Oakes, Ronald (Interview outline and video, 1 of 2), 2010
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
Ron Oakes was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in March 1949. After briefly attending junior college, he enlisted in June 1967 and received training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot and Camp Pendleton, California. He then received instruction in the Vietnamese language before being sent to Vietnam. Once he arrived, he was trained as a radio operator and assigned to a squad in the 27th Marine Regiment in the Da Nang area, soon becoming his platoon's radio operator, and saw extensive combat experience. When the 27th was rotated home, he was reassigned to 4th Marines at Quang Tri, and operated between Quang Tri and Hue before being sent inland toward Khe Sanh. While in this area, he contracted dysentery and was sent to a hospital ship where he spent a month aboard a hospital ship before being returned to his unit. When his tour was over, re was sent home and discharged in 1969.
Oakes, Ronald
Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
In Copyright
Larabel, Gregg (Interview transcript and video), 2019
United States—History, Military
Vietnam War, 1961-1975—Personal narratives, American
Gregg Larabel was born on November 2, 1944 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After he graduated high school, Larabel joined the Air Force on October 10, 1962 due to his interest in electronics. He attended basic training in San Antonio, Texas, and was then transferred to Amarillo, Texas for a thirty-two-week Pilot School where he was taught basic electronics and flight technology. After graduating Pilot School, Larabel was transferred to Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was assigned to the 314th Armament and Electronics Squadron and worked on military aircraft, particularly the F-100 Super Sabre. After his training at Luke Air Force Base, Larabel was reassigned to the 33rd Tech. Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where he attended more schooling to help work on the more technologically advanced and easier to maintain F-4 Phantom II. In 1966, Larabel left the Air Force and returned to Grand Rapids where he married, had a child, attended Grand Rapids Junior College and then Kendall College of Art and Design before going to work for the Lear Siegler Corporation testing automotive equipment. Two years later, he went back into the service, attending schooling and working at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. When Hurricane Camille struck Biloxi, he and his Squadron were tasked with providing relief to the devastated local population. Larabel was later transferred to Osan Air Force Base in South Korea where he worked as a mechanic on aircraft which monitored the DMZ. Back in the United States, Larabel worked as an Air Force Recruiter for schools across Kent County, Michigan, then was rotated to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he began work as a radar mechanic on AC-130 cargo planes at the rank of E5 Staff Sergeant. In Little Rock, Larabel also became the Junior Bowling Coach for the on-base Bowling Association. He was then sent to Omaha, Nebraska, for a course on the KC-135 Stratotanker before being deployed to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa from 1977 to 1980. Before retirement, Larabel transferred back to recruiting in Michigan and later went to work selling real estate and purchased a bowling center in 1990. Reflecting upon his service in the Air Force, Larabel believed it made a man out of him and joked how bowling continued to capture his attention and influence his side careers while in the service.
Larabel, Gregg
Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401.
Garland, Dudley Hoare (Interview transcript), 1945
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
United States. Army
Dudley Hoare Garland served as an artillery officer in the Ninth Infantry Division during World War II. Assigned to Battery A, 26th Field Artillery Regiment, which normally supported the 39th Infantry Regiment, Garland eventually became its commanding officer, and then moved to the staff of the divisional artillery when promoted to the rank of Major. Garland landed with his unit in North Africa and served in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium and Germany. He was assigned to return to the US in March, 1945, and while there, he visited the office of his brother George in New York City, and recorded some of his experiences on his brother’s office Dictaphone. The original recording was not preserved, but George’s daughter, Kent Garland McKay, had the transcript, which she has shared with us for posting to this archive. This file also includes information given to Garland by his former commanding officer, Lt. Col. Lewis Lockett, when Garland visited him in a hospital in 1943. The transcript covers a variety of topics, including having his ship sunk off the coast of Algeria, fighting in Tunisia, Sicily, Normandy, Belgium and Germany, relationships with other officers and civilians, meetings with high ranking generals and political figures, and different aspects of daily life in the countries where he was stationed.
