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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c2cc37fe55f82d5c0636e3c660e382cd.m4v
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2a0e4ac1680d613e25570f86efdfc951.pdf
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Grand Valley State University
Veterans' History Project
Robert Keegstra
World War II
40 minutes 55 seconds
(00:00:32) Early Life
-Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 20, 1919
-Grew up in Grand Rapids
-Lived in several different houses that his father built
-Father worked in the retail lumber business
-Started his own company, Keegstra Lumber Company, in Grand Rapids
-The Great Depression was difficult for his family
-Father only brought home $25 a week, the rest went to keeping the company open
-Had customers
-Those that couldn't pay worked off their debt
-Attended three different grade schools
-Graduated from Grand Rapids Christian High School in 1937
-Took a year off after he graduated
-Worked for his father
-Hitchhiked around the United States
-Saw the East Coast
-Went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids
-Studied there for two years
-Majored in economics and business
-Decided to transfer to Northwestern University in Chicago
-Prior to transferring to Northwestern, he went to a program in Indiana about selling Bibles
-Tried to sell Bibles in small towns in Texas, but he didn't make any money doing that
-Attended Northwestern University for one year
(00:04:55) Enlisting in the Navy
-Got drafted when he was at Northwestern University
-Had tried to enlist in the Army Air Force in Detroit
-Turned away because he didn't meet all of the physical requirements
-On the day he was supposed to report for the draft he went to Detroit and joined the Navy
-Enlisted on August 7, 1941
(00:06:22) Basic Training
-Went to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training
-Part of basic training was figuring out where you would work the best
-Accepted that, either way, he had to serve
(00:07:02) Yeoman School
-He knew how to type, so he volunteered for Yeoman School
-Meant he would be doing secretarial-type work
-Keeping track of where sailors were on base and filing other paperwork
-Note: A wide range of administrative and clerical duties
-Sent to Toledo, Ohio for Yeoman School
-That school lasted 16 weeks
-Graduated and made the rank of yeoman
�(00:07:54) Stationed at Naval Air Station Glenview Pt. 1
-He did so well in Yeoman School that he could select where he wanted to be assigned
-Selected Naval Air Station (NAS) Glenview in Glenview, Illinois
-Near where his girlfriend lived
-While stationed at NAS Glenview, he lived at his girlfriend's house and hitchhiked to the base
(00:08:38) Start of the War
-Remembers hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor on the news
-Came as a shock because he hadn't followed fighting in Europe and Asia since 1939
-Knew that it was the beginning of America's involvement in the Second World War
-Noticed food and gas rationing go into effect
-Remembers blackouts at night
-Either had to turn off your lights or put up thick curtains to block out light
-Meant Axis bombers couldn't see where their targets were if they made it to the U.S.
-On the coasts it was so enemy subs couldn't see the silhouettes of ships
(00:09:57) Stationed at Naval Air Station Glenview Pt. 2
-Worked at Glenview as a yeoman
-It was not a large base
-Place where Naval Aviators trained
(00�:10:34) U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen School
-Had three years of college and decided that he wanted to advance himself in the Navy
-Sent in paperwork for U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen School (officer training)
-Sent to Abbott Hall at Northwestern University for his officer training
-Lasted 16 weeks
-Studied navigation and gunnery
-Received physical training
-Learned about the different components of the Navy
-Did so well with his school that he stayed at Abbott Hall and served as a navigation instructor
-Graduated from U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen School on the morning of October 30, 1942
-Promoted to the rank of ensign
-Got married that same night
-Served at Abbott Hall as an instructor for a year
(00:15:15) Stationed in Hollywood, Florida Pt. 1
-In January 1944 he was sent to Hollywood, Florida to serve as a navigation instructor
-Wife and daughter were able to go with him to Florida
-Lived off the base
-Instructed there for a year and a half
(00:15:48) Getting Married
-Had a military wedding
-All of his groomsmen were officers that trained at Northwestern University
-His best man was his roommate when he went through officer training
(00:16:26) Stationed in Hollywood, Florida Pt. 2
-Hollywood is south of Fort Lauderdale
-On the coast of the Atlantic Ocean
-Meant they had to have blackouts at night
-Remembers a tornado went through Hollywood
-Filled the hotel on Hollywood Beach with sand
-Students lived in the hotel
-He and his family lived in an apartment two or three blocks from the hotel
-Lived in the city of Hollywood in the winter, and lived at Hollywood Beach in the summer
�-Had maid service in the apartment
-Knew U-Boats were near the coast
-Naval Aviators and ships did training maneuvers off the coast
-Most likely kept the German submarines away
-Took students out on the water navigation training
-Sailed to Nassau, Bahamas
-Borrowed two boats from the Coast Guard and sailed to Havana, Cuba for the day
-Training for the students, but recreation for the instructors
-Mix of classroom work and practical training concerning navigation
-Didn't do too much gunnery training
-He didn't have a car at first when he moved to Hollywood
-Went up to Grand Rapids, bought a used car, and drove it back down to Florida
-Wife stayed in the apartment and took care of their daughter
-The navigation school in Hollywood closed after a year and a half
(00:21:19) Assignment to the USS Savannah (CL-42)
-Assigned to the USS Savannah (CL-42)
-A light cruiser
-Went to New York City to board the ship
-When he arrived he discovered it was in dry dock receiving repairs
-After a few days of waiting around he received new orders
-Sent back to Hollywood, Florida for Radar Training
-Wife visited him for a few days
-Received one month of training
-Went to Rhode Island to bard the ship
-Joined the ship in early March 1945
(00:23:07) Duty aboard the USS Savannah
-Worked in the Combat Information Center (CIC)
