10 24 1541 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/37a5177e6598ac978c311c2e936b33b0.mp4 2bf10666a5db77ee5c54fbf20e1bc848 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2bb8a5d7ba994f5f1ebe5bc4b4c7eab6.pdf 9a2d9095ca5809456f616ad14cdda1ec PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Willie Saddler (59:20) Background information (00:10)              He was born January 11th 1928 in Columbus, Georgia. (00:17) He relocated to Chicago, Illinois when he was 3 years old in 1931 (00:28) His father worked for the police force as a plainclothes detective. (1:05) His father was not very well educated for his position. (1:36) They did not move very much, but after entering into high school his family moved to different areas due to their uncle’s employment as a janitor. (2:23) He attended high school at Tilden Tech. in Chicago from approx. 1942-1944 (3:20) He graduated from Union high school in 1945. (3:35) He liked going to school but he didn’t like being harassed by white children. (4:01) The school he attended was integrated. (4:36) During school everyone seemed to get along. (4:44) He knew some information about the war from reading the paper and his job as a paper boy. (5:54) In 1945 he enlisted in the military because he thought the military would advance his education and better himself. (7:40) He worked at a post office in Chicago after high school for a short period. (9:21) Basic training (10:00)           He enlisted with several of his friends who lived in his neighborhood (10:00) He was sent down to Shepherd Field Army Air Base in Wichita Falls, Texas by train (10:20) When he took the troop train from Fort Sheridan, Illinois, the men of different colors were mixed in the same cars. (10:55) On the train there were several soldiers playing craps. (12:00) Even when going through the South the soldiers were not segregated. (12:27) Once off the train at Shepherd Field they were placed in a field and assigned to platoons and barracks. (12:40) The barracks were not segregated. (12:18) He did experience discrimination from white soldiers throughout his military career. (14:15) Basic involved weapons training with multiple firearms including the M1 Carbine. He also experienced an excessive amount of marching. (14:58) Basic training suppressed individualism from other men. (16:30) �           He feels that the drill sergeants were fair (given that they were drill sergeants.) (16:40) He stayed at Shepherd Field for approx 3-4 weeks. (1945) (17:58) Next he was sent to Smokey Hill Army Base. (18:15) Here he worked on packing parachutes. (18:33) In order to be a parachute packer he was required to jump out of a plane himself with a parachute he packed to instill the importance of doing quality work. This was his first time in an airplane. He thought it was very noisy and it frightened him. (19:30) His unit had a mix of white and black soldiers. (20:10) Next he was placed in Smokey Hill Army Air Base (Kansas.) (21:39) At Smokey Hill he received shots to prepare him for the environments he would be facing. He also had the opportunity to sign up for particular positions. (22:30) He was sent to Europe as a replacement in other units. (24:10) He took a plane from Smokey Hill Air Base to Europe were he would be stationed in Germany. (26:08) Service in Germany (27:00)               Once there, he was placed on assignment to clean up towns that were bombed or attack and recover bodies. (27:08) Graves that he saw to fit the amount of dead bodies were very large “as big as a vacant lot.” (28:06) This experience was very difficult and very different; however he did the task without argument as it was a soldier’s responsibility to follow orders. (28:20) Most of the men he worked with were American soldiers. (28:55) He did visit the stockades. (29:19) He mostly dealt with military personnel. Displaced persons were dealt with by the nation's police. (29:45) While here he did see many civilians and they interacted with them to get a drink or a cigarette. (30:20) There were some men who took advantage of this hospitality and indulged themselves in the women and drink.(31:06) His assignment required him to move 2-3 times a day however they always returned to the same base. There they stayed in barracks. (32:14) The barracks was a U.S. barracks and to him it appeared fairly new. (33:10) After serving in Germany he was sent down to Italy where he preformed the exact same task of cleaning up and body recovery. (33:55) Another platoon was in charge of looking for unexploded bombs, mines ext. (34:36) While in Italy he did have the chance to explore the countryside. The men in particular wanted to find good food. (35:15) Civilians were constantly trying to get food and cigarettes from him and others from his unit. (35:55) �  His Unit consisted of approx. 100 men. The unit was kept together for the entirety of his time in Europe. (approx. 3 months) (37:27) After finishing his service in Europe he took a plane back to Smokey Hill Army Air Base where he received his discharge. (37:40)] Service at Smokey Hill Army Air Base (37:27)       While at Smokey Hill he was able to go into town (Salina, Kansas) but the primary mode of transportation was an unreliable buss system. (38:24) While in town men would visit the USO as well as go to church. (39:20) Of the men he served with some had been drafted and others had enlisted. (40:03) He had signed up for 3 years of service however only served a little less than 2 years. He did this by giving up some of his pay that he would have received if the full 3 year service was completed. (39:30) He exited the military in November of 1946. (39:40) Once back in Chicago he joined the Army reserve. Here he fought brush fires. (39:59) Riot at Shepherd Field Army Air Base (40:00)        While he was at Shepherd Field Army Air Base there was a race riot.(41:35) The riot was not on his portion of the base. (41:43) The riot took place between white and black service members. (41:55) In response to the riot, he and his unit were told to stay in their barracks and not to come out until the base gave the all clear.(42:35) A commander (a white man) spoke after the riot and stated that the men needed to work together and that they should not be fighting against each other if they wanted to be successful. (43:12) He respected this because he believed the commander was speaking honestly. (44:05) He believed that this Commander was treating all members equally in spite of their race. (44:28) Post Military Life (45:00)    He left the military because he did not like the regimentation of the armed forces. (46:29) He believed the military taught him more common sense ad how to get along with individuals even when he don’t like them (47:10) After leaving the service he went home to Chicago and got married 3 years later (approx. 1949)(48:03) �           Once he arrived home he served as a security guard. (48:15) He was required to have a car for this position. He was paid to protect the owner of a food store. (49:10) He stayed with this position until his grandfather gave him the impression that he was capable of having a higher paying job. (50:20) At the age of 29 he joined the police force. (1957) (50:58) He stayed on the Chicago Police force for approx 30 years. (1987) (51:11) He was in the police force when strong efforts were imposed to combat racial discrimination. (51:30) He served on the police force in 1968 during race riots. (53:19) He currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan due to his union with his second wife. (55:12) Because he left his home in Georgia at such a young age he was unable to recall very much of what living there was like. (56:40) He was impressed with the amount of accommodations (such as electricity and plumbing) that existed in the north. (57:40) He got his second wife pregnant while still married to his first. His second wife had already had 2 kids. (58:00) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_SaddlerW1175V Title A name given to the resource Saddler, Willie (Interview outline and video), 2011 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-08-17 Description An account of the resource Willie Saddler is an African American veteran who grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps at the end of World War II where he helped clean up and retrieve casualties from towns in Germany and Italy that were attacked during the war. He also describes early efforts at racial integration in the Air Corps. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Saddler, Willie Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8dc5c24db8c2e95dcab02bb7b857ef74.mp4 79b17dd4bd4ce989d9bcb53376b303ef https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b68eb162e7e775b635ff7d1e4f6caba2.pdf 92dda03a15b474dc2c3a8417c53148af PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Bob Romig Vietnam War 1 hour 30 minutes 4 seconds (00:00:13) Early Life -Born in Dennison, Ohio -Grew up in Tuscarawas, Ohio -His father was a high school teacher -His mother was a librarian -He graduated from high school Tuscarawas in 1963 (00:01:12) College & Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) -He began attending college at Ohio State University in the summer of 1963 -Lived in a travel trailer with his father who was also going to Ohio State -Completing his master’s degree -Required to pick one of two options: take advanced calculus, or join the ROTC -Coming from a rural community he decided to enlist in the ROTC -There was a drill day every Monday through the summer and school year -The first time he heard Vietnam mentioned was on the drill field -There was a two year requirement for ROTC, and the next two years were voluntary -If you stayed on you could avoid being drafted and you were paid -Vietnam was beginning to get more serious -Decided that being an officer would give him some more authority and survivability -Wanted to go into a combat arm, specifically the infantry -Feels that there was some machismo that influenced that decision at the time -The ROTC training consisted of military history and tactics -Learning about WWI, WWII, the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis -Taught some of the basics of small unit tactics -There was also physical training that consisted of marching and drills -On May Day (May 1) there was an annual parade for the ROTC on campus -During his senior year he began to notice anti-war and anti-military protests -During his swearing into the Army he was jeered at and mocked by protestors -Stayed professional and ignored it -During the summer between junior and senior year went to ROTC “summer camp” -Went to Fort Indiantown, Pennsylvania for that -Further training concerning maneuvers and tactics -Trained with other ROTC cadets -He graduated from Ohio State and was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in 1967 -Attended Ohio State for another year attempting to get his Master of Business Administration -He was not able to complete it and decided to leave college in 1968 (00:08:50) Officer Training and Preparing for Vietnam -Sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky initially -Sent to Infantry Officer Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia -Worked with noncommissioned officers (sergeants) that had been to Vietnam �-They stressed the importance of learning things if they wanted to survive -Learned how to direct artillery and call in air strikes -More training with small unit tactics -By now there wasn’t much focus on being disciplined like in regular basic training -After completing Officer Basic Training he took Airborne Training at Fort Benning -Learned how to parachute out of a plane and make a successful landing -Learned how to survive a landing in various locations (flat, mountains, swamps) -Airborne Training lasted three weeks -It was a completely voluntary course -From Fort Benning he was sent to Panama for Jungle Training -The training counted towards his time in Vietnam -Lasted one month -Took one month off the time that he would be in Vietnam -The training was focused on jungle tactics -Moving in the jungle, setting up a camp, and surviving that environment -Also taught about what to expect in the jungles of Vietnam -Be prepared for the heat, the humidity, etc. -Returned to Fort Knox, Kentucky for training command -Learning what it’s like to lead troops outside of a formal training environment -He was made a supply officer -Overseeing the provision of equipment and clothing to new recruits -Didn’t experience leading infantry before being sent to Vietnam (00:15:35) Deployment to Vietnam -Deployed to Vietnam in fall 1969 -He didn’t have a strong sense of what was going on in Vietnam -Knew that the Tet Offensive had happened -Knew that the situation in Vietnam was serious -Just didn’t realize how serious it was -In Officer Basic Training there had been a large focus on surviving and leading in Vietnam -He didn’t receive any cultural awareness courses before going to Vietnam -He was given a leave home and visited his wife in Columbus, Ohio -Spent about one month home with her -From Columbus flew to San Francisco, California and flew out of San Francisco -Stopped at a Pacific Island military installation on the way to Vietnam to refuel (00:18:41) Arrival in Vietnam -Landed at Tan Son Nhut, South Vietnam -Before landing he saw mortar craters on the ground around the base -Told that the communists had been mortaring the base for a while -Immediately made him concerned about the safety of himself and others -Heard stories about the suicidal raids carried out by the Viet Cong -Placed on cattle trucks and taken north Camp Evans -Remembers that it was a long drive -Assigned to Delta Company of the 2nd of the 506th of the 101st Airborne Division -The battalion was in the field when he arrived -Later took a helicopter out to his unit in the field -They were operating west of Camp Evans, and east of the A Shau Valley �-During his time on Camp Evans he worked with the rear elements -Elements of the battalion were in the rear and needed a commander -There were functional wounded, one company (Echo), and support units at Evans -Also in charge of organizing perimeter security -Stayed at Camp Evans for a month before being sent to the field -He was going to relieve the leader of 1st Platoon of Delta Company -As an officer he had had his own room at Camp Evans (00:26:27) Joining 1st Platoon -He was slowly, but surely, indoctrinated into the 101st Airborne Division -They were operating in an extremely cold area for Vietnam -Cold enough to require insulated clothing -Had to adjust to being in the cold again after being warm for a month -Learned later on that some soldiers had to be treated for hypothermia and frostbite -The battalion was basically maneuvering between two main locations -Primary mission was to hunt and kill enemy forces in the area -Secondary mission was to establish an American presence in the area -Insure that the communists stayed away from the A Shau Valley -Tertiary mission was to search for enemy bunker complexes and supply caches -During his time there they found sophisticated underground bases -Found elephant dung on the trails -Meant the Vietnamese were moving large amounts of equipment -Stayed in the field with his unit for the majority of the 120 day patrol -He was sent to a reconnaissance platoon in May 1970 (00:31:53) Leadership and Relationship with Soldiers -He was still in the field when Captain Rollison joined his company -He was a professional, gung ho, and aggressive leader -He was also incredibly disciplined when it came to establishing defenses -He was yelled at the worst during the Army by Captain Rollison -He had walked point during a patrol which was severely compromising -Basically, if the officer died first then the rest of the unit was dead too -When he was assigned to lead 1st platoon his first goal in the field was to establish location -The original platoon leader had them marked as being in the completely wrong area -Bob’s job was then to find out where they really were -When he joined the 1st platoon he was told by an enlisted man there would be no drug problems -Drug use didn’t become a problem until later in 1970 -He assumed authority, but did not do so without consulting with the sergeants first -Knew that the sergeants would have excellent advice for leading in Vietnam -Knew that mutual respect would be key to survival -Learned to listen to advice more than give orders -He worked with a good group of sergeants -Experience and knowledgeable soldiers -Remembers one sergeant who was particularly effective -Charged after a Viet Cong that was trying to set off a booby trap -Managed to save the platoon from being killed (00:39:33) Patrols before Ripcord -The area they were patrolling was called the Flatlands �-He didn’t really encounter much significant enemy contact during this time -Occasionally rotated back to Camp Evans with his unit (00:40:20) Working around Ripcord -He was not involved with the initial assault to establish Firebase Ripcord in March 1970 -Operated in the area around Ripcord and worked off of other firebases in the immediate area -The terrain was heavy jungle and mountainous -Relied on old, often inaccurate, French maps -Always managed to keep the high ground and stay off of the trails -As a result they had to cut their own trails through the jungle -Encountered some enemy forces -Spent the majority of their time setting up ambushes to intercept the enemy -There were a few short, minor firefights -They never got ambushed -Remembers that the North Vietnamese operated in small, quick groups (00:44:50) Awareness of the War’s Progress -He wasn’t really able to see the progress of the war on a macro scale -Couldn’t even see how the Ripcord Campaign was going on a large scale -His focus was on the ground level and immediate issues that impacted him and his men -Setting up camp for the night, laying down defenses, digging foxholes, resupply, etc. (00:45:29) Operating in the Field -Stayed in the field for long periods of time -During resupplies each soldier was given a case of C rations to live off of -Got resupplied via helicopter every three or four days -Part of the resupply was also being given extra ammunition and explosives -If the radio failed had to rely on primitive means to signal helicopters -Remembers once having to use a signal mirror to flag down a helicopter -His platoon would operate independently -Platoon’s strength was three squads (or roughly twenty four men) (00:48:50) Transfer to Recon Platoon -Transferred to recon platoon in May 1970 -Part of the duty was pulling security on Firebase Ripcord -Assigned a certain area to defend -Given an assigned foxhole to stay in on the perimeter -Expected to continuously improve the perimeter’s defense -Digging deeper foxholes or laying down thicker wire -Remembers being in the field on a hilltop watching the Vietnamese firing mortars -Would call in artillery on the position and then the soldier would reappear -Eventually called in an airstrike which vaporized the enemy position -Life on Ripcord was fairly routine -Operated in recon teams made up of six to nine soldiers -Received orders directly from Colonel Lucas on where to go and what to do -While in the field maintained a very small perimeter -Able to move much quieter while in the recon teams (00:55:33) Enemy Contact while in Recon Platoon -If one team ran into the enemy other teams would be called in to assist -Remembers one instance where a recon team had a wounded team member �-Helicopter was called in to extract the wounded man and was shot down - Bob’s team was then called in to extract the bodies -That was his most difficult experience while in Vietnam -Had to carry out the dead soldiers on their backs -If you had to fight you were allowed to fight back -Remembers one instance where his team was surrounded by the Vietnamese -In the morning saw a Vietnamese soldier; shot and killed him -The enemy returned fire on their position -Bob was grazed by two bullets, one of which could have killed him -Believes that it had been a small force that they engaged -Had it been any bigger they would have all been dead -For the most part recon teams were encouraged not to engage the enemy (01:02:45) Rotations -While with the recon team he would get rotated back to Camp Evans -Never stayed at Camp Evans long though -If a recon team was going into the field he would go into the field too (01:03:40) Battle of Firebase Ripcord -He kept track of the events that happened on Firebase Ripcord during the battle -He was operating around Ripcord during the time of the siege -Routinely found signs of enemy activity -As the battle’s intensity increase, so did the enemy’s activity -He was in the field when Ripcord was evacuated and destroyed by the B-52 bombing raid (01:06:53) Assignment Post-Ripcord -After Ripcord was abandoned the focus was shifted to the area east of where Ripcord had been -He was reassigned to Camp Evans as the company commander of Echo Company -Reconnaissance and mortar teams -They also had a landing zone clearing team that cleared LZs with plastic explosives -After his reassignment there was less recon work to be done -Stayed at Camp Evans for the most part -Given his own quarters while at Camp Evans -Stayed at Camp Evans from August 1970 to early fall 1970 -While he was at Camp Evans he was made the officer in charge of guarding the perimeter (01:10:20) Drug Use, Racial Tensions, and Relationship with Vietnamese -While at Camp Evans began to see more widespread drug use -Mostly marijuana, but heroin was starting to become more of an issue -Drug use became more prevalent by late 1970, especially in the rear -He had to make sure that soldiers were awake that were supposed to be guarding the perimeter -Pot would make them fall asleep, as well as paranoid, which was dangerous -In general drug use caused fairly minor discipline issues -He saw racial tensions while in Vietnam both in the rear and in the field -There were some disciplinary issues because of this -There was animosity from blacks towards whites and vice versa -Civilians would come and work at Camp Evans during the day, but leave by nightfall -There were outlying villages around Camp Evans, but men were not allowed to go there (01:13:58) R&R in Hawaii -Went to Hawaii for an R&R in August 1970 �-His wife was able to meet him while in Hawaii -After his R&R it was incredibly difficult to return to Vietnam (01:15:27) Coming Home -He didn’t count the days, but knew when his deployment would come to an end -At the end of his tour his men gave him a lighter with the Screaming Eagle etched into it -Went to Da Nang, South Vietnam and flew to Seattle, Washington -Paid for first class and flew home to Columbus, Ohio -While on the flight home he was playing solitaire and was told he was being noisy -Realized later on that it was probably harassment because he was a soldier -While travelling didn’t see any anti-war protestors in the airports (01:17:45) End of Service -Given a leave home for a short amount of time -Final assignment was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina -He was able to get an apartment near Fort Bragg so he could live with his wife -His assignment was to work in supply -Part of that was being responsible for reviewing reports of lost equipment -Determining if lost equipment was legitimately or illegitimately lost -Remembers one soldier trading a rifle for sex with a rural girl -If he reenlisted he would be promoted to captain and could go into the Special Forces -Reenlisting would also mean a second tour in Vietnam -Decided not to reenlist -Got discharged from the Army at Fort Bragg (01:20:56) Life after the Army -Went back to Ohio and applied to become a County Extension Agent -During the interview he was asked about what Vietnam had been like -Essentially declined to answer -Worked as a County Extension Agent for five years before going back to college -Went back to Ohio State University to get his master’s degree -Decided to stay in to get his doctorate -Got a job at the Agricultural Technical Institute at Ohio State University -Taught the forest products program -Eventually got into the research department for natural resources -Retired from Ohio State University in 2002 after thirty five years -Went to the Ohio Forestry Association and became the executive director there -In 2007 (or 2008) he suffered a traumatic head injury after a fall at home -For eight (or nine) months his wife had to drive him around (01:24:00) Coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder -During a trip to Washington D.C. in 1998 he visited the Vietnam War Memorial -Broke down in tears and wouldn’t talk about why -After the Washington D.C. trip he got involved with a local veterans’ group -Primary focus was helping veterans cope with trauma from Vietnam -Learned about PTSD and the symptoms to look for -Learned that he, and all other veterans, had to “talk their way out of Vietnam” -Bring the experiences to the surface, talk about them, and lay them to rest (01:27:10) Reflections on Service -From serving in the Army and in Vietnam he has great respect for the men he served with �-Learned that paying attention to even minor details can be the difference between life and death -If you aren’t constantly prepared for any eventuality bad things can happen � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_RomigR1684V Title A name given to the resource Romig, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-10 Description An account of the resource Bob Romig was born and raised in Ohio, attended Ohio State University and completed the ROTC program there, receiving his commission in the Army in 1967. He was allowed to attend graduate school for a year, and then took infantry officer training and went to jump school, then jungle training in Panama and supply officer training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In the fall of 1969 he was deployed to Vietnam and was sent to Camp Evans and was assigned to 1st Platoon of Delta Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. From the time he arrived until May 1970 he patrolled with Delta Company in the Flatlands and in the area around what would become Firebase Ripcord. In May 1970 he was reassigned to a reconnaissance platoon of Echo Company which was based on Firebase Ripcord. After the fall of Firebase Ripcord on July 23, 1970 he and Echo Company were sent to Camp Evans to serve as a rear unit there providing security and still going out on recon patrols. In the fall of 1970 he returned home and completed his service in the Army as a supply officer at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Romig, Robert Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/85756bf916ed16e086a9a6cd3ddb4b9a.mp4 f1088d875b31eaca53eb98b83fe0475b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cd26ac332aea2637f6551727f8b8950a.pdf 373ad511f49856c12a6e502ed22c6596 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Otis “Butch” Romans Vietnam War 2 hours 7 minutes 27 seconds (00:00:36) Early Life -Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1945 -His father had been in the Navy in World War II and fought in the Pacific Theatre -He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan -His father found work in the factories in Michigan after the war -He lived between St. Louis and Muskegon -His mother would occasionally take him and his siblings back to St. Louis -He graduated from Muskegon High School in 1964 -After high school he found a job (00:02:26) Volunteering for the Draft -He always planned on joining the military -He was inspired by war movies and World War I -He always wanted to be a paratrooper -When he was old enough he began to consider enlisting -When he was eighteen he registered for the draft -He received orders to report for an Army physical -He went to downtown Muskegon and was taken by bus to Fort Wayne in Detroit -He spent the night in Fort Wayne and did they physical all day the next day -This happened in1966 -The draft was in effect by now and Vietnam had escalated -There were some that didn’t want to get drafted and tried to avoid it -This was more prevalent during the second -He was approved for service -He ultimately decided to just volunteer for the draft -The draft was a two year commitment and enlisting was a four year commitment (00:06:52) Basic Training -He was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training -Prior to that he had a second physical at Fort Wayne in Detroit -Afterwards he was sworn into the Army -He was taken by train to Louisville, Kentucky -Greeted by drill sergeants at the train station -From Louisville he was taken to Fort Knox by bus -When he arrived at Fort Knox he started getting screamed at and given orders by drill sergeants -Part of immediately getting immersed into the regimen of Army living -On the first night he and the other recruits were shown how to make their bunks properly -They were all marched to a processing center -Picture taken, blood work done, given haircuts, and issued fatigues -Had to take the clothes that were given to you even if they weren’t the right size -After four days of processing they were loaded onto a truck and taken to the basic training �-Part of the fort and not a separate facility -After the first week they were issued rifles -The first week consisted of classroom work -Learning about how the Army is set up, protocol, and other basic information -Basic training consisted of a lot of physical training -The rifle that he was issued was the M14 -Taken to the rifle range and taught how to sight their guns -Given training on how to carry out assaults and how to fight with bayonets -He adjusted quickly to Army living -He could run well and was in shape so the physical training wasn’t difficult -He went into the Army knowing that he was going to get yelled at -He remembers one recruit that couldn’t march which led to him (Butch) getting yelled at too -It was part of the idea that they weren’t individuals; rather, they were a unit -A lot of the recruits were from the South, but some were from Michigan -Lasted eight weeks (00:16:45) Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) -A lot of the men were receiving orders to go to Fort Polk for infantry training -His orders were for Fort Dix, New Jersey -This meant that he would be going to paratrooper training after Fort Dix -The training at Fort Dix was focused on learning how to be an infantryman -The training there was easier for him because he had adjusted to being in the Army -Most of the men at Fort Dix were from the southeast (The Carolinas, Georgia, etc.) -Only two or three of the other men were going to paratrooper school -All of the AIT was focused on preparing for getting deployed to Vietnam -There were mock Vietnamese villages -Getting prepared to fight the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese -Most of the instructors had been to Vietnam -They followed the training program, but also offered their own advice -He was able to visit Philadelphia while he was in AIT -AIT was a little more relaxed than basic training -Lasted eight weeks (00:23:17) Jungle Training -At Fort Dix he also went through a training course called Jungle Training -It lasted one week -Trained on how to patrol Vietnamese villages -Learned about the guerrilla tactics used by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese -There was a wooded area near the fort that served as the “jungle” area -Received some training on how to survive being a prisoner of war -Taught about and exposed to some interrogation techniques (00:24:25) Paratrooper Training -He went to “jump school” (paratrooper training) at Fort Benning, Georgia -It lasted three weeks -First week: ground training -Second week: tower training (jumping out of a tower on a zip line to mimic a jump) -Third week: Five qualification jumps (parachuting out of an airplane five times) -During this portion of training he had to run everywhere �-Heights didn’t bother him at the time -The jumps that they did were called “static line jumps” -The ripcord of the chute is hooked to a wire in the airplane -When you jump out the door the ripcord is pulled and the chute is deployed -He didn’t get hurt during any of his jumps -The chutes couldn’t be controlled which meant that they were at the mercy of the wind -He knew one training unit where some men were hurt during windy jumps (00:26:56) Deployment to Vietnam -From there he was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to join the 82nd Airborne Division -He was only there for a month -Served with the 504th Infantry Regiment -A unit in the 1st Air Cavalry Division had openings in Vietnam -He decided to transfer to that unit -He was given ten days of leave before reporting to be deployed -He went to San Francisco and was given a physical exam and vaccinations -He was placed on a military transport with other men bound for the 1st Air Cavalry -Stopped at Wake Island to refuel -Stopped at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines due to engine problems (00:31:06) Arrival in Vietnam -Arrived in Pleiku -Remembers the intense heat and seeing ripples off the ground -He was shown where bunkers were in the event a mortar or rocket attack happened -He was taken to a reception station in Pleiku -He was told stories about the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley -From Pleiku he was taken by Caribou military transport up to An Khe -It was too dangerous to travel on the road (00:34:28) Joining the 1st Air Cavalry Division -The concept of air assault by using helicopters was a fairly new one -During the Vietnam War the 1st Cavalry Division became the 1st Air Cavalry Division -They had access to 648 helicopters (mostly Huey helicopters) -He was sent to another reception station at An Khe -He was assigned to 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Air Cavalry Division -It had fought at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley -It was Colonel Custer’s old battalion -He arrived at night in An Khe and was given a folding cot to sleep on, but no rifle -He remembers everyone having a pocket bible that they kept in their pocket over their heart -It was for moral support, but it also added a little protection -The next day he was given an M16 assault rifle -He had never shot one before getting to Vietnam -Given twenty magazines of ammunition, necessary gear, and a flak jacket -He was given a week of “Remount Training” -Learning how to rappel out of a Chinook and Huey helicopter -Given more bayonet training and more target practice on the gun range -He rappelled out of helicopters at ninety feet -Given hand to hand combat training -The last day they ran up, then down, a hill rigged with fake booby traps �-Also told that no Vietnamese civilians were safe -Even children were used by the communists to kill American soldiers -Some were more trustworthy than others though -Workers on base were safe, but they were the only ones (00:44:18) Going into the Field -He went out to the field and joined his platoon and his company -They were operating near the Ia Drang Valley -He spent the first night in the field with Headquarters Company -He was considered a “FNG” by the other men in his unit -Inexperienced and a danger to the other men -He was given the duty of carrying ammunition for the M60 heavy machine gun -He was only given a little instruction by the other men -Told to get rid of most of his gear so he could carry more ammunition -Told to tape magazines together so they could be reloaded faster -Learned to only keep eighteen rounds in the magazine as opposed to twenty -Otherwise the rifle would jam -They walked to Landing Zone X-Ray -Site of intense fighting during the Battle of the Ia Drang where 200 men were killed -Considered hallowed ground and ordered to walk in silence -Walked over the dry creek bed where there was heavy fighting -Saw the mountain where the North Vietnamese base had been -They set up camp for the night and the next day moved over toe Landing Zone Albany -Also considered hallowed ground because more men died there than at X-Ray -Got to the Ia Drang River and crossed it -They took some sniper fire during that extended patrol, but didn’t get into any firefights -The patrol lasted three weeks then they rotated back to An Khe for two days (00:53:06) Transfer to 2nd Battalion -The 1st Battalion had too many soldiers so he was transferred to B 2nd Battalion 5th Cav Reg -He was still viewed as being a “FNG” by his new unit -This assumption remained until he explained that he’d been in country for three weeks (00:55:25) In the Field with 2nd Battalion -It was 100-105oF and humid every day -Jungle fatigues would be soaked with sweat during the day -By nightfall it was 70oF and he would be freezing -Started to learn how to anticipate night ambushes and when to set up a listening post -A listening post usually had three men and a radio, watching for enemy movement -If there was a trail, they knew they would have contact that night -He would only get about two full nights of sleep each week -At the end of marching for the day they would stop and set up camp -First by establishing a perimeter and digging foxholes -Then by setting up trip flares and claymore antipersonnel mines -He remembers setting up camp one night and the lieutenant had a bad feeling about it -Decided that they needed to move and set up a new camp -Usually worked as a platoon (20-40 men), but sometimes as a company (100-200 men) (00:59:42) Working with Other Units -Sometimes they would work with Alpha and Charlie Company on larger operations �-Delta Company was usually close by supporting them with heavy weapons -When they worked with these other companies they never saw them though -In the areas they operated in there were firebases -These bases had larger artillery and could support them if necessary -Stayed about five miles from a firebase -Some nights the firebases would do what is known as “fire for effect” -Established where friendly units were -Kept enemy units out of the area for fear of getting hit by artillery (01:02:05) Living Conditions in the Field Pt. 1 -He stayed with Bravo Company (2nd Battalion/5th Cavalry Regiment) for two and a half months -Spent most of that time on extended patrols -Lived on C Rations for food -Helicopters would come in at night to give them extra food and water -This was in the event that they were cut off due to an ambush -They always made sure to set up camp near a landing zone -Sometimes they would set up camp early so they could get hot food flown into them -Some of the C Rations that they had were from 1945 (01:05:00) Enemy Contact -Had more enemy contact in 2nd of the 5th than in the 1st of the 7th -Most combat was sporadic firefights and random encounters with enemy troops -The North Vietnamese would only stay and fight if they knew that they had more soldiers -There was concern that if the enemy retreated that an enemy mortar strike was coming -Ran into a lot of enemy bunker complexes in the area that they operated in -Rocket propelled grenades were a major threat -Did not participate in any major actions -Remembers the sounds of the firefights being very chaotic -The firing of heavy weapons and small arms and the screaming of orders and wounded -When he was in 1st Battalion his 1st Lieutenant told him to stay calm and focused -If you were able to do those two things you could pick targets and do your job -Listening posts were always relatively quiet, but because of that your mind played tricks on you (01:10:00) Interacting with Civilians -He remembers one night they set up camp near a village -At night a trip flare was set off, as a result they detonated their claymores -When the movement continued they opened fire in the direction of the trip flare -When morning came it was discovered that the “enemy” had been a wayward buffalo -Army officials came in and paid the villagers for the dead water buffalo -They would walk through villages on their patrols -Children would come up to them asking for food -Some of the more hardened soldiers would just shove them away -He would always stop and give them something from his rations though -In retrospect he feels bad for the villagers because they were placed in a difficult position -They were forced to help the Viet Cong -If they helped the Viet Cong they would be killed or arrested by U.S. forces -If they refused to help the Viet Cong though, then the Viet Cong killed them -Learned that some of the Viet Cong didn’t exactly want communism, they were just nationalists -They were sick of a foreign power running Vietnam �-They just