Garland, Dudley Hoare
Nazario, Moises (Interview transcript and audio, part 2), 2020
Other veterans & civilians—Personal narratives, American
Moises Nazario finished his tour with his company in Vietnam in July 1967. After helping his captain in the last few months before the captain was to be transferred, Nazario was sent back to the United States in October 1967. He was then transferred to Cherry Point, North Carolina, where he attended medical technology courses at night school. He reenlisted on December 30th, 1967, and was sent to work at the research station in Batista, Maryland in March 1968. That August, Nazario began laboratory tech classes and applied for an intensive medical technology program. He was accepted into the program, passed the exam, and became a registered medical technologist. He then completed his bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration at Southern Illinois University, taking classes at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He left Camp Lejeune in February 1978 to work at the Milwaukee County Hospital and work toward his master’s degree in hospital administration. However, just when he was about to finish his master’s program, he was accused of unethical research by the dean. Fortunately, he was able to continue his career in medical technology and work as a supervisor at a local blood bank. He believes that the Navy taught him discipline that helped him and his family become successful.
Nazario, Moises G
Nazario, Moises (Interview transcript and audio, part 1), 2019
Moises Nazario was born in Manila, Philippines, on October 25th, 1936. He recalls his uncle fighting in World War II when he was as young as five years old, and he remembers when Manila was occupied by Japan. Once the Philippines gained independence, Nazario attended college and medical school before enlisting in the Navy in early 1958. He got his physical at an American base in the Philippines, Sangley Point, and was accepted a few months later after which he was shipped from Sandy Point to Fort Mason, San Francisco. In August 1958, he flew out of San Francisco to San Diego for basic training. He was assigned to a company in September. After basic training, he attended steward school where he was trained to cook and serve before being transferred to Naval Academy as a steward. He served as a steward from 1959 to 1961. After that, Nazario was transferred to the USS Sampson and attended commissioning school in Rhode Island. After five months on the USS Sampson, he went back to the Philippines on leave before going to Boston where he assigned to the USS Johnston. While on the USS Sampson, he traveled to Charleston and then Cuba for the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade in December 1962. After a Mediterranean cruise, he was sent to Great Lakes, Illinois for corps school. In July 1963, he graduated corps school and was stationed at the hospital in Great Lakes. In June 1965, Nazario was sent to lab assistant school, and he worked as a lab assistant in Great Lakes after finishing the 8-week course. After that, he was sent to Camp Lejeune to train as an emergency medical technician. After a brief return to the lab in Great Lakes, Nazario was flown to Vietnam in October 1966, landing in Da Nang. There, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division and served as a general corpsman at the battalion aid station. His battalion went on a “sweep,” or patrol to look for enemies, and it was his job to take care of casualties in the field. Nazario himself was injured when he got hit on the knee with shrapnel and got eight stitches on his knee at the battalion aid station.