-Tactical center of a warship that processes information for the ship's area of operations
-Received further radar training aboard the Savannah
-If a plane was coming he could see it on the radar scope
-Went to the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Florida for training
-Chance for pilots to get used to being launched off the ship's catapult
-Operated in the Gulf of Mexico for the remainder of the war
-Had been on a larger ship on a larger body of water before
-Took a passenger ship across Lake Michigan to Chicago when he was a boy
-He didn't get seasick on the Savannah but his stomach felt uneasy at first
(00:26:12) Possible Transfer to Pacific Theater
-Considered requesting a transfer to the Pacific Theater
-Wrote to a friend serving in that area and asked him what he thought about that idea
-Advised Robert not to do that
(00:26:37) Rationing
-Everyone, civilian and military, was treated the same during the war concerning rationing
-Had grocery stores for military personnel at the places he served at
-Wives were allowed to shop there
-Could also go to Miami to get groceries when he was stationed at Hollywood, Florida
(00:27:39) Stationed in Hollywood, Florida Pt. 3
-His duty in Hollywood was similar to a regular civilian job
-Pulled guard duty at the dorms some nights
-Never had any intruders or troublemakers when he pulled guard duty
�-Navy moved families into the hotel when the tornado happened
-One family to a room with one bed
-Meant a four-person family had to share a one bed hotel room
(00:29:38) Visiting Havana, Cuba in the Navy
-Allowed to get off the Savannah at the various ports the ship stopped at
-Remembers going ashore at Havana, Cuba
-Able to explore the city
-All of the Cubans he encountered were friendly people
-In 1945 there were no signs of revolutionary activity
(00:30:36) Visiting Havana, Cuba as a Civilian
-Visited Havana again in the 1950s while the revolution was underway
-Fidel was gaining power throughout the country
-Armed guards everywhere
-Not allowed to take pictures
(00:31:34) End of Service
-Discharged from the USS Savannah on October 22, 1945 in New Orleans
-Sent north to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for his final discharge
-Asked if he wanted to stay in the Navy Reserve, but he declined
(00:32:48) Life after the War
-Went back to Northwestern University
-Graduated with a degree in business marketing
-GI Bill helped him get through college
-Got a job with an electric company in Chicago
-Managed various railroad accounts and filled their orders
-After two or three years he was transferred to Grand Rapids, Michigan
-Worked for the electric company for a total of three or four years
-Father planned on retiring from running Keegstra Lumber Company
-Robert wanted to stay in Grand Rapids to raise his children
-He quit the electric company job and bought Keegstra Lumber Company from his father
-Managed the family business for over 25 years until he sold it and retired
-Kept in touch with his best man
-Lived in Marquette, Michigan, so he was able to drive up and visit him once in a while
(00:36:06) Spirit of Grand Rapids Honor Flight
-Event began around 5 AM on May 16, 2015
-Served breakfast at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids
-Chartered plane was filled with veterans and their sponsors
-As well as prominent local politicians and business leaders
-Had been to Washington DC before, but never got to see the nation's memorials like he did on that trip
-Had a wonderful time and felt they were all taken care of well
-Had dinner in Washington DC in a WWII mess tent
-Returned to Grand Rapids and went to East Kentwood High School
-3,000 people welcomed them home and thanked them for their service
(00:38:43) Reflections on Service
-Felt he had very good duty because he didn't have to go overseas or see combat
-Feels that he did his share by helping to train other servicemen
-Recognizes that a lot of men had it terrible during the war
-Believes that fighting a war effectively means this:
-90% of your manpower is dedicated to logistics and training, 10% is dedicated to fighting
-Very thankful that he enlisted in the Navy
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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
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<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
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RHC-27
Language
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eng
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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RHC-27_KeegstraR1930V
Title
A name given to the resource
Keegstra, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2016
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-02-27
Description
An account of the resource
Robert Keegstra was born on April 20, 1919 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He enlisted in the Navy on August 7, 1941 and received his basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois. He went to Yeoman School and after 16 weeks graduated as a yeoman in the Navy. He was stationed at Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois when the war began. In the summer of 1942 he went to U.S. Naval Reserve Midshipmen School at Abbott Hall at Northwestern University and graduated from that training on October 30, 1942 with the rank of ensign. He stayed there and worked as an instructor for a little over a year, then was transferred in January 1944 to Hollywood, Florida where he worked as a navigation instructor. In March 1945 he joined the crew of the USS Savannah (CL-42) and trained in the Gulf of Mexico through the summer and early fall of 1945. On October 22, 1945 he left the ship in New Orleans and shortly thereafter was discharged from the Navy at Great Lakes Naval Station.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Keegstra, Robert
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Jones, Adam (Interviewer)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
United States. Navy
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Moving Image
Text
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a>
Rights
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Publisher
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Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
Relation
A related resource
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
Format
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video/x-m4v
application/pdf