Hovinga, Joseph (Interview outline and video), 2015
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army
description: Joseph Hovinga was born in 1923 in Dorr, Michigan. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and enlisted in the Army in 1942. He trained at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, and Fort Ord, California. He was sent to Hawaii and was assigned to H Company 32nd Infantry Regiment 7th Infantry Division. He saw action on Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands Campaign, on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands Campaign, on Leyte in the Philippines, and on Okinawa.
creator: Hovinga, Joseph
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2015
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Doak, Marshall (Interview outline and video), 2015
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Navy
description: Marshall Doak was born in Sturgis, Michigan on March 3, 1921. He enlisted in the Navy on November 9, 1938 and went to Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island for basic training. He served aboard the USS Salt Lake City then went to Hospital Corps School in San Diego, California in late 1939. He trained at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois and served in the urological ward at Norfolk Naval Hospital. From Norfolk he returned to Great Lakes Naval Station to work in the dispensary then got assigned to the USS Wakefield. In November 1941 the Wakefield joined a convoy in Canada and helped secretly transport 5,500 British troops to Singapore before the United States entered the war. By the time they dropped off the troops, Pearl Harbor had been bombed and the U.S. was in the war. He served aboard the Wakefield until Thanksgiving 1942 when he was reassigned to the USS Arapaho. Aboard the Arapaho he served as the ship's doctor. Through the summer of 1943 the ship operated in the Pacific Theater and during the Battle of Tarawa he went ashore to treat Marine casualties. He also participated in the liberation of the in liberation of Eniwetok, Kwajalein, Makin, and the Northern Marianas Islands. He experienced a quasi-mutiny on the USS Arapaho before being transferred to the USS Enterprise on November 24, 1944. He returned to the United States and served at Brooklyn Naval Hospital and Hunter College before being discharged on October 8, 1945.
creator: Doak, Marshall
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2015-12-03
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
language: eng
type: Moving Image
type: Text

DePrimo, Bernard (Interview outline and video), 2015
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army
description: Bernard DePrimo was born in 1924 in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan and in early 1943 he was drafted. In March 1943 he began training at Camp Davis, North Carolina with the 430th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion. He received communication training and artillery training at Camp Davis and Fort Fisher until it was time to go overseas. He left the United States on October 22, 1943 bound for England and stayed there with the 430th until June 8, 1944. Over the course of 1944 and into 1945 he and the 430th advanced across France protecting Allied ground forces from the German Luftwaffe. He was also attached to the 110th Field Artillery Battalion driving trucks as part of the Red Ball Express, transporting supplies and later German and Allied prisoners of war and displaced persons. After the war ended on May 8, 1945 he was reassigned to the 203rd (or 207th) Field Artillery Battalion and stayed with them for the rest of his time in Europe. On October 12, 1945 he left Europe and on October 31, 1945 he was discharged from the Army at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.
creator: DePrimo, Bernard
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2015-05-20
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Wall, William (Interview transcript and video), 2017
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
description: William Wall was born in Hope, Michigan, in 1924, and later moved with his family to nearby Midland. He was drafted into the Navy shortly after he finished high school.in 1943. He trained at Great Lakes, Illinois, and was assigned to San Clemente Island, off the coast near San Diego, and worked as a carpenter. The island had a rifle range and some other training facilities, and housed a few seaplanes and a radar station, but was mostly out of the way of the war. With little war work to do, Mr. Wall built things such as picture frames, suitcases, and lobster traps. He also ran a small bowling alley on the base, played a lot of poker, helped tend the lobster traps, and took trips to the mainland when he could. He enjoyed his life there, and turned down opportunities to transfer elsewhere, and stayed at San Clemente until his discharge in 1946.