Christl, Roland (Interview transcript and video), 2017
World War, 1939-1945—Personal narratives, American
Roland Christl was born on October 29, 1924 in Berrien Springs, Michigan, where he graduated high school in 1943. Since several of his friends and brothers were in the service, he decided to enlist into the Army to offer his contribution to the war effort. Enlisting in April of 1945, Christl was sent to Camp Robinson, Arkansas, for Basic Training. Both the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific ended while Christl was in training, and he bounced between camps in the United States awaiting postwar orders. From Fort Lewis, Washington, he was deployed to Japan on a troop ship, dodging several ship mines in the Pacific during the voyage. The ship landed in Osaka before transferring to Yokohama. In Yokohama, Christl was assigned to the 98th Infantry Division and volunteered to be a truck driver, operating supply lines between the port and Tokyo. Later, he volunteered and transferred into the telephone section of the 98th Division alongside the 720th Military Police Battalion. Eventually, Christl accepted a job renovating a prison that held American servicemen from both theaters who were being penalized for insubordination. Since most of his division rotated home shortly thereafter, he was transferred to the 720th Military Police Battalion, working in a detachment at the prison. He, again, became an electrician with the MPs and worked electrical maintenance duties around the prison. Christl also had the opportunity to meet the famed wartime broadcast host Tokyo Rose while fixing her cell’s electrical switches. While talking with her, he managed to get her autograph on a ten yen note. The prison also held several Japanese officials who were being put on trial for war crimes. Overall, Christl thought the Japanese people were wonderfully respectful toward American troops despite the heightened poverty and starvation rates they suffered after the war. He was also briefly transferred to an Engineer Battalion to be trained as a refrigeration technician. He worked as a refrigeration technician until he accrued enough service points to rotate back to the United States in January of 1947. After leaving the service, he moved back onto the family farm and briefly worked for Studebaker Automobile Company before returning to farming. Reflecting upon his time in the service, Christl believed he left the Army as the same man or character that entered it.
Christl, Roland
Talmadge, Roger (Interview transcript and video, part 5), 2017
Roger Talmadge was based in Alexandria, Virginia for his last military assignment. He was responsible for managing military computer systems. He served as the senior chaplain at his base and ran several Bible studies. Roger retired from the military in July 1989. After retirement, he and his family moved to Roanoke, Virginia. He was hired by the Disabled American Veterans Organization. Roger was also responsible for running several thrift stores located throughout Virginia. In 1992, he became the Department Chaplain in Virginia, a position that he held until 2013. Throughout his time in the military, Roger was able to earn various academic degrees. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science, a master’s degree in business, a master’s degree of military arts, a master’s degree of military science, and a PhD in theology. After his retirement from the military, Roger became actively involved in volunteer international mission work. Roger eventually helped form a program that aids military families in fulfilling their basic needs. He has been the president of the program since it first began. Roger is committed to helping veterans and their families.
Talmadge, Roger S.
Talmadge, Roger (Interview transcript and video, part 4), 2017
Roger Talmadge returned from his second tour in Vietnam in 1972 to receive training at Command General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He graduated in June 1973 from Command General Staff College and then attended the University of Kansas to earn a master’s degree in business administration. Roger graduated from the University of Kansas at the end of 1974. He worked during this time as an instructor at the Command General Staff College for 4 years. During his last 2 years at Fort Leavenworth, Roger was actively involved in prison ministry. He then was transferred for an assignment at the Military Personnel Management Center in Washington D.C. By 1979, Roger had become the head chaplain of his unit. He received orders to Fort Huachuca, Arizona in 1981, where he worked in personnel management. He remained at Fort Huachuca until 1983. Afterwards, he worked as an executive officer of the automated management directorate in Alexandria in Washington D.C.
Talmadge, Roger (Interview transcript and video, part 3), 2017
Roger Talmadge started college at the University of Maryland in the fall of 1967. He attended college while also working at Fort Holabird. Roger was promoted to major in 1968. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in computer science in June 1969. Roger was then transferred to Frankfurt, Germany in 1969 to take charge of Army Security there. He remained in Germany until July 1971. Roger and his wife Charlotte created a travel company while in Germany that they called ‘The Red Bull Express.’ They traveled throughout Europe with soldiers and their families via the travel agency. Roger was sent to do a second tour in Vietnam in July 1971. He was stationed in Saigon, Vietnam and worked at the United States Agency for International Development in management. He left Vietnam in July 1972. While in Vietnam, he was engaged in various projects throughout the country, including rescuing Vietnamese orphans during an Easter offensive early in 1972.