wanted self-government, even if it was communism (01:14:16) Prostitution and Drug Use -Prostitution and drugs were a problem in the urban areas -Remembers on the road from the base to the city of An Khe there was a collection of brothels -These brothels were actually overseen by the Army and, in a way, encouraged -The prostitutes were examined by Army doctors on a weekly basis -The Army set the prices for the services offered -It kept soldiers safe and in a controlled environment -In the field prostitution was almost nonexistent -There was drug use in the field, but he didn’t see it -Remembers that some of the villagers would smoke marijuana (01:17:40) Encounter with a Gay Man -When he was still at Fort Dix some girls in a nearby town wanted to throw him a party -He had kitchen patrol duty and missed the last train for the night to the town -At the train station he struck up conversation with a man there -The man invited him to stay the night at his house -On the way there the man told him that he was gay -He didn’t know what “gay” was and thought he was a comedian -The man finally cleared up the confusion, but was respectful of Butch -In the morning he even made sure that Butch woke up and caught the train (01:22:25) Living Conditions in the Field Pt. 2 -Every day was basically the same with Bravo Company -Lived each day in the mud, in the heat, in the rain and sleep deprived -Sometimes you wanted to get into a firefight just so you could lie down -He became close with people, but at the same time you didn’t get to know much about them -Example: Didn’t learn people’s names, just their nicknames and state of origin (01:24:25) Operation Pershing and Getting Wounded -His unit was participating in Operation Pershing in a place called Bong Son -The North Vietnamese were trying to cut off northern South Vietnam from U.S. troops -Seventy six helicopters were flown up to Bong Son on the coast of the South China Sea -After they got established they started to work their way across Highway One -For three weeks they didn’t make contact with enemy soldiers -They got to a clearing and were supposed to cross to the opposite side and set up a camp there -They were ordered to go straight across the open plain -He was walking behind the point man when a machine gun opened fire on them -The point man was hit and he (Butch) dove behind a small knoll -The machine gun started firing on his position and he was hit in the leg -It felt like being hit in the leg with a sledgehammer -He thought that he was going to die -He was more concerned about the survival of the point man though -Decided that he’d rather die for his country than in a car accident or to a disease -Gunships flew in and started providing covering fire for Bravo Company -He was loaded onto a gunship and was evacuated out of the field -He was conscious through the whole thing -He thought that he would be healed in twenty four hours and could go back to the field -Not the case though because he had a shattered tibia and could never fight again �(01:34:57) Recovery -He always grew up under the impression that gunshot wounds healed quickly -He was sent to a hospital and went into surgery -Given a spinal shot to numb him from the waist down -He could still feel the incision being made, so they put him to sleep -The next day he had to lift a small weight with his legs before he was evacuated to Japan -Most likely to see if his wounded leg was stable enough to be moved -He was loaded onto a large military transport to be evacuated to Japan -Remembers that it was filled with cots and there was an operating room in the plane -They stopped in the Philippines and then flew on to Camp Zama, Japan -In Japan he had his second surgery and was given the option to have the bone rebuilt -The other option was to just have a metal rod inserted -He decided to have his tibia rebuilt -After the surgery a cast was placed on his leg, but it was so tight that his leg swelled up -Remembers that it was incredibly painful -At the hospital in Japan there was a sign that said “Welcome War Heroes” -Remembers being treated well and given a beer -Felt guilt though because while he was comfortable his friends were still out fighting -He stayed in Japan for a month -He was loaded onto another plane and flown to Ireland Army Community Hospital in Fort Knox -When he was in Japan he was able to call home and say that he was wounded, but okay -He had what was called a “Million Dollar Wound” -Would almost fully recover without consequence, but wouldn’t go back to fight -He fell into a deep depression because of the guilt he was feeling -The Red Cross finally urged him to just write home for the sake of his family -When he got to the hospital in Fort Knox he was given a hamburger and a beer -The guilt was still there though (01:46:15) End of Service -He wound up spending four (or five) months in the hospital in Fort Knox -During that time he was given “convalescence leave” -Way for him to free up the bed that he was in -His parents and one of his sisters came down and visited him one weekend -Remembers asking them to buy him a bag of potato chips -During his leave he was greeted by relatives at the airport -Guilty because he knew his friends wouldn’t get that kind of welcoming -After his cast was taken off he was told that he could be medically discharged -Decided instead to complete his commitment -Went before a board of doctors to prove that the surgery had worked -A reenlistment officer approached him and urged him not to reenlist -He finally relented and agreed not to reenlist -He finished his duty at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia -His duty was to drive men out to a place for ambush training and instruct them a little bit -Later he would drive back and pick them up after training for the day was done -Because of his wound he didn’t have to pull guard duty -He felt bad because when he arrived because command gave him a recruit’s bed -The recruit was kicked out of the barracks and had to sleep in a tent �-At the end of his two year commitment he went to Fort Lee, Virginia to get discharged -A friend from Muskegon drove down and picked him up (01:53:41) Coming Home & Life after the War -On the trip home he remembers stopping in Washington D.C. to see the Detroit Tigers play -He was told to get out of uniform, keep his service a secret, and not to talk about Vietnam -Confused him because he wanted to be proud of his service -Remembers being at a bar with some friends -Some people at a nearby table heard he had been in Vietnam and became confrontational -He knew one man in Vietnam that would volunteer for dangerous jobs -His rationale was that he would rather die in Vietnam than come back to harassment -He did wind up dying in Vietnam -Appreciates the fact that now at least people don’t blame the soldiers for war -And that soldiers are properly welcomed home -During the war he had sent most of his money home to save, so he took the summer off -He wound up getting a job in Muskegon in office supply (most likely in 1969) -Stayed with it for thirty eight years (02:01:40) Reflections on Service -He wouldn’t want to do it again, but if he had to he would -After 9/11 he called up a local recruiter to ask if there was anything he could to help -Believes that the political correctness and ignorance of politicians lost America the war -Remembers that if there were enemy soldiers in Cambodia they couldn’t shoot them -Even if the enemy soldiers were shooting at them -He feels that our strategies and the Army’s inefficiency is why North Vietnam took over -Believes that the United States is worth fighting, and if necessary dying for -Feels that sometimes we take our rights and our government for granted -Believes that people should get all of their information before protesting something -Believes that the draft was a good thing � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_RomansO1718V Title A name given to the resource Romans, Otis (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-12-18 Description An account of the resource Butch Romans is a Vietnam War veteran who was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1945. He grew up in Muskegon, Michigan and in 1966 he volunteered for the draft. He received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, advanced infantry training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and paratrooper training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Air Cavalry Division where he first served with the 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry Regiment in the Ia Drang Valley and later with Bravo Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Cavalry Regiment in the area around An Khe. During Operation Pershing in Bong Son he was wounded and was medically evacuated. After recovering he completed his service at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia and was ultimately discharged from the Army at Fort Lee, Virginia in 1969. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Romans, Otis Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/08f987cb968fd877fb7ef487874e0656.mp4 370acbcfb2cc63189c3ab6381d2efedc https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/47ccab2609663e42cdaa66807bcd9ecd.pdf d1c4e217a55fcd483bb4246c9f3c26e1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Dr. Larry Robson Vietnam War 44 minutes 41 seconds (00:00:37) Early Life -Born on June 27, 1937 in Almont, Michigan -Moved to Allegan, Michigan where his father owned a drug store -Went to Albion College, Michigan originally to play basketball -He later got involved in medicine -Went to medical school at the University of Michigan -Graduated from that in 1963 -After medical school he went on to surgical training -Graduated from that in 1968 -Went to Albion College from 1955 to 1959 -Went to the University of Michigan from 1959 to 1963 (00:01:34) Enlisting and Awareness of the Vietnam War -He understood at the time that medical students were expected to serve -Especially after 1965 when the Vietnam War escalated even further -He followed the news about the war very closely -Felt it was better to go into a specialty (like surgery) to avoid getting drafted -He got into a program known as the Berry Plan -This deferred doctors that were in residency for their specialty -Also allowed to pick your branch -Meant a two year commitment in the military -He picked the Navy to be his branch of service -He was married at the time -His wife was working as a teacher in Ypsilanti, Michigan -She supported the idea of him joining the Navy (00:04:24) Stationed in Texas -He graduated from surgeon training in June 1968 -He was sent to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas shortly thereafter -There were two other surgeons there -It was a small base -He enjoyed being there -Five months later he was told that he was going to be sent to Vietnam to aid the Marines -During his time there he wasn’t given any naval training -Just expected to serve as a surgeon for the Navy -He entered the Navy as a lieutenant commander He had a surgery office and a hospital at his disposal -Taking care of sailors that were on the base -He was able to live on the base with his wife and two children (00:06:24) Training with the Marines -From Texas he was sent to Camp Pendleton, California for Marine training �-Training lasted three weeks -He was part of the Medical Service School -Similar to boot camp in terms of physical training and weapons training -Given training on how to treat trauma related to combat wounds -Getting indoctrinated into the Marines -Remembers doing the same things that Marines did -Physical training -Going into the field for maneuvers and ambush training -Learning how to shoot and maintain a rifle -Getting the same discipline training as a Marine -He was a major at the time, but still at the mercy of the drill sergeants -He trained with other doctors, nurses, and corpsmen -He responded well to the training -He just focused on emotionally and psychologically adjusting to the Marines -He saw the training as being practical -The drill sergeants didn’t bother him -He received training on the triage system -Learning how to categorize wounded and decide who will survive and who won’t -He also received training on the medical transport system (00:09:57) Deployment to Vietnam -Remembers going first to a camp in Okinawa, Japan waiting for a plane to take him to Da Nang -He arrived at Da Nang in the middle of the night -Remembers that the heat was overwhelming -He didn’t have anywhere to sleep -He was sent to a large building that didn’t have any available cots and no toilets -Had to sleep on the floor (00:11:05) Assignment to the 3rd Marines -He was assigned to the 3rd Marines Division -They were stationed in Quang Tri -Seven miles south of the demilitarized zone -He took a C-130 up to where they were stationed -He was stationed specifically at Quang Tri Combat Base -There were eight operating rooms and fifty physicians -They got rocketed every other night -He went to a noncommissioned officer to check in -From there he met with his commanding officer who was a plastic surgeon -After that he found an open cot and settled in -He was placed on a rotating call schedule (00:12:35) Living in the Quang Tri Combat Base -Most of the combat was happening at night which meant most of the work was at night -He treated both American and North Vietnamese soldiers -Recognized that the North Vietnamese were tough and dedicated soldiers -He lived in a “hooch” with three other medical personnel -It had a metal roof and half sides with screens -He hanged up mosquito netting because the mosquitos carried malaria -Kept his flak jacket, helmet, and boots at the foot of his bed �-They had bunkers to go to if they were rocketed -He never got used to the rocket attacks -Had to figure out how to know the difference between friendly and enemy artillery -Quang Tri still had a lot of civilians in it -They were mostly poor, peasant types -They would take care of the base’s trash -Only a few were allowed to come onto the base to work (00:15:23) Medical Work at Quang Tri -He performed surgery the first night that he was there -Remembers that gunshot wounds from the AK-47 and shrapnel wounds were horrific -Casualties were brought in by a helicopter then taken to a triage surgeon -Figuring out who should get treated first and who wasn’t going to make it -Recalls it being discouraging and sad work -Soldiers requiring neurosurgery were taken to a hospital ship for that -Corpsmen ran the rotation schedule -Had a number system that went from 1-8 -1 meant you were the first person on call -8 meant that you were the triage surgeon -It was a twenty four hour job -Most of the days were slow, it was only at night that things got bad -Finding the time to sleep wasn’t the problem, it was actually getting to sleep -The heat made sleep difficult -Most of the time just slept in the operating rooms because they were air conditioned (00:18:26) Changing Units -He developed a great admiration for the Marines -The 3rd Marine Division was eventually pulled out -In its place was the 101st Airborne Division (00:19:51) Working off the Base -Every Wednesday the general would come in and inform them of an upcoming operation -This was so that they were better prepared for an influx of casualties -He never went out to firebases -He wasn’t allowed to leave the base like that because he was a physician -Most physicians got killed because they left the base to explore -On Wednesdays they would go into the city of Quang Tri to a State Department hospital -It was run by the Navy -Its purpose was so that they could treat civilians -Remembers it being primitive, dirty, and crowded (00:22:40) Working in a Medical Battalion -Fifty percent of corpsmen were going to get wounded or killed while in Vietnam -Most of the corpsmen at Quang Tri had already been in the field -Even the ones that hadn’t been were still phenomenal at what they did rd -The 3 Medical Battalion was a separate unit (00:24:11) Morale, Drug, and Race Problems -Some of the Marines were dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder -Some got desperate enough to shoot themselves in the foot -If they weren’t sent back to the U.S. they would get angry and attempt to kill doctors �-He remembers having armed guards outside of his hooch -Nothing happened while he was there though -He didn’t see any drug problems first hand -Most of those cases were handled by the chaplains and psychologists -He worked with other races -There were a high number of black soldiers in the Marines -After Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated racial tensions flared -He was called names and harassed by bitter soldiers -He was afraid of getting attacked, but didn’t resent them for it -He heard about race based confrontations at the platoon level (00:28:24) Diseases -He took two drugs to prevent malaria -One was taken every day for six weeks -The other one was taken once on Sunday -The problem with that one was that it made you incredibly sick -Malaria was much more of a problem in the field -Tuberculosis and hepatitis were also major problems in Vietnam -He contracted both while he was over there -During the monsoon season mold was a major health concern (00:30:38) Communicating with Home -He would send cassette tapes that he recorded home to his wife -She would then record her own tapes and send them back to him -He didn’t get an R&R while he was in Vietnam -He would have had to pay to fly his wife out and it was too expensive -He was able to go to Yokosuka, Japan for a week to escort some wounded -He was able to call home once (00:31:21) Working on the Hospital Ship -There was a conflict between the ship doctors and the shore doctors -Command decided that the roles would be reversed for a short time to equalize the two -He thought being on a hospital ship would be a great assignment -It wound up being terrible because everything was closely monitored and regimented -He spent two weeks on the ship -By the end of the first week he was ready to get off of it (00:32:27) End of Tour and Working with 101st Airborne Division -He didn’t know the exact day that he was going home, but knew when his tour was ending -For the last couple months that he was there he worked with the 101st Airborne Division -The hospital continued to function the same way that it had when the Marines were there -There was a difference in terms of discipline though (Army was more relaxed) -His quarters were near the perimeter next to a machine gun nest -They were never probed by sappers during his time in Quang Tri -During his time in Vietnam he never went down to Saigon (00:35:00) Coming Home -He went to Da Nang and from there to Okinawa -In Okinawa he had to wait five days until he got a plane to go back to the U.S. -He was given two days’ notice before he was sent home �(00:36:01) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -He formed some incredibly close bonds with people when he was in Vietnam -One man was a classmate from the University of Michigan -He wound up surviving the war and became a cardiologist -It was the first time in his life that his existence was largely unimportant to other people -If he lived or died it was all the same to the other military personnel -Remembers chaplains being important for morale (00:38:06) End of Service -He flew from Okinawa, to San Francisco, to Chicago, to Muskegon, Michigan -He was allowed a few weeks of leave home -He was assigned to Great Lakes Naval Hospital at Great Lakes Naval Station, Chicago, Illinois -Continued with surgery there -Spent six months there -Enjoyed being stationed there -Remembers that it was a large facility -While at Great Lakes he treated a large number of patients -His wife and children were allowed to live with him on base -It was a similar schedule to being a civilian doctor, but he was still treating war wounds -Now he was dealing with reconstructive work -There was an effort to get him to reenlist -He had already agreed to a fellowship at Ford Hospital in Detroit though -If he had stayed in he would have been promoted and given a pay raise -He didn’t want to stay in though, but still respected the Navy (00:41:57) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Don’t get into a war -His service taught him how to operate fast -Hopes that we don’t get into another large scale war like that again -He is still bothered by dreams -Avoids war movies and war novels so that they don’t trigger bad dreams -He has a huge respect for the military now � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_RobsonL1702V Title A name given to the resource Robson, Larry (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-11-08 Description An account of the resource Dr. Larry Robson is a Vietnam War veteran who was born on June 27, 1937 in Almont, Michigan. He attended Albion College and the University of Michigan completing surgical training in 1968. He enlisted in the Navy in June 1968 to fulfill his commitment to the military. He was first stationed at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas for five months until he received orders to go to Vietnam. He was trained at Camp Pendleton and was then deployed to Vietnam where he joined the 3rd Medical Battalion with the 3rd Marines Division at Quang Tri. He served as a surgeon for a year first with the Marines then with the Army when the 101st Airborne Division replaced the Marines. After Vietnam he was assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Hospital at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for the last six months of his service. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Robson, Larry Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy United States. Marine Corps United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/487208a5c19329893ec263452bdf6c2a.m4v 38c88de4376701cceefa632467dd4d6f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7c7bf5bc51506af5671e6c7c23bc7409.pdf 4dc49afe9b66a3a6f65fe1a06f578832 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Alvin Rippen World War II 59 minutes 19 seconds (00:00:48) Early Life -Born in Franklin County, Nebraska on November 6, 1917 -He was born and raised on a farm in Franklin County -He attended high school in Campbell, Nebraska -Rode a pony to school every day for four years -For grades one through eight he attended a country school house with only one teacher -He graduated from high school in 1935 -His family was able to keep the farm through the Great Depression -He, his father and his siblings all worked the farm -His mother died in 1929 at the age of thirty six -Their farm grew wheat, oats, and corn and they raised cattle, hogs, and chickens (00:02:57) College -He attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska -He got in due to a referral by the superintendent from high school -He started college in the fall of 1935 -While at University of Nebraska he had a part time job at the University’s dairy plant -Worked that job for four years -He majored in dairy farming -After going for an extra semester he graduated from the University of Nebraska in January 1940 -From the University of Nebraska he was able to get into Ohio State University -He got in due to a professor he’d had at University of Nebraska -While at Ohio State University he got his master’s degree (00:05:33) Pre-War Life -He finished at Ohio State University before the attack on Pearl Harbor -He got a job in Chicago working for a dairy equipment company in the summer of 1941 -He was living in Chicago when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened -He rented out a house with a few other men who worked at the same plant -The house that he lived in was on Elm Street in Chicago (00:07:24) Start of the War and Enlisting -Remembers hearing about the reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor -Soon after he and his housemates began discussing how they would get involved in the war -He was interested in becoming a Navy pilot -He knew for certain that he didn’t want to become an Army draftee -He went to a recruiter and told him that he wanted to become a Navy pilot -Asked if he had ever been in a plane before and confessed that he hadn’t -Recruiter told him to ride in a plane then come talk to him afterwards -He went to Midway Airfield and took a ride in a plane over Chicago -He returned to the recruiter and told him that he was still interested in becoming a pilot -He enlisted in November 1942 �(00:10:17) Basic Training -He was first sent to the University of Iowa for pre-flight school -Consisted of learning about the Navy and getting in shape -At the time he couldn’t even swim, so he spent extra time learning how to swim -When he started pre-flight school he was in good physical shape -They were told the rules and about the culture of the Navy -They were given an explanation of how the war had begun -He remembers having to march in the snow -The men that he trained with were much younger than he was -Most of them were fresh out of high school and four or five years younger than him -He was called “old man” by the younger trainees -He spent three months at the University of Iowa (00:14:00) Primary Training -From the University of Iowa he was sent to Glenview, Illinois for primary training -In primary training he got to fly an airplane for the first time -Started off by training with the NCN (a Navy biplane used for training) -He began his training there in February 1943 -He almost washed out during primary training due to the difficulty of it -The flight instructors that he had were all Navy personnel (no civilian flight instructors) -One of the first things he had to overcome was relaxing while flying -His instructor only made him tenser -After four weeks he was given a new instructor -Once the weather warmed up he was able to relax more -After completing his final flight test he was allowed to advance -While he was at Glenview he also learned how to land a plane -At least a fifth of the trainees quit the program -They were allowed to go on leave a couple times and visit Chicago -In Glenview he received further classroom instruction -Started to learn about navigation -His college background made the classroom work easier for him -He spent three months at Glenview (00:21:10) Advanced Training -From Glenview he was sent to Corpus Christi, Texas for advanced training -The plane that he started working with there was the SNJ -Flew out of Cudahy Field near Corpus Christi -Enjoyed flying the SNJ -Faster than the NCN biplane -Just all around more fun to fly -They were instructed to always look for a safe place to land in case of an emergency landing -At Corpus Christi he learned how to do formation flying and instrument flying -Instrument flying involved flying without using surroundings as a point of reference -Had to rely solely on the plane’s instruments -During instrument flying he got airsick -Only time he ever got airsick -Didn’t affect his evaluation -He just had to clean up the plane after he threw up in it �-He had an easier time flying in Corpus Christi -Continued to have Navy instructors there -At Corpus Christi he received further swimming training and classroom instruction -Taught about the mechanics of the airplane and the mechanics of flight -He met his future wife in Corpus Christi -Bought his wedding ring in Corpus Christi, and his wife still has it today -He finished training at Corpus Christi on September 16, 1943 (00:26:00) Dive Bomber Training -From Corpus Christi he was transferred to Jacksonville, Florida -In Jacksonville he was assigned to become a dive bomber pilot -First time using an aircraft that was actually being used by the Navy -He flew out of Cecil Field outside of Jacksonville -Trained with the SBD Dauntless dive bomber -Not very different than the SNJ that he had trained with -It had different, specialized flaps for dive bombing -He used smoke bombs to hit targets during training runs -He got to fly out over the ocean -The SBD was a slow, clumsy and underpowered plane which didn’t bode well with the pilots -He received night flying at Jacksonville as well as daytime flying -When he was at Jacksonville he was still taking off and landing on land -He began to receive training on how to make a landing on an aircraft carrier -Landing on a shortened airstrip -Watching the ground crew to receive signals for landing -He got married in Jacksonville on October 23, 1943 -His wife had to live in an off base apartment -At night they would eat dinner together on base -He stayed in Jacksonville a few months (00:30:20) Aircraft Carrier Training -From Jacksonville he returned to Glenview, Illinois for aircraft carrier training -There were two training carriers in Lake Michigan: USS Wolverine and USS Sable -He made his first aircraft carrier landing on one of those in Lake Michigan -The first landing that he made required attentive listening to the instructor -When he landed the tail hook cable caught the plane which surprised him -Accidents were fairly common -Both carriers had a steel cable mesh barrier to stop planes that didn’t catch a tail hook cable -It stopped the plane from going off the edge of the carrier into the water -The weather stayed good while he was training there (00:34:13) Deployment to Hawaii -After completing carrier training he was sent to San Diego, California -He was given a short leave before being deployed -He travelled out to California by train with his wife -Not soon after arriving in California he was loaded onto a ship bound for Hawaii -His wife returned to Ohio to wait for him with her family -The ship that he took to Hawaii was a Kaiser aircraft carrier -Carried a limited amount of personnel and aircraft -The island that they arrived at was Oahu �-After arriving at Hawaii he was sent to Kaneohe Navy Base in north Oahu -He continued to train with the SBD Dauntless on how to dive bomb -The men that he was training with were replacement pilots -He spent about one month training in Hawaii -He remembers eating a lot of pineapple (00:36:11) USS Lexington -In Hawaii he was assigned to the aircraft carrier the USS Lexington -He was assigned to VB 16, a dive bomber unit aboard the Lexington -The first target that he bombed was on Guam -The second target that he bombed was at the Marianas Islands -Specifically the island of Saipan -Aboard the Lexington he witnessed the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” -A catastrophic aerial defeat for the Japanese -A Japanese fleet arrived in their area from the Philippines hoping to attack his fleet -American fighter planes intercepted the Japanese bombers and decimated them -He was able to watch the aerial combat from the Lexington -He remembers watching the battleship USS North Carolina ripping apart enemy planes -The task force didn’t suffer much damage from the Japanese attack -The next day American planes were sent out to attack the Japanese ships -Wound up being a fairly successful attack forcing the Japanese to retreat -During bombing runs on enemy airfields he made sure to focus on buildings -Specifically hangars and any building that looked useful to the Japanese -During the bombing of Saipan he received heavy enemy fire, but was never hit -At this point in the war he was never attacked by Japanese fighter planes -Most had been destroyed in the “Turkey Shoot” or pulled closer to Japan -For bombing run had to come within one thousand feet of a target -Sometimes had to get as close as a few hundred feet above the target -Aboard the Lexington he flew a few depth charge patrols -Flying out with a depth charge looking for Japanese submarines to attack -Always dropped the charge before landing because it was too dangerous to carry (00:45:00) Returning to the United States and Instructor Work -After being on the Lexington for six weeks his unit was rotated back to the United States -The SBD Dauntless was replaced with the Curtiss Helldiver -As a result of the replacement he was made a dive bomber instructor -Stationed at Jacksonville, Florida -Still used the SBD for training purposes -He enjoyed being an instructor -Worked at Jacksonville for about two (or three) months (00:46:38) Fighter Pilot Training -When kamikaze attacks began in the Pacific the Navy decided they needed more fighter pilots -He was assigned to become a fighter pilot flying the Hellcat fighter plane -He was sent to the West Coast for fighter pilot training -First at Seattle and Pasco, Washington -Later in California and Hawaii -He was assigned to Air Group 2 -He enjoyed flying the Hellcat �-In Hawaii he received practice on how to shoot at flying, moving targets -Targets were towed by other planes to be shot at by fighter pilots -The Hellcat had incredible firepower with six .50 caliber machine guns -He completed his fighter pilot training at Hilo, Hawaii after five (or six weeks) (00:49:38) Stationed at Saipan -From Hawaii he and the rest of Air Group 2 was sent to Saipan -They lived in Quonset huts on the Navy base there -He spent about a month on Saipan before being assigned to another ship -They had a lot of downtime at Saipan because Japanese activity had mostly stopped (00:50:28) USS Shangri-La -He was assigned to the USS Shangri-La aircraft carrier from Saipan -Aboard the Shangri-La he continued with practice maneuvers -He boarded the carrier in June 1945 -Only two months later the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered -After the surrender he was able to fly over Tokyo -Last flight that he ever made -He never had any combat while flying the Hellcat -The Shangri-La sailed down to Yokohama, Japan and anchored there -He was able to go ashore and visit Tokyo -Japanese civilians weren’t hostile, just glad that the war was finally over -Tokyo had suffered extensive damage from the firebombing campaign -From Yokohama they sailed down to Okinawa, Japan -He went ashore there for a couple days as well (00:53:18) Coming Home and End of Service -In Japan he boarded the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise to return to the United States -There were so many servicemen onboard he had to sleep on a cot under a stairwell -When he arrived in the United States in December 1945 he was discharged from the Navy -He was in the Naval Reserves for a few years after being discharged -When Korea began he was concerned that he was going to be called to active duty -He was never called up for active duty though (00:54:34) Life after the War -After the war he continued to work at the dairy company in Chicago he’d worked at before -Upon returning home he felt that every American, soldier and civilian, was a veteran -Without the civilians the soldiers wouldn’t have had the supplies they needed -He knew people who made war goods in their own homes just to contribute -He lived with his wife in Chicago from 1945-1949 -During this time he travelled around the Midwest as part of his job -His wife got sick of him being gone, so he eventually left that job -They moved to Lansing, Michigan where he worked at various dairy plants near there -Did that until 1957 -His final, and lasting, career was at Michigan State University -He worked there for twenty two and a half years -He was extension man in the dairy sector at MSU and in Detroit and Grand Rapids -He thoroughly enjoyed his career that he had at MSU � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_RippenA1655V Title A name given to the resource Rippen, Alvin (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-07-01 Description An account of the resource Alvin Rippen was born in 1917 in Franklin County, Nebraska. He finished high school in 1935, went to college and graduate school and took a job in the dairy industry in Chicago. In 1942, he enlisted in the Navy and qualified for pilot training. He was assigned to the USS Lexington in 1944 and went to the Marianas, where he witnessed "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" air battle and then participated in attacks on Guam and Saipan. He then spent time as a dive bomber instructor, and then learned to fly the Hellcat fighter and served on the USS Shangri-La and on Saipan before being discharged late in 1945. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rippen, Alvin Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/75e7b5685ea091e7da1384156e05beff.mp4 a2643c42e9a4324b4bbaded3a37ce690 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1cdeb37211db4803980cd091f465b009.pdf 7c941f5040915474f422f8d1e5e5c7d1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Bob Rimmer World War II & Korean Era 54 minutes 5 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -Born in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 25, 1923 -Father was an underground iron ore minor on the Mesabi Range as an iron ore miner -Family moved to Flint, Michigan -Father became a foreman for Arctic Dairy -Eventually became a route foreman in charge of five or six drivers -His mother was a housewife -He had one sister that was a year younger than him and a brother nine years younger -He lived in Flint until 1932 -His father bought a dairy in Hutchinson, Kansas -Manufactured ice cream and other dairy products -Lived there until 1938 -Moved to Lyons, Kansas -Father worked a dairy route there -Father bought a restaurant in Cunningham, Kansas -He moved back to Flint to work his aunt and uncle‟s hamburger restaurant -He eventually moved back to Kansas where he enlisted in the Coast Guard in March 1942 (00:02:52) Start of the War and Enlisting -Enlisted in the Coast Guard in March 1942 -Everyone else he knew was enlisting and he felt he owed something to his country -Remembers coming in from working in the oil fields and going into his father‟s restaurant -It was the morning of December 7, 1941 -Remembers his mother crying -Went out with a few friends and decided that they would have to fight (00:04:08) Overview of Service -Sent to Long Island, New York for basic training -Sent to Bay City, Michigan where he was a truck driver for the 9th District of the Coast Guard -Sent to California where he boarded the USS Long Beach -Conducted patrols in the South Pacific -Ship returned to the United States in 1944 and he was sent to Seattle, Washington -From Seattle he was sent to St. Louis, Missouri where he was discharged in June 1946 -Duty in St. Louis was maintenance and to continue being a truck driver (00:05:48) Life after the War -Returned to Michigan in 1946 -Found work at Continental Motors -Went to college -Went to work at a centrifugal foundry and worked on the design board there -Worked for Sealed Power Corporation when they took over -Worked as a plant engineer in South Haven, Michigan �-Eventually started a welding business with a friend -Sold the business after a while -Went to Muskegon, Michigan to work for Lorin Industries -Got a job in Montague, Michigan with Tech Cast -Worked there as a plant engineer -Went back to work in South Haven with the same company that he had worked for there -Went to work for another foundry and retired in 1978 (00:08:34) Basic Training -Sent to Long Island, New York for basic training -Basic training lasted for three months -The main emphasis was on discipline -He got assigned to being a truck driver because he had truck driving experience -Led to being assigned to transportation (00:09:40) Stationed in Michigan -He was sent to Bay City, Michigan in June 1942 -Sent there by train -He drove truck there for the 9th District of the Coast Guard until he was sent to California -Duty was the transportation of personnel (00:10:17) Boarding USS Long Beach -He took a train out to California and boarded the USS Long Beach -A Tacoma-class frigate -Had a crew of 220 men -303 feet long and 37.5 feet wide -Had two 3” guns and three .40 caliber multi-barrel machine guns -NOTE: Actual armaments: three 3” guns and four 40mm guns -He stayed in California for a couple months waiting to be deployed -Went on a shakedown cruise and had further repairs done before leaving the United States -USS Long Beach left San Diego, California on January 12, 1944 -He adapted well to being at sea (00:12:32) Patrols in the South Pacific Pt. 1 -Went to Noumea, New Caledonia -Sailed from there to Cairns, Australia -Sailed around New Guinea -Took part in the invasion of Hollandia -Specifically the island of Aitape on April 19, 1944 -Remembers playing softball on a Landing Ship, Tank after the invasion -Primary duty was patrols and the escort of ships -Remembers escorting a few hospital ships (00:13:58) Duty aboard the Long Beach Pt. 1 -He was stationed in the engine room as a Machinist Mate 1st Class -He would work for four hours and then be off for eight hours -Making sure that there weren‟t any problems and that everything was running correctly -Only had one minor engine breakdown while at sea (00:14:48) Patrols in the South Pacific Pt. 2 -Went to Wewak, Finschhafen, Morotai, and Sansapor, New Guinea -Went to New Caledonia �-Went to Cairns, Australia -Went to Pago Pago -Escorted and oversaw some Marine invasions -Protecting Landing Ship, Tanks and other personnel carriers -Patrolled the South Pacific until late 1944 (00:16:20) Enemy Contact Pt. 1 -Saw several suicide attacks from Japanese planes -Disturbing to watch Japanese planes dive into American ships (00:16:56) Contact with Civilians -Landed on one island that had a lot of coconut trees -They would pay the natives cigarettes to go and gather a few coconuts -The natives in New Guinea were friendly and welcoming to Americans -He sent a few coconut shells home as souvenirs to his family (00:18:25) Enemy Contact Pt. 2 -Japanese air attacks happened every two or three days -They would receive information that enemy aircraft were in the area -Tried to prepare for them or get away from them if at all possible -Remembers passing through the Admiralty Islands and seeing Japanese soldiers on one island -They were shooting at the ship with their rifles -Hoping to pick off a sailor that was on deck -They were able to destroy a few mines that they spotted -When making contact with the enemy they would go to general quarters -Meant that everyone put on a lifejacket and went to their battle stations -His place was on the fantail, or the back, of the ship -Looking for any sign of the enemy then report it to the bridge -They had torpedoes and depth charges available to be used against Japanese submarines -They spotted a few submarines and attacked them -Never knew if they had been successful though -Didn‟t want to stay in the area too long to find out -It was also a rarity to spot a submarine (00:22:57) Weather Conditions in the South Pacific -They never had any consistently bad weather, or run into any storms -Remembers they would get some rough water though -One wave that washed over the ship was eight feet higher than the deck -Meant that it was about fifty eight feet in height (00:23:52) Living Conditions -No one was ever washed overboard -One sailor had a heart attack and had to be taken to a hospital ship though -The engine room was always 120oF-125oF and the boiler room was always 130oF -The air temperature on the deck was in the 80s or 90s -Wore the white sailor cap, jeans, dungarees, and a denim shirt -Remembers there was one sailor that had misshapen ears -The doctor came aboard the ship and gave him cosmetic surgery -Made the sailor happy because he finally looked normal (00:26:32) Stateside Duty and End of the War -After patrols were done in the South Pacific he returned to the United States �-USS Long Beach was sent to Brooklyn for repairs due to sustaining some minor damage -Damage wasn‟t serious enough to require being taken to a dry dock -NOTE: The USS Long Beach was taken to Boston on January 25, 1944 -Placed on a train and sent out to Seattle, Washington -He was on a train going cross country when the train stopped in a small town in California -A couple men got off and went over to a grocery store to buy a few cases of beer -Celebrating Victory in Japan Day -Drinks had been cut off on the train to prevent overdrinking in celebration -Relief over the use of the atomic bombs amongst servicemen and civilians -Servicemen were glad to not have to be in Japan -Civilians were happy that the war would be over and their men could come home -He was stationed in St. Louis until he was discharged in June 1946 -Stationed in a business administration building that the Coast Guard was using -His job was to do maintenance work in the building (00:32:00) Contact with Family -He was able to visit his family for two or three days on leave a couple times -His mother died from cancer two days after he went to sea -He brought his younger brother to St. Louis to visit while he was stationed there (00:32:45) United States Navy Reserve -Two (or three) months after getting discharged he enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve -After getting out of the Coast Guard he married a WWII widow that had two children -He was called to duty in September 1951 -NOTE: Since he served aboard the USS Ammen it would have been 1951, not „52 -Got discharged from the Navy Reserve in December 1953 -When he was called to duty he was assigned to the USS Ammen in her engine room -Took it on a shakedown cruise then went into the Atlantic for patrols -At the time the Korean War was being fought -Remembers that a lot of civilians were against it -Felt that WWII had been enough of a sacrifice for the time being -There was a rumor that there were Soviet forces in the North Atlantic -The Ammen was dispatched to go investigate that claim -Sailed around the North Atlantic for three or four months -NOTE: The Ammen stayed in the Atlantic and Mediterranean until February 1953 -Remembers that it was cold and he was one iceberg -The sea was choppy, but not exactly “rough” -Compared to the Pacific though, the Pacific was farm calmer and much warmer -Remembers that at one time they were almost run over by another ship -The USS Ammen was slightly larger and slightly heavier armed than the USS Long Beach -Had a crew of 250 men and 4” guns instead of 3” guns -He reprised his rank and duty as a Machinist Mate 1st Class in the engine room (00:41:35) Living Conditions on the Ammen -Morale was good -It was a more relaxed atmosphere than it had been aboard the Long Beach -They would make and swap crossword puzzles with each other to pass the time -Doesn‟t remember anyone ever getting out of line and doing anything stupid or reckless -Did drills to stay prepared like they had done on the Long Beach �-Remembers they had a few false alarms due to sonar picking up an unidentified object -Tried not to think about sinking -Slept on cots on bunk beds that held three cots -Would get a decent night of sleep unless you were scheduled to be on watch (00:47:55) End of Service -After the Atlantic cruise they returned to Charleston, South Carolina in February 1953 -NOTE: The USS Ammen would have pulled into Newport, Rhode Island -He stayed in the Navy Reserve for a few more months before getting discharged in December (00:48:24) Comparing Coast Guard and Navy -His experiences in the Coast Guard and the Navy were basically the same -There was rivalry between the branches -Never had any impact on him from serving in the Coast Guard though (00:49:25) Coming Home -After getting discharged from the Navy Reserve he got a ride from a coal truck -Rode that for a few hundred miles -Then got on a Greyhound bus and rode that the rest of the way home (00:50:03) Reflections on Service -Cherished the sense of camaraderie -His time in the Coast Guard qualified him for the GI Bill -Paid for college at St. Louis University and Muskegon Community College -Attended college at Muskegon Community College with other veterans -Considers it an interesting part of his life -Feels fortunate that he was able to make it through his service uninjured and alive -Feels gratified that he was able to do it, and has no regrets � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_RimmerB1765V Title A name given to the resource Rimmer, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-04 Description An account of the resource Bob Rimmer was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1923. He grew up in Minnesota, Michigan, and Kansas before enlisting in the Coast Guard in March 1942. After basic training he was stationed at Bay City, Michigan as a truck driver then aboard the USS Long Beach in the South Pacific during 1944 taking part in patrols and several amphibious invasions. In 1945 he returned to the United States and was stationed in Seattle, Washington and St. Louis, Missouri before being discharged in June 1946. Later in 1946 he enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve and in September 1951 he was called up for service and was assigned to the USS Ammen. He took part in patrols of the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Ammen, returning to the United States in February 1953. He was discharged from the Navy Reserve in December 1953. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rimmer, Robert Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Zwart, Brian (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Coast Guard United States. Naval Reserve Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/59790b1aa52e1d0b2827db0ec7f586fe.m4v 4c2a6561eb3ec2594ca23afb376e4fab https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/74f3bd4adb685454306b1ecbd81249bb.pdf 8b2f8c573984d8e2353fb535f6025f7f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran's History Project Vietnam Sam Rawlinson Total Time (00:46:43) Introduction (00:00:22)  Sam Rawlinson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1948; he grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina (00:00:50)  He graduated from high school in 1967; after he graduated he decided to join the Army with a buddy of his although they were separated immediately (00:02:49) ◦ Sam did his basic training at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina; he completed basic training although he fractured one of his ankles during his time there (00:03:14) ◦ During high school, Sam went to cadet school on Tuesdays and Thursdays which helped him deal with the discipline during Basic Training (00:05:45) ▪ He was told he was going to be a mechanic after he took the ASVAB; Sam says he loved that type of stuff and was fine with it (00:07:46) ▪ Sam went to Ft. Dix in New Jersey for advanced infantry training (00:08:15)  He mentions he was trained to fix anything on military jeeps from bumper to bumper, there was no part on a vehicle he wasn't trained on (00:09:30) Vietnam (00:10:23)  After AIT, Sam got orders to be sent to Vietnam; He and his wife got married August 31st, 1968 and was in Vietnam by October (00:10:57)  He traveled from New Jersey to California to Vietnam; he mentions he had one of the best flights while flying into Vietnam (00:11:59) ◦ They landed at Cam Ranh Bay; he says that you wouldn't think you were landing in a war zone- he says this feeling last only four hours (00:13:08) ◦ Sam was part of the 131st Quartermaster company in Qui Nhon; he describes Qui Nhon as a garrison area with barracks, motor pool, battalions (00:14:59) ▪ Sam estimates that they had around 60-80 people in his company (00:16:09) ▪ One of his jobs was as a recovery specialist- he would have to go and bring broken down vehicles back to their base; these trips took place at all times from six in the morning to ten at night (00:18:22) ▪ He never had to go out alone on these missions has he had a few support vehicles on his side (00:20:16)  Sam estimates that he went on about 100 recovery runs in a seven month period (00:21:31)  He received a military R&R (rest and recuperation) with his wife for his honeymoon in Hawaii (00:22:37) ◦ Sam says he never encountered any problems with racism in his 20 years with the military (00:24:35) Back Home & Out Again (00:25:48)  Sam was sent back to Ft. Meade in Maryland and spent a few years there (00:25:58)  He eventually became in charge of a 64 Charlie unit which included ammo pick up, transporting �rations and ammo as well (00:29:32) ◦ Sam worked at Ft. Hood in Texas for three years; after that he was sent to Germany for two years (00:30:24) ◦ He estimates that he spent about eight months in the field while he was over in Germany (00:33:16) ◦ Sam got an opportunity to travel while he was there as well (00:34:14) ▪ After Germany he went back to Ft. Meade; he worked on a transportation motor pool (00:37:53) ▪ He worked on the transportation motor pool for seven years (00:40:30) ▪ Sam had to maintain a top secret clearance in order to work on that job; after that he went to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri (00:42:16)  After achieving a rank of E7, he became an instructor for AIT; he performed this job until he retired from the military in 1988 (00:43:39)  Six months after he retired from the military he got a job in the transportation business as government civilian employee; he did this til 1994 (00:44:38)  He retired from the work force in 2008 (00:45:15) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_RawlinsonS1689V Title A name given to the resource Rawlinson, Samuel (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-10 Description An account of the resource Sam Rawlinson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1948 and grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina. After graduating from high school in 1967 he decided to join the Army. He did his basic training at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina. He then went to Ft. Dix in New Jersey for AIT as a mechanic. Sam received orders to go to Vietnam by October of 1968. After Vietnam he worked at Ft. Hood in Texas for three years after that he went to Germany for two years. He retired from the military in 1988 and retired from the work force in 2008. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rawlinson, Samuel Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McGregor, Michael (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bc49f52063cc8b6f1eefd76afabb3913.mp4 08beaef91949b8ad3dba5d67d4cdd686 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8de53a83645cac60689d350fdb91704e.pdf 3c93bc0f75fcf9ee9b78a45cbc23c009 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Richard Rafferty World War II 38 minutes (00:00:37) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 31, 1924 -Parents were Raymond and Violet Rafferty -Father worked as a mail carrier for the Post Office and mother stayed at home -Father kept his job during the Great Depression -Also had steady work -Had a younger brother -Also served in the Navy (00:01:41) Start of the War -Working at a theater in Grand Rapids and remembers a cashier telling him Japan bombed Pearl Harbor -Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor he heard there were negotiations between the U.S. and Japan -After Pearl Harbor everything changed -Everybody got behind the war effort -People reused tires and other items that could not be produced new because of the war -Remembers the cigarette company, Lucky Strike, changing their label color -Went from green to red because the green color was made with copper -Mother went to work in a war factory (00:03:15) Enlisting in the Navy -Knew he would get into the service because of the draft, but he also wanted to get into the service -Graduated from Catholic Central High School in 1942 -Did construction work in Muskegon, Michigan the following summer -In the December 1942 he enlisted in the Navy Reserve as a Naval Aviation Cadet (00:04:12) Ground School (Pre-Flight Training) -Called up for active duty in April 1943 -Part of the Navy's Pre-Flight V5 Aviators Program -Ground School -Learned about aeronautics, meteorology, aircraft recognition, and Navy regulations -Trained at Ohio Wesleyan University -Program lasted three months -Close order drills, marching, and physical training -Emphasis on discipline -If you did not follow regulations you received a demerit -If you received too many demerits you got kicked out of the program -Didn't find the training too difficult and enjoyed it -All of the men were roughly the same age and mostly from the Midwest (00:06:37) Advanced Pre-Flight Training -Sent to Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California for advanced pre-flight training -More physical training with a competitive and team-based emphasis -Football, basketball, track, wrestling, and boxing -College was near Oakland and San Francisco -Had weekly tests on every subject -Very little time off �-Training through the day, studying at night, then sleeping -Got weekends off sometimes -Visited Columbus, Ohio when he was at Ohio Wesley University -Visited San Francisco, California when he was at Saint Mary's College -Spent two to three months at Saint Mary's College (00:08:58) Whitman College-Flight Training -Sent to Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington -Began training with the Piper J-3 Cub -Learned the fundamentals of flying a plane -Started with an instructor then solo flew -Learned the basics of flying -Taking off, landing, flying safely, and how to get out of a stall -Came easily and naturally to him and he found the experience pleasant -Flew daily for about half of his time at Whitman College (1-1 ½ months of daily flight) (00????:11:55) Primary Training -Sent to Max Westheimer Field in Norman, Oklahoma for primary training -Flew the N2S Stearman biplane -Great plane for acrobatics -Learned how to fly like a fighter pilot -Started with an instructor then flew alone -Flew the Ryan PT-22 Recruit, a two seat, low-wing monoplane -Learned formation flying -Stearman was much better than the Piper Cub -Felt the Stearman was one of the greatest planes -Trained there for eight or nine months (00:13:54) Advanced Training -Sent to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas for advanced training -Started off by flying the SNV (BT-13 Valiant) for more formation flying training -Moved on to training with the SNJ (T-6 Texan) -Advanced training aircraft very similar to a fighter plane -Remembers that you could do pretty much anything with an SNJ -Accidents did happen -Had his own minor accident in Primary Training with the Stearman -Learned how to fly by instruments -Means flying without line of sight -Did night and day flying -Learned how to take off and land on a carrier-length runway -Experienced weather restrictions -No flying if it was too overcast, or if there were thunderstorms -Completed advanced training and graduated on November 1, 1944 -Held the rank of Naval Aviator, Ensign (00:18:54) Operational Training -Sent to Naval Air Station Sanford, Florida for Operational Training with a squadron -Flew the FM-2 Wildcat, the workhorse of the U.S. Navy during WWII -Learned how to land on an actual aircraft carrier -Qualified on the USS Solomons at Port Everglades, Florida -Revved up to full throttle with brakes on to take off -For landing, a signalman said if you were too high/low or too fast/slow -Got into position, cut the engine, and glided onto the carrier �-Had a few planes go off the carrier into the water, but no pilots died -Had ships standing by to recover pilots -Easy to get out of the plane because you kept the canopy open for take off and landing -He got it right the first time and it was exciting -Had more freedom since he was an officer in the Navy -Could go off the base at night and on weekends -Visited Sanford, went to the bars, and met girls (00:25:22) Leave -Between bases he received leave -Usually got a week off when he transferred to a new base -Leave was based on availability of space at bases and schools -Had to wait a week or two for the base to have room for incoming cadets (00:26:43) VC-80 Squadron -Joined VC (composite)-80 Squadron -12 TBM Avenger torpedo bombers -16 FM-2 Wildcat fighter planes -Carried out escort duty and observation -They were supposed to go to the USS Steamer Bay in San Diego, but those orders were canceled -He joined the squadron in Seattle -Went to Coos Bay, Oregon to learn how to fly as a unit -Unit moved to Holtville, California for night flying, gunnery training, and bombardier training -Flew training missions every day -Learned how to operate as a unit (00:29:12) End of the War & End of Service -Heard news that the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan -Had planned on being part of the invasion of Japan -Atomic bombs canceled those orders -Relieved that the war was over -Hated to leave the unit, but was ready to go home -Discharged from active duty in November 1945 -Spent the rest of his time with VC-80 decommissioning the squadron -Transferred to Naval Air Station Grosse Ile, Michigan to work as an operations officer -Sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois to get discharged from active duty to “ready reserve” (00:30:55) Life after the War -Returned to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Got married -Had three children -Worked part-time jobs and went to Grand Rapids Junior College (now Community College) -Went to work for Michigan Bell Telephone Company -Got to be the area manager before retiring (00:31:26) Continued Service with the Navy Reserve -Flew monthly with the Navy Reserve at Grosse Ile and Kellogg Field in Battle Creek -Flew the SNJ, FM-2 Wildcat, and AD-4 Skyraider -Never got to fly any of the new jet fighters -Never received any orders for the Korean War -Spent 25 years in the Reserve -Former pilots and Navy crewmen joined the squadron during the Vietnam War -Entered the retired reserve until he could get full retirement -Transferred to a VP squadron (patrol squadron) with P-2V Neptunes �-Knew he would never get to fly those, so he requested a transfer to another unit -Served with the “surface division” of the Navy at Jackson, Michigan -Worked as a recruiting officer and flew once a week -Did that for five or six years (00:36:52) Reflections on Service -Feels that his time in the service shaped his whole life -Looks back on his time in the Navy as an enjoyable time in his life -Believes that it was a good experience for him because he didn't see combat -Taught him independence and made him mature -Enjoyed flying and the camaraderie he had in the Navy Reserve � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_RaffertyR1744V Title A name given to the resource Rafferty, Richard Raymond (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-04-16 Description An account of the resource Richard Rafferty was born on October 31, 1924 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He grew up in Grand Rapids and in the December 1942 he enlisted in the Navy Reserve as an Aviation Cadet. He was called up for active service in April 1943 and received training at Ohio Wesleyan University, St. Mary's College of California, Whitman College, Max Westheimer Field, and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Richard graduated from training on November 1, 1944 and became a Naval Aviator with the rank of ensign. He received operational training at Naval Air Station Sanford, Florida and qualified for aircraft carrier service aboard the USS Solomons at Port Everglades, Florida. From Florida he went to Seattle to join VC-80 Squadron, a torpedo bomber and fighter squadron. They operated in Coos Bay, Oregon and Holtville, California and when the war ended in August 1945 he helped decommission the squadron. He also served at Naval Air Station Grosse Ile, Michigan as an operations officer then went to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois to be discharged from active duty in November 1945. After the war he stayed in the Navy Reserve for 25 years serving at Grosse Ile, Battle Creek, and Jackson, Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rafferty, Richard Raymond Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy</dc:subject Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3455df628fe3d03df469aefc46f35a5f.mp4 6aa24694ab71b0e3aad7d698dd7e58d7 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6d87950f4d4b89e859efc08d7d72d658.pdf 848e0128f9ba5b2f32a12f5388442636 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Duane Quigg World War II 51 minutes 28 seconds (00:00:09) Early Life -Born in Albion, Michigan on June 29, 1925 -Lived in Albion until he was drafted -His father started off working as a manager at a gas station -He also did odd jobs throughout the Great Depression -One of his projects was buying, repairing, and selling motorcycles -Eventually set up his own garage behind his house -He would repair vehicles for farmers in the area -They would pay him in the form of livestock -He (Duane) remembers feeding chickens and milking cows -He had one brother that was five years younger (00:02:20) Start of the War -He remembers going to buy some milk and driving home -He heard the news on the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed -He was the first in his family to know and told them when he got home -He felt that President Roosevelt had known that Japan would attack Pearl Harbor -Which means he felt that Japan was eventually going to attack the United States -Knew that scrap metal was being sold to Japan and they were building up their military -He was also aware of Japanese-American relations being tense and of the war in Europe -Felt that eventually that he would get involved in the war (00:04:26) Getting Drafted -He wanted to become a fighter pilot in the Army Air Force -He went to Battle Creek, Michigan for the testing and failed the eye test -Decided to just wait to get drafted at that point -He graduated from high school in June 1943 -Prior to graduating he had qualified to go into the Army Specialized Training Program -He was drafted on July 11, 1943 (00:05:31) Basic Training -He was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training -Went from Battle Creek, to Chicago, to Fort Benning by train -It was the first time that he had ever gone on a long train ride -The train didn’t stop much on the trip down to Georgia -He arrived at Fort Benning in the late summer of 1943 -They were quartered south of the Officer Candidate School -They were trained to recognize certain types of snakes that were native to Georgia -Remembers being told to recognize the difference between coral and king snakes -There was a high emphasis on discipline -There weren’t any problems with that because the men were willing to accept authority -The drill sergeants were reasonable people �-He won the obstacle course competition at the end of basic training -He was in good physical shape when he went into the Army -He didn’t have a problem adjusting to Army living -Basic training lasted twelve weeks -Knew that he would be going to the Army Special Training Program after basic training -There were a large number of men from Michigan and from the Boston area -The majority of the men from Boston were older (00:10:18) Army Special Training Program (ASTP) -He was sent to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia for ASTP -He was assigned to a dorm room to live in for the course -It was a semester long course condensed into twelve weeks -He knew some men had to drop out because it was too difficult -He wasn’t able to complete ASTP because he was being assigned to the infantry -More men were needed for the pending invasion of Europe -ASTP was supposed to prepare men to be educated [primarily as engineers] for during and after the war -He knew a man who wound up going from the ASTP to work on the Manhattan Project (00:13:14) Assignment to the 95th Infantry Division -He was assigned to the 95th Infantry Division based at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania -During his time there he volunteered for mountain climbing school -He was sent to West Virginia to Seneca Rocks Climbing School -It lasted two weeks and he enjoyed it -He returned to Indiantown Gap and was told he would be deployed to Europe -Learned of this in early spring 1944 (00:14:55) Deployment to European Theatre -He was sent to Fort Miles Standish near Boston -He boarded a repurposed cruise ship that was being used as a troop transport -It was an uncomfortable voyage because it was just not meant for transporting soldiers -They sailed over with an escort because U-Boats were still a threat -The voyage took four (or five) days -Remembers that more men got seasick on the voyage home, but not the voyage there -They landed in Liverpool, England and he was sent to a camp near Winchester, England -Arrived in England shortly after D-Day (00:18:24) Arrival in Mainland Europe -He left out of Southampton, England to sail across the English Channel aboard a LST -Wound up having to spend a week in the English Channel -They landed at Omaha Beach sometime in late summer 1944 -By the time they arrived Paris had been liberated by Allied forces (August 25, 1944) -Spent a week living on the beach while vehicles moved closer to the front -He was part of an antitank company in the 95th Infantry Division -They had 57mm antitank guns, bazookas, and small arms (rifles, machine guns, etc.) (00:20:33) Fighting in the French Countryside -After getting established in France they began to move inland toward the Maginot Line -They moved into the area around Metz, France -There was bitter fighting in that area although he didn’t see much action -Eventually the German forces in Metz were surrounded �-The frontline was still nearby and there was concern about a counterattack -Beyond Metz they started to encounter more German resistance and take casualties -He carried a bazooka, but never actually fired it in anger -There was one time where they moved into a village and came up against a German tank -Remembers a P-51 fighter plane disabling the tank for them -That same day he had a close encounter with a German artillery shell -Same shell managed to hit a group of men in his unit -Remembers his mother telling him later that she knew he was in danger that day (00:29:55) Saar River Region -From Metz they moved into the Saar River region and secured the only standing bridge -Recalls seeing lots of dead American soldiers that had tried to take the bridge -They moved into the area in December 1944 just prior to the Battle of the Bulge -They were very close to the Siegfried Line -There were times where he had to stand guard on the bridge -At one point he had to cross over the bridge to help attack German artillery -He remembers being in a building and a mortar shell coming through the ceiling -Fortunately for him it was dud -They stayed in the Saar River region for a couple weeks until the Battle of the Bulge began (00:33:48) The Battle of the Bulge and Afterwards -After the German offensive was stopped they moved to Bastogne -From Bastogne they moved to Liege, Belgium and stayed for a couple weeks -During that winter he was always able to sleep in a building and not outside -They moved to Maastricht, Netherlands after the Battle of the Bulge (00:35:33) Pushing into Germany -By early spring 1945 they were beginning to push into Germany -Two weeks before Easter 1945 they were ordered to take Berlin -At the last minute the orders were changed due to the Soviets conquering Berlin -They moved into Bremerhaven, and from there to Hannover, and there to the Ruhr Pocket -As they moved into Germany he saw nothing but rubble -Especially in an industrialized area like the Ruhr Pocket -The Allied air force had laid waste to that part of Germany -The German countryside had been mostly spared though -Towards the end of the war he started to see a lot of German refugees -As they pushed into Germany they liberated a few prisoner of war camps holding Soviet troops (00:38:26) End of the War in Europe -While they were in Maastricht he remembers seeing a German fighter jet -The first of its kind, it was the Me-262 -He wanted to write to his father about it, but that information was censored -He remembers at the end of the war when he was in Germany he was on guard duty -During one shift, early in the morning, twenty Germans surrendered to him -At the end of the war German soldiers began surrendering en masse -Noticed that many of the soldiers were either very young, or very old -Even at the end of the war they were still encountering some resistance -If they did encounter resistance the Germans would scatter and retreat -He was in the Ruhr Pocket when Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 -He stayed in the Ruhr Pocket until he was sent home �(00:42:08) End of the War & Coming Home -He arrived in the United States on June 28, 1945 -He remembers after the war German civilians would interact with American soldiers -They would trade with German civilians -German women wanted attention from the American soldiers -Upon going home his ship got caught in a hurricane -He stayed on deck because below decks it reeked of vomit -The storm lasted three days -Arrived at Newport News, Virginia -He was given a thirty day leave home -After the thirty days he reported to Camp Shelby, Mississippi on August 1, 1945 -He was preparing to be a part of the invasion of Japan -On August 6 and 9 the atomic bombs were dropped ending the war in the Pacific -He has always been grateful to President Truman for making that decision -Feels that ultimately it saved American and Japanese lives -Sure that it probably saved his life as well -He had enough “points’’ to get out of the Army -Instead he volunteered to replace the company clerk -He was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina and stayed there until January 1946 -His duty was to process soldiers that were being discharged from the Army (00:47:28) Life after the War -After the war he returned to Michigan and attended Albion College on the GI Bill -He got married in 1947 -He and his wife moved down to Angola, Indiana and he attended Tri-State University -He majored in engineering -After the war he wanted to live on the northern part of Lake Michigan -He got a job in Muskegon and worked there until the 1960s -After that he started his own business (00:49:22) Reflections on Service -He made lifelong friendships while in the Army -And there are some men he wishes that he had stayed in contact with -He feels fortunate to have gotten to see parts of the world he may never have gotten to otherwise -He has been able to travel to the places he served in Europe with his grandchildren -He still can’t be sure that the war had a profound impact on him -All he knows is that he is who he is, regardless of his service � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_QuiggD1717V Title A name given to the resource Quigg, Duane (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-12-16 Description An account of the resource Duane Quigg was born in 1925 in Albion, Michigan. He grew up there and after graduating from high school was drafted in July 1943. He was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for basic training and then to the University of Pennsylvania for the Army Specialized Training Program. He was later assigned to become an infantryman and was deployed to Europe in an antitank company carrying a bazooka with the 95th Infantry Division in 1944. Upon arriving in Europe in late summer 1944 he saw action in the French countryside, in the Netherlands, in Belgium, and finally in Germany with the end of the war in Europe. On June 28, 1945 he was back in the United States and served at Fort Bragg, North Carolina processing soldiers that were getting discharged until January 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Quigg, Duane Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans World War, 1939-1945--Personal Narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8ed71e5ddc35c6c904bd95186704f809.mp4 820354d13197e07f975e655511917224 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/031cbb7bdc04fd680e66f52371a19460.pdf d01ea31b30cca2fffe3c4b50f5e34456 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Bob Prins Vietnam War 1 hour 20 minutes 2 seconds (00:00:40) Early Life -Born in Holland, Michigan on April 10, 1948 -Attended Hamilton High School -Oldest of seven children -Father worked in the shoe factory in Holland until 1962 -After that he worked as a plumber -Mother worked for Heinz in Holland once all the children were in school -Graduated from high school in 1966 -Took some night classes and worked after high school (00:01:37) Getting Drafted -Got a notice for his draft physical -Had been paying attention to the Vietnam War and the draft -Tried to enlist in the National Guard, but got drafted before getting into the National Guard -Engaged with plans to get married in May 1968 -Reported for draft physical on March 13 or 14, 1968 -Took a bus to Detroit for his physical exam -All of the men talked about going to Canada -He didn't want to leave his family or his country -Eye exams, foot exams (flat feet disqualified service), hearing tests, and spine exams (00:03:38) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training -Basic training lasted eight weeks -Drill sergeants yelled at the recruits to make them tough -A lot of physical training -Running and push ups -Shot the M-14 rifle on the rifle range -Did well with that, but did not use that rifle in Vietnam -Tested well in electronics -Encouraged to add another year to his service so he could go into electronics -He declined -The men that added the year became radio operators in Vietnam -Radio operators were a prime target -He was in good shape when he went into basic training -If you didn't listen to the drill sergeants you were disciplined with extra exercise -Didn't know what to expect being in the Army -19 years old when he started basic training and had his 20th birthday during basic training -Since he was older (in his family), and he knew how to follow orders -Still a different and difficult experience being away from his family -Some of the recruits were recycled -Trained with men from Kentucky, Tennessee, and some men from Michigan (00:08:09) Advanced Infantry Training -Sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana for advanced infantry training �-Base was nicknamed “Little Vietnam” -Hot, humid, and rainy -Similar to basic training, but more intense -Trained with the M-16 rifle, M-60 machine gun, grenades, and Claymore mines -Did extended field exercises -Stayed overnight in the field -Went on runs carrying rifle and a weighted down backpack -Remembers alligators living in the area around Fort Polk -Career soldiers and Vietnam veterans trained them -Sergeants that were black and white -Advanced infantry training lasted eight weeks (00:11:28) Deployment to Vietnam -Received one month of leave before deploying to Vietnam -Had gotten married while he was in advanced infantry training -When he left for Vietnam he was still newly married and his wife was pregnant -Unsure if he would come back alive -A lot for a 20 year old to emotionally process -Flew from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Oakland Replacement Depot, California -Flew to Vietnam on a chartered commercial plane -Briefly stopped in Guam to refuel (00:14:07) Arrival in South Vietnam -Landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base -Had to circle the base before landing because a sniper was shooting at the plane -So hot and humid that he could hardly breathe -Arrived in South Vietnam during the day -Checked in and received a week of of intense, in-country training -Crawled through the jungle at night scattered with simulated booby traps -Trained by men that had experienced fighting in Vietnam -Received assignment to the Phu Bai/Hue area in the 101st Airborne Division -The week of training taught him about booby traps, mines, maneuvering in the jungle, and survival -At night the base got attacked -Heard mortars and small arms fire -Got low to the floor of the living quarters and stayed close to the sandbags -Didn't sleep well (00:18:17) Joining Charlie Company -Assigned to 3rd Platoon of Charlie Company of 1st Battalion/327th Infantry Regiment/101st Airborne -Went to a base camp between Hue and Phu Bai -Basic living conditions at the base with sandbags around the base structures -Went to a processing center to receive more equipment -He was considered a “cherry,” nickname given to soldiers that had not experienced combat -Remembers one sergeant at the base telling him what to expect in Vietnam -Spent a few days at the base waiting for a helicopter to take him to the field -Flew out on a resupply helicopter to join Charlie Company in the field -At the time they were operating in the mountains -Landing zone was quiet when he landed -Slept in the field -Learned as he went -Told to stay 15 feet away from each soldier -Thought he saw North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers everywhere �-Everyone was afraid, but didn't show it -Went into the field in August or September 1968 (00:23:09) Enemy Contact Pt. 1 -The North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong had the element of surprise -U.S. forces had greater numbers and more firepower -Vietnamese forces did hit-and-run style attacks -Wounded or killed a few soldiers then ran away -If they took fire they would figure out where the fire came from then attacked fire with full force -Set up ambushes in villages at night -Remembers at one village the Viet Cong tried to raid the villages for supplies -Firefight ensued (00:24:46) Encounters