creator: Wall, William
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2017-11-14
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Shoemaker, Roy (Interview transcript and video), 2017
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
description: Roy Shoemaker Jr. was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 1930. He grew up there, finished high school in 1949 and got a job at the Whirlpool factory, and was drafted into the army soon afterward, in late 1950. He trained at Fort Hood, Texas, and was assigned to the 16th Armored Engineer Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division, and trained with their Bridge Company. Mr. Shoemaker was close to his family growing up, and had a lot of respect for his community despite multiple nationalities and low-incomes. Not long after starting at Whirlpool in 1950, Mr. Shoemaker received a draft notice. He was processed at Fort Custer and then was transported to Fort Hood, Texas via train. At Fort Hood, Mr. Shoemaker received basic training and was assigned to the 16th Arms Unit, Bridge Company. He stayed with that unit over a year, during which time he met the singer Eddie Fisher and did musical acts with him on the base. In 1952, he received orders for Korea and was assigned to B Company of the 44th Construction Engineer Battalion, where he wound up as the company clerk because he could type. He spent seven months with this unit at Taegu, some distance back from the front lines. He saw no combat, but did get to see something of the country and meet the people. One notable dimension of this interviewer is that he offers commentary on the process of racial integration in the military. As an African American from the North, he had seen little by way of discrimination before going to Texas to train, and offers keen observations on different aspects of racial discrimination in both North and South, and of the Army's efforts to desegregate Fort Hood, which was in process while he was there.
creator: Shoemaker, Roy
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2017-10-18
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Barrowcliff, Robert (Interview transcript and video), 2017
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
description: Robert Barrowcliff was born in Silverton, Oregon, in 1947. He grew up in Oregon, finished high school, and then got an electrical engineering degree from a two-year school and learned took flying lessons. Once he was out of school, he was drafted into the Army and trained as a helicopter pilot. He went to Vietnam in early 1970 and was assigned to A Company, 159 Assault Helicopter Support Battalion, based at Phu Bai. From there, he flew Chinook helicopters that transported men and supplies across the northern part of South Vietnam. He flew many missions in support of the 101st Airborne Division, notably to Fire Support Base Ripcord, where his Chinook crashed on July 18, 1970, setting off a series of explosions that ultimately led to the evacuation of the base. After this incident, he continued to fly helicopters during his year in Vietnam. After returning from Vietnam, he had thirty days to report to Fort Rucker with his wife, where he served as a flight instructor. He was then transferred to Karen's Army Air Base, where he was a test pilot for new engines. He left the military in March of 1971.
creator: Barrowcliff, Robert
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2017-10-02
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Pitetti, Kenneth (Interview transcript and video), 2017
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
description: Kenneth Pitetti, was born in1946 in San Francisco, California, where he was raised. He enlisted in the ROTC program at the University of San Francisco. He signed up for infantry in the Army. He received Infantry Officer Basic Training at Fort Benning. In the fall of 1969, he was assigned to the 24th Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, which, within his last two weeks of the assignment, became the 1st Division. He then participated in jungle training in Panama before being sent to Vietnam in August of 1970. He was assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He spent most of his time in the field leading platoon-size patrols in the mountains and jungles in the northern part of South Vietnam. Four months into his service in Vietnam, Ken Pitetti stepped on a land mine and lost his leg just under his knee in a traumatic amputation. He was medically evacuated to a field hospital, where they performed surgery. He was sent back to the United States to recover. After his return to the United States, he faced the negative treatment and negative stigmatization that many veterans of Vietnam felt. Still, he worked to get his PhD and now is a professor at Wichita State.
creator: Pitetti, Kenneth
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2017-07-21
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Veenstra, Gilford (Interview transcript and video), 2017
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
description: Gilford Veenstra was born in 1926, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he grew up. He enlisted in the United States Navy after his graduation from high school in June of 1944 with several of his classmates. He received basic training at Great Lakes, which is north of Chicago, Illinois. He received diesel training in Richmond, Virginia. In the spring of 1945, he was deployed to a small boat pool in the Philippines. During his first assignment, he spent time as a mechanic and earned his first stripe by fixing his Commander's personal boat. The boat pool in which he was assigned to was destroyed in an accidental explosion, which prompted his second assignment at Sangley Point, on Manila Bay, where he also served as a boat mechanic. To conclude his time in the Navy, Gilford Veenstra served temporary duty in Tacloban, where he was working when Japan surrendered. He was discharged and left the Philippines in the spring of 1946.