Talmadge, Roger (Interview transcript and video, part 2), 2017
Roger Talmadge went to Vietnam with an advanced party, the 11th air assault division, which became the 1st cavalry division, air mobile in 1965. They were tasked with building a camp at An Khe. Roger later was deployed with his division to the Ia Drang Valley, where he was involved in several skirmishes. He would also deliver supplies to various companies during combat as well. Roger helped medevac men from combat zones when necessary. He was involved in an operation in Binh Dinh, Vietnam, on December 18th, 1965. Roger served as an executive officer of his company during his time in Vietnam. He introduced a scouting technique that was referred to as surveillance in depth. He took part in Operation Crazy Horse and was eventually promoted to captain. Roger went on R and R in Thailand. He left Vietnam in August 1966. After leaving Vietnam, Roger returned to Fort Holabird, Maryland and received additional intelligence training. He attended the University of Maryland to study computer science.
Talmadge, Roger (Interview transcript and video, part 1), 2017
Korean War, 1950-1953—Personal narratives, American
Roger Talmadge was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey on October 16th, 1937. He joined the Navy Reserve on October 23rd, 1954, at the age of 17. Roger completed basic training and boot camp at Wold-Chamberlain Naval Air Station, where he also received training to become a certified electronics technician so that he could work on navigational equipment. During his time in the Navy Reserve, Roger also helped with recruiting. He then joined the Army and became an intelligence officer. He completed 3 months of basic training for the Army at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Roger then completed an additional 3 months of intelligence training in 1957 at Fort Holabird. He became an order of battle specialist. Roger was transferred to Germany in June 1957. He was first assigned to the 7th United States Army with the 525th MI battalion for a short time and then joined the 207th MI detachment. Roger did a lot of crypto work while in the intelligence service in Germany. He also worked in the debriefing interrogation section. He received a direct commission in 1962 and worked as a deputy executive officer. Roger then came to Fort Hood, Texas, to the 203rd MI detachment as a second lieutenant of the military intelligence. He moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, in November of 1963 to receive infantry training. He became a first lieutenant and was the executive officer for B company, 1st battalion, 188th infantry regiment. Roger went to Vietnam in 1965.
Rowland, Daniel (Interview transcript and video), 2018
Daniel Rowland was born in 1975 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and decided to enroll in the Marine Corps after his third semester in college. In 1995 Rowland attended boot camp in San Diego, California where he acted as the guide to recruits, After basic training, Rowland was sent to Camp Pendleton to complete Marine combat training. After completing Marine combat training, Rowland was sent to job training in North Carolina where he received training to become an administrative clerk. Rowland then spent three and a half years stationed in Hawaii at Camp Smith working as an administrative clerk. During this time, Rowland would be sent for occasional brief missions in South Korea. While he was stationed in Hawaii, Rowland also received his associate’s degree in business and bachelor’s degree in social work. In 1998 Rowland returned home and left active duty, joining the individual ready reserves where he did occasional active duty. One of these active-duty missions was a mission to go to North Carolina in 200. Due to the events of 9/11, this resulted in Rowland being involuntarily activated for two years during which he worked in a security manager’s office as an administrative clerk. In 2003 Rowland was deployed to Iraq as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade as the assistant security manager. After returning from Iraq to the United States by boat, Rowland decided to return to active duty as an infantryman in 2004. In 2005 Rowland’s unit was sent to Fallujah, Iraq working in headquarters company, and in 2006 Rowland came home for a year before being sent back to Fallujah, Iraq for a third time. Rowland returned home to the United States in 2007 and was stationed at Camp Johnson as a sergeant of the guard before being forcibly discharged and going on to return to school and resume civilian life.
