screens), this was how they were scored Another test: given single shot guns, stood on a platform on the back of a truck (while moving) where they shot clay pigeons that were being launched from different directions  Had never used a gun before, training reflexes; was easy for him Later, went to a camp that had a turret set up and would use the turret to shoot a clay pigeons being shot out of towers, given only a single shot  This was a little more difficult for Gorashko Then, moved to a base that used planes to pull out a target sleeve, Gorashko and the other trainees would fly along on another plane (00:13:37)  Each men had different colored bullets, so several could be tested on the same target  Almost didn’t become a gunner because his seat belt wouldn’t fasten, a rule that must be strictly followed  Had to hold on to both ends of the belt while taking off so he wouldn’t fall out  Finally got it fastened as the plane leveled out  The sleeve had already passed but Gorashko shot away  When they landed, he was able to blurt out his reason for the delay; had 21 rounds left and was passed Also flew in a B-24 and operated a turret at all positions, then graduated (00:15:50)  1944, finished training  End of winter, March �Meeting the Crew (00:16:30) Had a “delayein-route,” went to Lincoln, Nebraska  Here he met his crew, didn’t meet them until the last minute Officers went on one train and the rest got on another, kept separate Went to Tucson, Arizona; took training as a crew in B-24’s; was a Tail-gunner Smaller men were usually Ball-gunners (00:17:25)  The area for the Ball-gunner is five feet in diameter with two machine guns and a small window to look out of  Very self-contained, has to depend upon everyone else to get out  Usually in there for five to six hours Tail-gunner  Very cramped area, had to be forced in because his shoulders were very broad  Turret overseas were much larger and wider, also had doors Didn’t get a chance to really associate with his crew in Nebraska (00:19:15) The crew flew together for a month and a half before they were sent overseas Flew all over the country, western part Flew a lot of night missions, not enough planes to fly during the day Pilot from Lanark, Illinois, very nice (00:20:00) Co-pilot from Texas; wanted to be a fighter pilot Bombardier, heavy-set Irishman from Connecticut, a smartass because he picked on Gorashko Navigator, a Jewish fellow from New York The Bombardier would always call Gorashko “Feets” because he has a size 12 shoe An officer also called him “Feets” which he thought was out of line �The Nose-gunner was from Connecticut, Edwin Doctor, nice guy, a joker Engineer and Top-gunner from Georgia, was a drinker, knew his job though Radio Operator was a Waist-gunner from Indiana, played the harmonica, nice guy  When over in Italy he and Gorashko went sailing together  Was responsible for the Ball-gunner The other Waist-gunner was responsible for Gorashko, Charlie Overton  When flying over an area where flak is being used, they must wear a special armor  Gorashko could not get the armor on and get into the turret because it was clipped together  Charlie Overton would bring him his “flak suit” once he got into the turret and help him hold it and clip it together  Had armor over the chest and armor over the abdomen  Also wore a heated suit: suit, booties, and gloves; Gorashko called it a “Bunny suit”  Wore the armor over this  Also wore an inflatable Mae West; everyone had to Went to Topeka, Kansas where they received all of the clothing they would need (00:25:05)  Gunners received a helmet with a visor, each were different colors; came in a kit  Issued some aviation sunglasses and .45 pistol  Boots, heavy clothing, and a heated flight suit  Received a bag about 2 feet long to keep all of their clothing Going Overseas (00:26:25) Some crews were given an airplane to fly overseas: usually flew to Brazil then to North Africa Gorashko’s crew was taken by train to Newport, Virginia, near Norfolk There for a few days until they could get on a ship, “Santa Rosa”; a passenger ship Had a couple thousand people on it �Sailed in a convoy Really enjoyed the trip across, went on deck often to read a book; good weather and no U-boat scares (00:27:35) Landed at Naples, Italy (00:28:08) Put on a trolley that was underground then went above ground into the northern suburbs of Naples Put in a building that Mussolini had built for underprivileged children; no facilities, slept on the floor with their blankets Waited to be deployed Had a chance to go to Pompeii (00:29:15) There wasn’t much battle damage in downtown Naples Met an Italian girl there (00:29:50) Got on a train and went through the southern part of Italy, on it for two days (00:31:20) Got out on the east side of Italy and stopped in an open field with B-24 Bombers Weren’t given parachutes, flew only 500 ft. off the ground, so they wouldn’t have helped much anyway Landed on an airfield, a part of the 736th Squadron, 454th Bomb Group (00:32:35) Could see the town’s church from the airfield, town of Cerignola, a part of the Foggia complex Didn’t take long before he was sent on a mission, 3 or 4 days afterward (00:33:15) First Mission (00:33:35) Had terrible living conditions  Five or six men in a tent  No electricity  No bathing facilities, took sponge baths  Used an ammunition box to heat water  Had a water trailer �The layout of the camp was a horseshoe shape; at one end, had a dayroom where a bulletin had missions posted on it (very rarely) Didn’t usually know when they were to have missions, kept in the dark usually Had to get early morning reports (4:30 AM), then go to the mess hall; didn’t eat as a group Then got on a truck for the 454th Bomb Group where they gathered at a Quonset hut containing a covered map which the officer would pull off when debriefing began Two colored threads, one red and another black, on the map  Red was the main route, black represented the alternate route Usually didn’t post missions on bulletin boards because spies or civilians could see them The morale was pretty good, miserable in the morning and happy when coming back alive (00:36:05) When overseas, had a few talks about what to do when captured; had been told the losses of planes were about 5%  Actually means 50% for 50 missions, good chance they wouldn’t coming back (captured or killed)  Expected to fly 50 missions; not told that the odds were 50% First mission was Budapest, supposed to bomb a truck factory, actually an armaments factory (00:37:30)  During debriefings, they were never told what the actual target was, so if they got captured, they could confess to bombing something else entirely Process (00:38:15) Enlisted men are first to the plane; officer’s men in groups are debriefed with more detail; Gorashko and the gunners usually waited on the side Then a truck comes by to give everyone K-rations and juice When the pilots show up, they do an inspection of the plane Just when they are ready to take off, the engineer stands outside the wing with a fire extinguisher (everyone else is off to the side) He walks from one wing to the other until all engines are working �They go through a checklist and then Gorashko and the other men get on board Four men in the back six men in the front The men in the back have their backs against the bomb bay bulkhead, so they have a little protection if they crash They then release the brakes and the plane begins to slowly move, and then speed up along the runway  Runways were actually mats, Marsden Mats Begins to feel some apprehension as they are 2/3 down the runway before they leave the ground; fence is ten feet below as they pass (also had a cemetery that they passed) During the invasion [southern France], took off at night, saw an explosion at the end of the runway (00:41:40) Two planes had run into each other, a total of 20 men First Mission, cont. (00:42:15) When flying to Budapest, had to be in formation at all times When over the flak area, become a little more scattered This was one of the scariest things that Gorashko had ever experienced, no place to hide An 88 will explode a ways behind, and they can’t help but think, “Is the next going to be a little farther ahead, or what?” After his first mission, Gorashko didn’t want to go up again On the first mission, went with another crew (pilot and tail-gunner were wither another crew) When they dropped the bombs on their target, the plane moved at a dangerous angle, lifting Gorashko off his seat; he was worried that the pilot flying had little control “Chaff,” like tinsel; cut to a certain length (depending on the frequency) and used to