with Civilians Pt. 1 -When they patrolled villages or bridges on Highway 1 they encountered Vietnamese civilians -No civilians on the fire bases -No civilians in the jungle (00:25:22) Downtime Pt. 1 -Returned to a base for a stand down -A couple days to rest and relax before going back into the field (00:25:33) Unit Strength -Operated as individual platoons in the field, but stayed close to other platoons in the company -Providing support and getting support if necessary -Platoon strength was about three or four squads which amounted to 24 to 30 men -Three platoons in Charlie Company -Strength varied if men were wounded, killed, or rotated out at the end of their tour -Sometimes had more men, sometimes had less (00:26:33) Duty in Charlie Company -Carried the M60 machine gun, or carried M-16 rifle -Never walked point (leading the unit) or volunteered for risky patrols in the day -Wanted to serve his country without being reckless -Volunteered to carry the M60 machine gun -Carried it for eight or nine month of his twelve month tour -Swapped back and forth with assistant machine gunner on carrying the gun (00:28:24) Supplies -Had a six day supply of C Rations which weighed 10 to 12 pounds -Carried eight quarts of water which weighed 16 pounds -Carried a large ammo can to keep his personal items dry, 10+ pounds -200-300 rounds of ammunition -M60 machine gun (25 pounds) and 100 rounds in the gun (7 pounds) -All toll he carried over 100 pounds of equipment -Sometimes someone had to pull him up when he sat down (00:29:37) Living in the Jungle Pt. 1 -Set up camp at night on a high point and established a perimeter around the camp -If it was during the monsoon they used ponchos to make tents and dug a trench to divert water -Slept in clothes and sat on a piece of plastic to stay dry -Got resupplied every six days -Receive mail and send out mail -Get more food and water, a change of clothes, and new socks (00:30:55) Relationship with Officers and Soldiers in Unit -Didn't see much of the captain �-Platoon leaders had the rank of 1st Lieutenant or 2nd Lieutenant -Men with rank and experience served as squad leaders -Saw each other as brothers and they still feel like that forty years after the war -Supported each other (00:31:57) Contact with Home -Took six weeks to receive word that he was a father -Red Cross couldn't find him -Got a huge stack of letters and photographs of his baby boy -Limited means of personal communication (00:32:46) Leadership -Arrogant sergeants didn't listen to the combat veterans -They were “book smart,” but had no practical experience -The men under those sergeants refused to listen to those sergeants -The good sergeants listened to the men under their command -Took a month or two for new sergeants to gain the confidence of the men -First lieutenant was killed in action -Leadership rotated due to men getting wounded, killed, or rotated out of the field -First lieutenant had been in the country for less than six months before getting killed -Second lieutenant was in command for the rest of Bob's tour in Vietnam (00:35:32) Casualties -Worst casualties the unit took were in the A Shau Valley -Fortunately, he didn't have to go there because he was in the rear with an abscessed tooth -One unit in the 101st Airborne Division was entirely wiped out in the A Shau Valley (00:36:52) Encounters with Civilians Pt. 2 -Relaxed duty guarding bridges -Walked the bridges for two hours then stayed in a bunker writing letters and cooling down -One way traffic going across the bridge -Civilians driving old cars or riding in buses -Military police searched the vehicles and the civilians -Spent three weeks to one month guarding the bridge -Vietnamese children stayed near bottom of the bridge -Soldiers dropped grenades in water to kill fish and the children collected the fish -In villages they interacted with civilians -During ambushes they learned that some of the civilians were part of the Viet Cong -Didn't know where the civilians' loyalties lied -After the war he did some plumbing work for a Vietnamese immigrant family sponsored by his church -Still associated them with the enemy -Has since gotten beyond that mindset -Had to be suspicious of all non-Americans (00:40:52) Prostitution, Drugs, & Race Relations -Prostitution and drugs were prevalent in populated areas -Never partook in prostitution because he was married -Remembers one soldier found out he was a father, and he bought a prostitute to celebrate -Smoked a little marijuana when he was on a firebase -Didn't make it a habit because it was too dangerous to be high in a combat zone -Didn't go to sleep if he knew one of the men on guard duty was high -Men got marijuana when helicopters resupplied the unit -Drug use was more of a problem among the black soldiers in the unit -Didn't confront them about it because it wouldn't have accomplished anything �-There were five or seven black soldiers in his platoon -There were a couple Hispanic soldiers in his platoon and they were good men -Trusted only one black, possibly gay, soldier in his platoon to do his job (00:44:39) Living in the Jungle Pt. 2 -Set up perimeters when they established camp at night -Some nights it was pitch black -Could swear he saw movement in the jungle beyond the perimeter -Remembers one soldier shot a villager's water buffalo mistaking it for an enemy soldier -Cost the American soldier $100 (00:46:02) Animals & Insects -Never saw any rats, monkeys, or tigers -There were a lot of leeches -Went up to a firebase in the mountains to help shut it down -Got stranded because clouds and rains rolled in -Base flooded and caused worms and centipedes to come to the surface -Some were two to three feet in length -Remembers there were cockroaches two to three inches long -Slept on top of bunkers to avoid sleeping in cockroach infested bunkers (00:47:58) Rear Duty -Did kitchen patrol duty when he was in the rear getting his teeth work done -Had hot meals for a month -Placed on waste detail burning human waste in 55 gallon drums -Most likely at Camp Eagle (00:49:12) R&R and Downtime Pt. 2 -Received an R&R in Hawaii -Got to see his wife for six days -Incredibly difficult to go back to Vietnam after the vacation with his wife -Wife came with another wife from Zeeland, Michigan (town near Holland) -Considered going AWOL -Nowhere to run on the island and it would have followed him -Received his R&R halfway through his tour -Received a three day leave -Could have gone to Singapore, but he decided to stay at the base -Went to Eagle Beach or China Beach with his platoon for the day -Had burgers and steaks and went swimming off the coast of Vietnam (00:51:49) Enemy Contact Pt. 2 -Sometimes weeks passed without enemy contact -In one village an RPG hit the man next to him -He had been a good friend, a husband, and a father -As the machine gunner, he and the radio operator were primary targets -When the man next to him got hit by the RPG, Bob fired the M60 so much it turned orange hot -The man's wife wrote to Bob to ask how her husband had died -He wrote her, and then never heard from her again (00:54:24) PTSD Pt. 1 -Tried to put his experiences behind him after the war when he went back to work -Coworkers didn't ask him about the war -He sensed that they feared he would snap someday on the job (00:54:46) Reflections on the War -Went only because his country asked him to go �-Disagreed with the war -Felt it was a war that wasn't being fought as a war -United States didn't accomplish what it wanted to accomplish -Had to ask permission to return fire because of so called “cease fires” -Americans had to fight by the Rules of Engagement which limited ability to fight -Vietnamese ignored the Rules of Engagement -Had ceasefires for different reasons, and the Americans had to honor the ceasefires -North Vietnamese and Viet Cong rarely, if ever, did (00:56:51) Friendly Fire -In the village of Phu Loc and they went out too late to set up an ambush point near the village -Marines came up to the village and didn't know the Army was already there -Marines opened fire on the soldiers and the man in front of Bob got wounded -He ultimately spent 18 months in the hospital -Didn't know until long after the war that the man had survived (00:58:36) End of Tour Pt. 1 -Near the end of his tour he didn't volunteer for anything -Wanted to go home alive and intact (00:58:59) Treatment of Vietnam Veterans Pt. 1 -Feels that the men who have names on the Vietnam Memorial are the real heroes -Has received letters from students telling him that they see him and other Vietnam veterans as heroes -A lot of the men were just trying to do their duty and serve their country -Knew one man who served with Strategic Air Command -Helped plan bombing missions against Vietnamese forces -Protestors egged his car and called him “baby killer” -Had PTSD due to the harassment and knowing he helped kill so many people -Bob helped the man get counseling and benefits from the VA (01:02:13) End of Tour Pt. 2 & Coming Home Pt. 1 -In the field until the end of his tour in Vietnam -Counted the remaining days -Considered “short” when he had less than a month left of his tour -Got a ride on a resupply helicopter back to the base camp -Did paperwork -Took a C-130 from the base camp to a larger airbase to get a chartered commercial plane home -In less than two days of travel he was in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Remembers the pilot saying that they had entered American airspace -The men cheered -Advised to ignore protestors -No preparation to transfer back to civilian life -Offered a steak dinner courtesy of the Army when he landed in California, but he declined -Remembers men kissing the ground when they got off the plane (01:04:30) Treatment of Vietnam Veterans Pt. 2 -Protestors yelled insults at the veterans as they got off the plane -When he was waiting in the airport to go home he felt invisible -People didn't insult him, but they just walked by -Government and society didn't care about the soldiers returning from Vietnam (01:05:37) End of Service Pt. 1 -Army wanted him to join the National Guard, but he refused -Asked where he wanted to spend his last five months in the Army -He requested somewhere close to Michigan �-He received orders for Fort Lewis, Washington -Spent his last five months at Fort Lewis in an armor unit -Painted tanks and drove them around -The men stashed wine everywhere -Feels that had he stayed in the Army he would have become an alcoholic (01:06:22) Coming Home Pt. 2 -Landed in Grand Rapids, Michigan after coming home from Vietnam -Greeted by his family, his wife, and his 11 month old son -Parents put up a sign over their driveway that read, “Welcome Home Bob!” (01:07:34) End of Service Pt. 2 -Wife and son went to Fort Lewis with him -They drove out together -He reported to Fort Lewis a day late, but it didn't matter -Drove back to Michigan at the end of his time at Fort Lewis -Lived off the base with his wife and child -Paid $300 a month -Rent was $110 a month -Had to report at 5 AM for roll call and breakfast -He got sick of it, so he paid another soldier to say, “Here,” when Bob's name was called -Bob got caught after a little while -Threatened with restriction to base and demotion to the rank of private -Bob defended himself and his decision and the officer relented (01:09:43) Life after Service -Went back to old job and a month later he got laid off -Got a plumbing job through his father -In November 1970 he and his father started a plumbing business -Still does plumbing work part time as of 2016 (01�:10:25) PTSD Pt. 2 -Had nightmares and flashbacks 25 or 30 years after he got home -Went to Battle Creek, Michigan, to talk to a VA psychologist -Psychologist advised him to talk about the war and recognize that he had survivor's guilt -PTSD has improved and he feels better talking about his experiences -Talks about his time in Vietnam at high schools (01�:12:58) Reunions -Has reunions with seven other men from his unit -Tenth reunion in 2016 -At first, he declined invitations to the reunions -Assistant machine gunner called the other men and got the reunion going -The daughter of one of the men killed in action attends some of the reunions -Meet at each other's houses all over the country -He was the last of the group to agree to go to reunions -Hadn't seen any of the men in 40 years -Didn't recognize one man -The wives of the men have gotten closer over the years (01:17:25) PTSD Pt. 3 -He had three sons and because of military service he always had high expectations for them -Sometimes unrealistically high expectations, or not offering them support (01:18:37) Reflections on Service -Taught him to have respect for his country �-Feels that everyone ought to do three to six months of military service -It would teach them discipline and respect (01:19:18) PTSD Pt. 4 -Wife is a tough woman, but there were times when she almost left him -Marriage has improved since he started talking about his experiences � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PrinsR1910V Title A name given to the resource Prins, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-12-10 Description An account of the resource Bob Prins was born in Holland, Michigan on April 10, 1948. He reported for his draft physical in March 1968 and went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training. He completed Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He deployed to South Vietnam in late summer 1968 and arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in August or September 1968. He was assigned to 3rd Platoon of Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion of the 327th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. During his time in Vietnam he carried an M60 machine gun and went on patrols in the jungle, searched villages, and guarded bridges on Highway 1 near Hue and Phu Bai. At the end of his 12 month tour in Vietnam he returned to the United States and spent his last five months in the Army at Fort Lewis, Washington. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Prins, Robert Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9a9ccf014b3d256a3f84146bcc27b556.m4v 74712c649f2c106710f854ed948d738d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/981c1cebaa0132c41d4ebcb198458076.pdf 2e94bfe5953988cf92195a3edbbcf15c PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Stanley Poloski Vietnam War 1 hour 15 minutes 45 seconds (00:00:18) Early Life -Born on September 20, 1948 at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia -Stayed in Richmond until he was about seven, or eight then moved to central Florida -Grew up there -His father was an engineer at Cape Canaveral specializing with missile development -He attended high school in Florida -Graduated high school in 1967 (00:01:11) Awareness of the Vietnam War -He was aware of the Vietnam War growing up -No one that he knew wanted to go to Vietnam -The news did not make it appealing and there was a lack of public support for it -There was the omnipresent fear of the draft (00:02:05) College and Getting Drafted -He attended college at Seminole Community College in Sanford, Florida -It was a small, new school at the time -Its buildings were portable units (essentially trailer buildings) -The protocol at the time was that not passing classes made you eligible for the draft -His grades began to slip which led to him receiving a draft notice in 1968 -A lot of young men were fleeing to Canada to avoid the draft -He went to the Army draft physical with six other friends that had been drafted -His friends were deemed medically unfit for service -He was accepted into the Army -He received his physical in Jacksonville, Florida -He was sent to a specialist in Jacksonville and then to a second physical -He had to do this because of an alleged back problem -He was still deemed physically fit for service (00:05:28) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic training -He was placed in old barracks near a place called “Heartbreak Hill” -They were wooden barracks from WWII heated by kerosene -Reported to basic training in the summer of 1969 -South Carolina was the hottest place that he had ever been -Introduced to the drill sergeants -Immediately immersed in the discipline and ordered life of the military -They were tough, but fair -Just had to behave and follow orders and you would be alright -The men that were uncooperative were the ones that would get punished -Basic training lasted six weeks -Basic training consisted mostly of physical training with some weapons training as well �-Some of the trainees couldn’t even run a half mile upon entering -At the end of training they could run up and down “Heartbreak Hill” -Basic training was physically challenging for him -The men that he trained with were exclusively draftees -Some men tried to fake injuries to get out of the Army -He felt the best way to survive was to just do his best and get through it (00:11:42) Advanced Individual Training (AIT) -After basic training he was given thirty days of leave to return home -After leave he reported to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for AIT -Ninety percent of the trainees were told that they would be sent to Vietnam -The other ten percent would be given stateside assignments or get sent to Europe -His specialization was in artillery -He flew in to Fort Sill by way of Dallas, Texas -It was the first time that he had ever been on an airplane -Stayed in WWII barracks at Fort Sill -His AIT experience was great -He had been selected to be a truck driver in AIT because of knowing how to drive stick -This meant getting to eat breakfast before everyone else -His training was to be part of an artillery gun crew, but at AIT he mostly drove trucks -Transported ammunition for guns and the guns themselves -In the AIT battery there were six guns -AIT lasted eight weeks (00:16:08) Deployment to Vietnam -He was only given ten days of leave before reporting for his deployment to Vietnam -Prior to being deployed he did not receive any specialized training pertaining to Vietnam -Most of the trainers had been to Vietnam already so they shared some knowledge -The most training they received was fighting in mock villages with mock Viet Cong -Didn’t even remotely compare to what Vietnam was actually going to be like -His family was upset that he was going to be deployed -His mother was beside herself -His father was stoic about it -He flew from Orlando, Florida to Dallas, Texas then to Oakland Replacement Depot, California -Stayed in Oakland for two days -Coming from a small Floridian town it was a culture shock to be in Oakland -From Oakland flew to Hawaii, and from Hawaii flew to Okinawa -They were allowed to explore the airports in both Hawaii and Okinawa (00:22:23) Arrival in Vietnam -From Okinawa flew to Vietnam and landed in Bien Hoa -His first impression was that the airport was surprisingly basic -Mostly consisted of tents -He was placed on a truck and drove through Vietnamese villages up to Camp Evans -Assigned to B Battery 2nd Battalion 319th Field Artillery 101st Airborne Division -In B Battery he was specifically assigned to Gun 6 -His unit was in a rear area outside of Camp Evans when he arrived -He arrived in Camp Evans in mid-November 1969 -Within fifteen minutes of getting to his gun they received a fire mission �-He was handed the radio and was told to relay coordinates to his officer -He had had no training on how to do this, but was able to do it well -Fire mission lasted fifteen hours, firing on the coordinates given continuously -The gun he was assigned to was the 105mm howitzer -At the end of the fire mission learned that all they had killed was a boa constrictor -After arriving at Camp Evans he was treated like a family member by his gun crew -Stayed at Camp Evans for three, or four, days before leaving (00:28:32) Fire Missions Prior to Ripcord -From Camp Evans flew to a firebase situated on a mountaintop -Transported the howitzer, ammunition, and personnel with a Chinook helicopter -When they arrived at the firebase it was raining and cold -Wound up getting stuck at the firebase for two, or three, weeks due to rain and fog -They couldn’t get more ammunition, or food -Had to give their food to South Vietnamese soldiers that came to the firebase -At the firebase they unloaded the ammunition and stored it in a dry place -Filled the empty ammo boxes with dirt and made fortifications with them -Prior to Ripcord travelled with the infantry to offer them artillery support -There were a handful of fire missions on the firebase that they were stuck on -Began to run out of ammunition because they couldn’t get resupplied (00:33:15) Moving to Firebase Ripcord -From the mountaintop firebase moved to another firebase for only thirty minutes -Always had to go wherever the infantry units were going -Moved to three different firebases before finally stopping at Firebase Ripcord -The primary mission of Ripcord was to disrupt communists on the Ho Chi Minh Trail -Arrived at Ripcord in March [April/May?--base not secured until April] 1970 -They were one of the first artillery units to arrive -When they arrived there was nothing on the firebase yet -His job in the gun crew was to load the howitzer -He enjoyed his job -There was a certain finesse required to insure that the gun was loaded well -At Ripcord they dug in and fortified their position -Also received aid in building up Ripcord from the Army Engineers -At Ripcord they had to transport the artillery rounds from the helipad on their own -The only help they got was from a pack mule (00:40:40) Fire Missions at Ripcord -The majority of the fire missions they carried out were being fired into the A Shau Valley -Their coordinates were delivered by primitive computer sensors placed in the Valley -They could pick up movement and then deliver coordinates to gun crews -After a fire mission was completed a recon team was sent out to survey the results -During one fire mission they destroyed thirteen Vietnamese trucks -Their gun would fire three to four rounds within ten seconds -The six other guns would do the same within the same amount of time -Able to cover an area the size of a football field with artillery fire -Other missions they fired were to support infantry in the field, or other nearby firebases -The 105mm howitzer they used had an accuracy of up to seven miles -Initially, they noticed very little enemy reaction to the fire missions �(00:43:45) Battle of Firebase Ripcord Pt. 1 -The enemy eventually began to fight back starting in June 1970 -The infantry on Ripcord would inspect the perimeter and began to notice pipe bombs -Meant to destroy perimeter fortifications, so enemy troops could pass through -Caught an enemy soldier in the perimeter wire and did something to him -Details are not on tape and shared off camera -As a result of the enemy’s reaction more infantry and mortars were sent to Ripcord (00:46:45) Conditions on Ripcord -There was an underground kitchen on Ripcord -Huey helicopters would bring in blocks of ice every day to help keep soldiers cool -Able to eat higher quality food than just rations (for example: fried chicken) (00:48:03) Battle of Firebase Ripcord Pt. 2 -Prior to July 1 they were not receiving any enemy fire -On July 1, 1970 the siege began with a rocket barrage coming from every direction -The rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) were inaccurate, but unnerving -His battery took quite a few hits from the RPGs -As the siege continued his battery began to take casualties -An officer that was standing right behind him was hit directly by an RPG -During the night U.S. Cobra gunships would come in and attack enemy positions near Ripcord -Later in the battle a Chinook helicopter was shot down and destroyed the ammo dump -This meant that there was no reserve ammunition left for the howitzers -On July 23, 1970 Ripcord was evacuated -The howitzers were left behind, only personnel were evacuated -U.S. B-52 bombers flew in and vaporized the firebase along with the Vietnamese -By the time the bombing run came the firebase was overrun -He and the other men boarded a Chinook helicopter and left Ripcord forever (01:00:43) Reassignment to the 82nd Airborne Division -From Ripcord he and the other survivors regrouped at Camp Evans -His unit didn’t have any guns, and as a result it was dissolved -He was reassigned to the 82nd Airborne Division near Saigon -In the 82nd he was attached to another howitzer crew -Never saw his old unit members again -Spent a total of five, or six, months with the 82nd Airborne Division -He saw much less action with the 82nd -Very rarely had any fire missions to carry out -During his time with the 82nd he got to go to an Australian base that was in Vietnam -Allowed to buy hard liquor -The Australians loved American soldiers -He was treated to a steak dinner by them -Only moved to two separate firebases while with the 82nd -The last firebase he was on just so happened to have been built in a cemetery -He felt that it was culturally insensitive to do that to a local cemetery (01:05:53) Race Relations and Drug Use -During his time in Vietnam he didn’t see any of the reported racial tensions -Knew that it was more of a problem in the rear than on the frontline -A lot of men were using various drugs (cocaine, hashish, and marijuana) �-You could trade a pack of cigarettes for a vial full of cocaine -He saw a lot of drug use, but never engaged in it -Felt that it would only hurt his chances of survivability -You could trade a couple packs of cigarettes for an ammo container full of joints -There was very little drinking, or drug use in the 101st Airborne -Too busy to have the downtime to do that -Drug use was far more common in the 82nd Airborne -Feels that more downtime resulted in more boredom resulting in more drug use (01:09:09) End of Deployment -At the end of his deployment he volunteered for a thirty day extension -There was a deal that if you extended for thirty days you would get out of the Army -At the end of his deployment he was proud to have served in the 101st -In Christmas 1970 the thirty day extension prerequisite was dropped -As a result he was told on Christmas Eve 1970 that he was going home (01:11:01) Coming Home -Flew from Long Binh, Vietnam to Japan to Juneau, Alaska to Fort Dix, New Jersey -Arrived at Fort Dix on New Year’s Eve 1970 -He was processed there and allowed to go on leave -At the airport in Philadelphia learned he would only be able to get to Atlanta, Georgia -Learned there was a direct flight to Orlando and was able to get on it -He was able to get back to his family on New Year’s Eve -After ten days of leave he reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was discharged (01:13:52) Life after the War -Upon coming home he encountered harassment from anti-war protestors -Mostly happened at the airports that he stopped at in uniform -He was called names, and spit on -There were also evangelicals trying to convert him to Christianity to “save him” -All he wanted to do was to get home and to get out of his uniform -After the Army he went back to work at a floral shop and has continued to work there ever since � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PoloskiS1691V Title A name given to the resource Poloski, Stanley (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-08 Description An account of the resource Stanley Poloski was born in 1948 in Richmond, Virginia. He lived in Richmond, Virginia until his family moved to central Florida. He grew up in Florida and attended high school and community college there until he was drafted. In the summer of 1969 he reported for basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and from there took advanced individual training specializing in artillery at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. In November 1969 he was deployed to Vietnam and was assigned to B Battery 2nd Battalion 319th Field Artillery Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division based out of Camp Evans. He served with them at multiple firebases before they were sent to Firebase Ripcord in March 1970. He served at Ripcord through the Battle of Ripcord until the firebase was evacuated on July 23, 1970. After the battle his unit was dissolved and he was reassigned to the 82nd Airborne Division operating near Saigon. He stayed in Vietnam until he was sent home on Christmas Eve, 1970 arriving home on New Year's Eve, 1970. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Poloski, Stanley Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McGregor, Michael (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/09dc58f43826dfa3721067a089c71d3f.mp4 6b11589b7db175017145e08216df463d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cd871851335155978ad39643a8711a5a.pdf 1735f03e29883dd8f7dcc72a062c584f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Gerard Platte World War II 1 hour 43 minutes 12 seconds (00:01:54) Early Life -Born on December 30, 1921 in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Grew up in Grand Rapids -Father was a foreman at Hayes Manufacturing -Had four sisters and two brothers -Sisters: Ellen, Victoria, Dorothy, and Mary Margaret -Brothers: Richard and Herbert -Both of his brothers served in the Army during World War II -Went to Catholic Central High School -Graduated in 1940 -Worked at a gas station in Grand Rapids -Worked at Kendall Furniture -After working at Kendall Furniture went to work at Hayes Manufacturing -Making parts for cars and planes (00:04:50) Enlisting in the Marines -Enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 -During high school went to Civilian Military Training Camp (CMTC) -Went for two, thirty day sessions, in two summers at Fort Custer, Michigan -Enlisted in the Marines on January 8, 1942 -Was sworn into the Marines on January 20 in San Diego, California -Chose the Marines because he thought the Marines would be the first to see combat -Wanted to be the first to fight (00:06:51) Basic Training -Took a train to San Diego with other Marine recruits -Sent to the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot -Started training immediately after getting sworn in -Training was tough -Drill instructors were efficient and did everything with a purpose -Lasted forty five days, plus an extra fifteen days for M1 Garand rifle training -First company to receive the new rifle -Sent to Camp San Luis Obispo, California for their rifle training -Army was the first to have the new rifles, so they trained the Marines -The drill instructors were strict and did everything by the book -Carried a "swagger stick" (short cane) and would tap recruits on the head to get into line (00:11:07) Stateside Duty-Northwest United States -Went to naval ammunition depot at Bremerton, Washington -Saw the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier come into port -Large part of the ship was damaged by a torpedo �-After that get sent to the naval ammunition depot at Indian Island, Washington -Septn a week at Bremerton doing guard duty -At Indian Island he was pulling guard duty -Stationed there for ten months (00:12:44) Joining the 3rd Marine Division Pt. 1 -Sent to Camp Pendleton, California to join the 3rd Marine Division -Assigned to B Company of the 21st Marine Regiment as a machine gunner -Later got transferred to a mortar crew -Operated the .30 caliber air cooled machine gun -Used 60mm mortars -Stayed at Camp Pendleton for two months -Camp Pendleton was still relatively new at the time -Had been bought off a family by the Marine Corps -He was at the Las Flores sub-camp -Assigned to an infantry unit -There were about two hundred men in his company (approximately 210 men) -They were a reinforced company -A regular company was about one hundred sixty men (00:18:56) Deployment -From California sailed to New Zealand to stop the Japanese advance in the South Pacific -Aiding New Zealand troops that were still there -Stationed at Kaipara Flats -Doing more training -Stationed there for three months -New Zealand troops returned from North Africa and the Marines left -Sent to Guadalcanal -Island wasn't totally secured yet -There was still sporadic artillery and bombings from the Japanese -They were training and staging for the invasion of Bougainville (00:21:01) Joining the 3rd Marine Division Pt. 2 -He was a new addition to B Company -Most, if not all, of the other Marines had gone through basic training together -Got along well with his fellow Marines (00:21:56) Invasion of Bougainville-November 1943 -Sailed to Bougainville on a converted World War One destroyer -Two day voyage -Took pat in the first wave of the invasion -No opposition when they hit the beaches, but it got worse as they moved inland -Once ashore, they established a perimeter about one and a half miles inland -Marched through jungles and mud -Came to a highway that the Seabees had built using crushed coral -It was a swampy island with thick jungles -If you dug down about a half foot you hit water -There was mild opposition on the island -Mostly pockets of resistance established by the Japanese -He was still a machine gunner at the time and closer to the rear �-Secured the island enough to build an airstrip for bombers -Seabees built the airstrip inside a perimeter that was three (or four) miles in diameter -Marines protected the Seabees while they built the airstrip -He was on the island for forty five days (00:27:19) Return to Guadalcanal -From Bougainville he was sent back to Guadalcanal -Sent back ahead of his unit because he contracted malaria -Sick for three weeks -Had a fever of 105.6°F -Should have been dead from a temperature that high -He was in a tent hospital being cared for by Navy medical personnel -Malaria was a common problem -Got released from the hospital and rejoined B Company on Guadalcanal -On Guadalcanal for four months to repair and resupply (00:31:08) Invasion of Guam-July 1944 -Sailed to Guam on the USS President Adams -Loaded onto Higgins boats for the invasion -Met opposition immediately -First it was Japanese artillery, and then Japanese machine gun pillboxes -Had to knock out the pillboxes to secure the beachhead -Didn't suffer severe casualties -Lost about a dozen men in his company -Kept moving inland -Would set up camp for the night, then keep moving the next day -Reached the top of a ridge which was their final objective -Only had fifty nine men left in the company when they reached the ridge -Took ten days to reach the ridge -Got hit by a banzai charge the night after they reached the ridge -300 (or 400) Japanese soldiers versus 59 Marines -Only fourteen Japanese soldiers broke through -There were only nineteen Marines left after the charge -One Marine was killed by a sniper the next day -Reduced their number to eighteen men -Moved on from the ridge -Remnants of B Company were split up and sent to A Company and C Company -He was sent to C Company temporarily -Walking wounded recovered, and men infected with malaria recovered -Reinforcements were also received and B Company was rebuilt -A lot of men had been wounded by the Japanese "knee mortars" -Knee mortar: Type 89 Grenade Discharger -He was still a machine gunner when the banzai charge happened -There was some hand-hand fighting with bayonets fixed during the banzai charge -After B Company was rebuilt they continued to sweep the island -The 21st Marine Regiment went straight across the island -Japanese regrouped and formed pockets of resistance �-The natives on Guam would tell the Marines where to find the Japanese -Patrols were sent out to neutralize the Japanese -Most of the time they had to be wiped out due to refusing to surrender -He was on Guam for thirty (or forty) days -Fought the entire time that he was on Guam -Japanese would put on Marine uniforms to try and blend in and escape (00:39:49) Invasion of Iwo Jima-February 1945 -Began practicing for the invasion of Iwo Jima while on Guam -Boarded a troop transport, USS President Jackson -Sailed through a typhoon on their way to Iwo Jima -Went in on the second day of the invasion -Supposed to go in on the first day, but the beachheads were too crowded -Still facing opposition on the second day -Went in on an "Alligator" (Landing Vehicle Tracked) -Pushed up to Aiport #1 then turned and pushed toward the center of the island -Mount Suribachi was to their left -They were taking fire from the mountain and from their front -Once Mount Suribachi was secured their job got easier -Pushed on to Airport #2 -Got caught in a mortar barrage and he was knocked out by a concussion -Taken to a ship to recover and was then sent back to Iwo Jima -Rejoined his unit and it was filled with replacements that had never seen combat -He was now leading a platoon even though he was only a private first class -Company commander's name was Donald Beck -Spent forty days on Iwo Jima (00:48:21) Getting Wounded and Recovering -Made the final push to the end of the island -Got shot in the legs by a sniper while he was carrying a wounded Marine on a stretcher -Sniper was only about thirty feet away and was almost immediately killed -He was placed on a jeep and was taken back to an evacuation center -Placed on a plane and was airlifted to Guam -On Guam he was placed in a Quonset hut hospital run by Navy medical personnel -Spent a couple weeks on Guam -He boarded a Liberty Ship and sailed to Pearl Harbor -The hospitals were full in Pearl Harbor -Sailed on to the United States -Remembers passing under the Golden Gate Bridge and pulling into San Francisco -Sent to a military hospital in California -Stayed there for two months -Sent to Chicago and got his first leave that he'd had since he joined the Marines -Took a bus to Grand Rapids to visit his family then took a bus back to Chicago -He was in a hospital at Great Lakes Naval Station -Technically there for three months, but was really only there for one month -Spent the other two months visiting his family -Met some men that had fought alongside his brother in New Guinea and the �Philippines -Served in the 126th Infantry Regiment of the 32nd Infantry Division -A Michigan National Guard unit from Grand Rapids (01:00:02) End of Service -He was sent to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for reassignment -Sent to Naval Ammunition Depot, Crane near Burns City, Indiana -Spent three months there doing guard duty -After that he returned to Chicago to be discharged on January 20, 1946 -Exactly four years of service in the Marines (01:01:54) Stop at Eniwetok -En route to Guam they stopped at Eniwetok -Allowed to have one bottle of beer -They had plans to raid the beer warehouse, but were sent back to the ship (01:03:16) Medals -Received the Purple Heart for the wounds that he suffered on Iwo Jima -Received the Presidential Unit Citation -Awarded to the whole unit (01:03:49) Contact with Home -Used V-Mail to write letters home to his family -V-Mail mail system that used microfilm to make letters easier to transport -Received mail and packages from home every three, or four, weeks -When they got food it was usually stale, or crushed -Ate it anyway (01:05:14) Living Conditions and Downtime -The food was terrible -Powdered foods and powdered drinks -Ate a lot of Spam -Subsisted on K Rations and C Rations while they were in combat -C Rations came in a can -K Rations were slightly better and came in a box -Had all the supplies and all the ammunition they needed -Whenever they were running low on ammunition they were promptly resupplied -Had no trouble getting supplies -Unless they were on the frontline, then it was more difficult -Just had to deal with the stress and make sure to stay alert to stay alive -Carried a Rosary into combat -Went to Mass whenever possible -Had one Marine that was a Bible student and would hold informal services in his tent -On Guadalcanal he got to see the Bob Hope Show -The troops loved him -He insisted that officers sat with enlisted men and didn't take all of the good seats -There was an outdoor movie "theatre" on Guadalcanal -Sat on logs to watch the movie -Once Guam was secured they had a similar theatre -Not allowed to have a camera -If you were caught with a camera it was confiscated and destroyed �(01:14:29) Fellow Marines Pt. 1 -Only knew one Marine that he didn't like -He was uncooperative and wound up getting dishonorably discharged -All of the officers that he knew were good except for one -He was too official and thought too highly of himself (01:16:14) Life after the War Pt. 1 -Upon getting discharged he returned to Grand Rapids -Went back to work at Hayes Manufacturing and did that for a couple months -Got into surveying and worked for the city of