Rowland, Daniel
Ramsey, Laurin (Interview transcript and video), 2008
Bob Hartman was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1919. He graduated high school in 1937 and joined the Michigan Army National Guard in 1938, assigned to the 126th Infantry Regiment, Service Company. His company’s task was to transport troops and provide them with ammunition, food, and clothing. He began as a truck driver and later became a Supply Sergeant. His regiment went on maneuvers that lasted up to two months, traveling to places such as Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. When Pearl Harbor was bombed, Hartman was in Jackson, Mississippi to see a football game and was ordered to go back to camp immediately. He was then shipped to Fort Devens, Massachusetts for about a month before taking a train back to Frisco, Texas. After that, he was shipped to Angel Island and boarded the Lurline to head for Australia. He landed in Adelaide and then took a train to Brisbane. Later, he flew to Port Moresby where he marched across the Owen Stanley Mountains and saw jungle combat as a platoon sergeant. Hartman suffered from malaria during battle, and the sickness continued to recur every month for about five years. Hartman later was flown to Papua New Guinea. He made a beach landing in Saidor, where he experienced a few skirmishes before arriving at Aitape a month or two later. At Aitape, he was shot in the stomach presumably by a sniper. He was hospitalized on base before being shipped back to Australia and eventually the United States, where he spent time at several hospitals in San Antonio, Illinois, and finally back home in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Ramsey, Laurin
Jedlowski, Ray (Interview transcript and video), 2018
Ray Jedlowski was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1942 before his family moved to Michigan where he graduated high school in Dearborn in 1962. Jedlowski’s father was in the Navy during the Second World War and gave his son plenty of exposure to military life in port even though he was not fond of the seas. Since he could not find steady work after high school, he went down to the recruitment office and decided to enlist into the Air Force. He was then sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, for Basic Training before graduating onto Amarillo Air Force Base for technical school and administrative training. Jedlowski was then stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland as a Civil Engineer. He recalled how the base went into lockdown following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. In 1965, he was deployed to Vietnam and was stationed at Pleiku Air Base near Saigon. Shortly after his arrival, the base experienced a small skirmish, but the new arrivals were not overly concerned for their safety. Jedlowski’s unit was tasked with constructing billets and lodging for the First Cavalry Division after its arrival near Pleiku. At the end of his tour, Jedlowski was relieved to go home and was flown to Hawaii and then back to Andrews Air Force Base where he was formally discharged in 1966. Back home, Jedlowski described the ‘chip’ effect where he was physically at home, but his mind was still as paranoid, wired, and irritable as he was in Vietnam. Disappointed with how the war was escalating and how some Americans looked to dodge the draft, he refused to watch the news, but was still proud of his contribution to the war effort. He was disappointed that presidents Nixon and Ford abandoned the war so quickly and that, combined with the intensified anti-war protests at home, the U.S. war effort fell apart. He was also conflicted by the construction of the Vietnam “Wall” Veterans Memorial in 1982 in Washington D.C. since he thought the sincerity of the project was mixed. After the end of Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Jedlowski thought the U.S. military and government did a far better job of handling the war effort than during Vietnam. However, Jedlowski is grateful that the general, domestic attitude toward veterans of the Vietnam War has changed for the better.
Jedlowski, Ray
Grace, Matthew (Interview transcript and video, part 2), 2016
Afghan War, 2001-2021—Personal narratives, American
After leaving his first unit after his first deployment in the Fall of 2010, Matthew Grace moved to Fort Carson, Colorado where he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. At this point, Grace was a Specialist and was quickly back to his normal routine by January of 2011. As a Specialist, Grace took an interest in helping to train his unit’s new group of Privates, specifically through PT and weaponry. Grace found out that he was leaving for his second deployment in the Summer of 2011 and left for Afghanistan in April of 2012. Grace left later than the rest of his unit to go to dog handling training, but eventually flunked out and returned to his unit in Afghanistan. Once in Afghanistan, Grace’s platoon had the job of specifically ensuring the safety of their Battalion Commander and getting him to wherever he needed to go. This was his platoon’s main task throughout the entire deployment. Grace’s tour was over at the end of November/the beginning of December of 2012. Upon finishing his deployment, Grace returned home to the States and took his block-leave, returning back to work for the remainder of his time with the Army. Grace’s ETS date was January 26, 2014. Grace encountered minimal amounts of reintegration training once resuming life as a civilian. One thing Grace was required to do, was to create a plan for life after reentering society. Grace applied to a couple universities and eventually ended up attending Grand Valley State University where he studied history to eventually get his PhD and become a professor. As a whole, Grace believes that his time in the Army plays a big role in his life and states that he would not be as successful as he is without it.