scramble radio frequency The other gunners would throw out the chaff as fast as they could, the sky filled with them; blurs the enemy’s radar, who would have to resort to optical Didn’t see any German aircrafts, just the flak Fighters usually flew above them, wasn’t sure if they were there on that particular mission �After the mission, they were loaded on to trucks and driven to the Interrogation Office and were asked questions about what they saw (00:45:33) Had a Red Cross girl handing out coffee and donuts; another line for whiskey, Gorashko would usually give his shot to the engineer Afterwards, could go back to their quarters Bucharest and Blechhammer (00:46:20) His next mission was about one day later at an oil refinery in Bucharest, Romania; dubious about going up but did his duty Charlie, who helped him with putting on his flak suit, had forgotten to give Gorashko his helmet (00:46:50) Reluctantly, Charlie went to give him his steel helmet; didn’t want to leave his position because he was standing upon armor that gave him protection from flak Just as he got his helmet on, Gorashko heard a “zing” and a piece of flak had fallen through the top right above his head and bounced off his helmet The amount of flak was the same as in Budapest (00:48:15) Gorashko was what they called the “Tail-end Charlie,” always the newest of the crew (00:48:30) First to be shot at, couldn’t see much outside the plane, so didn’t often see others get shot down Had 14 missions before being shot down, had three doubles (00:49:10)  Every mission to Germany counted as two missions Furthest flight, Blechammer near the Auschwitz Camp, in Poland near the German border Target: a petrochemical plant (this was near the point the Air force had bombed most of the fuel refineries in Romania, so this was one of the remaining plants for fuel) The target was so far that when they got back, they’d only 15 gallons in each tank; this is equivalent to two or three minutes of flight Flew the same mission again and didn’t have enough fuel to get back; tried to fly to an island called Vis (in Yugoslavia) that was controlled by the British (00:50:44) �Southern France Invasion (00:51:00) Flew in support for the landing in Southern France (August ’44); had to practice night flying with the pilot, co-pilot, and navigator On the morning of the Invasion, as they flew, they were joined by other groups; airplanes as far as the eye could see Had to drop bombs at 7:30 AM on a particular beach; couldn’t find their own planes, followed those in front of them Arrived at their destination 5 minutes late and couldn’t drop their bombs because they could hit their own men; flew back to Italy to drop the bombs in the Adriatic Sea (couldn’t land with them) When flying over that sea, could see miles and miles of enemy ships Hadn’t known what was happening on the beaches Prior to the Southern France Invasion, flew several missions targeting bridges (00:53:15) Bombed at 9000 feet; very low, anti-aircraft could shoot them out of the sky On one mission, felt the plane suddenly rise up as the bombs were dropped, wasn’t near the targeted bridge Hit an intersection of houses (this was in France); Gorashko isn’t sure what happened, but after interrogation, heard nothing else of it Didn’t turn back though, just went back with the rest Didn’t ever see any German aircraft during his missions, it was a problem (00:55:15) Hour after hour of scanning the skies, would sometimes daydream because it couldn’t be helped Gorashko was always concerned about an enemy firing from the direction of the sun; he had a piece of visor (made of very dark material) so that he could hold it up to the sun At the airfield in the beginning of July, shot down August 22 (month and a half) (00:56:25) �Entertainment (00:56:35) Life at the airfield was boring; for entertainment, they had a movie every other night  No electric lights, so would make a bonfire and roast potatoes  One waist-gunner would play the mouth-organ  One instance they swam in the Adriatic, also went into town a few times  Went to a mountain-top village, some men wanted to drink at a cantina  Remembers swimming with a ground troop fellow in a drainage ditch, suddenly a bunch of sheep manure had come floating down; had to use the showers the ground troops used (which they weren’t happy about) Blechhammer: Enemy from 12o’clock (00:58:25) When it was announced the mission was Blechhammer, everyone gave a groan  Told that they may have to make a landing on the island of Vis At the target, saw a plane on fire and spiraling downward; saw a bunch of parachutes Some of the others saw planes go down, too; one of the rougher missions On the way back (45 minutes after the target) the engineer checked the sight-gages; came to the conclusion that they wouldn’t make it back to Italy and started for Vis After a while, the pilot was on the intercom telling the men to be on alert as another group had been hit Half hour later, the engineer announced a plane was coming from 12o’clock (00:59:48) It flew under Gorashko’s group’s formation Made a turn and was vulnerable, but turned at an angle that the body armor was towards Gorashko’s group He could see the tracers bouncing of the plane; then Gorashko shot, but the plane was a ways beyond already Shot with short bursts, only one shot 15 or 20 minutes later heard explosions going on around their plane; hadn’t heard anyone call out an airplane At that time, turned his head and saw their plane was on fire �Had no time to tell anyone and got out, lost his intercom connections By the time he got out, the whole area was on fire; his oxygen tank had caught fire, as well The two waist-gunners already had their parachutes They headed into the bomb bay to let the others know about the fire Heard explosions just as they were standing under the fuel tanks, Gorashko thought it was his ammunition going off in the tail-end Was actually being attacked by another plane, a fighter As the bombardier hit the lever for the bomb bay doors, the plane went into a roll Fell off the ten inch catwalk and got caught on something; going down in a dive Parachute harness caught from behind It then took another little roll and freed him; he then floated out as the plane fell No time to think, just pulled the handle for the chest chute and nothing happened Instinctively pulled out the pilot chute, which pulled the main chute out Was dropping at such a rapid rate that there was a jerk, “stop,” that caused him to pass out Seconds later, woke up; his lines were all tangled and was missing a boot Trying to figure what to do; the lines of his chute were still unwinding, so he was spinning downward Saw an airplane burning below, another plane Felt a sense of euphoria as he realized that after all this, he was still alive It didn’t last long Could hear bullets going by, thought it was bullets from the plane that was burning below; was actually being shot at from the ground Came down in a tree and hung there for a moment and tried to decide what to do next Saw movement below and then a Hungarian soldier came forward, aimed, and shot at him �Gorashko surrendered (01:07:00) Was shaking as he tried to get down from the tree Was surrounded by people, got undressed and they checked to see if he had a radio Pulled off his wings and soldier hit him in the back with the butt of a rifle knocking him down Got dressed, but then a German Sergeant came over and made him undress again (in front of all women, children, and Hungarian soldiers) Then got dressed again and was told to go to a certain spot, there was a yellow bottle on the ground Gorashko picked it up, everyone backed away; it was oxygen, and he told them what it was (to which they all laughed) After they examined him, they marched Gorashko to a place where he would be kept captive Marched passed some houses (one child tried to give him an apple, but his arms were full), it was a really hot afternoon Went up to a house to rest, was given bread and water, they were very kind A quarter of a mile later came to a university where he was put in a room Charlie, one of Gorashko’s buddies, showed up here; doesn’t think anyone else in his plane got out though Prison Camp (01:11:13) Seven or eight other men were captured, as well Slept on boards lain across sawhorses The next day, fed soup with potatoes peelings and a little piece of bread Was told they were being taken by train to Budapest by an English-speaking Hungarian soldier A tall civilian was standing next to the soldier and asked him something; the Hungarian soldier then asked if there were any Jews among the prisoners No one said anything, one