Grand Rapids -Took night classes at Grand Rapids Junior College (now Grand Rapids Community College) -Did that thanks to the GI Bill -Retired as a city surveyor -Worked for the city for thirty five years, retiring in 1982 (01:19:56) Fellow Marines Pt. 2 -Kept in touch with one close friend from Grand Rapids, Dick Schmidt -In the Marines he hung out with a group of five, or six, Marines that became close friends (01:20:30) Veterans' Organizations -Joined the 3rd Marine Division Association -Went to ten reunions and was able to reconnect with some of the men that he served with -Joined American Legion Post 258 ("Furniture City Post") in Grand Rapids -Has been a member of the Disabled American Veterans since he was discharged (01:21:59) Reflections on Service -Feels that the Marine Corps was the best -Admired and respected the Seabees because of how much work they did for the Marines -Feels that the war didn't affect him that much -Most of his values were taught and instilled in him by his father -Son wound up serving in the Marines during the 1960s -Was first chair trumpet for the Marine Corps Band at 29 Palms, California (01:24:45) Life after the War Pt. 2 -Got married to Eileen three (or four) years after the war -The mother of his three children -Married for eighteen years -Got married to Marlene -Married for six years until she died of cancer -Stepfather to her four children -Married to Gladys for forty years until her death in September 2014 -Denny is his oldest (biological) child -Worked as a supervisor in a window factory in Florida -Graduated from Western Michigan University -Roseanne is his second (biological) child -Had three children -Becky is his third (biological) child -Had two children �-He has lived at the American Home for Senior Living for two years -His friend from the Marines, Dick Schmidt, is still alive as of 2015 (01:30:15) Photographs -Photograph of Gerard at Indian Island, Washington in 1942 -Photograph of Gerard in Marine dress blues -Photograph of Gerard's brother Herbert in his Army uniform -Photograph of Gerard's brother Richard in his Army uniform -Served in New Guinea and the Philippines -Awarded the Bronze Star for valor -Photograph of Dick Schmidt (right) and Gerard (left) on Guam -Photograph, post-war, of Dick Schmidt (left), and Gerard (right) -Photograph taken on Bougainville in 1943 -Marines carrying supplies and ammunition on the Numa Numa Trail -Photograph off Gerard in full combat gear carrying water -Was later published in the Grand Rapids Press -Taken while he was in Guam -Grand Rapids Press article featuring the aforementioned photograph -Photograph taken of veterans that fought on Iwo Jima in Jacksonville, Florida -3rd Marine Division Association reunion during a football playoff -Gerard is second from the left in the photograph -Photograph taken in February 2005 of Gerard with fmr. President Clinton and Michael Douglas -Photograph taken in Florida at a 3rd Marine Division Association reunion in July 1985 -Gerard is on the left -Man in the middle is one of his commanding officers -Man on the right is the man that Gerard was carrying when he got wounded � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PlatteG1726V Title A name given to the resource Platte, Gerard James (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-01-13 Description An account of the resource Gerard Platte was born on December 30, 1921 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With the United States dragged into the Second World War he enlisted in the Marine Corps on January 8, 1942 and was officially sworn in on January 20, 1942 at San Diego. He received basic training in San Diego along with rifle training at Camp San Luis Obispo. He was stationed at Naval Ammunition Depot Bremerton, Washington and Naval Ammunition Depot Indian Island, Washington before being sent to join B Company in the 21st Marine Regiment of the 3rd Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California. He was stationed on New Zealand and Guadalcanal before taking part in the invasion of Bougainville (first wave), then Guam (first wave), and finally Iwo Jima where he was wounded while carrying a wounded fellow Marine. He was eventually evacuated back to the United States where he recovered in California and Chicago before being discharged from the Marines on January 20, 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Platte, Gerard James Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Erichsen, Wallace (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. Marine Corps Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/877757eb441a3a8ef99a4b6ba9e89467.mp4 d7920906c624a3265c2f38e861f9da12 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d72be73224a22383a9df18e6dd981db8.pdf 638fd5619f81f972c251b58403102cee PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project James Pittman Vietnam War 1 hour 7 minutes 7 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1943 -Father had just moved up from Kentucky -Father, mother, and brother got jobs building tanks in Warren, Michigan (suburb of Detroit) -Family moved to Hazel Park in 1943 shortly after he was born -Grew up there -Attended high school in Hazel Park -Graduated from there in 1961 -Went to work for Carbide Tool Factory -Started off working in shipping and receiving -Went on to work in a variety of other positions during his time there (00:02:24) Getting Drafted -Received his draft notice about four to five months after he got divorced -Had a deferment by being both a husband and a father -Got drafted in March 1967 -Received a physical in the Detroit Induction Center -Draftees were trying to pass off as being gay so that they’d be rejected -Doctors and officials didn’t care -Army needed everyone who was physically fit for fighting (00:05:10) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training -Got there by way of train -Got immersed in the rapid pace of the Army almost immediately -Given a lot of mental and physical tests to see who was truly prepared for the military -He was twenty four when he started basic training -Older than most of the other recruits -Getting used to the physical routine was the hardest part of training for him -Got called “old man” by the drill sergeants -Most of training consisted of physical and psychological discipline -Some recruits tried to resist the discipline -The other recruits and drill sergeants punished anyone who didn’t follow orders -Trained with draftees as well as National Guardsmen -Everyone was treated fairly equally by the drill sergeants -Tension did exist between the draftees and the National Guardsmen though -Fights did occur and drill sergeants would have to break them up -Basic training lasted eight weeks (00:10:55) Advanced Infantry Training -Sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana for advanced infantry training (AIT) -Carried out maneuvers in the swamps �-Meant to simulate jungle combat -Felt that the swamps were worse than Vietnam -Rattlesnakes were a fairly common threat -They were taught as much as they could be about Vietnam -Booby traps that they would encounter -Basic language courses -Had difficulty picking up Vietnamese -Taught about the rules of engagement -Not allowed to fire unless fired upon first -AIT lasted ten weeks -Fort Polk also had mock villages set up -Actually enjoyed AIT -At the end of training his designation was as a mortar crewman -Offered a chance to be promoted to sergeant -Would have meant reenlisting, and he didn’t want that, so he declined the offer (00:15:56) Deployment to Vietnam -Given a twenty day leave prior to leaving for Vietnam -Sent to Oakland, California after his leave -Boarded an Air Japan chartered airliner bound for Vietnam -Stopped in Alaska, and from Alaska flew to Okinawa -Got to see Mount Fuji as they flew over Japan (00:17:36) Arrival in Vietnam -Landed in Long Binh -First impression of Vietnam was that it was hot and humid -Sent to reception center at Long Binh and they were assigned cleaning duties -His job was to handle Lone Star Beer pallets -Kept there for three days -Allowed to choose what type of unit that he’d want to be assigned to -Decided to go with a mortar unit -Got assigned to Charlie Company of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade -He was with fire direction control for about a month -Used 81mm mortars (00:20:51) Being a Mortar Crewman in C Company -By now it was August 1967 -Battalion was carrying out search and destroy missions in the Long Binh area -A couple lieutenants introduced him to the company -Joined the company in the field -He stayed close to the captain of C Company to help with fire direction -Built their own base camps wherever they were operating -Had to carry their mortars with them whenever they moved -Base plate and mortar tube weighed about one hundred eighty pounds all together -Spent about two months as a mortar crewman -Encountered very little enemy contact -Operated heavily in the rice paddies -Their enemy in the area was the Viet Cong, not the North Vietnamese Army -His battalion was in charge of searching Vietnamese villages �-He and the other mortar teams would hang back to provide support if necessary -Moved to a new village every third day -Also carried out harassment and interdiction missions -Lobbed a few rounds at given coordinates -Usually found that they were firing at nothing because the Viet Cong had moved -Battalion was operating as a single unit at this time -All the companies were doing the same thing just in different areas (00:30:03) Interactions with Vietnamese Civilians -Vietnamese civilians were never allowed to enter their base camps -He once let some Vietnamese children in to help him fill sandbags -Got in trouble for allowing this to happen -He was told not to trust any of the civilians -Didn’t know which ones were Viet Cong (00:30:54) Being a Rifleman with C Company -Got switched over to being a rifleman after being with the mortars for two months -Enemy activity was increasing so they needed more riflemen -Enemy activity was heaviest around the Dong Nai River -Lost eight soldiers trying to probe the area -Viet Cong were using scavenged American weapons -They would raid South Vietnamese weapons depots for their armaments -Spent about four months as a rifleman before he was sent home -Within the first week of patrols he was put on point leading the patrol -Sergeants taught him what to look for (signs of Viet Cong, booby traps, etc.) -Had some sergeants and lieutenants leading them that had been redeployed from Germany -Hadn’t seen actual combat in Vietnam yet -Finally got used to being a rifleman after about two months of being in the field as one -Learned how to look for booby traps and how to properly search villages -Learned how to search a building without getting surprised and shot (00:35:31) Interactions with South Vietnamese Army -South Vietnamese soldiers taught them how to operate in villages -South Vietnamese soldiers didn’t seem to have much concept of why the war was being fought -Most were just afraid of the North Vietnamese and wanted to beat them for that reason -Others were afraid of being captured and killed by the North Vietnamese or Viet Cong -South Vietnamese soldiers were ruthless when it came to dealing with Vietnamese civilians -They didn’t tolerate anything (00:37:38) Fighting the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese -Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army tunnels were extremely complex -Usually dug far underground and impossible to destroy or access -Couldn’t even really go in manually to destroy them -Knew of tunnels that were dug so far down that they ran underneath rice paddies and rivers (00:39:30) Downtime -Went to two parties at their base camp -Saw Japanese girl bands that were performing for the troops -Didn’t understand the lyrics, but enjoyed the music -Went water skiing on the Saigon River -Both activities were part of two three day in country R&Rs �(00:40:20) Prostitution, Drugs, and General Morale -Soldiers would get approached by prostitutes -Knew of one prostitute that gave an entire outfit gonorrhea -Soldiers smoked marijuana fairly regularly -Encountered one soldier that was smoking while on guard duty -Soldier that was smoking almost killed James by accident -About half of his unit was smoking and it was leading to problems -Never participated himself -Eventually approached the captain and told him to deal with the problem -Afterwards soldiers stopped smoking for a while and the unit improved -The more activity they got the better the unit performed -Forced them to constantly be at their best and to work together (00:45:03) Conditions in the Field -Set up ambushes and would go on search and destroy missions pretty much every day -During his time as a rifleman his unit lost about a dozen men -Company was never larger than about seventy men -About half the size of what a company was supposed to be -Received letters and care packages from home on a regular basis -Received a bayonet and machete sharpener from Carbide Tools -Family would send him letters and treats -Every day he was there the more he got used to being in Vietnam -Started not to worry about whether he’d make it through his tour, or not (00:48:27) Getting Wounded -Got wounded on November 29, 1967 -On November 28 told by sergeant to be ready for a sweep of the Dong Ngai River -On November 29 his unit was inserted by helicopter into the Dong Ngai River region -Established a perimeter -Didn’t have any enemy contact for a few hours -Scout noticed that there were about a dozen Viet Cong coming down a trail -Engaged the enemy patrol with hand grenades and rifle fire -Started to receive enemy fire and fell back to command post -Company left their insertion point and started working their way up the river -Noticed signs of Viet Cong activity -Engaged the Viet Cong again further up the river -Killed one Viet Cong soldier and captured another -Missed one that was hiding in a tree and he was shot by the one in the trees -Received immediate aid and the soldiers in his unit helped get him onboard the helicopter (00:57:02) Coming Home -After getting wounded he was sent to the medevac hospital in Tan Son Nhut -Had to be stabilized there -Had gotten shot in the lower spin, kidney, rib, and the arm -Spent an indeterminate amount of time in the medevac hospital before he was sent home -First got sent to Japan and then from Japan was sent back to the United States -Spent several months in a variety of Army hospitals getting healed -After three months was sent to Chicago and was able to see his family there �-After getting healed [only partially, since he had lost the use of his legs] he was discharged from the Army (01:00:30) Life after the War -Began to receive disability checks from the military -Went back to work for Carbide Tools as a draftsman -Worked for them for another four years until he quit -Bought property in the Saranac, Michigan countryside -Gained full custody of his son -Worked with local farmers on his property -Became a profitable venture for him -Veterans’ Administration support has been great for him -Goes to the Veterans’ Hospital in Milwaukee for their specialty in spinal injuries -Feels that it’s a much better facility than anything Michigan has -Involved with a large variety of veterans’ groups -Took two years for him to get accepted into the rural community -Locals were skeptical about him -Not because he was a Vietnam veteran, but because he came from the city -Received a wheelchair grant that allowed him to build his home (01:05:50) Reflections on Service -Army taught him how to effectively problem solve -Despite his disability he has learned how to live his life to the fullest -For example he decided to build a cabin the Yukon, so he did it -Learned that if you set your mind to a task you will figure out a way to accomplish it � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PittmanJ1600V Title A name given to the resource Pittman, James (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-06-17 Description An account of the resource James Pittman was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1943. He grew up in the Detroit suburb of Hazel Park and graduated from high school there in 1961. He went to work and got married, but lost his marriage deferment when he divorced in 1966 and was drafted in March 1967. He received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and advanced infantry training at Fort Polk, Louisiana leading to him specializing as a mortar crewman. In August 1967 he was deployed to Vietnam where he joined Charlie Company of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade stationed in the area around Long Binh. For two months he worked as a mortar crewman in Charlie Company until he was reassigned to be a rifleman carrying out search and destroy missions as well as patrols in the Dong Nai River area with Charlie Company. After four months of being a rifleman he was severely wounded and was evacuated back to the United States. Despite being a paraplegic, he went back to work as a draftsman in the Detroit area, and eventually bought a farm near Saranac, Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pittman, James Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fa4bde5ae4aeb47fd758455df7dc44ae.mp4 19a3107222c57337ab559c8b8e93f9fa https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/06677191aebedf9b558245ceb20e372a.pdf dbe60239bef0b46348167004df0e16e1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Desert Storm Chris Petty 124 Minutes        (00:00:11) Pre-enlistment Born October 1969 in Cedar City, Utah o Moved to Salt Lake City and was raised there Father worked at local copper mine Mother was a waitress Attended a Mormon church Graduated High School in 1988 o Immediately moved to Las Vegas, Nevada o Worked construction there for six to seven months Made good money but had no goals, eventually decided to join military o Joined the Army for wider selection of jobs, other option was Marines (00:02:28) Enlistment and Basic Training Enlisted in May 1989, Went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for Basic Training o Basic Training consisted of "Soldierizing," Breaking down recruits with little sleep, lots of exercise, was very regimented, active schedule o Many team oriented tasks to bring soldiers from all walks of life together as a team  Drill Sergeants were recently prohibited from striking the troops o Biggest problems in training came from recruits who refuse to comply with team life o Grouped into platoon for 12 weeks, troops become close, most made it through, 2 or 3 guys didn’t    (00:06:00) Advanced Training Went to Fort Gordon, Georgia for Communications training o Never used equipment he was taught with Training lasted 2-3 months Most learning was in classroom, working with radios, setting up antennae Learned Morse code, never used it  (00:07:30) Airborne School Consisted of lots of running in full uniform and jumping out of airplanes  �              Learned how to jump and land safely Physical conditioning and training was very important Trained to go anywhere in the world and drop in within 36 hours Finished Airborne School in November 1989, waited two weeks for assignment (00:11:10) Ft. Hood/ LRS Competitions Was assigned to Special Operations Was technically stationed in Fort Hood o Arrived amidst Long Range Surveillance competitions throughout army to form a new Long Range Surveillance Company Bounced around a lot, was in Fort Camel, Hawai'i, Germany, short field ops 2-3 months Chris' Airborne unit was the only one in Fort Hood, and they won the competition Chris' company acted as eyes and ears for the Division o Would be inserted behind enemy lines and perform recon, report back to Division o 5-6 man squads, highly outgunned, essential to remain undetected, had to silence dogs for survival (00:16:30) Desert Storm Company was deployed without warning, briefed about Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait on the flight to Egypt o Landed within 36 hours of invasion Met with a 7th group Special Forces group meant to train them on operations in the area o Entered Saudi Arabia and practiced methods of insertion using teams of helicopters and Jeeps o Saudi Government would watch radar and tell what would appear, goal was to find a way to evade these o Settled on a plan that involved a rolling stop, making it appear on radar like the helicopters turned around without landing, had to jump out at high speeds o Prepared this operation for five months There was a compound on the outskirts of the city called Arabian Chicago Bridge and Iron o Chicago based company, brought in trailers for troops to stay in o People who worked at ACBI were laborers imported from Sri Lanka, brought interesting culinary dishes Chris' unit was kept away from the front lines, set up a base in the East with 18th Airborne corps, was paired with Brainiac intelligence troops (00:26:20) Crossing the Border Was embedded with intelligence units, gathering data on the enemy, began crossing border into Kuwait in October o Would fly directly over enemy encampments �                   Searched for low spots between hills and would set down under camouflage and gather enemy intelligence o Operated under extreme heat, most of carry weight was water, operations lasted 2-3 days Main function was to recon the terrain for future movements, was not informed of larger scope of operations After main US attack is launched, Chris' operations move further and further into Kuwait Wore sterile uniforms, no markings, caused a few close calls and misunderstandings One team in the company took some Iraqi troops prisoner, they were in such awful shape they received medical attention while the team waited for extraction Volunteered to stay back and clean out trucks after operation was over, then returned to Ft. Bragg, redeployed to fight the War on Drugs in South American countries (00:37:00) War on Drugs Served in the new 18th Airborne Corps, acted as eyes and ears of the War on Drugs in South America Operated all over South America, Columbia and Honduras o Not permitted to go into cities, kept in confinement to prevent bias of locals o One mission in Honduras featured the team's heavy being dropped onto a cow Mission was to watch villagers tending to drug fields Soldiers knew to recognize cartel presence by the presence of vehicles Tension was always high, soldiers were told if something went wrong, they were on a "training mission" Chris' team would often be attacked by spider monkeys, team took coordinated shots to disperse them without making too much noise Served with a West Point Lieutenant, let ants eat through his backpack to teach him a lesson Chris' team was never compromised by locals Performed these missions for about a year and a half, made maintaining a life at home very difficult, Chris requested reassignment (00:42:18) Reassignment Assigned to a signal battalion, didn't really find a place there o A military intelligence officer happened to be there and handpicked Chris to be his Training Officer As Training Officer in Ft. Hood, Chris was in charge of physical training, gas chambers, and the rifle range, operated here for about 8 months Sent back to Ft. Lee for supply school, consisted mostly of logistics, much less physical, lasted about 2-3 months Chris was granted a short leave, then deployed to Korea �                (00:45:40) Korea Flew to Korea on commercial flight from LAX straight to Korea, extreme jet lag from changing international time zones Assigned to 1-5 Infantry for battalion logistics, managed supplies for the entire battalion, only got two weeks of training with the current crew, forced to learn the system quickly Stationed at Camp Casey, largest northern post in South Korea Korean Nationals with wealthy families would serve alongside American forces, Chris requested to room with the Koreans so he can learn about their culture o The Koreans didn't know much English, sometimes had selective understanding o Korean Republic Army was rough on its soldiers, Chris witnessed a disciplinary beating o Had a few issues but overall enjoyed serving with them Chris traveled all over the country using the Korean transit system, visited 2000 year old temples, experienced local cuisine, went scuba diving, ate freshly caught and cooked octopus Opted to go to mountaineering school on an island off the coast rather than taking mid-tour leave Operated here for a year 1993-1994 Traveled in civilian clothes, most people still knew he was military, local Koreans seemed to like the Americans Went from Korea to the 82nd Airborne Division (00:59:58) 82nd Airborne 82nd is America's reactionary force, built to go first, soldiers were in one of three cycles o When on mission cycle, everything was packed and ready to go, had to keep officers informed of location at all times, be able to return to base in two hours, could not drink  Didn’t know where they were going, most often were training drill o When on support cycle, was responsible for loading trucks and preparing supplies for those on mission cycle o When on training cycle, would do field and range training, kept skills sharp at National Training Center o Average cycle was 1-2 months Stayed with 82nd for about 6 years Got married and had first son in this time Attended Police academy for a semester, paid for by the Army, started working as part time officer in sheriff’s department Majority of people surrounding the base were veterans, most people were friendly toward military Chris never really served with female troops Reader’s Digest wrote an article on the 82nd, spent a couple weeks with the troop, called them Most Fit Alcoholics On The Planet (00:07:17) (Timer has restarted) Getting out �                  Never deployed with 82nd, served as supply guy for the artillery, liked to play with the guns in off time Left Ft. Bragg and left the military Chris didn’t really like Utah, Wife was from Jackson, Michigan so they moved there Chris went to college full time under the GI Bill o Earned his pilot's license Was still in the Reserves at this time, helping with criminal investigations, worked one weekend a month o Much more relaxed environment Chris always wanted to be a pilot and fly, required 700-800 hours of flight time, only had 100 or so after flight school o Best way to fill the gap was instructing, Pay was too little and the hours were dependent on students and too inconsistent for Chris to pursue further (00:10:05) Going Back In Joined the ADSR, (Active Duty in Support of Reserves) in 1998-99, stayed for 5-6 years o Became full time member of a transportation unit in Battle Creek, Michigan Still a major shift from the 82nd Airborne mindset Commander was a new guy, also a fireman, First Sergeant worked for a trucking company Chris became known as the Black Market First Sergeant o Had 10 years of experience and knew how things worked o People came to him to get things done o Taught the guys how to rappel, was one of two rappel masters in Michigan at the time Worked closely with Battle Creek law enforcement, teaching the SWAT teams how to rappel o Received an award from the police department While working for the Sheriff’s department in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Chris was handpicked for the special teams because of his training, even though he was a rookie (00:14:35) Iraq Chris’s Battle Creek unit was deployed to Iraq with the Striker Brigade, part of the large Task Force, and assigned to an active duty battalion, worked with more contractors than soldiers Deployed from Ft. Lewis, WA, got new equipment and refreshed training o Chris secured the team better trucks than they were assigned o Chris focused on getting everyone what they needed to go Chris was sent with the Advanced Party to Kuwait, flew on Hawaiian Airlines, had layover in Ireland, flew to Kuwait from there Chris’s unit came from average walks of life and were able to set up their own AC and electricity, were self-sufficient Had to salvage armor and materials for their inadequate trucks Much of the force was ready to go for months while waiting for Strikers to be finished properly o Strikers were lighter vehicles, could get in more places on weaker infrastructure �o                  Drivers trained without large cages that were added in the field for RPG protection, caused them to run into everything o Strikers were spoiled by the Army Deployed every-other with the Strikers, separated by twelve hours, got through most of country unopposed Iraq was much more battle-torn and scarred by war than Chris’ previous visit in Desert Storm, Stayed mostly on the roads At one point set up headquarters in a former mental hospital Conflict was relatively quiet around Chris, unit was in Tikrit when Saddam Hussein was captured, not involved in that operation though Moved north to Mosul, the unit’s final destination, transport took fire on this journey, often took mortar fire completely out of nowhere Chris’ unit had 18 Iraqi’s working for them, got to know culture through them, o Some were Kurdish, some were Iraqi, Chris saw the hatred and forced them to work with each other, eventually they found their common humanity o Some of the workers accrued bounties for working with the Americans Chris consistently saw an extreme lack of humanity, no one kept records, many didn’t know how old they were Chris’ commanders were control freaks, networked to get his guys supplies o Picked up a whole truck of air conditioners for his troops, got in trouble and got grounded for it, whole truck got shot up and air conditioners were ruined Chris’ unit took several casualties, Humvees were improperly armored o Two men had close calls with death and had to be sent to Germany for mental therapy, one eventually returned to duty o IED’s were the biggest enemy, biggest killer o Iraqi’s believed that large satellite dishes produced force fields around the truck, attached trash bags to RPG’s to penetrate them, made rocket flight erratic o Chris was fired at by an enemy taking cover behind a cow Chris spent 16 months in Iraq, volunteered to stay behind an extra month Chris’ only problem with Iraq was the disruptive effect it had on his family o Troops had phone banks to communicate with family, Internet came toward end of Chris’ stay, no cell phones o Had big impact on Chris’ relationship with his son The inhumanity of daily life in Iraq stands out to Chris the most The strength of the insurgency was increasing during Chris’ stay, many were crossing the border from Syria Chris saw that Halliburton was stealing oil from Iraq and taking it to Kuwait, Americans were guarding their trucks with their lives Halliburton contracted out many positions that the Army was trained to do Chris’ Iraqi workers told him stories of the insurgency kidnapping kids and threatening their death to coerce parents into car bombings One of Chris’ workers was captured and mutilated on video because he was working with Chris (00:46:42) After Iraq �          Chris spends a week in debriefing, making sure his physically and mentally okay, help acclimate to civilian life, everyone is impatient to go home o Many vets have driving issues, can’t drive at night Chris begins working as an Army recruiter in 2005, Chris enjoyed the work and helping kids out, hated the chain of command climate Chris was top recruiter in MI in his first year Chris encountered people avoiding him in uniform at Andrews University, met resistance from the Dean in obtaining student records o Talked to students about his philosophy on Iraq and reasons for being there Many recruits joined for same reasons as Chris, searching for direction and something to do, needed a future, some want to do their part for their country Had issues with recruiting commander, who wanted him to change his successful recruiting methods, Chris refused and won out because he outranked him Chris was given station of choice until his retirement, chose to be sent to an MP company in South Bend at one rank lower than he was in order to keep his kids in the same school district, ended up being promoted to First Sergeant, one rank higher than he started Retired from Army as First Sergeant of that MP company Worked security at a nuclear plant, was mind-numbing work so Chris left Chris’ wife works as a nurse, Chris takes care of kids and is going back to school for things he enjoys � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PettyC1911V Title A name given to the resource Petty, Chris Allen (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-12-15 Description An account of the resource Chris Petty was born October 1969 in Cedar City, Utah, and was raised in Salt Lake City. He graduated high school in 1988 and enlisted in the Army a year later. He received advanced communications training and completed Airborne School. Chris was soon assigned to a Long Range Surveillance Company which would become part of the 82nd Airborne Division. He operated with this unit performing reconnaissance in Kuwait during Desert Storm, and later in South American countries for the War on Drugs. Chris was reassigned to South Korea, were he operated supply and logistics for a battalion stationed there for a year. He was reassigned to the newly formed 82nd Airborne Division, where he served about six years. He left the military for a while to spend time with family, then went back into the reserves. Chris' reserve unit was deployed to Iraq in support of the Striker Brigade, where he served for 16 months. After Iraq, Chris worked as a very successful recruiter for a few years, then retired from the military as a First Sergeant of a Military Police Company in South Bend, IN. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Petty, Chris Allen Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d260b7fa90158747c3c0c73f80538164.mp4 2d69de04fd9bba9b0cedbfa1629351c4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7c108daaa1e48b87760c87b6f4b51d05.pdf 74c1478807f43989effe13b66bf003ae PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Ben Peters Cold War/Vietnam War 1 hour 57 minutes 12 seconds (00:00:14) Early Life -Born on April 26, 1941 -Grew up on a farm in Holmes County, Florida -His father was a farmer -He was the youngest of ten children -He had to quit school after the ninth grade -When he was a baby his family was in an accident with a drunk driver -His mother suffered a crushed hip and was on crutches for the rest of her life -At the time government aid wasn’t an option -He had to go to school and work part time to support the family (00:02:15) Enlisting in the Navy -He had always planned on joining the Navy -He enlisted in the Navy sometime in 1958 when he was seventeen years old -His parents granted him permission to join -Upon joining he made sure that his mother was made his dependent -This meant $78 of his paycheck each month was sent back to his mother -While in the Navy he lived on about $40 a month -Two of his brothers had fought in WWII, one in the Army and one in the Navy -He hadn’t even considered serving in the Army until he joined the Navy (00:03:35) Basic Training -He was sent to San Diego, California for basic training -For him the quality of living increased upon joining the Navy -First time that he had access to indoor plumbing -He had no problem with the discipline of the military -Just did what he was told to do and everything went well after that -Basic training lasted nine weeks -Eight weeks of training and one week of serving in the mess hall (00:05:07) Serving on the USS Bennington -After graduating from basic training he was allowed to go home on a short leave -His orders were to report to the USS Bennington which was docked in San Diego -A week after reporting to the USS Bennington he went on his first cruise -The USS Bennington was an aircraft carrier -Specifically an attack carrier that carried about 200 fighter jets -He worked in the boiler room -Prior to joining the USS Bennington he had never been on a ship before -The ship was so big that if you were below decks it didn’t even feel being on a ship -This meant that the only time that he got seasick was when they hit rough water -The first cruise lasted six months �-During the cruise stopped in Hawaii and then at Yokosuka, Japan and at Sasebo, Japan -They were allowed to go ashore at Hawaii and at Japan -It was a culture shock for him, but he enjoyed the experience -Couldn’t understand why some sailors were complaining -Felt that they were taking too much for granted -His purpose working in the boiler room was to provide steam for the ship -Both for the engine and for the catapult that launched jets off of the ship -There were eight 600 pound boilers -The boiler room’s temperature was about 120oF -Worked either four hours on then four hours off or four hours on eight hours off -If you weren’t in the boiler room you were also doing other duties -Basically there wasn’t a lot of downtime on the ship -There were 2000 sailors onboard -He only worked with fifty at the most, and usually no more than twenty five -After the cruise they returned to San Diego and stayed in port for one week -After returning to port for a week they would set sail for two weeks -Go directly out into the Pacific Ocean -Sail to Seattle, Washington or to Long Beach, California or San Francisco, California -When they sailed to an American port they would stay for three or four days -Each year they would go on a six month cruise to the Far East -Never got to see Australia or mainland Asia while in the Navy -While onboard the USS Bennington there were never any crisis moments due to the Cold War -Even at sea they were able to receive mail from home -A mail plane would routinely fly in to deliver mail (00:13:17) Leaving the Navy -He stayed in the Navy for four years -At the end of his service in the Navy he was a Boiler Tender 2nd Class Petty Officer (E5) -He had made it to the rank of E5 in three years as opposed to four years -He had the option to become an E7 (Chief Petty Officer), but decided not to reenlist -At the end of his time in the Navy he wanted to transfer to the Army to become a paratrooper -He was colorblind though which meant he couldn’t be a paratrooper -Before leaving the Navy he was able to get his GED -His time in the Navy ended in March 1962 -At the end of his enlistment he was in the Philippines -Left the ship at Subic Bay then travelled up to Clark Field -Because he was a petty officer he could fly home, not sail home (00:17:19) Joining the Army & Basic Training -He stayed out of the military for over ninety days -Enlisted in the Army and reported for basic training on May 10, 1962 -His basic training was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina -He entered the Army as a corporal and was able to go through basic training with that rank -This meant that he was treated as more of an assistant than a trainee by drill sergeants -He didn’t have to go through the marching and disciplinary drills like other trainees -Basic training lasted eight weeks (00:20:18) Advanced Individual Training (AIT) -After basic training he went to AIT to specialize as an infantryman �-AIT was also at Fort Jackson -There was more classroom work and more of an emphasis on weapons training and tactics -At the time that he was in AIT Vietnam wasn’t even really talked about yet -AIT lasted another eight weeks (00:21:49) Special Forces -After AIT he was approved to go into the Special Forces -He was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to wait for his training to begin -Stayed at Fort Bragg and waited for two or three months -Ultimately he never got any training and was transferred before it began -He wanted to be a medic in the Special Forces, but was told he’d probably go into demolitions (00:23:38) Transfer to the 82nd Airborne Division -After the Special Forces he was transferred to the 82nd Airborne Division in late 1962 -He stayed with 82nd Airborne Division for six months -During his time with them he served as a fire team leader for a squad -In command of four soldiers in a squad -Before going to the 82nd he was able to complete Jump School (paratrooper school) -Able to do this in spite of his colorblindness (00:25:10) Transfer to Fort Benning -After six months with the 82nd he requested a “Hardship Transfer” to Fort Benning, Georgia -He wanted to be closer to his mother because her health was deteriorating -At Fort Benning he was able to get into the Infantry School there -He served as an assistant to the instructors -Specifically in the areas of navigation and squad tactics -While in the Infantry School he was introduced to platoon and company sized