Grace, Matthew
Grace, Matthew (Interview transcript and video, part 1), 2016
Erickson, Floyd (Interview transcript and video), 2017
Floyd Erickson was born in 1922 in Gwinn, Michigan, a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, 18-miles south of Marquette. Erickson grew up in Gwinn and eventually after graduating high school in 1941, went to Detroit to work in a factory making airplane parts. A year after Pearl Harbor, Erickson moved home to Gwinn because he knew he would be drafted soon. Nearly a year after Pearl Harbor, Erickson reported for duty in February in Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He was then sent to Camp Roberts in California for basic training. It was from here that Erickson was assigned to the 87th Infantry Regiment, part of the 10th Mountain Division. Erickson’s first assignment was to Kiska in Japan. However, after a month he was sent to Camp Hale, Colorado. As 1944 approached, Erickson and his regiment were sent to Italy, where his regiment spent most of their time. Eventually, due to his service and helping when his fellow soldiers were injured, Erickson was awarded a Bronze Star. Quickly after, Erickson received orders to go home as the war was over in Europe in May 1945. Despite offers to move up as a Technical Sergeant, Erickson decided to leave the Army and get married to his wife. Erickson then went into construction where he worked in the industry for over 60 years.
Erickson, Floyd H.
DeGroot, Loren (Interview transcript and video), 2017
Loren DeGroot was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1935. While he was still in high school, he enlisted in the Naval Reserves. After he graduated high school in 1953, he began classes as Grand Rapids Junior College and then went to the University of Michigan to finish his bachelor’s in engineering. After graduating, he went to officer training in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1957, he joined the crew of a destroyer ship. His first cruise was to the Mediterranean, where he served as a shore patrol officer on the island of Rhodes in Greece. He then went to Piraeus, Greece and spent a total of six months in the Mediterranean before going back to Newport. His home base was then switched to Mayport, Florida where he served as ship’s navigator. After finishing serving his active duty on the ship in 1960, DeGroot joined the inactive Naval Reserve and stayed in it for 14 years. He went back to the University of Michigan to finish his master’s degree.
DeGroot, Loren
Ziebart, Kenneth (Interview transcript and video), 2017
Kenneth Ziebart was born on May 23, 1928 in St. Joseph, Michigan. Ziebart’s family owned a farm and his father lost his job as a butcher during the Great Depression. He recalled hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor over the radio when a newscast interrupted the football broadcast he was listening to. Since they owned a farm, Ziebart’s family received larger quantities of gas through wartime rationing. After missing the final draft for the Second World War, Ziebart was drafted for service during the Korean War in November of 1950. He attended Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he was instructed by personnel that were younger than the recruits in training. After basic training, Ziebart was sent to Beale Air Force Base in California where he received basic instruction on machinery and light engineer work before being shipped to Busan, Korea in November of 1951. In Korea, he was stationed at an airbase as a crane oiler and was later sent to another base outside Seoul where he worked in mechanized excavation. He recalled how, one night, an enemy aircraft flew over the base and dropped small bombs near the airfield, forcing Ziebart and the engineers to fill in the holes in the runway for American planes to land safely. Nonetheless, both bases saw little combat action, theft, or sabotage during his tour in Korea. He also recalled supervising a group of Korean laborers who he described as incredibly hard-working. There were approximately 85% African American personnel in the engineering units Ziebart worked with, which surprised him. He also visited Japan while on leave for a week during which the Japanese were exceptionally nice to their American guests. Toward the end of his enlistment, Ziebart was shipped back to the United States and was officially discharged at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. When he returned home, he acquired a job for a photographing company. Reflecting upon his time in the service, Ziebart believed he received a quality technical education as well as a greater appreciation for life in the United States.