creator: Veenstra, Gilford
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2017-06-19
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Thatcher, Bruce (Interview transcript and video), 2017
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
description: Bruce Thatcher was born in Berwyn, Illinois in 1941 and grew up in the Chicago suburbs. He tried college and did not do well, and found work as a surveyor and enlisted in the Army in early 1963. He hoped to train as a surveyor, but after basic training at Fort Knox, he was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for artillery training. He did well enough in training and then on duty at Fort Sill that he was promoted quickly and put into Officer Candidate School. From there, he was assigned to the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, went to jump school, and served with a target acquisition company. He went to Vietnam in July, 1966, and was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, based at An Khe in the Central Highlands. He worked in fire direction control for the 1st Battalion of the 77th Field Artillery, and later was assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment as a forward observer. He served in Vietnam for a full year and saw a good deal of combat, mostly in small unit actions scattered across much of the middle part of South Vietnam, earning a bronze star in an action in early 1967. He completed his tour later that year and returned to civilian life and to college, where he did much better in part due to what he had learned in the Army.
creator: Thatcher, Bruce
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2017-06-20
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Yeomans, Kevin (Interview transcript and video), 2017
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American: United States Army
description: Kevin Yeomans was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1986. He enlisted immediately after high school in 2004, trained as an infantryman at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and served in B Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. His unit was scheduled for deployment to Iraq in 2005, but first took a detour to New Orleans to help with relief work after Hurricane Katrina, where they spent several weeks patrolling flooded areas and then providing security in the city. Not long after returning from that assignment, the unit deployed to Iraq and were based at COB Speicher near Tikrit, where they conducted patrols and searched houses for al Qaeda supporter. They took some casualties from IEDs and snipers, but saw no major firefights. The unit returned home in 2007 after 15 months in the field. Yeomans was eventually reassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, and was discharged in 2009.
creator: Yeomans, Kevin
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2017-11-16
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
type: Moving Image
type: Text

Van Luyn, William (Interview outline and video, 1 of 2), 2011
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: United States. Army
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
description: William Van Luyn was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1925, and was drafted into the Army in 1943. He wanted to go, and was disappointed when he was rejected due to an eye problem, but later talked his way past the recruiter and sent to Camp Ellis, Illinois, to train as an engineer. He joined the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment and was assigned to B Company, which specialized in bridge construction. He shipped out to England with his unit in the spring of 1944, and deployed to Normandy shortly after D-Day. After the Normandy breakout, his regiment followed Patton's 3rd Army across France, building and rebuilding bridges all along the way, sometimes under fire from enemy artillery or aircraft. His unit got caught up in the Battle of the Bulge, and then participated in the invasion of Germany, building their longest bridge across the Rhine near Remagen. Shortly after the Germans surrendered, the unit was deployed to the Philippines in preparation for the invasion of Japan.
creator: Van Luyn, William
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2011-08-25
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Godino, Peter N (Interview outline and video), 2005
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army Air Corps
description: Peter Godino was born in Italy on November 16, 1921. In 1930 he and his mother and siblings came to the United States to live with his father in Pennsylvania. When he was eighteen he enlisted in the Army and was placed in the Army Air Force. He trained at Bolling Field, Washington D.C. and served there until he joined the glider program in 1942. He trained with gliders in Wisconsin, but was reassigned to gunnery training. He received gunnery training in Las Vegas then joined a bomber crew at Wendover Field, Utah. The crew was assigned to the 461st Bombardment Group and they were sent for further training at Fresno, California. They eventually received orders to go overseas and wound up at Torretto Airfield, Italy. They began flying missions in April 1944, bombing targets in Regensburg, Vienna, Budapest, Ploesti, as well as in Yugoslavia. His bomber was eventually shot down and he was one of three survivors from his crew. He was then captured and taken to Mauthausen Concentration Camp, Stalag Luft IV, and finally Stalag Luft I.
creator: Godino, Peter N.
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2005-10-20
contributor: Boring, Frank (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Newman, Peter (Interview outline and video), 2014
subject: Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army
subject: United States. National Guard
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
description: Peter Newman is a major in the Michigan National Guard and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan. He was born in Mount Prospect, Illinois, in 1980 and grew up in Michigan. He took ROTC training in college and was commissioned in the Army in 2002. He trained as an infantry officer at Fort Benning, Georgia for infantry officer basic training and then served with 82nd Airborne Division, the 11th Infantry Regiment, the 10th Signal Battalion of the 10th Mountain Division and finally the 1/32nd Infantry Battalion of the 10th Mountain Division as the S6 (communications) officer for Bravo Company. In January 2006 the 1/32nd Infantry Battalion was deployed to Afghanistan. They operated in the Jalalabad area and took part in Operation Mountain Lion establishing the combat outposts of Restrepo, Michigan, and California. After a sixteen month tour he and his unit returned home in June 2007. Left the service briefly, then joined the Michigan National Guard. He taught ROTC courses before going full time in the Guard in April 2009. He helped build the 507th Engineers Battalion from scratch and deployed with them to Afghanistan in May 2012 operating in the south/southwestern portion of the country. In March 2013 the 507th returned home.