fellow looked Jewish, but nothing came of it; Gorashko is pretty sure that civilian was actually a Gestapo Marched down the road down the road to the station, were being spit at and slandered by civilians as they went �Put in a boxcar with young Hungarian soldiers with machine guns who eager to fight; was really uncomfortable and Gorashko couldn’t wait for dark so he wouldn’t have to see them staring Followed Lake Balaton to Budapest, arrived at 12:30 or 1:00 AM, taken to the city jail by ambulance Spent the night there with a Lieutenant, never spoke a word, too tired; slept on mats upon the floor The next day, taken to the prison and put in solitary confinement for five days (01:15:00) Was interrogated to which he gave vague answers, said he didn’t know anything The interrogator then pulled out a book that contained his bomb group number Was taken back to his cell, asked for a nurse because he had a burn on the right side of his face and right hand A day later, put in a room filled with bread There for another five days, taken to a train station and guarded by two pilots on rest-leave Got very cold, had only their summer clothes on Taken out of Budapest, stopped at one place where they saw a huge Ferris wheel (Vienna); taken from there and to the north It got so cold that they had to huddle to keep warm After a couple days, stopped during the night and slept until morning, awoken by a German sergeant from the prison camp Made to push the railroad car off the track Walked 20 minutes through the woods to the prison Examined very thoroughly, had their pictures and fingerprints taken The barracks were all filled, so they were taken to little buildings called “dog houses,” only 10x10 feet with eight men No electricity or facilities, had to go outside the door  Gorashko had to go one night, and a guard dog was coming around the corner, he made sure to get back into the building as fast as possible �There were about 2,000 men in each compound, so about 10,000 men at this camp (01:19:55) They built another compound and it took a whole day to move Gorashko and the other prisoners Given nothing to eat that day No beds or facilities besides a stove; had to make their own mats Lights went out at 10 PM every night Daily Routine (01:21:17) A lot of the men in the prison were anxious to know how the war was going The morning, given hot water; then stand out to be counted At noon given a stew or potatoes, very small portion (Gorashko ate out of a can) The next meal was either the stew or potatoes, as well, with a 1/7 piece of bread; daily ration Got Red Cross parcels; were supposed to get one per man per week; only got a ¼ or this so they would split it  One pound can of Klim (milk spelled backwards), two D-bars, corned beef, sugar, coffee (one can), K-2 Crackers, cigarettes (four packs, a form of money)  Didn’t trade with the Guard Officers, very strict  “Big Soup”  Some men actually knew a few of the Officers, they had lived in Saginaw but had gone back to Germany  “Green Hornet” Usually played cards provided by the Red Cross, also had a library with books donated by the International YMCA (would sit around and discuss the book being read) (01:25:25) Gorashko’s first book was, “Chemistry for Nurses” Not much trading went on (01:26:40) Got a job as a bread cutter �Had a compound leader; each room elected a leader (01:28:00) Assigned details (get water, clean the room, peeling potatoes, etc.) Had 20 men in the room, would rotate the jobs  When peeling potatoes, would have to do it outside, so if it was cold out, everyone would help out  Used butter knives The International YMCA had brought in some instruments, they had a show; a couple days after the show, one of the comedians came in with a piece of paper with the news (01:29:45)  Went from room to room  Heard about the Battle of the Bulge Also given photographs by the YMCA, one actually had a radio built into it March (01:31:10) Wasn’t much change in mood or morale as the Russians got closer, the prisoners hoped they would be liberated by them December, Russians made a big drive into Germany from Silesia, progressing towards Pomerania, where the prison camp was Gorashko’s room leader told them to treat the Germans well when the Russians come because the Russian wouldn’t Could hear gunfire and canon fire, heard nothing the next day The Commandant came in to tell them that they were ordered to evacuate, one day to get ready 7:30AM must begin marching, no transportation or food, February 6, 1945 Very cold, marched out the gate and handed one Red Cross parcel per man Gorashko’s group came out last, were told to take two because they had too many left Marched through the woods; Gorashko had to eat most of his extra parcel (in 2 or 3 days) because carrying it was becoming too cumbersome Stopped at night at two barns, 500 men to a barn; only just enough room to sit �A fellow in the hayloft had a guitar and began playing for 20 minutes, then asked for requests Someone answered, “Yeah, how about ‘Let Me Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister?’” and everyone laughed and from then on they told jokes that night Continued marching for three days and on one particular night, Gorashko was so weak and tired that he couldn’t climb into the hayloft without assistance In the beginning, men were able to keep up, but a week later some were falling by the wayside By this time, the German’s had a wagon to carry the stragglers Some of the older German guards (around 65 years old) couldn’t handle it and threw their guns out No one attempted to escape, no point because they were in the middle of German territory No on attempted to escape from the camp, either, highly improbable that anyone could get out; too many spotlights, dogs, and machine guns Had to stay 15 feet away from the fence or the Germans would shoot, “Warning Rail” “Long, Lean, and Unclean” Some men had to walk 86 days, Gorashko did not because he got sick (01:36:50) “Combines”- a group of three men who took care of each other; each did different duties Gorashko got separated from his, but found a couple guys; about this time got diarrhea Waiting for a train; couldn’t eat anything without it coming out, so he had to tell the German guards Took him a hospital barn where he was given a stall where he could sleep, also given a Red Cross parcel and blanket There for three days Moved him to another barn, very cold, moved up into the hayloft The group up there didn’t want him there because they had a way of getting extra food; he got in on it anyway A German General then came and took 49 of the prisoners by wagon to a prison camp in New Brandenburg; waited for 16 hours in 0 degree weather �Gorashko froze his feet and hands very badly; they were taken back to the barn because the prison was having a Typhus epidemic The next day, knew he needed to take better care of himself if he wanted to survive, went into one of the greenhouses, a cellar Had heated vents, so Gorashko snuck in there and warmed his feet; did this for a couple days Bribed a French worker with cigarettes to keep him from being discovered One day, a German General came walking through and greeted him, then continued walking; he didn’t go back there again Eventually, they were taken to a train by car; 50 men to a car Travelled all night and wound up at a train station in Hamburg Given a German Red Cross parcel with a piece of sausage and bread in it, thought it was out of this world Next morning, in another camp and bombers from England were flying over The camp was filled with British men captured in North Africa; worse conditions than the first camp No Red Cross parcels Allowed to keep all of their stuff, except their guns; had a little market going, a lot of trading, a “stock market”; a very ingenious bunch “Blower” a tin can that had fire in it and a small grill to set a can upon; use twigs, paper, and a crank to light it; became very hot quickly British were tough, found one of their men stealing and threw him in an outhouse and urinated on him One of the Americans happened to take a bunch of cigarettes but they were stolen from him when sleeping This was March of ’45 (01:45:30) Received news everyday The Germans came in one day and told them to pack up and move Took them out to a gate; the war front was close, so saw a lot of German vehicles and planes �The British had to stop and make their tea; one of the men from one of the other camps kicked this over and bellowed at them to get in ranks They began to march and after 5 km, a couple of planes come swooping down; a German plane shot down by an American; was about 15 or 20 feet above their heads