Ziebart, Kenneth
Wolfe, Jill (Interview transcript and video), 2021
Jill Wolfe was born in December 1975 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to a mother who worked as an art therapist and a father who worked negotiating contracts. She moved to St. Louis, Missouri when she was 3, and moved again to Troy when she was 15 where she stayed until she graduated high school in 1994. Wolfe applied to and was accepted by both Michigan State University and Grand Valley State University. Several weeks before she was meant to leave for Grand Valley, her mother said she should join the Army instead, but she refused. Her father was in ROTC during Vietnam and his older brother was a career officer for 25 years, but Wolfe does not consider herself to come from a military family. After a lackluster semester of college, Wolfe came into contact with a recruiter following an argument with her parents about them wanting her to get a job to pay for her tuition, or else they would not send her back for a second semester. She originally was uninterested in the pitch but said she “...didn’t want to disappoint anyone” and left to think about it further, settling that service was a potential solution to her monetary issues. Her ASVAB score qualified her for several high-clearance positions of which she selected Non-morse Communications Specialist which would take 3 years. Wolfe was shipped out in 1995 to a holding unit in Fort Jackson, South Carolina before later being transported to boot camp in the same state, she recalls boot camp as being the most physically exhausted she has ever been “aside from giving birth” and Wolfe waited several weeks before being sent to San Antonio, Texas due to clearance issues. She was later sent to Camp Humphreys near Seoul, South Korea with the 3rd MI Battalion Bravo Company for 14 months on orders in 1997. In Korea, Wolfe volunteered as a lifeguard at a nearby pool and remembers being able to own an apartment off post and enjoying the thriving city life. 3 months before the end of her term in Korea, Wolfe found out she was pregnant and was forced to discharge and return home. Wolfe returned to Grand Valley and graduated in 2001, going on to work in PR and eventually become the Military and Veterans Resource Manager at Grand Valley where she continues to work today, assisting veterans in their schooling.
Wolfe, Jill H.
Widjeskog, Lee (Interview transcript and video), 2014
Lee Widjeskog was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey and grew up in that area, finishing high school in 1964. He attended Colorado State University and took ROTC training, and received his commission in the Army in 1969. He took infantry training at Fort Benning, Georgia and jungle training in Panama, and went to Vietnam in April, 1970. He became a platoon leader in A Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. His unit patrolled the area near Firebase Ripcord, and was involved in heavy fighting on July 22, when Widjeskog's platoon was separated from the rest of the company for several hours, and the company then had to spend the night in the field behind before being evacuated. For the rest of the summer he operated in the field around Firebase Katherine and Firebase Rakkasan until he was reassigned to the rear in mid-September 1970. He served as the supply officer for Headquarters Company of the 3rd Brigade until he left Vietnam on March 15, 1971. He has been an active member of the Ripcord Association for over twenty years, and he and his wife currently organize the annual reunions.