creator: Newman, Peter
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2014-09-27
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Pullen, Steve (Interview outline and video), 2014
subject: Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
subject: Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
description: Steve Pullen was born on Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico, where his father was serving at the time. His family eventually settled in Florida, where he finished high school and started college, but his status changed and he was drafted into the Army in 1968. He opted for officer training, and then trained to fly Cobra attack helicopters. Sent to Vietnam in 1970, he was assigned to lead an aerorifle platoon in the 2/17 Cavalry in the 101st Airborne Division. He did this between May and September, 1970, and participated in the Ripcord campaign. He then became a scout helicopter pilot for another six months, participating in the Lam Son 719 operation in Laos in 1971. He returned fora second tour in 1972, again as a scout helicopter pilot, and was there during the 1972 offensive, and served with F Troop of the 4th Cavalry until he was wounded. He spent another thirty years in the Army, including twenty in the Special Forces, and served in Grenada, Bosnia, Somalia and Iraq.
creator: Pullen, Steve
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2014-10-10
contributor: McGregor, Michael (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

France, Gerald (Interview outline and video), 2014
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army Air Corps
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
description: Gerald France was born in 1925 in New York City. He grew up on Governor's Island, New York City, the home of the 16th Infantry Regiment. He left high school in 1944 to join the Army Air Corps. He qualified for flight training and went through the early stages of it, but was reassigned to armament school due to a lack of need for pilots. He trained at different bases and joined a B-17 crew that flew to England in April, 1945, joining the 490th Bomb Group at Eye Air Station. They flew several missions over Germany and against isolated German forts in France. When the war ended, they flew relief missions, including ferrying political prisoners.
creator: France, Gerald
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2014-09-11
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
contributor: WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Youngquist, Gord (Interview outline and video), 2011
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Coast Guard
description: Gord Youngquist served in the United States Coast Guard from 1977 to 1987. During this period Gord served in a wide variety of positions and locations from Cortez Florida, Sarasota Florida, Saint Petersburg Florida, as well as aboard an ice breaker that did voyages in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. In this interview, Gord recounts his time in all of these location, particularly Saint Petersburg Florida, where he helped on both the Blackthorn as well as the Sunshine Bridge disasters. Gord also accounts the repercussions his service has had on him as well as his struggle living with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.)
creator: Youngquist, Gord
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2011-11-02
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

York, Thomas (Interview outline and video), 2010
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army Air Forces
description: Thomas York was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1927. His family moved first to Oklahoma, then to Michigan. York enlisted in the US Air Force at 16, and after graduating at 17, entered active duty on July 1st of 1945. York underwent basic training at the base in Biloxi, Mississippi. York re-enlisted after his 6 months of duty were finished in the US Army Air Force. York was sent to Caserta, Italy, where he served for a year as a medical clerk. While at Caserta, York met British military personnel and German prisoners of war.
creator: York, Thomas
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2010-01-13
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Yocum, Michael (Interview outline and video), 2010
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Air Force
description: Michael Yocum was born in Seattle and grew up in the Mount St. Helens area of Washington. He enlisted in the Air Force in the early 1960's and after serving at several bases around the world as an aircraft mechanic, he did a tour in Vietnam at Phan Rang Air Force Base from 1967 to 1968. He remained in the Air Force until 1980, serving on bases in the US and Europe.
creator: Yocum, Michael
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2010-08-19
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Yenor, Clare (Interview outline, video, and papers), 2008
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Video recordings
subject: United States. Army
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
description: Clare Yenor was born in 1921 and lived on a farm in Michigan. He enlisted in the Army in April of 1942. Clare went through basic training in Oklahoma, and after that began artillery training with the 215th Field Artillery Battalion. The 125th was one of the first groups to begin training with glider planes during WWII. Yenor later trained the officers of the 182nd and 101st Airborne Divisions to work with the gliders. He was then assigned to a heavy artillery battalion attached to the 3rd Army in Europe, participating in the Battle of the Bulge, the crossing of the Rhine, and the occupation of Germany and Austria. Photographs, certificates, and medals are addended to the interview outline.