Stayed at a farmer’s barn, no place to sleep; slept in on a conveyer belt of a threshing machine The days were getting warming, passing through villages and crossing bridges They were crossing one particular bridge when Gorashko suddenly heard the propeller of a plane, thought it was going to strafe the bridge Two 20 mm guns were shooting at these planes; these planes went over them shooting at something across the river Had felt helpless during that incident Another incident: British Mosquitoes were patrolling the highways at night for convoys; shot a rocket near the barn they were sleeping in Decided to sleep under a wagon the next night Kept being moved from one farm to the next, being fed barley (01:50:10) Made it to an intersection where there was a little community A woman fed them soup and cake One of the guards said that the Americans were in the next village, one man on guard duty Later, a jeep came in with a British Officer and American Sergeant; the German guard threw his gun down The Germans threw their hands up and the prisoners were told to round up all the guns and Germans Found a German supply truck with food, drinks, and money Gorashko took half a loaf of bread and shared it with a guy who had half a jar of jam While they were eating, a German Officer came up to them wanting to give up; Gorashko told him he had to sit down and wait until he finished eating One of the ex-POW asked them if they want some eggs, a woman was cooking for the men �They walked to the house with the German officer, let him get his stuff then took the officer to an enclosure with the rest of the captured Went to the next town to get a car, walked then took a bicycle Got into town and everyone was trying to leave so they could escape the Russians One of his buddies got a truck fueled by pieces of wood and a fire Everyone was having a ball drinking and singing Came up to a bridge lined with stalled vehicles, MP’s made them push the truck off the road (01:54:10) Determined to get a car but all the vehicles were torn apart because they were being used as blockades against the Russians Began walking again, and a New Zealander in a jeep picked them up Reached a bridge Told by the MP to push the jeep into the river after they crossed the bridge Gorashko saw a small cow path that went straight and said to go there so they wouldn’t have to lose the jeep Made it to another bridge, worried that the jeep would be taken Met a 20mm English Gun Crew who told them to join them for supper Had eggs and tea, told the crew they wanted to cross the bridge This was the same crossing where they thought they were being shot at (the original bridge was by now replaced by a pontoon bridge) Saw one of the last actions, a house blown up by cannon fire; were waved across by MP’s Driving late at night, had nowhere to stay; told to go to the Mayor’s house, then to the Commanding Officer’s house Shared a bed with a Lieutenant and hoped the guy wouldn’t get his fleas (had a lot of fleas) �The next day, taken to a school house where they were served the best meal (01:57:20)  Mashed potatoes, Swiss steak, gravy, peaches  As he left, felt his mouth water and threw all of it up; stomach couldn’t handle it; did this again the next night  Went to a hospital and was told to stop eating too much at once Wound up at a British airport, waited for a plane, four or five days (01:58:10) Flew to Brussels, Belgium, controlled by the British  Were issued British uniforms, but Gorashko wanted to keep his flying coveralls V-E Day, May 8 (1945), lots of fireworks Put on train to Namur, Belgium, under the control of the American Army Was deloused, kept his coveralls which were deloused by gas Given Invasion money, nice clothing, and had Belgian women bringing them food Sent to Camp Lucky Strike on the French coast Wanted to go to Paris; hitchhiked for two miles, but the road was blocked (01:59:25)  Didn’t have a pass, so decided to walked around the MP’s  Walked along the coast and saw all the emplacements for the Invasion  Did this all afternoon, then went back to the camp  Given eggnog provided by the Red Cross  Had a musician by the name of Alec Templeton, a blind pianist, perform  At night, men were playing crap games Shipped out to Le Havre, France; told they would have KP duty (02:00:15) Gorashko wouldn’t do it, so he walked out and went to downtown Le Havre Had supper with some bargemen and was going back to the camp, but didn’t remember where it was, and it was getting dark, had tea with a French man �Left and eventually ran into another man heading toward the camp KP duty again, went to downtown Le Havre, again; got back on a GI truck Was then placed on a ship to Southampton, England; didn’t land, waited for orders (02:01:30) A couple hours later, continued sailing Had more men than bunks, so had to sleep on deck; still a very pleasant trip Getting near America, could see a bellboy swaying back and forth Had to proceed slowly due to fog, so Gorashko went under the deck to wait Later, one of his buddies, Red, told him to get up on deck Saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Brooklyn Saw a sign on Brooklyn that said, “Welcome home! Well done!” there was a ship full of girls and a band playing He cried, it was great Perspective (02:02:42) All that had happened definitely changed the way he looked at the world It talks about this in the last page of his book  It’s not the fancy things, the fancy clothes, the fancy cars that matter, it’s the everyday things  “These are the things you miss: bread and butter, a clean shirt, a bath, a nice bed to sleep in” Benton Harbor was quite a welcome Then went to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey by train Saw German POW’s frying up steaks, AAA Steaks The next day, went to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, allowed to go home Home for about a month then got a telegram telling him to report to Miami Beach in a month Shipped to Wilmington, North Carolina as a helper in a radio shop that had B-26 Bombers and P47 Fighters �Moved him to an intercostals waterway where there was a ship; made a radioman there  Just guard duty Given 73 points and shipped back to North Carolina and was discharged Went home and wanted a better job at the telephone company Was going on a date with one of the girls at the company and was waiting for her One of the bosses comes by and asks him why he isn’t working here (knew him by name) and so Gorashko told him he wanted a better job The boss asked for his number and got him a job at Port Huron Retired after 41 years, has worked all over 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/. Title A name given to the resource Gorashko, Alexander (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gorashko, Alexander Description An account of the resource Alexander Gorashko was drafted in 1942 was assigned to the Army Air Corps. He began training as a radio operator, but then switched to gunnery school, and was assigned to a B-24 crew as a tail gunner. He and his crew were sent to the 15th Air Force in Italy, and flew 14 missions before being shot down over Hungary, including raids over Romania and Auschwitz, and a mission in support of the landings in southern France. After being shot down, he was captured and sent to a POW camp in Pomerania, and was eventually forced by the Germans to march eastward to escape the advancing Russians. The Germans continued to move prisoners around as Allied forces approached from east and west, and Gorashko was eventually liberated by American and British soldiers 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 Air Corps 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 2009-12-01 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GorashkoA 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/4e13681e1732cb057b2add08d0175f72.mp4 ea0d1548798590bcc520e8cb6cc8ea2f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a03f569aaa037dcedb9fc6f0f3c92345.pdf f05c871c2a3704fd382dec47252cfc68 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Harrison Goodspeed (50:14) (00:30) Background Information • • • • • • Harrison was born in 1924 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and attended East Grand Rapids Elementary He attended high school in Massachusetts and graduated in 1942 He began paying more attention to the news after Pearl Harbor At the time, most people had never even heard of Pearl Harbor Harrison attended college at Dartmouth for one semester and then he enlisted He was pretty sure he would be drafted anyway, and if he enlisted then he might be able to have a say in his position (2:30) Enlistment • • • • Harrison enlisted because he did not want to have to join the infantry, but he is glad now that they put him in the infantry because he was able to see the war first hand After enlisting he went to Fort Custer in Battle Creek and was then sent to Arkansas for basic training He went to Colorado for desert training and it was very rough They were forced to go through combat conditions (4:20) Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) • This was like going back to college; it was at the University of South Dakota where they were trained in engineering, but the Army then decided that they had too many engineers (5:10) Officer Candidate School (OCS) • • • • • Harrison went to Fort Benning in Georgia and graduated as a second lieutenant He got married in Grand Rapids and then shipped overseas Harrison received the best training for the infantry OCS Most of the men who trained him had been in combat in World War One He trained for only sixty days because things were getting really bad in Europe (10:00) Shipped Overseas January 1st, 1944 • They were constantly threatened by U-boats so they had to zig zag along the course and that took much longer than the normal trip �• They traveled in a convoy, and they men were to serve as replacements when they arrived in Europe (12:00) Europe • • • • They embarked in France and joined up with their company in Luxemburg right after the Battle of the Bulge There only 12 men left of the 180 who had fought and Harrison was one of the replacements When the company had reached 180 men again, they headed East He went through his first combat experience in only one week (16:30) The Machine Gunner • • • He shot at them near a Catholic Church and his Para-trooper friend was badly wounded and had to ship back to the US The mortar crew brought down the machine gunner and then some other men surrendered Each battalion is made up of four companies, and each company is made up of four platoons (20:45) Battle in a Small German Town • • • • • • They were traveling down a hill and were surrounded by craters in the ground from explosions Rifles started shooting at them and they started running down the hill They then went into the building where the sniper was shooting from They found some fresh poured champagne inside and some warm pork chops, which they consumed before proceeding Then they found a lot of petrified women and children in the basement There had been German propaganda that stated American men were on drugs and would rape German women (22:55) The German Army • • • They constantly found themselves outnumbered, in which cases they would surrender; Harrison said that they were “pretty shabby.” He also stated that the SS were the real “die-hards” Germans had shot at the platoons ahead of them while they were crossing the Rhine (27:20) German Bunkers • The Germans had just left their bunkers and his crew found a German pistol, a P-38 �• Franklin Roosevelt’s secretary was a veteran of the 88th Infantry Division during World War One and he had come to visit Harrison’s crew • He asked if he could give the gun to the president as a souvenir and it is still on display at Hyde Park (30:00) German Civilians • • • • • The company commander was going back home and so Harrison took his place His job was to contact the Germans as they moved along to see if they would surrender They worked with German Mayors and sometimes needed interpreters They had occupied Bavaria and spent a whole summer there They headed towards Berlin when the German army was starting to fall apart, but then the Russians said they could take care of Berlin, so they headed South towards the Austrian Alps (32:40)The Battle that Earned Harrison a Silver Star • • • • • He saw an American tank explode and found that six Germans were using anti-tank weapons He threw a grenade in the fox hole that they were hiding out in They had been pointing a machine gun at him, but they all were dead after the grenade They did not come across many German tanks, most likely because they were starting to run out of petroleum In Austria there were 200,000 Germans hiding in the mountains waiting to attack, but they eventually surrendered (36:40) The End of the War • • • • No one knew about all the concentration camps in Germany until the war came to an end During the last months of the war, Harrison’s crew was not taking very many losses and morale was excellent Many of the men in his platoon were from the East coast and were about 18-22 years old They went to France and then took a boat back to the US (40:25) Bavaria • • • While in Bavaria, they men continued to train because they thought they might be shipped out to the Pacific They dug a trench to set up a rifle range The men did not really need any more training, but Harrison had to keep them busy (43:00) The Scrapbook �• His daughter put it together for him and it contains many letters he wrote to his father and some pictures (45:50) Back in the US • • • • •   Harrison arrived in New Jersey on December 12th and then went to Indiana His wife met him there and they finally went home He took some classes in Michigan at Grand Valley and then went to the University of Michigan He got a message in the mail telling him that he would have to serve in the Korean War, but he was able to get out of it because he had three dependents He continued to study engineering at the University of 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/. Title A name given to the resource Goodspeed, Harrison (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Goodspeed, Harrison Description An account of the resource Harrison Goodspeed was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1924. Harrison thought that he would soon be drafted, so he enlisted in the Army after high school in order to have a choice in the position that he would hold. Harrison served as a platoon leader in the 80th Infantry Division in France, Germany, and Luxemburg and provides some detailed combat stories, as well as observations on conditions in Europe after the war. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Veterans Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-10-04 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GoodspeedH 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/1f42e45d0f331afba8c1842cc182f0ca.mp4 484445bfd402ebf172db0ff8c124eaa9 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9e5d4574cc0c08b488f421d5416933c8.pdf a9af87cc71c5a80128f6b3d1e6d889d4 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee name: David Good Length of Interview: 34 minutes Pre-Enlistment (00:15) • Childhood (00:17) o Briefly mentions that he served in the Navy aboard the USS Alaska in the Pacific as a 1st class petty officer and technician. (00:43) o Good was born on February 21st, 1925 and was born and raised in Caledonia, Michigan. (01:04) • Education (01:09) ƒ He graduated from Caledonia High School. (01:12) ƒ The day Pearl Harbor was attacked he mentions that he was either in school or working in his father’s garage when it happened. (01:26) ƒ While still in high school at age 18 he signed up for the military draft. (01:45) Enlistment/Training (02:17) • Why he joined (02:18) o Good went to Detroit, Michigan where he took a round of physical tests and was selected like many others for Navy service. (02:36) • Boot camp (02:48) o Started his military service on December 24th, 1943 and started basic training at Great Lakes, Illinois. (03:04) o Describes in some detail what a typical day in boot camp looked like. (03:15) o Briefly describes his instructors in some detail. (04:12) • Where he went after boot camp and what company he served with (05:05) �o Attended electronic school at a junior college in Chicago, Illinois for a month months. (05:16) o Afterwards he attended Texas A&M College for 3 months all the while training for electronics’ school. (05:30) o He then went to Treasure Island, an island outside of San Francisco Bay for the final phase of his training and was here for 5 months. (05:46) o After basic training, Good took a 2 week leave to visit home. (06:09) Active Duty (06:16) • Campaign Background (06:45) o Upon his return to duty, Good boarded a transport ship to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where they stayed for about a week. (06:23) o Boarded another ship which took him to the war zone. (06:36) • Living conditions aboard ship (06:54) o While aboard ship as an electrical technician his ship responsibilities with others from his unit included taking care of the surface radar air surface radar. (07:05) o Good describes what the number of