Widjeskog, Lee
Vollink, Lawrence (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Lawrence Vollink was born in the Burton Heights neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he attended local schools and graduated high school in 1965. His father was a deeply religious, poor man with only an eighth-grade education and his mother did not work, but Vollink believed that he lived a comfortable childhood. With the financial help of his grandfather, he attended Great Lakes Bible College and graduated in 1970, becoming a minister. As a minister, Vollink was exempt from the draft and was encouraged to go back to Bible College for his master’s degree so he could become a military chaplain. In 1980, he was admitted into the military as an Army Chaplain at the rank of Captain after attending a reduced Basic Training Course at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. He would console his men over issues such as suicide, depression, stress, and insubordination. After three years at Fort Campbell, Vollink was transferred to Germany where he was assigned to the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AADCOM), which had its units scattered all over the country. He then attended a second Chaplain School in the United States for six months before he was promoted to Major and stationed at Fort Carson near Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1990, Vollink was working at Selfridge when the United States invaded Kuwait and made the decision to remain in Michigan instead of deploying with his former unit from Fort Carson. After the conclusion of the invasion, he provided advice to his military commanders on how to better help and receive the troops returning home from deployment. In 1992, Vollink’s twenty years of active-duty service were up, so he joined the Army Reserves. He later became the State Chaplain, and then the National Chaplain, for the American Legion, serving the institution for a total of fifteen years. Afterwards, he joined the Civil Air Patrol as the organization’s Wing Chaplain in 2012 out of Pennsylvania. Vollink also worked smaller jobs for the VA and Hospice while working for the American Legion and Civil Air Patrol. Reflecting upon his time in the service, Vollink believed that God helped him not only to perform his job effectively, but also to be supportive of his men. Thus, he believed the military was his true calling and that he was used as a tool of God to do good in the military.
Vollink, Lawrence
Velez-Cruz, Miguel (Interview transcript and video), 2021
Miguel “Mickey” Angel Velez-Cruz was born in Puerto Rico in 1949. Velez-Cruz was raised and developed during the Cold War periods of the 1950s and 1960s. Coming from a long line of United States veterans and the desire to get out of extreme poverty, Velez-Cruz volunteered to join the United States Army. Velez-Cruz began his career in basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina and eventually went to Fort Gordon in Georgia. Eventually, Mickey attended AIT and was made a medical records clerk in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. After a few months at that position, Velez-Cruz received orders for Vietnam and landed with a missile air defense unit. Quickly, that unit was ended and Velez-Cruz was sent to the 38th Base Post Office. After spending five months with the 38th BPO, Mickey received orders for temporary duty. This is when he was assigned to work in grave registration. He stayed with this position until June of ‘69 when he left Vietnam. After his discharge, Velez-Cruz was reassigned to go to Stuttgart, Germany where he worked as a paymaster. However, since he left the service with the GI Bill Velez-Cruz decided to go back to school. He attended the University of Puerto Rico where he received his degree in Biochemistry. From there, Velez-Cruz worked in medical devices and eventually landed a 27-year gig with Johnson and Johnson. Velez-Cruz wraps up his interview by discussing his experiences with PTSD and emphasizing the importance of military awareness for the United States.
Velez-Cruz, Miguel A.
Van Dyke, Orley (Interview transcript and video), 2019
Orley Van Dyke was born on December 30th, 1924 in Holland, Michigan. After graduating high school in 1942, he worked in printing for the newspaper for a few months. Right when he turned 18, he enlisted in the Army. He began basic training and flash and sound training for artillery in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. There he passed a test for the Air Force and changed to that military branch. He was sent to Sheppard Field, Texas for three months before beginning college at Kansas State College in Manhattan, Kansas after which he would be classified as a bombardier. He then attended pre-flight training in Santa Ana, California before being sent to Kirtland Field in Albuquerque, New Mexico for bombardier school. After a short leave, he went to Lincoln, Nebraska to be assigned to a crew. He then went to combat crew training in Alamogordo, New Mexico. After that he went to Kearney, Nebraska to pick up a new airplane and married his girlfriend there before preparing for deployment. He flew first to Sacramento, California, then to Hawaii for about a week, then to Kwajalein, and finally to Guam, where he flew to Japan for his first bombing mission. He flew a total of 24 missions. Right before the end of the war, he was involved in an in-air collision where he lost the tail and two engines from his plane. He was able to fly the plane to Iwo to be repaired. After World War II ended, he was flown home and discharged in January 1946. He returned to work at the newspaper until 1977 when he helped his wife run their furniture store until 1983. He spent the next ten years working for the city in the summer and visiting Florida in the winter. Van Dyke values his time in the military and the discipline it taught him.
Van Dyke, Orley