creator: Yenor, Clare
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2008-08-07
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Westra, Doré (Interview outline and video)
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
description: Doré Westra was born on February 22, 1925 in Byron Center, Michigan. He grew up in the Grosse Point area of Detroit, Michigan and lived there until he was drafted after his eighteenth birthday on February 22, 1943. He received basic training and engineer training at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana and was assigned to B Company of the 1302nd Engineer General Service Regiment. In late 1943 his unit was sent up to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and by January 1944 they were in England. He was stationed in England for over half of 1944 until he volunteered to join a combat engineer unit in the 5th Armored Division. He joined that unit in fall 1944 and was in the Battle of the Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine River. After Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 he was reassigned to the 2nd Armored Division and was stationed in Berlin until he was sent home in late fall 1945. He was discharged from Camp Atterbury, Indiana in winter 1945.
creator: Westra, Doré
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2015-04-14
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Weaver, David, Sr.(Interview outline and video), 2014
subject: Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Air Force
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
description: David Weaver Sr. was born in 1964 in Madrid, Spain, where his father was in the Air Force, and grew up in Michigan. He joined the Air Force in 1982 trained at Lackland and later Lowry Air Force Bases and became a procurement specialist. He served at George Air Force base working in the procurement department and serving on the base's drill team. Conflicts with some of his superiors led to a situation in which he was mistreated badly enough to lead to PTSD, and while he worked through those problems, he chose to leave the Air Force when his enlistment ended in 1986.
creator: Weaver, David, Sr.
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2014-09-04
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
contributor: WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Vega, Fidel (Interview outline and video), 2014
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
subject: Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army
description: Fidel Angel Vega was born on June 30, 1973 in the Bronx, New York. During his adult life, Fidel worked a number of unsatisfying jobs that led him to enlist in the Army. In the army, Fidel served first as a combat engineer in the 326th Engineer Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division. Fidel was later transferred to the 82nd Engineer Battalion with whom he saw service in Germany as well as in Kosovo as a part of the peace keeping mission there following the Kosovo War. Leaving the army in October of 2001, Fidel's last month in the service was shaped by the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
creator: Vega, Fidel
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2014-11-24
contributor: Vega, Nikki (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

Veenstra, Willard (Interview outline and video), 2014
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
description: Willard Veenstra was born in 1925 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was drafted in 1944 and reported after graduating from high school that June. He trained at Camp Blanding, Florida, and Fort Meade, Maryland. He was sent to Europe in January, 1945, and was sent to the 2nd Armored Division as a replacement during the final days of the Battle of the Bulge. He returned to the Netherlands with them for training and was assigned to the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Armored Division. In March 1945 they marched into Germany and fought across northern Germany, known as the Rhine Campaign, until they reached Magdeburg. He was wounded in Magdeburg on April 12, 1945 and was eventually evacuated to the United States.
creator: Veenstra, Willard
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2014-10-30
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
contributor: WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: application/pdf
format: video/mp4
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image

VanHoef, Jack (Interview outline and video), 2014
subject: World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
subject: United States. Army Air Forces
subject: Oral history
subject: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
subject: United States--History, Military
subject: Michigan--History, Military
subject: Veterans
description: Jack VanHoef was born in Grand Haven, Michigan in 1925. In 1943 he enlisted in the Army with the intention of going into the Army Air Corps. He received basic training at Biloxi, Mississippi
description: college training at North Carolina State College in Raleigh, North Carolina
description: he was classified to be a radio operator onboard an aircraft and was sent to radio school at Scott Field, Illinois and upon completing that was assigned to a B-24 Liberator bomber crew in Yuma, Arizona. He and his crew were deployed to the Pacific Theatre and in early 1945 they reached New Guinea and he and his crew were assigned to a squadron in the 90th Bomber Group of the 5th Air Force. He began flying missions in February 1945 out of New Guinea and out of the Philippines and did so until the end of the war in August 1945. He flew missions against targets in China, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines not only serving as his bomber's radioman, but also as a turret gunner. He was discharged in August 1945.
creator: VanHoef, Jack
source: Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
publisher: Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
date: 2014-09-11
contributor: Smither, James (Interviewer)
rights: In Copyright
relation: Veterans History Project (U.S.)
format: video/x-m4v
format: application/pdf
language: eng
type: Text
type: Moving Image