ships and what types of ships were found while in a task group and that outside a task group were the destroyers supported by U.S. submarines. (07:50) o Their job entailed protecting the aircraft carriers as they came in. (08:13) Usually they would be out of port for long periods. His job also entailed like mentioned before the maintenance of radar operations. (09:11) o Briefly describes what medals he was awarded after the war. (10:03) o Good kept in contact with his family on a weekly basis by letter. All of his letters were censored, so that if he mentioned anything about where they were or what they were doing it was taken out of his letters. (10:47) o Briefly describes the type of food he and others were able to eat or what supplies were always coming aboard whenever they were at a port to resupply. (11:45) Sometimes their task force would go 50 miles or more to rendezvous with their supply ships to restock. (12:45) o During one instance, when the task force was under fire from Japanese cruisers everyone would go into something called General Quarters. (14:24) �o For entertainment, military personnel could go to the store and buy food or play cards. For him he didn’t have much time for entertainment. (15:32) o Upon completing his service in the Pacific he returned home upon which time he had a 30 day leave in which he spent getting reacquainted with old friends. (17:30) • China (18:15) o After the war, Good visited Tsingtao, China where he describes what Chinese life and culture were like. (18:20) o Wasn’t allowed to take any pictures while he was there. (19:07) o The day the war ended the USS Alaska had been ordered to Tsingtao to secure the place. The U.S. Marines landed and secured the city upon which time Good and others were able to go in. while there, the Marines found a stockpile of Japanese rifles with bayonets which they confiscated and he mentions receiving one. (21:16) After the Service (22:22) • Adjusting to Home (22:32) o Upon being discharged, he spent the first couple of days relaxing by going deer hunting and finding out what was going on at his local store. (23:22) o Went back to college for the next 2 to 3 years attending the University of Michigan and Davenport University. Afterwards he worked with his dad. (24:02) o Describes several stories with close friends after his time in the service. (24:34) • Reflection (26:02) o Briefly describes the impact that WWII had on other wars later on. Also mentions how his service impacted himself and what he learned from the experience. (26:13) • Other stories (27:20) o Describes one instance in action in which the Japanese were firing on them and while operating the radar Good could tell what was going on based on what he saw through the radar. (28:04) o During another instance, some Japanese airplanes would stay about a mile out of range of their General Quarter stations. (28:51) �o During an invasion of an island, the big ships would fire their 16 in. diameter guns and soften up the beaches so the Marines and Army could go in. (30:28) In addition to this, Good describes what landing procedures for the landing of planes entailed. (31:10) o For Good the most important event of WWII was the dropping of the atomic bomb. (32:03) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Good, David (Interview outline and video), 2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Good, David Description An account of the resource David Good is a World War II veteran who served with in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. In this account, Good discusses his pre-enlistment, enlistment and basic training. He discusses his work as an electronic technician aboard the USS Alaska at sea in the Pacific. He also covers the ship's visit to Tsingtao, China, after the Japanese surrender. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nietling, Ashley (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans 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 2004-12-09 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GoodD 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/5b5d22dc26c2fbfc1f04b2c9c9be015e.mp4 ee4168af04c62dd0f6f4e20801ab5c0c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1347cc0f88a4515061460794edcae9e5.pdf fe852a4d57ca8a8fd8f1694c241bbd39 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Morris Gooch (23:05) (00:10) Background Information • • • • • • • Morris was born in Monroe, Michigan in 1951 His father was a mechanic and his mother was a housewife He had seven siblings Morris had been working full time for a company making shipping panels before joining the service He had two brothers in the Army who both fought in Vietnam and his father fought in World War II and Korea Morris enlisted because of his family history and he felt that it was the patriotic thing to do He thought that the Navy would give him more opportunity (2:15) Boot Camp • • • Morris had been prepared for boot camp because of his family upbringing He became a torpedo man and went to 33 different schools during his military career Morris loved the Navy and stayed in for 13 years (3:30) Vietnam • • • • • Morris worked on submarines located off the coast of South Carolina, Spain, Hawaii, and Guam They were on patrols, overhauling ship yards, and launching torpedoes and missiles Each patrol lasted about 100 days Morris attempted to fail one of his classes once so that he could get sent to Vietnam and be on the ground fighting, but he got caught He went into the Navy as a seaman apprentice and left as an E-7 petty officer (7:50) Average Days on the Ship • • • • It was difficult for everyone to keep in touch with their friends and family Families were allowed to send a “family gram” once a month and it could only be 15 words long The men were not able to respond to their families The men played cards a lot, exercised, and Morris learned to embroider �• When they were in port they played football, went scuba diving, sky diving, mud sliding, off-roading, and went hunting (9:50) Vietnam War Ends • • • • • Morris was in Guam at the time on guard duty when he heard the news Many evacuees from Vietnam came to live in Guam The time was very hectic and difficult to deal with Morris discovered that he had a problem with alcohol and entered the rehabilitation program with the Navy Once he had completed the program, he became the Navy Alcohol Safety Action Program Instructor (13:15) Civilian Life • • • It was not difficult for Morris to adjust back to civilian life He worked for a company that supported the military and he was a field engineer The company dealt with submarine construction (16:00) Reflections • • Morris saw America at its worst after Vietnam and the way that civilians treated the men in the service His older brother was a marine in the Vietnam and came back emotionally and mentally injured � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gooch, Morris (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gooch, Morris Description An account of the resource Morris Gooch was born in Monroe, Michigan in 1951. He enlisted in the Navy during the American war with Vietnam because he felt that it was the patriotic thing to do. While in the service, Morris worked as a torpedo man traveling to South Carolina, Spain, Hawaii, and Guam. Morris remained in the Navy for 13 years and ended up as a Navy Alcohol Safety Action Program Instructor. After his time in the service, Morris began working as a field engineer for a company that dealt with submarine construction. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Stearns, Sam (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Navy Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-06-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GoochM 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/80e7aaef934a0c1ad8c405204429bc0b.m4v ca7c004a3a63b1a684c904b09a6676b0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/10e61b4babd4de5199bd68f0a71a3d57.pdf 047dffcdaed26983a49dd7f920cd4ed9 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran’s History Project Vietnam War Martin S. Goldrick Length of Interview (01:05:21) Background Born 1946; Washington D.C. Lived there for three years; father worked for the Internal Revenue Service Mother was a “vagabond” Moved often: Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Diego, California; Washington, D.C. Graduated from the University of Virginia In the Marine Corps.; highest rank- First Lieutenant  Afterwards, was promoted to Captain in the Marine Corps. Reserve, but never got the official letter from the President Both of his parents were in the Navy during WWII  His mother was a secretary  Father was a courier Service and Training (00:02:25) 1965, Congress talking about Draft Deferment during the Vietnam War, Goldrick was still in college  Didn’t want to be drafted, wanted to be an Officer  Marine Corps. had Platoons Leaders Class (PLC), signed up during his Sophomore year  Sent to Boot Camp; a lot of mental and physical stress  Six weeks of training during his summer, then six more weeks at the end of Junior year  Given a commission upon graduation  Sent to Quantico, Virginia  1968 received his commission as a Second Lieutenant of the Marine Corps. �From there, went on to Basic School (00:04:10)  Six months of training  Learned military tactics, how to lead a platoon (infantry), weapons (had learn to use all of them), nighttime marches  Had many men who were from other branches, all had to go through the same basic training Before the six months of training, had already graduated from college (00:05:10)  Vietnam was only just beginning to be spoken of, the escalation  Goldrick thought that they would be out of there by ’67 or ’68 Infantry MOS, sent straight over to Vietnam; other men in his class were sent to different schools (00:06:00) Sent to Vietnam in December of ’68, arrived in January of ’69 (00:06:30)  It was really hard to leave, got engaged and had many get-togethers with friends and family  Left out of Washington National Airport  Single Rotation, went in as individuals; Washington D.C. to Camp Pendleton Camp Pendleton, given his first Company (00:07:44)  Went through Escape-and-Evasion classes: learned how to survive  Led a company through these exercises  Assigned this same group of Marines, sent with these men to Vietnam; Officer-in-Charge  Got off in Okinawa to do some training  Remembers this vividly as they flew in on a bright yellow airplane �Recently got together with other men from his company from 40 years ago; remembers the beauty of Vietnam (00:09:00)  Saw the South China Sea, and the mountains  The Marines didn’t remember it that way Vietnam (00:09:40) Remembers landing in Da Nang, very hot  On the airfield for two days as he waited for his first assignment Sent to Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division Located just south of Da Nang: protection of Da Nang from rocket and mortar attack from the North Vietnamese First Assignment: Commander of the Weapons Platoon: M-16 Machine Guns, 60mm Mortars, various anti-tank firearms (00:10:47)  All his troops were deployed to the field in different platoons On his first day in command, one of his men shot his own fingers off with a 60mm Mortar (00:11:17)  The man had dropped a mortar in and didn’t remove his fingers fast enough  Had a “casualty” the first day in command o Met this Marine later in his life during a reunion o The man had gone through seven months of rebuilding his hand First Platoon Commander (00:12:37) Within 30 days, a Lieutenant was injured during an action who had been assigned to protect bridges and road-crossings Goldrick was then called in to assume the position of First Platoon Commander Had this platoon from February to the first of August Patrolled the area; a very sandy area, many dunes (00:13:35) Searched for enemy positions Had very few firefights; his first firefight happened four weeks in and took no casualties �Stressed about traps and mines, a very psychological stress (00:14:15) Goldrick usually walked three men behind, near the Point Man Lost two or three Point Men (the injuries were not too severe) to bombs (usually C-4 or a hand grenade) disguised as C-ration cans in the first month There for six weeks (00:15:08)  Another battalion was nearby, had two Lieutenants from Basic School there  They both were killed during a brutal firefight  Goldrick and his men could hear the fight from where they were, never called in for support  Remembers thinking he may not make it through this  The turnover rate among Infantry Lieutenants was very high  Goldrick was fortunate enough to get through his tour without a scratch Operation Pipestone Canyon (00:16:16) Began major operations, Pipestone Canyon and Durham Peak  Main objective was to sweep high-concentrated enemy areas  The Viet Cong had been decimated in Tet  Up against North Vietnamese soldiers  Had to find bunkers, stashes, supplies  The entire division was made to do this o Were fighting in 100 degree temperatures, went from 180 lbs. to 130 lbs.  Enemy contact was very light, initially (00:18:33)  Goldrick’s Platoon found a cache of rice that could have fed a regiment of men for six months  Called for the General at Headquarters o Required Goldrick to get a haircut to look presentable to the amusement of his men � First major situation: an observation post spotted a VC Platoon, Goldrick’s Platoon was sent to stop them  Went through Elephant Grass as tall as the ceiling, very frustrating o Was told that if his platoon didn’t hurry up, they would call an airstrike on them, to which Goldrick said, “Screw you!”  Killed 10 and captured 12 VC o Goldrick was carrying an M-16, only used it during that sweep; his weapon misfired during that time o Awarded a Bronze Star for that operation o Extracted enemies from the river o Many of the soldiers wanted to show no mercy to the VC, but Goldrick prevented them from slaughtering the captured Two weeks later, spotted 50 NVA (North Vietnamese Army) in an area nicknamed Dodge City (00:23:40)  The whole battalion lifted off to engage them  Goldrick’s company created a blockade along with another  Had 7 choppers that got hit, Goldrick’s included o Recently did some research and found this fight described in a book called “Semper Fi: From Da Nang to the DMZ Marine Corps Campaigns” o Reads an excerpt from this (the Koreans were the other blocking force)  Went to alternated landing zones, took them an hour  Company F (Goldrick’s): 2 dead and 7 wounded  Only four NVA had wiped out 1/3 of Goldrick’s Platoon; this made Goldrick feel some respect for them Remembers that day very clearly, especially one of his soldiers who had, virtually, died right next to him (00:27:15) Three of the enemy was killed; then the last came out with his hands up (00:27:33) �One of his soldiers was shot in the head with a machine gun and survived it; Goldrick describes the path of the bullet This soldier received Stars and Stripes with a photo Near the end of his six months, Goldrick and his men were sent to the mountains, had been in dunes this whole time (00:28:41) Operation Durham Peak (00:29:04) Late July, Operation Durham Peak, Qui Son Mountains south of Da Nang and 10 km south of Hoi An  Enemy snipers fired at them as they climbed up  The hill right across from where Goldrick’s was having a firefight, all they could do was watch  That company, Hotel Company: took 6 dead, 16 casualties, a helicopter was shot down  A Cobra Chopper set right in front of enemy fire and suppressed it allowing the men to pull back; literally, a gunfight between that chopper pilot and the enemy This set up for what Goldrick considers his most frightening night (July 14) (00:30:40)  Knew the enemy was there in large numbers and had flares going off because of the wind  Had men throwing hand grenades all night because firing would make them reveal their position  Started receiving artillery fire right on their position, turned out to be friendly artillery fire  There had been a fire base set up at the bottom of the hill, was supposed to be firing at the hill behind Goldrick’s position  Fortunately no one was killed, Goldrick had run down to check positions  Eventually he got it shut off, but they did it again at 3AM  Goldrick was yelling at the top of his lungs to get it stopped  This was Goldrick’s last night, very unceremonious  Goldrick had been promoted to Battalion Civic Action Officer, his men were left without a Platoon Commander �There was no resting time during his tour (00:33:28)  Some men did get sent to a place called China Beach for in-country R&R  Didn’t really want to go there Side Story Had psychological stresses and battles  Was doing a sweep with another company who was flanking them  A tree line was booby-trapped with 3 155 Shells and killed six people instantly  Goldrick did become a little fatalistic in his thinking, but just went on and did his job He does remember one soldier, called the “Old Man,” who was an excellent Point Man; no casualties were taken from traps when he was on point for four months (00:35:00) Goldrick’s platoon been pinned down while trying to take out a bunker, but one man went through machine gun fire to take out that bunker single-handedly with a grenade; true heroism (00:35:35)  Goldrick had wrote him up for a Silver Star, but is still trying to find out whether or not he received it Entertainment and Morale (00:36:48) Mainly played lots of card games for entertainment; also played music, lots of boom boxes; wrote letters  Goldrick really encouraged his men to write so they could keep up communication with those back home  They received letters regularly  Their First Sergeant for the company always made sure they got a mail-drop as often as possible  These usually came with two cans of beer for each troop  Also sent out ice cream, too; very much appreciated  Drank PBR and Schlitz beers  Sometimes received Care Packages, usually were damaged; but when one did get through, the men shared it between each other �The morale was strained (00:39:00)  1969: disputes about Black Power boiled up  Goldrick thought this was sad because in the Marine Corps, you learn that you are one  Some black marines began to segregate themselves  Remembers being in a Battalion rear o The Battalion rears were overrun two or three times while Goldrick was there and he would have preferred to been out in the field  There was threat of a racial riot in which Goldrick and other officers and were made to put on their sidearm and patrol the battalion compound o This also happened in the States when Goldrick went back to Camp Lejeune  The troops were trying to frag officers and themselves so they could get out of the country o When Goldrick was reading on the history of the Vietnam War, he found some passages that spoke of the drop in morale during 1969 o They had to give so much time and time again and still they had to go back to give more  It was up to the Staff and Officers to keep morale up and keep them going Kept very little contact with the civilians (00:43:17)  Would sweep villages and had candy for the children, but that was all the contact they really had with the native people  The most contact was when they were guarding a bridge  When he became a Civic Action Officer, he had more contact Civic Action Officer (00:44:00) Promoted to Battalion Civil Affairs Civic Action Officer with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines; located in Hill 55 outside the village of Di Lac south of Da Nang  Held Medical and Dental Programs in the village  Built two new school rooms for the kids � Had the kids come to the battalion headquarters so they could have parties  Hired civilians to work on the base  Damage Claims Officer: compensated civilians for damaged properties  Was also the Psychological Operations Officer: arranged for the leaflets drops telling the enemy to give up  Had an interpreter o Hired the interpreter’s girlfriend and eventually attended their wedding o At the wedding, older people gave them betel nut and tiger beer (both are narcotics); he had a great time  Befriended the local PF (Popular Force) Leaders o A Catholic Priest had a parish in Di Lac (00:46:55) o Was a North Vietnamese educated in France; had fled to the south to escape the influences of the communists in the ‘50’s and set up a Roman Catholic Church o Had to medevac 15 women and children, the priest was having a festival in his church yard o A Viet Cong sapper came up and parked his bike by the fence and left it there, it blew up and destroyed the yard and injured those women and children o A tactic the VC used often, Goldrick saw these thing often  Felt that he did some good when he was in this position; it had carried him through the years as something positive instead of totally negative That priest, when he was leaving, thanked Goldrick and the country (00:48:50)  “I fled for freedom of religion. We know we don’t have the best leadership, but at least you’re trying to give us a chance for the freedoms that we want.”  This statement has carried Goldrick through the years Stories (00:49:35) �At the tail-end of a sizable operation; his platoon was the last to be pulled out and they were being taken out by a CH-53, “Jolly Green Giant”  In the landing zone and the rest of battalion had already been evacuated, the pilot was “hot-dogging” it and landed the tail right into the ground  This caused the copter to flip upside down and break its blades, it then caught on fire  All the ammunition in it was going off; it burned for about two hours  Goldrick had already sent one squad back, but the rest were told to stay and guard the chopper site  It was a frightening situation because this fireball could be seen, and heard, for miles around; fortunately they didn’t get hit that night Goldrick never went to see any of the shows there, but he sent some of his men (00:51:25) Did get to have R&R after being given the Civic Officer position, went to Hawaii and saw his fiancée; there for only a week (00:51:58)  On the plane ride back to Vietnam, Goldrick had the feeling that he would never come back When going back home, was sent to Okinawa first (00:52:55)  Had to turn his gear back in, some men complained about this  He even had to turn in his jungle boots, he has never forgotten this because he had those boots the whole time he was there; still ticked off about it  Went to the Air Force Officers’ Club at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa with four Marine Infantry Officers and six Helicopter Pilots  Got tanked and heckled the Air Force Officers for having never seen a war below 50 thousand feet, but they weren’t thrown out  It was a shock going from a War-zone to a place of relative peace, overwhelming  Stayed there for three days, flew out on the “Freedom Bird” as they called it  Landed in El Toro, then took a civilian flight back to Dulles Airport, Washington D.C., where he met his parents and fiancée (0:54:42) o It was a surreal experience, wasn’t quite sure how to act �o Bought a 1969 Dodge Charger after seeing it at the PX and saving his money, a very joyous moment o Got married in March, had returned in January Felt so proud when he went in as a Marine Officer, but so ticked off when he came back; made the decision to not let any of his children serve in the U.S. Military (00:56:10)  Was angry at Kennedy for getting the U.S. into the war, really angry at Johnson for not handling it well  Very ticked-off at the entire system  Was at a formal dance with his wife and had left his uniform’s hat in the coat room; someone had taken it out to the parking lot and stomped on it Was in Camp Lejeune, where Goldrick had a company in Infantry Training, and was on the tarmac ready to police the riots going on in Columbia University (00:57:35)  Feels that it was a good thing they did not go Went to The Wall, a healing point (00:58:30) Went through psychological therapy for his anger issues, PTSD (even though at this time such a disorder was not diagnosed) Was struck when he saw these young men in a bar having fun and realizing what was taken from him because he fought a war that no one appreciated Went to the VA and talked to the counselor there who said that because he was an Officer, he was only borderline PTSD because he had control (01:00:10)  To which he thought, “I didn’t have control over shit.” Visiting The Wall was a cathartic experience for Goldrick Was in the Marines for a total of three years, ’68-’71 and three more years in Reserve (Camp Lejeune) (01:01:45) July 14, 1969 was the worse day in his service Remembers the first Marine Corps Ball where he went with his fiancée which was the highlight of his career, very proud to have been a Marine Officer Credits the Marine Corp. for his success in civilian life for showing what he could actually do (01:03:35) �He’s disturbed by what is happening now because it is similar to what happened to him If they get the rug pulled out from under them, he’ll be pissed � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Goldrick, Martin (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Goldrick, Martin Description An account of the resource Martin Goldrick was a Marine Officer who served during the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1971 as a Platoon Commander, then as a Civic Action Officer working with Vietnamese civilians. He discusses combat operations in detail, as well as some of the issues confronting him as a Civic Action Officer. He also discusses morale and race issues within his units. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Wainright, Terry (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. Marine Corps 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 2009-12-02 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GoldrickM 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