tactics -Stayed at Fort Benning for three years (00:26:55) Becoming a Helicopter Mechanic -After his time at Fort Benning he applied to go to Officer Candidate School (OCS) -He wasn’t able to go because his paperwork got lost -He applied for the mechanics course and was approved for that -He was sent to Fort Eustis, Virginia for Helicopter Mechanic Course -The training lasted about nineteen weeks -After that he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division -When he joined the 101st Airborne Division he was a sergeant -He joined the 101st in December 1965 -Only wound up staying with the 101st for only six months -While at Fort Eustis he had applied to go to OCS, but he was denied -His colorblindness prevented him as well as a misdemeanor from his time in the Navy (00:31:10) First Deployment to Vietnam -After the 101st Airborne Division he was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade -As a result he received orders to be deployed to Vietnam -He was willing to go wherever he was told to go -As a career soldier he welcomed going to a combat zone -He flew to San Francisco and then flew out of there bound for Vietnam on a chartered jet -En route they stopped at Guam (or Wake Island) to refuel -He arrived at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam -It was shocking, but fascinating, to get rapidly immersed in Vietnamese culture �(00:33:23) Duty with the 173rd Airborne Brigade -The 173rd was based out of Bien Hoa Air Base which was twenty miles from Tan Son Nhut -From Tan Son Nhut he was taken to Bien Hoa on a bus -His assignment was to be a helicopter mechanic for the 166th Transportation Detachment -Because of his rank he was made a shift leader immediately -They had pretty good living conditions compared to what the infantry had in the field -Started off living in tents, but eventually built more permanent living structures -Learned that you couldn’t leave tools out in the sun, otherwise they’d be too hot to touch -He stayed at Bien Hoa for the entirety of his deployment -He only went out into the field if a helicopter was shot down -He would go out with another mechanic and assess if it could be salvaged -If it could be salvaged it would be repaired in the field and then flown out -He would go into the field once every two or three weeks -He enjoyed going into the field, but recognized that it was still dangerous -The mechanics would go in with weapons and an infantry escort -One time an escort was not available and a mechanic was killed (00:36:56) Downtime in Vietnam -He was allowed to go off of the base when he had free time -There were brothels and bars near Bien Hoa that catered to the soldiers -He remembers visiting the bars and that they were small -He doesn’t recall there being any discipline problems because of the brothels or bars -He had a friend that was an E6 (staff sergeant) working at the port in Saigon -He was able to go and visit him two or three times during that deployment (00:39:12) Loss in Vietnam -He remembers one soldier in his crew that had a family back home with a baby on the way -This crewman wanted to transfer to a helicopter crew to be a crew chief -It meant getting a better pay, but also being in greater danger -Ben tried to convince him not to transfer, but he did anyway -A few weeks later that crewman was killed -That was the one thing that happened during the first deployment that stuck with him -It taught him not to get too close to people in Vietnam (00:40:59) Officer Candidate School (OCS) -At the end of 1966 he was finally approved to go into Officer Candidate School -He flew back from Vietnam to Fort Benning, Georgia -He knew what to expect upon going into OCS after spending so much time at Fort Benning -The verbal harassment didn’t really surprise him, or faze him at that point -During one training mission he was made a rifle company commander -As a result he was scrutinized more, but also supported more -The trainers during OCS were tough, but they were supportive of him -Some of the candidates were washed out or recycled into a new class -Some men just couldn’t take the training anymore or just didn’t want to be an officer -OCS lasted six months -There was an option to have a different specialization, but he decided to stick with the infantry (00:45:22) Deployment to West Germany -He was deployed to West Germany after completing OCS �-He was assigned to the 1st Battalion 36th Infantry Regiment 3rd Armored Division -Twenty miles north of Frankfurt, about 75-100 miles from Czechoslovakia -In 1968 Soviet troops occupied Czechoslovakia and his unit was placed on the border -Their potential mission would have been to stop a Soviet invasion -They were given a half hour survival time in the event that that happened -During his time in Germany he made the rank of first lieutenant -Started off as a weapons platoon leader -Then moved on to being a support platoon leader -Dealt with the supply logistics for the battalion -After being a support platoon leader he was made a company commander -His company was under strength (only about 50% of what a normal company should be) -The problem was that men were volunteering to be redeployed to Vietnam -As a result this was taking troops out of Germany -During his time as company commander he didn’t have any discipline problems -While in Germany he was allowed to live off of the base -Only spent a night or two at home though -After being deployed to Germany he served with a whole new group of soldiers -He stayed in Germany for two years and returned to the U.S. in 1969 (00:53:15) Military Advisor Training and Language Courses -Upon returning to the U.S. he applied to become a military advisor and learn Vietnamese -He felt that having more training would make him more valuable as an officer -He was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for the military advisor training -Taught about Vietnamese culture and propriety in Vietnam -Basically how to interact with the people without offending them -The language course was split between Fort Bragg and Fort Bliss, Texas -During the course he could carry on a conversation in Vietnamese with his classmates -In Vietnam the people could barely understand him -He wound up not becoming a military advisor in Vietnam -He wishes that he could have been attached to a South Vietnamese unit -Because of his training he was made the S5 Officer (public affairs) for his battalion -He would go into villages with medics and provide assistance to the people (00:56:35) Redeployment to Vietnam -When it came time to be redeployed he knew that he would be going over as part of the Army -Not as part of the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) -He was redeployed to Vietnam in January 1970 -Became the S5 Officer for the 2nd Battalion/506th Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division -Based out of Camp Evans near the demilitarized zone and the coast (00:59:22) Duty as an S5 Officer -He was part of what was called the “pacification” program -Basically winning over the Vietnamese civilians to support the United States -He was in charge of making sure orphanages in Quang Tri were supplied -He would go into villages with medics to provide aid to villagers that needed it -He was also in charge of making sure supplies were gathered and distributed to civilians -He also had a team that helped train Vietnamese militias -They would go into villages and train civilians how to fight against the communists -Men that had been in the field were used for this job �-It was still dangerous, but it was more relaxing than being in the field -While operating as the S5 Officer the area was fairly quiet in terms of enemy activity -There were signs of fighting though, especially among the civilians -Remembers treating civilians that had been wounded by American weapons -Indicated that they were probably Viet Cong, but it couldn’t be proven -Made sure that they were treated anyway even if they were a possible enemy -HQ Company (the company he was in) dealt with the logistics for the battalion -Overseeing where supplies, combat personnel, and medics were in the field -There were seventy five personnel in the company spread out around the area -He spent most of his time on Camp Evans or on firebases -Checking up on personnel on firebases and seeing if they needed personnel or supplies -He had good people working for him -He was an S5 officer from March to July 1970 (01:05:20) The Ripcord Campaign -The 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment was very active during the Ripcord Campaign -His job was to make sure that companies were resupplied and combat effective -The catch to that was that he was responsible even if the circumstances weren’t helpful -Example: He had to be flexible with commanders in the field -Example: Had to be flexible with the weather -There were times where helicopters couldn’t fly due to fog -This meant supplies or a medevac couldn’t get to soldiers in the field -He was busy all the time -He had a good idea of what was happening in the field around Camp Evans -Kept up on the units by using the radios in the Tactical Operations Center at Evans (01:09:35) The Battle of Firebase Ripcord -On July 1, 1970 the North Vietnamese began a siege of Firebase Ripcord -When the Battle of Ripcord began he was on R&R in Hawaii with his wife -When he got back he was told that he was being reassigned to command Bravo Company -He was sent out to Ripcord on July 17, 1970 -The next day on July 18 a Chinook helicopter was shot down on Ripcord -B Company’s duty on Ripcord was to provide perimeter security -This basically meant digging in on the firebase and enduring the enemy barrage -He would go out and check the positions of his men when the barrage would stop -He was in Ripcord’s Tactical Operations Center when the Chinook was shot down -Remembers that it crashed into the artillery’s ammunition dump -As a result the ammunition started to explode -One of the helicopter crewmembers was killed in the crash -A large number of artillery guns were also destroyed in the crash as well -He monitored what was happening to the units in the field in the Tactical Operations Center (01:17:50) The Fall of Firebase Ripcord -On July 22 he was told that Ripcord was going to be evacuated -That same day Colonel Lucas was mortally wounded -Ben was called to the Tactical Operations Center by Lucas -Lucas gave him his map and said that he was in command now -Lucas was evacuated to Camp Evans and he died on the helipad -When it came time to be evacuated there were still Pathfinders in the field �-He was able to evacuate everyone else at Ripcord before himself -He was one of the last people left on Ripcord -After the evacuation there was still one Vietnamese soldier that had been mistakenly left behind -He was evacuated before the firebase was overrun though -After everyone was off the firebase he remembers that it was eerily quiet -Even the North Vietnamese artillery had stopped firing -After leaving Ripcord U.S. B-52 bombers flew in and carpet bombed the area -He, and the rest of the survivors from Ripcord, regrouped at Camp Evans (01:28:00) Commanding B Company after Ripcord -After Ripcord he was left with only about sixty or seventy men in his command -They returned to the area where Ripcord had been to continue with their patrols -He kept Colonel Lucas's map all throughout the rest of his time in Vietnam -Long after the war he donated it to the Museum of the Infantry School at Fort Benning -After Ripcord there wasn't as much enemy activity -Remembers two men getting killed due to an accident involving a claymore landmine -The irony was that one of those men had been very proficient with claymores -They ran into a few ambushes, but it was never anything major -He remembers a rocket propelled grenade hitting a helicopter during a resupply operation -It didn't stop the helicopter from flying, but it did damage the cockpit -At this point the North Vietnamese were just working to make sure their presence was known (01:37:10) Leaving Vietnam & Stateside Service -He was back to the United States before Christmas 1970 -His new assignment was with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina -He requested a staff position so that he could also go to college -His request was denied because his orders were to command A Company -He commanded A Company for eleven months -After those eleven months he received his "reduction in force" letter -Basically the Army was trying to downsize as Vietnam was starting to wind down -His replacement wasn't deemed good enough, so he was allowed to stay in -At least until a suitable replacement was found (01:42:50) Reenlisting -After he was discharged he was able to reenlist, but not as a captain -When he reenlisted he went in as sergeant -He went to Montgomery, Alabama to reenlist -He requested his assignment to be at Fort Rucker, Alabama and that request was granted -At Fort Rucker he served as a flight operations officer -After being at Fort Rucker for thirty days he was promoted to staff sergeant -He was told that there was a chance he'd be sent to Thailand to assist with command there -He was more than willing to take the job, but was ultimately declined (01:46:02) Assignment to Greece -He was selected to be sent to Athens, Greece -He was to be the noncommissioned officer in charge of a nuclear weapons storage site -During that deployment he was allowed to bring his family -Before starting his duty in Athens he had to get special clearance -He arrived in Greece in 1973 and stayed until 1975 -While he was in Greece the dictator Papadopoulos was overthrown �-He was a dictator, but he was also pro-American -Under him they had IDs that protected them from being arrested -Under the new dictatorship those IDs were taken away -He remembers American cars being vandalized and destroyed -They were able to live on the base, but that was the only place they really could live (01:50:00) End of Service -He returned to the United States in 1975 -His enlistment was up so he decided to reenlist again -He was assigned to Fort Rucker again -This time he got his formal qualification to be a flight operations officer -He ended his service at Cairns Army Airfield, Alabama -Retired as a flight operations chief (01:50:30) Life after the Army -He went back to school and learned about upholstery and carpentry -He wound up getting a job in the Post Office -Became a customer service supervisor and retired from that after twenty years (01:51:27) Reflections on Service -Learned to never give up -If you want something bad enough you'll have to work for it -He has no regrets about any of his service -Because of his service he met his wife when he was at Fort Benning in the early 1960s -As of 2014 they have been married for forty nine years � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PetersBJr1683V Title A name given to the resource Peters Jr., Benjamin (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-09-10 Description An account of the resource Ben Peters was born in 1941. He grew up on a farm in Holmes County, Florida and enlisted in the Navy in 1958. He served for four years on the carrier USS Bennington. After leaving the Navy, he enlisted in the Army in 1962. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division, then at the Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia, then as a helicopter mechanic with the 101st Airborne Division. In mid-1966 he was sent to Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and served as a helicopter mechanic for the 166th Transportation Detachment at Bien Hoa Air Base. After six months he returned to the United States to go into Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. After completing Officer Candidate School he was sent to West Germany to serve with the 1st Battalion 36th Infantry Regiment 3rd Armored Division for two years. Returning to the U.S. in 1969, he trained to be an adviser to Vietnamese force, but when he redeployed to Vietnam in January 1970 he was sent to the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division as their public relations officer and worked with civilians in the area around Camp Evans. During the siege of Firebase Ripcord in July, he went to the base to take over the battalion's B Company, and was in charge of security as the base was evacuated on July 23. He continued to command B Company until he left Vietnam in December 1970. After the Vietnam War he served at Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Rucker, Alabama as a flight operations officer, in Athens, Greece as noncommissioned officer in charge of a nuclear weapons storage site, and then at Cairns Army Airfield, Alabama as a flight operations chief until he left the Army in 1975. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Peters Jr., Benjamin Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6d0e0164b3347367750b35894367272f.m4v b90c96677e612e01f4f9a5600c87949e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/71bab39970fb6e66e4efb7fb3473e06a.pdf 4065c2a3af093f9c739433f37e938343 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran's History Project US Navy Monica Allen Périn Total Time (00:49:28) Introduction (00:00:24)  Monica was born October 2nd, 1953 at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland; her father was in the Navy while her mother was an officer in the Navy Nurse Corps (00:00:45)  Her father was stationed at the Pentagon in Washington D.C., when she was born (00:00:59)  Monica finished high school in 1971; her family traveled a lot due to being in the military which caused her to be in five different high schools in four years (00:02:13) ◦ Monica went to an arts and crafts college in California before transferring to Texas A&M University; she received a degree in social anthropology while her minor was in art (00:04:30) ◦ She had trouble finding a job straight out of college so she decided to join the military; her father swore her in at Detroit as she went to Officer Candidate School (OCS) in March of 1979 in Newport, Rhode Island (00:06:27) ◦ Mostly career military people trained those at OCS; she was quite impressed by those that had trained her (00:08:42) ▪ After her four months of training at OCS, she was commissioned and sent to Athens, Georgia for Supply Corps school (00:09:15) ▪ The technology wasn't that great at the time and Monica remembers having to sign 2,000 checks by hand before she received a stamp with her name on it (00:10:39) ▪ Around eight of the 45 that attended the school were women; she comments that most people were pretty receptive and open to the idea of women being in the school (00:12:42) First Assignment / Overseas (00:13:01)  Her first assignment was as a disbursing officer to the naval support activity in Naples, Italy (00:13:05)  About $43,000 in checks and cash were stolen while they were in Italy by an armed group; they eventually got the money back due to insurance (00:14:23)  Monica said life was great while in Naples as they lived off bases (00:16:36) ◦ She stayed there for about two years on her first tour; on her 2nd tour she stayed for three years and finally she came back for five years as a reserve officer- she spent about ten years total in Naples (00:17:13) ◦ Monica says it wasn't a problem trying to adjust to military life as her family background helped quite a bit for this (00:18:15) ◦ After her first tour in Italy, she went back to the United States to work as a purchasing officer for the Navy supply center in Bremerton, Washington on the shipyard; she did this for about three years (00:19:03) ▪ The four central parts of the military were starting to work together more as time went on, Monica notes as the attitudes of the military changed over time (00:21:24) ▪ After some time in California, she went back to Naples to work as the commander in chief allied forces Southern Europe mess officer (00:21:57) �▪ During Operation Desert Shield, she was recalled for contracting support to Abu Dhabi, Dubai (00:24:01)  Although she joined the Navy to obtain a job, she promised herself that she would still do art as she ended up getting her masters degree in art history & museum management (00:25:19)  After finishing her masters degree in 1993, she went back to Naples to work with a local reserve unit called the voluntary training unit (00:27:05)  Monica got a job while in the Navy to work as a combat artist while overseas (00:28:39) ◦ Her subject was men and women in the military and often she would ask for rides to wherever just so she could talk to new subjects (00:28:47) ◦ She met her admiral while coming back to Naples as her admiral had no idea they even had an artist on the payroll; she says they had a great chat on the way back and everything went fine (00:31:33) ◦ While in Bosnia she saw a lot of buildings that were damaged from mortar fire; she did a painting of a marketplace in Mostar while the war was going on and she mentions it was business as usual in the market (00:34:57) ▪ She was commissioned to get fresh fruit and vegetables on the USS Seattle and tells a story of how incredible it was to do that (00:38:43) ▪ While she was in Dubai she went with an Indian family to an old oasis; she had no problems being a western woman in this particular instance on this side of the world (00:40:03)  For two years, as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, she was sent out to cover when the United States went into Libya to the USS Bataan to do a series of different paintings (00:43:04)  Monica stayed in the Mediterranean while the fighting in Iraq and Kuwait was going on (00:44:07) ◦ Women are allowed the option to stay longer into the military than men as Monica had the option to stay in til age 60; she wanted to stay in as long as possible (00:48:59) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PerinM1651V Title A name given to the resource Périn, Monica Allen (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-06-23 Description An account of the resource Monica Allen Périn was born October 2nd, 1953 at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland her father was in the Navy at the time of her birth. She finished high school in 1971 after transferring from five different high schools. She had trouble finding a job once she graduated college so she decided to join the Navy. She worked in Athens, Italy for over 10 years in her career and eventually became a combat artist for the Navy. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Périn, Monica Allen Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ac4654a7ca939dc03208f90232fd924b.m4v 88383e499b3edcce23f439bc741e6b02 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/20ca87c095728223dd063e6ab438157a.pdf 1c6bcb0f79c83e5b47aab50c23b8ddee PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Henry J. Pelak World War II 1 hour 9 minutes 19 seconds (00:00:04) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 24, 1924 -He attended elementary school at Sacred Heart in Grand Rapids -He was taught discipline by the nuns -He attended Union High School, also in Grand Rapids -Graduated from there in 1942 -Loved to work with machines -He took machine shop in high school -He aspired to be a machinist -At times he would go to local factories and watch machinists do their work -Prior to his service he had a job washing trucks -Paid $0.40 per hour -Came home smelling like gasoline -He used the job to buy a used bicycle (00:02:30) Start of the War and Getting Drafted -He heard about the attack at Pearl Harbor on the news -There was a noticeable change in society following that -He saddened, because they knew that America had finally entered the war -He was drafted at the same time as his friend from high school -They both wound up in the same training -They eventually wound up in different units once training was complete -When he was drafted he received a letter ordering him to report for a military physical -Had to report to an induction center in Grand Rapids -He was allowed to choose the branch that he would go into -He decided to go into the Navy -He enjoyed the water and was never bothered being on a ship (00:04:40) Basic Training -Sent to Green Bay, Wisconsin for basic training -Travelled by train to Wisconsin with other draftees -The base that he was at was large -He and the other recruits were given assignments and expectations immediately -He didn’t find training to be too difficult -His mother had died when he was ten, so he was used to having responsibilities -Upon arrival to Green Bay they were processed and issued fatigues -They would rise early every day and make sure that everything was in order -Afterwards they would assemble in front of the barracks -They would march and do physical training in basic training -The focus was on discipline and making sure that the recruits were fit for service -Once basic training was over they were given a formal graduation from it �(00:07:40) Amphibious Training -After basic training he was sent to Virginia for the beginning of amphibious training -He was assigned that duty, and wasn’t allowed to choose his duty -From Virginia he was sent to Fort Pierce, Florida for advanced amphibious training -Training lasted a few months -One of the first things that they were trained to do was successfully land on a beach -If a landing craft didn’t hit the beach evenly it could flip over -There were forty to fifty men per barracks in Fort Pierce -They were given more physical training at Fort Pierce beginning at 6 AM every day -He found the food to be good in the Navy -He came from a single parent, Depression household, so he had to cook his own food -He began to learn how to serve aboard a landing craft as part of the crew -He served as a motor machinist aboard a landing craft -This meant that he tended to the landing craft’s engines -The amphibious craft that they used was the LCM (landing craft, mechanized) -Big enough to carry a tank, but could carry supplies and infantry as well -Because of this they had an extended ramp -Similar to, but larger than, the iconic Higgins Boat -Their purpose was to get up onto a beach and successfully unload a vehicle -There were originally three-four crewmen, but that eventually became five crewmen -One signalman (semaphore communications) -Two seamen -One coxswain (similar to a captain, drove the craft and gave orders) -One motor machinist (Henry’s job) -He never thought about the danger that he was in until combat began (00:14:57) Deployment to Europe -He and the other sailors were sent to New York City to assemble there -This indicated that they were going to the European Theatre -For Henry, it was slightly culturally shocking to go from Grand Rapids to New York City -He got to see the Statue of Liberty -They basically had to sit around and wait for their deployment orders -When he was in New York he was allowed to go on leave in New York -Noticed that there was a large amount of servicemen in the city -He enjoyed getting to see the sights of downtown New York -From New York they boarded a troopship and sailed to Scotland -It was a rough voyage -A lot of the men onboard got viciously seasick -He was able to avoid getting seasick (00:18:55) Arrival and Training in England -They arrived in Scotland and from Scotland drove down to Teignmouth, England -That served as their main training base -Permanent five man crews were established there -This is where they began to train for the Normandy Invasion -His unit was kept separate from the other units for their own specialized training -The routine at Teignmouth was similar to the one at Fort Pierce -Rose early for morning training, given lunch, then more training in the afternoon �-The focus during the initial training was to make accurate beach landings -They were given R&R to see the surrounding countryside and nearby cities -English civilians were very welcoming towards the Americans -There was no evidence of German bombing in the countryside -While he was in England he got a chance to see London -Found it similar to New York City -Didn’t see any damage from the Blitzkrieg while he was there (00:21:55) Operation Tiger -When they were in England he took part in Operation Tiger -The D-Day amphibious training exercise that took place on the English Coast -Took place on April 28, 1944 -They left and sailed towards the staging area early in the morning -En route they heard explosions in the distance -Knew that that probably wasn’t a good sign -Upon arriving at the staging area his landing craft was turned away -Not told what had happened, it was top secret at the time -He didn’t learn about what had happened at Operation Tiger until fifty years later -A German submarine had stumbled onto the staging area and attacked it -Torpedoed and sank two LSTs (landing ship, tank) -His high school friend was one of the survivors from one of the LSTs -He learned that 749 servicemen had been killed in the attack (00:25:04) Preparing for the Normandy Invasion -After the Operation Tiger fiasco his landing craft returned to Teignmouth, England -At this point he knew that his unit would be part of the first wave into Normandy -His craft would be carrying twelve combat demolition soldiers -Six from the Navy and six from the Army -Knew that it would be a difficult landing to make -At the time he didn’t know how big the invasion force really was -On the morning of June 5, 1944 they were getting the landing craft ready to go -Original date for D-Day -At the last minute the invasion was cancelled and postponed -A storm had blown in and made the English Channel too dangerous to cross -The invasion date was rescheduled for June 6, 1944 -Knew that the weather wouldn’t be perfect, but the storms would at least be gone (00:29:00) D-Day-Going to the Staging Area -Early on the morning of June 6 they received orders to go to the staging area -They boarded their landing craft and travelled across the English Channel to the Allied ships -When they arrived at the staging area they still couldn’t see the Normandy coast -His entire unit of twelve landing craft went to the staging area together -His craft rendezvoused with a ship that had the demolition team onboard -The demolition troops boarded without incident -Heard stories of infantrymen falling from ships into the sea trying to board the crafts -After their demolition team boarded they lined up with the other landing craft at 6:30 AM -The demolition team was carrying nothing but explosives and markers (smoke grenades) -Their objective was to blow up German beach obstacles -Henry was always astounded at the amount of courage it took do that job �(00:34:39) D-Day-The Invasion -Being in the first wave they started to receive intense German fire from the coast -Allied battleships had been firing consistently on the coast before the invasion began -Unfortunately the bombardment had been largely ineffective -This was because the Germans were so well entrenched in the coast -Their landing craft hit the beach successfully and started taking heavy fire -They began to unload their demolition team -A shell hit one of their craft’s machine guns and disabled it -He saw two sailors from a sunken landing craft swimming towards his craft -German machine gun fire was following them as they swam -They were able to reach Henry’s craft and board it safely -At this point infantry started to storm the beaches now too -A shell exploded in front of their landing craft -The crew panicked because they thought the ramp was disabled -This would have meant they couldn’t leave the beach and were sitting ducks -One of the demolition troops had been hit by the shell and was wounded on the ramp -Henry had to go out and pull the wounded soldier into the craft -They were able to pull up the ramp and get off the beach -Went to a hospital ship to unload the sailors and the wounded demolition soldier -From the hospital ship he was able to watch the invasion unfolding -His craft stayed in the area while the invasion commenced aiding in any way that they could -Out of the twelve ships in his unit his was only one of two that survived the invasion (00:43:42) Post-Invasion Pt. 1 -After the invasion a massive storm rolled in two weeks later and they pulled up to the beach -The storm was so powerful they were pushed up onto the beach and got stuck there -From that point on they had to live in their boat until they could contact command -Prior to the storm his landing craft helped ferry personnel between ships -The battle to secure the coast was still going on at this point -While they were ferrying personnel he realized just how big the invasion force was -Before going to the beach they had to sleep on their landing craft -There was a harbor off the coast that was made from scrapped ships (Mulberry Harbor) -It was used as a resupply and loading station for landing craft -Storm destroyed the structure -This indicates that Henry was most likely at Omaha Beach (00:47:48) Post-Invasion Pt. 2 -When they went up to the beach during the storm the beach had finally been secured -When they returned to the beach he saw that the staging area on the beach was huge -There was a massive amount of supplies and personnel being assembled on the beach -After the storm thy had to stay near their boat because minefields hadn’t been cleared yet -They lived off of Army K Rations -Spent two weeks living on the beach -Couldn’t tell their command in England that they had survived -Eventually an Army major came over to their boat and figured out who they were -He was able to contact naval command in England -Informed them that Henry’s crew had survived the invasion �-After contacting command a boat was sent over to retrieve the crew -Only a total of ten survivors from Henry’s unit -They returned to England briefly to receive new orders (00:51:33) Following the British Army in Europe -After England he was attached to a unit following the British through northern Europe -Specifically through Holland, Belgium and northern Germany -In England he was placed on another troopship bound for Europe -He and the other sailors were tasked with building an American port -Final destination was Bremerhaven, Germany -They arrived in Holland and began following the British Army -Had to sleep in warehouses on the route -Travelled by truck -Henry’s job was to do anything that might involve machine work (00:54:57) Reassignment, Going Home and End of War -After Europe he was sent home to be reassigned to go to the Pacific Theatre -He was allowed to go home from Europe for leave before going to California -He visited his family in Grand Rapids -His father was happy to see him -Knew that his son had been part of the D-Day Invasion -He was able to spend a month in Grand Rapids on leave -While he was home he kept up with the progress of the war -While he was on leave the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and the war ended -He was happy to have avoided further warfare -Saddened by how the war had to end -In Grand Rapids there wasn’t much celebrating, just a general sense of relief among people (00:58:47) Post-War Service -After the war was over he returned for further service in the Navy -He was placed on a patrol craft in the Caribbean Sea -They were decommissioning the ship (removing it from service) -After his stint in the Caribbean Sea the ship returned to Norfolk, Virginia -His service was over, but he decided to reenlist for more two years in the Navy -He was promoted to the rank of 2nd Class Motor Machinist -He was single at the time, so he didn’t feel obliged to go home -He wanted to wait for the American job market to normalize after the war -During his reenlistment he went to Bremerhaven, Germany -He didn’t much enjoy his time at Bremerhaven -He was transferred from Bremerhaven to the SS Europa -A German passenger liner that was being given to France as part of war reparations -He was going to sail with them to France and work onboard as a motor machinist -Before departing for France he was offered a job with a captain in Vienna, Austria -The day the ship was supposed to leave he was accepted for the job -He spent the rest of his time in Vienna serving as the subordinate to the captain there -They would survey factories to insure that the region was complying with disarmament (01:04:26) Personal Relationships in the Navy -During his reenlistment in the Navy he met his wife in Vienna -She was working for the Army at the time �-When he was in Vienna he was assigned to sleep in the Army quarters -He got to know the men that lived and served there and bonded with them -His captain would give him free hard liquor (a rarity in the area) -He wasn’t a drinker, so he would take it back to the soldiers and give it to them (01:06:40) Reflections on Service -He feels that his service made him a more tolerant person -Serving with people of different types he learned to just get along with people -He is happy to have been able to do his part in helping to make D-Day successful -When he sees Americans happy and free he feels that that makes his service worthwhile -Essentially to have helped safeguard the American way of life and freedom � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PelakH638V Title A name given to the resource Pelak, Henry (Interview outline and video), 2004 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004-12-01 Description An account of the resource Henry J. Pelak was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1924. He grew up and finished high school there and was drafted in 1942. He chose to enter the Navy, and trained at Green Bay, Wisconsin, and then did amphibious craft training in Virginia and Florida. He was assigned to be the motor machinist on an LCM (landing craft, mechanized). He was deployed to Europe and went over to England to prepare for the Normandy Invasion. In April 1944 he witnessed a U-Boat attack during a training exercise. On June 6, 1944 his craft transported a demolition team to the beach to aid in the Allied invasion. After dropping off the team his craft continued to aid the invasion force by ferrying personnel between ships. After Normandy he was reassigned to a unit that was following the British Army through northern Europe to establish an American Naval base at Bremerhaven, Germany. When the war ended he concluded his service with the Navy decommissioning a ship in the Caribbean Sea. He reenlisted for two more years and was stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany first and then in Vienna, Austria. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pelak, Henry Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Michigan Military Preservation Society (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b02c2ff180cc87f95dec10b1c88e92f3.mp4 7b2e4c89693c8a8b2c0732590d80099a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6508bf519b89fa801d4ceaa153ed4d5d.pdf cbad0d8dfeab85f3d146cb1b688a8339 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Gene Pasma World War II 1 hour 41 minutes 28 seconds (00:00:18) Early Life -Born in Moline, Michigan on August 28, 1923 -Father owned a ninety acre farm east of Moline -Spent early childhood there -Moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1934 -Father had a job in Grand Rapids -Economy was bad due to the Great Depression -Grand Rapids had better employment prospects -Father had been born in the Netherlands and had moved to the U.S. when he was seven -Father lost the farm near Moline during the Great Depression -Remembers when his father sold his last horse -Things improved in Grand Rapids -Attended Alexander School for elementary school -Attended South High School -Attended Davis Tech High School and graduated from there in 1941 -Siblings that are still alive: Theodore, and three sisters -Came from a family of thirteen (had twelve siblings) -Five have died, and three died in infancy -Oldest sister died when she was twenty one due to a heart condition (00:04:55) Start of the War -Father had followed the news of the war in Europe closely -Pearl Harbor happened the winter after he graduated from high school -Kept up with the news on the war after Pearl Harbor -After Pearl Harbor happened he and his friends began to talk about what the war would mean -Namely if the Allies would be defeated and if their freedom would be lost -Knew that he would eventually get drafted -Older brother was drafted in 1942 (00:07:20) Getting Drafted -He received his draft notice in January 1943 when he was nineteen years old -Sent from Grand Rapids to Fort Custer near Battle Creek, Michigan -Some of the barracks, the mess hall, and a gymnasium from then are still standing -Arrived at Fort Custer on a Friday and was placed on KP (kitchen patrol) duty -The next day, on Saturday, his parents and sisters came down to visit him -Stayed at Fort Custer for less than a week (00:09:48) Basic Training and Technical School -From Fort Custer he was sent to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland -Ordnance center of the Army �-Received basic training there -Attended at technical school there and learned how to be an armorer -Learning how to repair and inspect weapons -Lasted eight (or ten) weeks -At Fort Custer he had already begun to be treated like a soldier -Discipline was being instilled in recruits right away -Wasn't hard for him to adjust coming from a large family and having responsibilities -Enjoyed the order and the discipline -Went on several bivouacs during basic training -Went on several fifteen mile marches -Went to the infiltration course -Crawling under barbed wire while a machine gun is fired over your head -Basic training consisted of drilling most of the time -Had to go through gas mask training -Go into a building filled with gas and then put on your gas mask -Received rifle training with the 1903 Springfield rifle -Rifle that had been used during World War I -Basic training lasted six (or eight) weeks (00:14:35) Stationed at Camp Myles Standish -From Aberdeen Proving Ground he was sent to Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts -Had to have supplies ready for troops that were going overseas -There was a large ordnance program set up there -Inspect, repair, or replace men's weapons after the men had gone on maneuvers -He was part of an ordnance unit that was stationed there -He wound up at Camp Myles Standish due to receiving an appendectomy in Maryland -Had to stay in the hospital for one month -In the meantime his friends were sent to Missouri for Aircraft Armament School -He had hoped to do that but wasn't able to after the appendectomy -He was sent to Camp Myles Standish after being released from the hospital -Each company came through his department for a weapons inspection before being deployed -Some men took care of their weapons, others did not even though they were supposed to -Saw his cousin come through and serviced his rifle -Worked on anything from a .45 caliber pistol to a 37mm cannon -Men would go from Camp Myles Standish to Boston to embark -Arrived at Camp Myles Standish in mid-1943 -Stayed there until September (or October) 1944 (00:21:45) Pre-Deployment Training -Things were starting to get rough in Europe, so more men were needed -He was sent down to Camp Plauche, Louisiana near New Orleans -Learning how to operate cranes on Liberty Ships -From Louisiana he was sent to Camp Howze, Texas -Spent Christmas 1944 with a family in Dallas -Received advanced infantry training there �-It was essentially a more in depth version of basic training -Remembers in Louisiana you could get a steak and fries in town for only $1.25 -In advanced infantry training they were receiving more weapons and tactics training -Received training with the M1 Garand rifle -Semi-automatic and held ten rounds -Received training with the .45 caliber pistol -Received bazooka and mortar training -Some of the instructors in Texas had already been overseas -Some had fought in Europe, others in the South Pacific -There were German prisoners of war near Camp Howze doing menial tasks on the base -They were glad to be there and some could speak English -He was able to learn a little German -Late 1944 was pretty bad because of the Battle of the Bulge -There was a desperate need for troops, which was why he was called up for deployment -Did not want to be sent to the Pacific Theatre after hearing about the fighting there (00:30:40) Deployment -Left Texas and was sent up to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey -By now it was January 1945 -Spent a week at Camp Kilmer -Boarded the John Ericsson with 7,500 other troops -Fast enough that U-Boats were not a threat -He was going over with plans to be a replacement for the 69th Infantry Division -They were already in England, waiting to go to the continent of Europe -He would eventually get his unit assignment in England -2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion -NOTE: 271st Infantry Regiment -The voyage over wasn't good -The food was bad and they had to stand up while they ate -Slept in hammocks -Landed at Liverpool, England -Stayed there for a couple days -Took a train from Liverpool down to Southampton -Stayed in a large warehouse in the port waiting to cross the English Channel -By now it was February 1945 -NOTE: The 69th went over to Europe in late January 1945 (00:37:42) Arrival in the European Theatre -Crossed the English Channel on a Liberty Ship and landed at Le Havre, France -The weather was bad going over -Went through Aachen, Germany then arrived at the Siegfried Line in mid-February 1945 -A line of fortifications established along the French and German border -Had boarded trucks in Le Havre and drove to the Siegfried Line -Saw dead German and Allied soldiers along the side of the road -Aachen had been destroyed -Remembers seeing pillboxes and bunkers on the Siegfried Line -Placed on tanks made tank infantry �-Rode on tanks and was supported by tanks as they advanced -The 271st, 272nd, and 273rd Infantry Regiments were moving as a giant line into Germany -Made contact with German forces on the Siegfried Line -The Germans would retreat and then mount a counter attack -At this point it was Germany's last stand (00:43:12) Advancing into Germany Pt. 1 -Any village that they came to they would have to clear it of German resistance -Had to deal with German 88mm artillery guns and "Screaming Meemies" (rockets) -They were moving northeast across Germany -Reached the Rhine River south of the Ludendorf Bridge at Remagen -Army Engineers built a pontoon bridge so that troops could cross the river safely -Had to do this while being attacked by German Stuka dive bombers -By now it was late March 1945 -Took the city of Kassel, Germany -Went through more villages -There was resistance in some, and others they could pass right through -His regiment alone captured 7,000 German soldiers -In one village he went into a barn and single-handedly captured two German soldiers -As they got closer to Berlin the younger the soldiers became -At the end of the war they were going up against the Volkssturm -German national militia made up of everyone aged fifteen to sixty five years old -They were the meanest combatants that he ever encountered -Last, desperate attempt to defend Germany (00:50:07) End of the War & Getting Wounded -Went through Leipzig, Germany and cleared a bunch of houses there -It was a major sometime -Entered Leipzig on April 18, 1945 -Remembers that it was after President Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945 -Got wounded in the vicinity of Eilenburg and Torgau on April 25, 1945 -Germans mounted a counter attack -Met the Russians at Torgau on the Elbe River before he got wounded -Most likely got wounded on the same day that he met the Russians -U.S. troops made contact with Soviet troops on April 25 -Thought that they were a bunch of "rogues" -Remembers that men and women fought together in the Red Army -Germans were terrified of the Russians and they fled to the Allied lines -There were so many prisoners and refugees that it was almost impossible to travel -After he got wounded he was sent to a battalion aid station, then to a field hospital -From the field hospital he was airlifted via C-47 to Reims, France -Stayed in the hospital for a month -In the hospital when the war ended -Couldn't believe that the war had ended -The Russians were in the area and were celebrating by shooting off guns and cannons �-Didn't think that he'd make it out alive with all of the chaos -When he was released he was able to rejoin his old unit in Germany (00:59:50) Liberation of Leipzig -In Leipzig there was a large monument where 300 SS soldiers were holed up in the basement -After the city had been taken they were sent on patrols around the city -Collect documents, weapons, and alcohol -Went upstairs in a house and found a German sitting in a chair in the office -Asked him to show him his papers and if there were any guns -Man complied, turned out he was Police Chief Wilhelm von Grolman -Surrendered his pistol to Gene (which his family still has) -Took some shotguns from the house and had to destroy them -Felt it was a shame since they were beautiful guns -Went house to house to talk with civilians -Walked into a house and the couple welcomed them in for tea -They were German citizens that had migrated to the United States -Had to go back to Germany to retain their citizenship -Got stuck in Germany when the war broke out (01:09:50) Occupation Duty -Rejoined his unit in Erfurt, Germany sometime in mid-June 1945 -Still had to do marching and drilling to stay in shape -Didn't have any duty there other than to just maintain a presence -Stayed there through the summer of 1945 (01:14:08) Advancing into Germany Pt. 2 -Came into a town that wound up getting nicknamed "Hill 88" -Named because of a large contingent of German 88mm artillery pieces -Germans started to bombard them -First time that his unit had to retreat, simply because the barrage was too intense (01:15:48) Coming Home Pt. 1 -Still in Germany when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan -Sent from Germany to Antwerp, Belgium in August 1945 -Relief because there was talk that they would have to go to the Pacific to invade Japan -Being sent home was based on the "points" system -Points awarded based on length of service, rank, dependents, and combat -He had enough points so he was sent home and didn't have to worry about further duty overseas -Left Antwerp on August 28, 1945 -Took twelve days to reach the United States (01:19:05) End of Service -In the Army until November 1945 -Upon arrival in the United States in September 1945 he was sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois -Allowed to go home for a couple weeks to visit his family -From Fort Sheridan he was sent down to Camp Polk, Louisiana -Got issued new uniforms and new gear -Got discharged at Camp Polk in November and was sent home �(01:22:14) Coming Home Pt. 2 -Came back to Grand Rapids by train -Got off the train at the station then walked home to his parents' house on College Avenue -On the way home he stopped in Chicago to get a few white, button-up shirts -They were a rarity at the time -Store owner took him to the back and got him five white, button-up shirts -Did it because he was a soldier and still in uniform -Always appreciated the show of gratitude and patriotism from the store owner (01:27:25) Talon's Out Honor Flight -Participated in the May 2015 Spirit of Grand Rapids Honor Flight to Washington D.C. -Got to see the National World War II Memorial and learn about it -Learned that there are 4,800 stars each representing 400 Americans killed in action -NOTE: There are actually 4,048 stars, each star representing 100 Americans -One of the most spectacular experiences that he has ever had (01:29:17) Life after the War -Wasn't quite sure what to do with his life after the war -Met up with some of his friends that had come home and reconnected with them -Worked for a contractor in Grand Rapids -Worked for Wolverine Boats, a boat company in Grand Rapids -Made Chris Craft style boats -Went to college for one year -Wound up working at Consumers Power Company (now Consumers Energy) -Worked there for thirty eight years (total) and retired from there in 1986 -Partially owned and operated a Howard Johnson franchise restaurant in Holland, Michigan -In the restaurant business for two years -Had left Consumers after working for them for eight years to do this -Went into business with his father-in-law and brother-in-law -Didn't enjoy and was able to get his old job back at Consumers (01:33:38) Reflections on Service -Taught him camaraderie, strengthened his faith and patriotism, instilled in him a love of order -Showed him that family is one of the most important things in his life -Parents saved a lot of his letters from when he was in the Army -Made patriotism one of his most important values -Army wasn't too foreign for him coming from a large family with responsibilities -Learned that everything in the Army had to be done "the Army way" -As opposed to the "right" way or the "wrong" way -Felt that it was a good experience (01:38:58) Medals Received -European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal -Two battle stars representing the Central Europe and Rhineland campaigns �-World War II Victory Medal -Bronze Star -Purple Heart -American Campaign Medal -Good Conduct Medal -Combat Infantry Badge � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PasmaG1773V Title A name given to the resource Pasma, Gene H. (Interview outline and video) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-26 Description An account of the resource Gene Pasma was born on August 28, 1923 in Moline, Michigan. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and was drafted in January 1943. He received basic training at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland as well as went to a technical school to learn how to be an armorer. He was stationed at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts from mid-1943 to fall 1944 servicing small arms for men going overseas. He was pulled from that duty and received further training at Camp Plauche, Louisiana and Camp Howze, Texas and was sent to the European Theatre in January 1945 as a replacement infantryman. He joined the 69th Infantry Division in England and was assigned to 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, A Company, 1st Battalion, 271st Infantry Regiment. They went over to Europe in late January 1945 and he saw action on the Siegfried Line, in the Rhineland, and across Germany until he was wounded on April 25, 1945. After recovering from his wounds he rejoined his unit in Germany and stayed with them until the end of August 1945. He left Europe in late August 1945 and was finally discharged from the Army at Camp Polk, Louisiana in Novembber 1945. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pasma, Gene H. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jones, Adam (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c021a0c5f4af0b17d117e6ae25a1da66.mp4 a2049261506de5583abb3e29b8705e72 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3973b5635237019ab95b29091d871cf7.pdf d2919ffb462479ebccb883184f118da3 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Philip Palmer Cold War and Vietnam War 2 hours 24 minutes 33 seconds (00:00:09) Early Life -Born on May 23, 1933 in Lansing, Michigan -Grew up in Lansing -His father collected utility bills from companies and brought them downtown to be paid -Father had steady work during the Great Depression -Everyone was equally poor, so poverty wasn't noticed -Considered rich if you had a job, so his family was considered rich (00:01:12) World War II -He was eight years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese -Knew something important had happened, but didn't understand it -Remembers that there were a lot of war movies -In gas stations they had aircraft identification cards -Taught civilians how to recognize friendly and enemy aircraft -Started to understand the war more after he read Guadalcanal Diary (Richard Tregaskis) -Saw the newsreels in the movies that told about the progress of the war -Remembers Victory in Europe Day and Victory in Japan Day (00:02:34) Joining Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps -Graduated from high school in June 1951 -Korean War had started by now -During his senior year there was a memorial for the male students killed in WWII -In 1951 his father and principal both talked to him about his future -Neither one wanted him to go work for General Motors -He didn't have the money for college though -Had a four year scholarship for Michigan Tech, but it still would've been difficult -Assistant principal was a commander in the Naval Reserve -Said that there was a Navy ROTC scholarship available if you qualified -Took the Competitive Entrance Exam and qualified (00:05:00) University of Wisconsin Naval ROTC Pt. 1 -Didn't think that he would be drafted for the Korean War since he was going to college -When he got to college he met a lot of men that went to college to avoid the draft -Attended the University of Wisconsin -Part of the University of Wisconsin Navy ROTC -Had drills twice a week if the weather was good enough -Had classroom work during the winter -Three days each week of formal classes -Graduated with two degrees -Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering �-Bachelor's degree in naval science -If he got the bachelor's degree in naval science he may have been called to duty -Meaning he would not have been allowed to finish his other degree (00:07:00) Summer Training -During the summers between each year he would go on summer cruises -First cruise was aboard the light cruiser the USS Roanoke -Went to Lisbon, Portugal and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -Third cruise was aboard the USS William R Rush -Went to Dublin, Ireland -Got sick and had a high fever so he missed out on seeing Paris, France -Second "cruise" was actually training in Virginia and Texas -Went to Little Creek, Virginia first for amphibious training -Went to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas -Half of the nation wide ROTC class went to Virginia, then the other half went to Texas -The half that went to Texas was en route to Virginia from Florida -One plane crashed shortly after take off killing 38 ROTC, and 5 crewmen -At Little Creek he got to climb down a cargo net into a landing craft -Flew in the SNJ in Corpus Christi as part of the naval aviation program -One of those planes crashed killing a Naval ROTC midshipman -This was shortly after hearing that the plane was impossible to crash -On the USS Roanoke he stood watch with other enlisted men -Rotated through the watch stations -Slept in the cramped enlisted quarters -On the USS William R Rush he followed an officer around -Helping assign watches to enlisted men -Both cruises were excellent for training (00:12:10) University of Wisconsin Naval ROTC Pt. 2 -Learned how to march -Learned about the Manual of the Sword -Got to be the Officer of the Deck during a commissioning ceremony for a ship -Graduated from college and was commissioned on September 22, 1955 (00:13:15) First Assignment-USS Strickland -He was allowed to request his first assignment -Navy only gave it to you if they thought you were ready for that assignment -He attended a ten week training course to prepare for his assignment -Atomic, Biological, and Chemical (ABC) Damage Control -Took the course at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard -Sent to the Brooklyn Navy Yard -Helping to put destroyer escorts into commission to patrol the North Atlantic Ocean �-Eventually assigned to the USS Strickland -The ten week long training course proved to be very useful coupled with his two degrees -Got to see Eugene Ormandy conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra in Philadelphia -At the time of joining the USS Strickland it was being overhauled -Took about one month for the process to be completed -When the ship was ready they sailed to Goat Island, Newport, Rhode Island -There was a ferry that you could take to the mainland -Newport was fascinating -Went to the Tennis Museum and toured the mansions (00:16:51) USS Strickland-Distant Early Warning Line -Went out to take their station on the Distant Early Warning Line -Fifty mile diameter area in the North Atlantic/Arctic Ocean -Saw icebergs and ice floes -It was terribly cold in the winter -There was little protection from the wind and cold on the bridge -Had a canvas "roof" and some windshields set up -A destroyer escort like the Strickland was about 300 feet long and had been used in WWII -It had been overhauled to have modern electronics -Top heavy and rolled from side to side in rough seas -The cruise aboard the Strickland was not enjoyable -Looking for Soviet bombers and submarines -Never saw any -Had drills with friendly bombers and submarines to test their preparedness -Ships were graded on their performance -Would go out for three weeks and then come back to port for two weeks -Difficult for the married men -Knew that there was a possible Soviet threat, but wasn't too concerned -They had an excellent, long range detection system to look for Soviet aircraft -Also had radar information coming in from American aircraft on patrol -Would have noticed Soviet planes or subs long before they reached America -His first job was given to him by the executive officer -Told that he was to take command of the ship fitter operation -In charge of the men that were supposed to be laying down new deck -They were older and more experienced, but lower in rank than he was -Won them over by showing them respect and leadership (00:23:12) Assignment to the USS Hissem -He received orders to go to the USS Hissem -Named after a torpedo pilot that was killed in action in WWII -He was made the damage control assistant and did paperwork for the ship in Boston -Recommissioned the ship at the Boston Navy Yard -Part of the recommissioning ceremony -Parents were allowed to attend the ceremony -He eventually became the chief engineer -Went on to work in the Combat Information Center (CIC) �-Became the third officer in charge -Got promoted quickly aboard the ship -This was due to a high turnover rate as crewmen left the ship -Went on a shakedown cruise in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -Graded by fleet officials on performance -Went up to Goat Island, Newport, Rhode Island -Went out on the Distant Early Warning Line again in the North Atlantic/Arctic Ocean -Got to see Santiago, Cuba where the Cuban Revolution began -Saw the slogan, "Yankee Go Home!" everywhere -Soon after the visit, the revolution grew in the mountains -The Hissem had been electronically upgraded like the Strickland -He was also sent to New London, Connecticut to learn more about diesel engines -It was a submarine base, but they used the same diesel engines as the Hissem (00:28:46) Assignment to the University of Michigan -After a year and a half his obligated service had been completed -Could stay in, or go on inactive reserve -Requested Naval ROTC instructor duty -Could still be a reserve officer without having to go on cruises -Wanted to go back to the University of Wisconsin -Naval ROTC policy did not allow for him to go back to where he trained though -Instead, he chose the University of Michigan so he could be close to his parents -Sent to the University of Michigan for two years -Made an assistant professor so that he could be on the teacher committee -Not allowed to draw pay from the school due to Navy policy though -It was a difficult job -Exhausted by the end of the week -He was teaching naval engineering and damage control -Also got selected to teach a course on leadership and justice -American prisoners had collaborated with their captors during the Korean War -In response to that, the Navy created General Order 21 -Part of establishing moral leadership in the Navy -One of the first to teach the class -Audited a course on leadership at the University of Michigan -Eventually made it into an ethics course -Created theoretical case studies that dealt with ethical decisions -Assigned to the University of Michigan from 1958-1960 -Civilian life resumed at this point -Wanted a wife and a family -Married a schoolteacher and they have been married for 53 years (as of 2015) (00:35:31) Return to Active Duty -In 1959 he applied to return to active duty -Marine officer saw that he had a bright future in the Navy �-Encouraged him to go back on active duty -The executive officer of the Naval ROTC at Michigan also motivated him -He was able to get him command at sea duty (00:37:03) Assignment to the USS Meadowlark -His next assignment was as a commanding officer aboard the USS Meadowlark -A minesweeper based out of Charleston, South Carolina -It was an amazing experience -He was in command of the ship and the crew -Most of the crew was on independent duty most of the time -Only did formation maneuvers for training purposes -The officers aboard were adept -Also had experience enlisted men working for him -The crew had been put together by the Bureau of Naval Personnel -Assigned to the ship based on experience and skills -Had two different tours aboard the Meadowlark -One year they did a lot of training -Also took part in the Swan Island Patrol off the coast of Honduras -Trained for a competition involving several other ships -Motivation to be a better crow -The Swan Island Patrol was very interesting -It was part of the 1961 Bay of Pigs operation -Sailed to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, Puerto Rico -From there sailed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to receive orders -Orders were in a sealed envelope -Ordered to repel an invasion by any means necessary -Only armed with a 20mm cannon and a few automatic rifles -From Cuba they sailed to Swan Island and went ashore to greet the personnel -Told that it was a radio station for Gibraltar Steamship Company -Later learned that it was a CIA radio station -Using it to broadcast anti-communist propaganda to Cuba -Inspire the Cubans to aid in the Bay of Pigs invasion -Returned from that tour and got married in Ann Arbor, Michigan -Honeymoon was driving back to Charleston -Stopped in Stratford, Ontario, Canada for the Shakespeare Festival -His wife was able to get a teaching job in Charleston -Teaching the children of personnel at a nearby base -He began to do more work in Charleston as opposed to going to sea (00:47:51) US Naval Postgraduate School/Ohio State University -Got assigned to go to the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterrey, California -Studied there for a year -Wanted to learn more about how to prevent corrosion on ships -Applied to MIT and Ohio State University -Got accepted by both �-Offered a stipend by MIT if he attended -Wouldn't have been allowed to take it though due to Navy protocol -Decided to attend Ohio State University -Meant that he would be closer to family in Michigan -In Monterrey he studied the weapons systems curriculum -Also received language training -Initially took German, but had trouble with it -Moved on to studying scientific Russian -Also read Russian literature (ex. The Queen of Spades) -All of the speakers had to be native speakers -One speaker had been in the Red Army, but defected -Another speaker had lost his arm as a child during a pre-Soviet uprising -At Ohio State he chose to challenge a scientific article about static electricity -Developed a device to prove his claim -Allowed to have his own lab space and all the materials that he needed -He was asked to submit his work to the Journal of Polymer Science -Rejected because one of the peer reviewers was the author of that article -Also learned more about corrosion and why ships were structurally weakened at sea -By now it was 1965 (00:56:14) Cold War Developments -Very aware of what was happening with the Cold War -Aware that he could become involved in a conflict -Frustrated that he wasn't able to be at sea more (00:57:07) Nuclear Reactor Training -Ordered to report for an interview with Admiral Rickover -There was a need for personnel for the Navy's nuclear power program -Allowed to complete his degree at Ohio State first -Received the order while he was on a fishing trip with his father in northern Michigan -Reported for the interview and briefed by the Chief of Naval Personnel -From there he was interviewed by Admiral Rickover -Remembers that he was a unique, larger than life man -He wasn't eligible to work on a submarine which disappointed the admiral -Could work on the USS Truxtun, Enterprise, or Bainbridge -Interview didn't go well, but he was selected for the program anyway -Sent to the Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland -Eight hours of school a day, five days a week -Also expected to study on the weekends -Studied with intelligent and driven personnel -Remembers one classmate went on to become a doctor -Remarked that medical school was boring and easy after that -Studied physics, chemistry, metallurgy, and engineering -Learning how to safely operate a nuclear reactor �-Course lasted six months -Sent to one of three different nuclear reactor sites -There was one for destroyers, one for subs, and one for aircraft carriers and cruisers -He was sent to Idaho Falls, Idaho -Prototype reactor for the USS Enterprise and USS Long Beach -The reactors were called A1W and A2W -He qualified on both of them -The reactors were fifty miles from the city -Training there lasted six months -Allowed to have his own room -Would stay at the reactors for three days at a time -Had to learn everything about the reactors and how they worked on the ships -Once he was qualified with the reactors he was allowed to stand watch -The dangers of radiation were known and safeguarded against -Closely monitored the amount of radiation that he was exposed to -Wife travelled with him and taught wherever they went -Eventually got out of teaching due to union politics (01:11:23) Assignment to the USS Enterprise -Received orders to go aboard the USS Enterprise (aircraft carrier) -There was no other type of ship at the time which meant very little career mobility -He was assigned to be the main propulsion assistant -Responsible for the main propulsion plant aboard the ship -Part of the nuclear department, but not in the reactor -Aboard the Enterprise he would work for more than fourteen hours a day -Stood watches, oversaw maintenance, train personnel, and receive training -First two thirds of his first deployment was spent on training -Joined the Enterprise at Alameda, California -Spent a lot of time at Subic Bay, Philippines (01:14:02) Vietnam War -Sent to the South China Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin at Yankee Station -Off the coast of North Vietnam -He was aboard the Enterprise from 1966-1968 -Had one eight month deployment -Had a six month deployment -There was a third deployment scheduled that wound up getting cancelled -Would have gone from Thanksgiving through Independence Day -They would sail out to Yankee Station for thirty days then return to Subic Bay -Visited Hong Kong and Sasebo, Japan during his time aboard the Enterprise -Would go to Subic Bay to get resupplied -The aircraft on the Enterprise were flying bombing missions into North Vietnam -Knew that a lot of the naval aviators weren't going to return -Tried not to make friends with them because of this -Had a Marine offficer detachment aboard �-Their job was to guard nuclear weapons that may, or may not have, been aboard -Knew one of those officers that used his leave to go ashore in Vietnam and fight -He was aware of the Tet Offensive in early 1968 -Received daily reports about the progress of the war -Flew over Vietnam during the war with his wife -Confident that America had achieved near total air superiority (01:19:56) Visiting Ports on the Enterprise -Subic Bay was not just for the supplies, but a place for the crew to rest and relax -There were a lot of prostitutes as well as local girls -Some of the sailors would fall in love and want to get married -Venereal disease was common -Went to Hong Kong for sightseeing, shopping, and eating -Had custom made uniforms made -Bought gifts for family members -Went to the border and looked across the fence into the People's Republic of China -Wasn't impressive to him -Anything bought in Hong Kong could not have come from China -Visited Sasebo, Japan on his second tour -Had to anchor off shore because the harbor wasn't big enough -Allowed to go ashore -Not much to do there though -The Japanese weren't welcoming and did not want the Americans there -There were protests about the U.S. presence -When he went to shore he got tear gassed (01:25:02) USS Pueblo Incident -They were en route to Singapore and got orders to go to the Sea of Japan -The USS Pueblo had been captured by North Korean ships -The Enterprise was ordered to go into North Korean waters -Could prompt an attack from North Korean air craft -Something the Enterprise was not equipped to handle -The captain requested the ship to be transferred -His request went unanswered -In response to that he ordered the ship to sail to Yankee Station (01:27:11) Life aboard the USS Enterprise -The Enterprise was effectively a small city of 5,500 sailors -Most of the crew being eighteen to twenty two years old -Some accidents happened -In the tire shop a tire was over inflated which caused it to explode -Led to a sailor needing both of his hands amputated -There was a firefighting detachment to battle fires -There was fire somewhere on the ship every day -Morale was great -Had great respect for Commanding Office James Holloway III -Commanding Officer Kent Lee was also an excellent leader �-Both of the commanding officers managed the ship differently -Holloway was more personable and took time to be with the enlisted men -Lee was efficient, but more distant -There were no race problems while he was aboard the ship (01:31:45) Office of Naval Research -After his time aboard the Enterprise ended in 1968 he took the Reactor Safeguard Exam -He was sent to the Office of Naval Research in Washington D.C. -Managed university research contracts -Also using research funds to boost engineering programs at universities -Enjoyed his assignment to the Office of Naval Research -Worked with great people, especially those from Scripps Research Institute -Also worked with personnel from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution -Worked with a young Robert Ballard -Later made famous for finding shipwrecks, namely, the RMS Titanic -He made the rank of commander while he was there -Stationed there for three years -His wife got involved with the officers' wives' club -Able to go to the theatre and to the Kennedy Center -While he was stationed there the ARPANET project was underway -The goal was to create a computer network for universities to use to communicate -ARPANET would eventually evolve and become the internet -By now it was 1971 (01:35:45) WestPac Assignment Pt. 1 -He received a call concerning his next assignment -Thought that after his time at the Office of Naval Research he would retire -Offered an assignment that was equivalent to command at sea aboard a destroyer -In other words, the assignment would be similar to commanding a destroyer -It was a WestPac assignment and it would be overseas -Could bring his family with him -He and his wife had just adopted their seven month old son -The assignment was for Naval Magazine Subic, Subic Bay, Philippines (01:39:29) Social Unrest in the U.S. -Anti-war protests and racial violence was flaring in the United States -While stationed in Washington D.C. he would have to cross the Potomac Bridge -There were machine gun emplacements on the bridge and on the capitol steps -There were civilian snipers at housing projects shooting at Marines (01:41:17) WestPac Assignment Pt. 2 -Had to report for duty in the Philippines in June 1971 -Wife and son were able to join him in July 1971 -It was a three year tour and a challenging one -The first two years he could get any supplies that he needed to fight the war -With the U.S. involvement in Vietnam ending in 1973 his supplies were cut -Living in the Philippines wasn't difficult �-Had a live-in maid, a nurse, and a groundskeeper -It was like being royalty -Supplied the mines for the mining of Haiphong -During that time they were hit with a rain storm that lasted 103 days -Able to move 103,000 tons of sea mines and other ordnance -Had a request from an Air Force commander for bombs for the bombing of Cambodia -He refused to give him the bombs -They were bombs designed for Navy aircraft, not Air Force aircraft -He received a medal, and the base received a commendation, for his leadership in 1973 (01:47:12) Naval Surface Warfare Center -In 1974 he was selected to go to Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center -Located in Potomac, Maryland -Bought a home in Calverton, Maryland -Lived there with his family until family quarters became available at the Center -He became the Ordnance Application Officer -Working with civilian researchers -If they had a question about how their idea could be applied to the Navy they asked him -Very rarely got asked any questions though -Tended to be a dead end for a career in the Navy -He wasn't ready to retire, and didn't want to sit in an office for two years doing nothing -He convinced his commanding officer that he (the CO) should have some oversight -Approved to create a review process for projects -He held the first review and selected the project that seemed to be the best -Wound up being a failure and the project lead getting fired -Got passed over to be promoted to captain -Dissapointing, but not surprising -Offered a few options for his next assignment -Decided to stay there and continue trying to do the best that he could (01:53:58) Naval Sea Systems Command -Eventually asked by one of his old executive officers to join him at Naval Sea Systems Command -Needed someone to be a Weapons Systems Acquisition Manager -Would buy the weapons systems being produced in New Jersey -Outfitting ships with the Aegis Combat System -Made ships capable of handling numerous targets simultaneously -Fully integrated, computerized weapons system -First ships were cruisers -Subsequent class of ships were destroyers -Many of them are still in service today as of 2015 -Capable of defending against land based and air based missiles -Based in Washington D.C. -Did that from 1977-1979 (01:57:45) Naval Weapons Station Earle �-There was a need for a commanding officer at Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey -Accepted that position -Essentially doing the same thing that he had done in Subic Bay -Had a one mile long pier, and two three mile long piers being built -This was to keep munitions laden ships away from civilians in case anything happened -Piers had been built in response to the SS El Estero incident in 1943 -A ship carrying Hedgehogs (anti-submarine weapons) caught fire at a civilian pier -Had they exploded it would have caused a massive loss of life -During WWII had been the main staging area for munitions for the Normandy invasion -Stationed there from 1979-1982 -Found New Jersey to be a very welcoming state -Met a lot of good people, both Navy and civilian -Went to New York City with his wife and saw Broadway shows -Visited museums -Went to the top of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center -Saw the Statue of Liberty -The post-Vietnam atmosphere didn't have much of an effect on him -The Navy had better personnel management than the Army -But believes that this is because the Navy was smaller than the Army -Didn't see any officers being forced into retirement like in the Army -Completed that assignment in 1982 (02:07:18) John Hopkins University -Requested to be assigned to Washington D.C. -Wanted to be assigned to the Applied Physics Laboratory at John Hopkins University -Granted that assignment -Had to get different resources from different sponsors from projects -The sponsors would always ask to see the projects before they gave further resources (02:09:59) Retirement -Retired one year early -Bothered by the culture of the Navy where certain stations were left neglected -Ex. Inland stations were treated better than waterfront stations -Wanted the final assignment to John Hopkins so he didn't become irrelevant over night -Saw a lot of officers retire from a good station, and then be forgotten -While at Naval Weapons Station Earle he was trying to change the aforementioned Naval culture -Ex. had the change of command ceremony at the waterfront station -Not in front of the Officers' Club -This required an old train station to be refurbished for the ceremony -While at John Hopkins University he was told that charges were being filed against him -Believes that it was disgruntled civilian employees complaining about him �-Didn't give them paid leave whenever they wanted it, for frivolous reasons -He was charged with dereliction of duty and misappropriation of funds -Went before a non-judicial board of captains for his administrative punishment -The admiral dismissed the charges and allowed him to resume his job -Although the charges were dropped it motivated him to retire from the Navy (02:17:42) Life after the Navy -Took his retirement trip with his family to New Orleans for the 1984 Louisiana World Expo -Toured the South -Visited his parents who had retired to Florida -Visited Disney World -Went back up to Bay View, Michigan for the rest of the summer -Put in his application to work for the Vitro Corporation -Defense contractor that worked with the Navy -Had dealt with them before while he was at John Hopkins University -Worked for them for about twelve and a half years -Eventually returned to the Lansing/Ann Arbor area to be closer to family (02:19:20) Reflections on Service and the Navy -Believes that it was beneficial to him in every way as a person -Helped him get a career after he retired from the Navy -Believes that the Navy has improved since he left -When he entered the Navy it had low morale and poor funding -Improved during the Vietnam years, but then faltered due to low public support -Believes that a draft would be beneficial -Would curb military adventurism -Came to the conclusion that the Vietnam War was largely an effort in futility -Attended commissioning ceremonies for ships and met some new junior officers -Impressed by how motivated and dedicated the new officers were � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PalmerP1724V Title A name given to the resource Palmer, Philip Maynard (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-01-22 Description An account of the resource Philip Palmer was born on May 23, 1933 in Lansing, Michigan. After high school he joined the Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps and studied at the University of Wisconsin, receiving training aboard the USS Roanoke, USS William R Rush, and at Little Creek, Virginia and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. He graduated and was commissioned in 1955 with a degree in chemical engineering and a degree in naval science. He served aboard the USS Strickland and the USS Hissem and served as a Navy ROTC instructor at the University of Michigan. He served aboard the USS Meadowlark during the Bay of Pigs invasion. He studied at the US Naval Postgraduate School and at Ohio State University and received nuclear reactor training in Bainbridge, Maryland and Idaho Falls, Idaho. He served aboard the USS Enterprise during the Vietnam War from 1966-1968, afterwards being assigned to the Office of Naval Research. In 1971 he reported for duty at Naval Magazine Subic in Subic Bay, Philippines and served there until 1974 when he was reassigned to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Potomac, Maryland. He then served at Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington D.C. and then at Naval Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey. His final assignment was at the Applied Physics Laboratory at John Hopkins University and he retired from that in 1984. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Palmer, Philip Maynard Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5da76090163deecf8c2d83d698d0be95.mp4 555850c3d945b8dbceefa674b40406cf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d94419efba90b7ab0b1f90dac4d6b40c.pdf 84897d45463a877fd018e8aafc44500f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Donnally Palmer World War II 1 hour 46 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born on June 6, 1918 in South Dakota -Lived there until he was ten years old -His father was a rancher -Had to change jobs when drought hit the area -Family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and his father got a manufacturing job -Eventually got assigned to Grand Rapids, Michigan -His father had work throughout the Great Depression -Things went well until the mid-1930s -Eventually went to work in a factory and own a farm on the edge of Grand Rapids -He was thirteen when his family moved to Grand Rapids -Graduated from high school in 1936 -Worked at Grand Rapids Metalcraft for three years before getting drafted -He worked in the paint department then was promoted to engineering -He was doing drafting and design -Learned how to do this on his own (00:03:08) Getting Drafted and Basic Training -He received his draft notice in 1941 prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor -He had paid attention to the news about the war in Europe -He didn’t think about the war, just thought about doing service to his country -He was sent to Camp Roberts by train -He was originally placed in the intelligence unit -He had been screened and tested and was selected to go into intelligence -His training for intelligence gathering was done at night -Learning how to work undercover behind enemy lines -He received some of the basic discipline training and rifle training -Training lasted thirteen weeks (00:06:44) Start of the War and Transfer to Signal Corps -Pearl Harbor happened after basic training was completed -He was placed on a train and was sent to Camp Haan, California -He was transferred to the Signal Corps -He was made the company clerk at first and didn’t enjoy that -Was assigned to be the corporal in charge of supplies -His unit became the 582nd Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion near the end of the war -He was in the Headquarters Company -His job was to make sure that everyone was supplied (00:09:35) Deployment Pt. 1 -From Camp Haan they were sent to Tampa, Florida -Continued supply operations there �-Taken by trucks to a warehouse -Believes that some material was being sent home to soldiers’ families -Understood that because people were still suffering from the Depression (00:10:38) Downtime in the United States -He got to see Los Angeles and visit his aunt and uncle while in California -He didn’t get much downtime when he was in Florida (00:11:40) Organization of the Unit -By the time they got overseas they had full companies with clear duties -Wire company, HQ Company, plotting company, and a radar company -Job was to help guide planes and assist in communication -Did this by coordinating information with the Army Air Force -They developed this duty after they went overseas (00:12:46) Deployment Pt. 2 -Some of their equipment was lost at sea -When they got to England they were attached to a British company -He was impressed by the British troops -They left the United States in September 1942 out of Tampa -Sailed to Ireland, then to England -Stayed on the English Isles for three weeks -Sailed aboard the Queen Mary -The voyage was rough -They sailed alone until they reached Greenland -At that point four escort ships joined them -After the ships joined them there was a collision with the HMS Curacao -The ship sank and 239 men were lost at sea -A lot of men got seasick (00:15:43) Stationed in England -There were blackouts every night while they were in England -They bivouacked in Ireland and England -They were equipped with light clothing, heavy clothing, and impregnated clothing -Impregnated clothing: specialized clothing in the event of a gas attack -Had to wear this type of clothing during the invasion of North Africa -They were stationed in the countryside of Ireland and England (00:17:56) Invasion of North Africa -Boarded the Batory (a Polish ship) -Stayed on it for forty days sailing towards North Africa -They were fed mutton, bread, butter, and marmalade -He was assigned to an actual room aboard the ship because he was a supply sergeant -He had signed up for Officer’s Training in the States -Didn’t receive the approval letter until he was sailing towards North Africa -Landed at Oran, Algeria at night in November 1942 -Passed through the Straits of Gibraltar -Had a few U-Boat scares on the way to North Africa -They landed at Oran a few days after the invasion had begun -There were still snipers in the area that posed a threat to them �(00:20:49) Stationed in Algeria -From Oran they traveled to a nearby airport -He didn’t see any of the Vichy French forces -A friend of his accidentally killed a French pedestrian and was arrested by the French -He was placed in a prison run by the Vichy French -He was in squalid conditions, looked like an animal in a cage -By now they were guiding back ships that were damaged to the port -German aircraft were strafing their positions -They were living in tents and make-shift shelters -The nights were cold -Stayed in Oran for a couple months (00:24:47) Advancing across North Africa -They moved forward, and then had to fall back in February 1943 -This was because of the German offensive at the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia -He had finally gotten to meet his commanding officer while he was in Oran -From Oran they had moved to Tebessa, Algeria -As they advanced they had to wait for the majority of the supplies to catch up with them -The radar was mounted on trucks and could advance with them -Even in 1942/1943 there was a sense that the Allies would win the war -The question was just how long it would actually take to reach victory -They weren’t taking many casualties at this time -During his time in Africa he encountered Arabs -They had been treated like second class citizens under the French -They were friendly and regularly traded with the Americans -His unit was moved around as needed -From Tebessa they moved to Bizerte, Tunisia near Carthage -This would become the staging area for their next invasion (00:30:54) Invasion of Sicily -The next step was the invasion of Sicily -He prepared his jeep for driving underwater -Thought that he would have to drive from the landing craft to the beachhead -Had to wait another day after the invasion before going ashore -The Germans tried to repel the invasion by strafing and bombing the beachhead -The Allies and the Germans were exchanging artillery fire when he landed -He was only about ½ mile from the frontline (00:32:37) Stationed in Sicily -Established operations radar and communication -They were beginning to take casualties, but not many -He had a few close calls while in Sicily -He and a friend had confiscated some German cots to sleep in -That night a bomb landed close to them -During the advance tanks were moving towards the front -At one point tanks rolled by him and missed him by only a few feet -They followed units as they advanced -They were following the 7th Army, and possibly the 1st Infantry Division -He remembers seeing Patton’s tank and saluting it �-It was mountainous and hilly, but there were few signs of damage from the war -The Sicilians were happy to see them -Slept in tents and foxholes -He saw Mount Etna -He remembers hearing a BBC broadcast that Italy surrendered and troops were celebrating -There were no celebrations that he knew of (00:37:32) Invasion of Italy -Despite Italy surrendering there were still large numbers of Germans resisting the invasion -At Salerno, German tanks were advancing toward his position -All he had to defend his position was a Thompson submachine gun -Fortunately the tanks never came -The Germans were bombing the Allied ships during the invasion of Italy -He landed within a day or two of the initial invasion -The German aircraft were still strafing and bombing the area -Job was to get communications established -It took three weeks for the fighting to stop near the beachhead (00:39:53) Stationed in Italy -Eventually the British linked up with them and helped advance towards Rome -He was set up in a schoolyard -There was a period when they weren’t advancing too much -Coordinating with air units to plot movements and targets -During the invasion some of their wire was lost -He later found a warehouse full of wire and reported it back to his colonel -Given a truck and told to collect the wire and had to do this at night -Also had to do this while tanks were fighting in the area -He stayed in the schoolyard through the winter of 1943 -One of his lieutenants was dating an Italian girl from a nearby town -The Italians seemed grateful that the Americans had driven out the Germans -He didn’t see any problems with black market trading -Got close to the Cassino Line near Monte Cassino -His duties remained the same -Heard the news of the invasion at Anzio -The battalion was supporting the entire 5th Army -By the end of May/early June 1944 the German line was broken and Rome was liberated -Rome was liberated on June 4, 1944 -He got to see the Coliseum and the Vatican (00:49:10) Invasion of Southern France and Returning Home -He was allowed an R&R at the island of Capri for one week -He participated in the invasion of Southern France in August 1944 -It was an easy invasion and there was very little resistance from the Germans -By his time in Europe ended he was near the German border -In the fall of 1944 he was sent back to the United States for Stateside duty (00:51:57) Loss of Position -During his time in Sicily he got sick and was eventually placed in a medical tent in Italy -He lost his command because a subordinate sergeant usurped his authority -Became the supply sergeant instead of Donnally �-His commanding officer was not aware of the insubordination -This sergeant was new, but the rest of the men were good (00:54:34) Serving in the United States -There wasn’t much fighting in France while he was there -He was picked to go home because he had enough “points” to leave Europe -He was placed on a ship and taken back to the United States -Remembers seeing the Statue of Liberty -Still moves him to tears to think about that moment -His job was to start Supply Schools around the United States for the Army -He kept getting moved without ever getting a chance to accomplish his task -He had gotten married while he was in the Army -Wife was able to stay with him in Geneva, Nebraska when he was stationed there -He was stationed in Geneva, Nebraska; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; other parts of the country -Wasn’t concerned about getting sent to Japan or the Pacific Theatre -Spent most of his time in Geneva in charge of supplies -While living in Geneva he and his wife lived with four other Army couples (00:59:08) End of the War -He was in Geneva when Japan surrendered -Remembers that there were celebrations all over the country -They celebrated with a bonfire -He was sent to Chicago and was discharged in September 1945 (00:59:54) Life after the War -He went to the University of Michigan on the GI Bill and studied architecture -He had an architecture office in Grand Rapids -He retired from architecture and went on to develop two large pieces of land -After architecture and land development he pursued painting � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PalmerD1738V Title A name given to the resource Palmer, Donnally (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-03-31 Description An account of the resource Donnally Palmer was born in 1918 in South Dakota. Growing up he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and Grand Rapids, Michigan. He graduated from high school in 1936 and was drafted into the Army in mid-1941. He received basic training and intelligence gathering training at Camp Roberts, California. At the end of his training Pearl Harbor was bombed and he was sent to Camp Haan, California and was transferred to the Army Signal Corps. He was placed in the unit that would eventually become the 582nd Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion. His initial duty was to oversee supplies, but that duty was changed overseas to guide ships and aircraft that were damaged, as well as keep track of Allied and enemy aircraft, and targets. He sailed overseas aboard the Queen Mary and saw the sinking of the HMS Curacao. He took part in the invasion of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Southern France. In fall 1944 he was sent back to the United States for Stateside duty and was discharged from the Army in September 1945. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Palmer, Donnally Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/41498d30ed1cdebf003f7a66e0ba37c1.mp4 a86484de17350bc0ac0de4964c5d2a62 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e98250d5f6d1acdf058e5077506827a6.pdf 575b4aca57821244cc20fbb4a32de7f8 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Vietnam War Tom Pack Length of interview: (1:00:14) (00:00) Early Life      (00:25) Tom was born in Kansas City, Kansas on December 12, 1949 There were a total of nine children in Tom’s family. His father was a painting contractor, a job that forced the family to move frequently. After his parents divorced, Tom lived with his mother and younger siblings. Tom graduated from high school in Kansas City, Kansas in 1967 o He was only 17 years old, one of the youngest in his graduating class After graduation, he worked for a moving company for a short time before getting a job with Avon Products in the shipping department In June, 1969, Tom was drafted o He knew very little about the war in Vietnam other than the fact that it wasn’t very popular. (2:50) Training     (3:00) Tom and his next door neighbor were drafted at the same time; Tom was placed in the Army while his neighbor was put into the Marine Corps. After his placement, Tom was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for training o Nearly six months earlier, Tom’s friend had been drafted, therefore Tom had an idea of what to expect once he arrived for training. The first week of training consisted of various tests to determine where each man was best suited. o Tom’s test scores were very good and he was told that he could essentially pick what area he wanted to go into. He thought that becoming a clerk would keep him relatively safe from harm. Basic training consisted of physical training, class time, and weapons training. o A lot of emphasis was placed on unity, if one man messed up, all were punished. It was crucial for the men to act as a unit o Tom didn’t have much trouble adjusting to military life. Blending in was an important part of this; it was relatively easy for Tom because he was always in the middle when everyone was lined up (since his last name begins with P) o There were men of all backgrounds in Tom’s training class, including one professor and two teachers. The younger, less mature men had a more difficult time adjusting to military life �       o In terms of physical shape, Tom didn’t have many problems since he was a manual laborer before he was drafted (7:30) During training, Tom and his comrades used both the M14 and M16 rifles After a total of eight weeks, Tom graduated basic training and was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for artillery training for eight weeks o They trained using a 105 Howitzer, a gun that required a crew of men to operate o The main gunner would set the coordinates, the assistant gunner set the elevation and fired the gun, one man loaded the gun, and everybody else lugged ammunition o The ammunition came in boxes of two rounds without fuses. After removing the round from a fiber tubing, a fuse was added (either impact or timed detonation fuse). o Each round had seven charges in it and weighed nearly 49 pounds. Depending on the distance of the shot, the number of charges on the round was adjusted. o Tom had no training on any other type of artillery (11:20) During artillery training, Tom had a couple of short weekends to go off base; however his activities were limited because he didn’t have much money. A private made less than $112 a month and after his expenses (things that the army made him pay for such as laundry) there wasn’t much left. Tom finished the artillery training in the first week of October. Throughout the entirety of his training, no one told Tom or his comrades much about what they should expect when they arrived in Vietnam. He was given a 25 day leave before he had to report to Oakland Army Base in California Tom doesn’t feel that his family truly grasped the reality of what he was doing. o He would write to his mother and tell her about the weather and not much else. After spending a day at Oakland Army Base, Tom boarded a commercial airplane and began his trip to Vietnam. o They stopped first in Hawaii, where they were able to exit the airplane (but not allowed to explore). o Next, they stopped in Wake Island to refuel. They were once again allowed to exit the plane; however, due to the island’s small size, they were unable to explore o Finally, they arrived at Bien Hoa Airbase in Vietnam (16:00) Vietnam     (16:05) As they approached the runway at Bien Hoa, the plane descended nose-up to make it easy for them to take off if they began to take fire from the ground. If the nose of the plane was pointed down, it would be very difficult for them to take off again. When Tom exited the aircraft, the humidity and the smell hit him hard. He compares the smell of Vietnam to garbage. Upon arrival, Tom was put through a weeklong training simply called “P Training”. Here he learned various tactics he would be using while he was in Vietnam. Tom was eventually placed into the 101st Airborne Division. He was transported from Bien Hoa to Phu Bai, and from Phu Bai to Camp Evans. �     o He describes Camp Evans as laid back. When he reported to his unit (Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery) no one was there. The next day, he was flown to his unit with the daily delivery of food and mail. (20:00) His unit was positioned within six miles of the DMZ. When he arrived, he was assigned to Gun 1. o Tom was told to stay out of the way because the unity was preparing to move back to Camp Evans the next day o Before they left the position, everything had to be packed up. The sandbags had to be emptied and the gun and ammo would be wrapped in a net and picked up by a Chinook They returned to Camp Evans and remained there through Thanksgiving. The next time they went into the field, they were sent to Firebase O’Reilly, north of Firebase Ripcord o Unfortunately for the men in Tom’s unit, this was monsoon season. They would be stuck on O’Reilly for 24 days without resupply. o When the rain and clouds finally broke, the men were pulled off O’Reilly. Tom remembers that the sky was filled with Chinooks that day After returning to Camp Evans for showers and supplies, Tom was sent to Firebase Jack, roughly six miles from Camp Evans o He remembers being at Jack for two months (through Christmas) o Tom and his unit frequently fired to harass the enemy during this time. A lot of time was also spend lugging ammunition to the guns (25:50) After one of the gunners on the battery went home (either the gunner or assistant gunner) went home, the other men started to act more welcoming. o Originally, Tom and the other new guys were called “cherries” and largely ignored. Earlier in 1969, the 101st Airborne assaulted Hamburger Hill and many of the men were ready to go home o Despite the barriers between men of various levels of experience, Tom received a lot of help in learning how to operate the artillery piece. o The 105 Howitzer that they were using was smaller than the 105s from training and could be rotated to fire in any direction (28:55) Firebase Ripcord  After Firebase Jack, Tom was sent to Firebase Ripcord. He cannot remember the exact date but his battery was one of the first on the firebase (likely April 1970). o When he arrived, engineers had already prepared the firebase for gun positions o Tom and his comrades secured the gun with three foot spikes and began to fill sandbags which protected the ammunition. o Within 24 hours, Tom’s battery began firing. Infantry platoons would report enemy movement and the artillery would respond. They would fire two rounds from two guns for smaller threats; however, as the threat grew, more firepower was used. �     Tom and his comrades walked around freely on the firebase without fear of enemy attack. The men in the artillery kept mostly to themselves. Tom eventually began to lose his hearing. He was sent to the USS Repose for a hearing test. o The doctors told him that he needed to stay away from loud noises, which was hard to do since he was in the artillery. o Eventually, one man from each section (including Tom) was sent to Camp Evans (late June) to prepare ammunition. There was no longer any room on the firebase for the ammo boxes, so the men at Evans removed the ammo from the boxes and put it in nets for delivery to the firebase. o This job was done during the night due to the extreme heat and lasted for about two weeks before Tom was sent back to Ripcord. (36:44) Tom remained on Ripcord from the last part of June to July 15 when he was transferred to another unit. o He asked his Captain why he was being sent away and the Captain said he tried to fight the order but was unsuccessful. o On the day Tom left Ripcord, he had to run to the helipad on the bottom part of the firebase because they were taking a lot of enemy fire. It took two choppers for them to get out. During Tom’s last days on Ripcord, the enemy attacked the firebase vigorously o They began to fire at short range. All charges were removed from the ammunition but one and the duns were pointed towards nearby hills. o This was largely a guessing game. They could see where the rounds were hitting and adjusted accordingly. When Tom left the firebase, he had no way to contact the men in his previous unit to make sure that they had survived. It was only a year before this interview was conducted that he finally contacted one of his former comrades. (40:40) Reassigned   Tom was stationed near Tay Ninh (Southern Vietnam) with another artillery battery. o It was a different world in the south, the guns rarely fired at all. After a month, Tom was sent to the rear as a truck driver. o After a month driving a truck, Tom took R&R in Sydney Australia (he had been in Vietnam for nearly 11 months) o When he returned to Vietnam, he found that his unit was being sent to Bien Hoa for deactivation; however, Tom couldn’t go home because he had extended his tour. He was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division as a gate guard at their headquarters. It was a safe job. o South Vietnam was a very different world from what he knew in the north, things were much quieter. o He had a lot of contact with Vietnamese civilians because they worked inside the base as cleaners and maintenance staff. �  The only city that Tom visited was Saigon, which he compared to being in the United States. Tom feels that his time in Vietnam went very quick when he was in action, but went very slow when he wasn’t. He also discusses the challenges of providing accurate artillery fire when no one could see where the shells were landing (which was most of the time). (47:30) After Vietnam         The process of leaving Vietnam was relatively painless. He received his orders and was put on a plane to the United States. o They first stopped in Anchorage, Alaska (December 14). It was very cold and they had no jackets; however, it felt good. o Finally, they arrived at Oakland Army Base where they were given fresh uniforms and showers before they were released. He flew back from Vietnam with a man named John who was heading back to Kansas. Tom and John flew back to Kansas on the same flight and shared a taxi to their respective homes. Tom recalls a peculiar situation that occurred upon his return to Kansas. Two of the men (who were still privates) that had completed basic training with Tom were getting ready to go to Vietnam. They had apparently gotten into some trouble and were just now leaving. In total, Tom was in the army for 18 months and six days. o He arrived at his mother’s house at 7am. After the initial surprise of his homecoming, he realized that he didn’t have a plan for what he was going to do next. o Rather than take a break, he immediately went to work at Avon Products in the shipping department. He was quickly promoted to one of the higher positions in the department (which angered some of his coworkers). His girlfriend had broken up with him while he was in Vietnam. When he returned, be began dating a woman that he knew in high school and they were married in late 1971. (53:55) It was initially difficult to adjust to civilian life. o He was frightened by loud noises for a while and had a difficult time hearing (he had over 50% hearing loss). Looking back on his time in the service, Tom felt that he did his duty; however, he is disappointed that we fought in a war that the U.S. lost. The discipline that he was given in the military would benefit kids today. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_PackT1887V Title A name given to the resource Pack, Thomas Arthur (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-10-08 Description An account of the resource Tom Pack was born on December 12, 1949 in Kansas City, Kansas. He was drafted in June, 1969 and completed his training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. When he arrived in Vietnam, Tom was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. His battery (battery B) was positioned on Firebase O'Reilly, Firebase Jack, and was one of the first batteries on Firebase Ripcord in April, 1970. In July, 1970, Tom was transferred out of the 101st due to major hearing loss he spent the remainder of his tour driving trucks and guarding the headquarters of the 1st Cavalry Division. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Pack, Thomas Arthur Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8e57f56fce4b67a191de080a59b498fb.mp4 0e767f530bada03185b2886777cadfee https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/789685d74b3311770400fede1e46846a.pdf 15691999ae5de0e92367fe72537b9868 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Jessica Oudbier War on Terror 2 hours 38 minutes 37 seconds (00:00:14) Early Life -Born on April 6, 1989 in Fort Ord, California near Monterrey, California -Father was stationed there at the time for the Defense Language Institute -He was planning on becoming a Russian linguist for the military -Moved around a lot growing up -Lived in Colorado -Then in Spokane, Washington -Father was assigned to NORAD -Parents got divorced shortly after her father was assigned to NORAD -She and her mother and siblings moved to Spokane, Washington -Spent most of her early life growing up on military bases -Difficult to form long lasting friendships because she moved around a lot -Father was a Russian linguist and also collected data from satellites -She had one brother and two half siblings -First went to John R. Rogers High School in Spokane, Washington -Left Spokane when she was sixteen to move in with her father in Beaver Creek, Ohio -Attended Beaver Creek High School and graduated from there in 2007 -It was not uncommon for children in Spokane to have a parent in the military -Took care of mother and brother growing up (00:06:17) Enlisting and September 11th Attacks -Knew she would enlist in the military when she was old enough -There was the expectation she would serve the government in some way -Remembers being thirteen when 9/11 happened -She was in class at Jefferson Middle School -Trying to explain to her teacher that America was under attack -She needed to call her father to make sure he was okay -Uncle worked in the Pentagon -Eventually confirmed that he was alive, but very busy -Grew up knowing that the United States would eventually be attacked -Wanted to serve her country already, 9/11 just made it concrete -Knew that college wasn’t for her -Felt that it would be better to serve her country than waste her time -Enlisted when she was seventeen in the Navy -Mother was fine with it and so was her father -Had to go through psych exams for security clearance -Enlisted on August 15, 2007 (00:13:53) Basic Training -Sent to MEPC for processing Cleveland, Ohio -Set up in a hotel �-Interviewed and examined again to make sure you’re fit for service -Flown to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training -Knew what to expect from training from talking to her father and family -It was interesting to watch recruits from civilian families trying to argue with instructors -Also kind of entertaining -Stripped, given military clothing, and given a short haircut -A lot of recruits joined to pay for college, needed the money, or they faced jail instead -Only one or two recruits from rich families -The goal was to break down the individual and build up the unit -Did this by inciting division and urging recruits to work together -Break down the idea of being an individual and individual competition -Responding almost unconsciously to orders -Physical training consisted of marching, running and calisthenics -Took courses on Navy history and on ship classification -Scored 96 out of 100 on the ASVAB and wanted to work on a nuclear submarine -Wasn’t allowed to do that because she was a female sailor -The first couple weeks were difficult because two female recruits didn’t like her -Accused her of being racist and arrogant when in fact she was neither -Tried to confront them and deal with the issue -They were eventually kicked out of the Navy -Male recruits were wary of talking to female recruits -She was placed in charge of singing cadence and also temporary second in command -Everyone got sick at the start of basic training -Got picked to be the AROC because she didn’t lose her voice -Basic training lasted eight weeks -Final test was “battle stations” and after that was in the Navy (00:32:28) Advanced Training -Placed on a bus and driven across the street to A School for operations specialist training -It was a good job -Working in CIC on a ship, dealing with communications and computers -Watched radar screens and talked to other ships and also handled air traffic -Training consisted of spending eight hours each day sitting in classrooms -Learned about semaphore, Morse code, and radio etiquette -Learning more about the different types of ships and satellites -Taking tests -Took night classes to help speed up the process -Able to visit Chicago on a few occasions -Found ways to get extra sleep and get cigarette breaks -Learned it’s just about being respectful to people with authority -Completed operations specialist training in February 2008 (00:38:24) Tactical Air Control Squadron 12 -Wanted to go to work at NORAD like her father -Request was denied -Sent to Tactical Air Control Squadron 12 in San Diego, California -Worked alongside air traffic controllers -Considered “staff” because they worked for the fleet commander �-Meant they were afforded certain privileges -Didn’t have to do the same things other sailors had to -She wasn’t well received -Made some friends, made some enemies -Assigned specifically to Coronado Naval Air Station -Given a lot of freedom (00:41:24) Sexism and Harassment Pt. 1 -Didn’t expect the sexism and double standards -Started dating Marines -Received a lot of trouble from other female service members -There was one older, female officer that targeted her -Harassed her consistently -Tried to be relaxed and professional about that harassment -Worked hard and got promoted quickly -Other service members claimed she just used sex to get promoted -One older Marine got her number and began to call her -Eventually led to sexual abuse on a regular basis -She could not get rid of him -He wrecked her car (00:49:00) First Deployment -Deployed aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard in the summer of 2008 -Taking part in RIMPAC with foreign navies and marines in Hawaii -Rim of the Pacific Exercise -Doing naval exercises -Got to stay in Honolulu and met a good Canadian soldier -She got along better with foreign service members -They treated their women better -Harassed for spending more time with them than Americans -Began training for Theatre Battle Management Combat System (TBMCS) -Correlating data with air, land, and sea forces of American and foreign forces -Sent to Point Loma, California for that training -Enjoyed it -Became a systems administrator -Meant she would be working with officers which was more relaxing -Didn’t have to deal with the same amount of harassment -There was still no way to report harassment though -Did a lot of monitoring and waiting -Joined thinking that there would be more actual combat -Learned that the boredom and helplessness of being on a ship was mind numbing -There was no privacy and anything you said or did, everyone found out about -Saw the best and worst of people aboard the Bonhomme Richard -No chance to relax and get away from people -This was especially stressful since everyone she knew, hated her (01:02:30) Sexism and Harassment Pt. 2 -Living with a man who routinely sexually abused her -He would manipulate her and would blackmail her �-She had moved in with him to a place in the middle of nowhere -This made the abuse even worse -The abuse led to identity issues, depression, and work problems -She got an unfair and bad reputation that followed her through the Navy and her personal life -Eventually found out that he was married and receiving a housing allowance from the Marines -Found out that he was married after he was deployed to Afghanistan -He wound up divorcing his wife to try and keep Jessica around -She was too young to understand that it was just more manipulation -He was also selling spice (synthetic form of marijuana, illegal, but didn’t show in drug tests) -He would videotape him raping her, drugging her, and inviting other men to rape her -She eventually got pregnant because of him -Decided that the only way to deal with this was to commit suicide -At least then she and the child would be free of him -Decided to overdose on pills and cough syrup -Led to a miscarriage, but did not kill her -After surviving the miscarriage and suicide attempt she had to go to work -Continued to have to live in the situation without any chance of escape -Eventually summoned the courage to write him a “Dear John” letter -“Dear John” – break up letter -Received it when he was in Afghanistan -Made the situation even worse because now he was seen as the victim (01:16:00) Meeting Rocky -She began to take part in a “workup” (preparing for the ship to be deployed) -During the workup she met a Marine by the name of Rocky -It was love at first sight -They bonded over their mutual affection for Pearl Jam -He was a good man, and it was an honest relationship -Tim called from Afghanistan about the Dear John letter -Rocky intervened on her behalf and told him that she was done with him -In the meantime Rocky was transferred to the Bonhomme Richard -The cruise was eventually extended to a ten month deployment -Had to maintain professionalism with Rocky during the cruise -But still had to maintain the relationship as well -Both wanted to be mature and respectful with each other -Tim then sent all of the videotapes of her “taking” drugs to her superiors -This led to her being investigated (01:20:30) Second Deployment -At the time of her second deployment she managed to avoid her coworkers -They were still harassing her -Made sure that she did her job and did it well to avoid any further scrutiny -Began to work with one marine by the name of Sergeant Oudbier -The destination of the second deployment was the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen -In the meantime, Tim has had her car and all of her personal possessions destroyed -Also has had her pets killed and attempted to destroy her friendships -She was also being investigated by an officer that hated her -Tim had friends aboard the ship that were also watching her so he could harass her with letters �-During the deployment the Marines were starting to get anxious and destructive -This caused her and the other sailors problems -After the Gulf of Aden they sailed for Thailand -It was a chance to spend some time with Rocky -Tim has also managed to destroy Rocky’s prized guitar by this time too -During this deployment Sergeant Oudbier is sent to Djibouti (01:27:13) Combat Operations -During the second deployment the Bonhomme Richard was carrying out classified operations -Sending out strike fighters to bomb unknown targets in Yemen -Knew about, but didn’t know about, the people that were dying from the air strikes -Believes that it was nothing less than mass murder -Innocent men, women, and children were getting killed indiscriminately -Even pitied the militants who had no way of defending against the air strikes -Had to approach her job by being numb and detached (01:29:52) Meeting Sergeant Oudbier -After the operations in the Gulf of Aden the ship sailed to Malaysia -Couldn’t find Rocky because he had gone off with his friends -Sergeant Oudbier came back to the ship from Djibouti -Wife had divorced him over Christmas -This led to her and Sergeant Oudbier getting closer -During the deployment she had been under a lot of stress and was being overworked -Ship eventually pulled into Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -She and Sergeant Oudbier were the only ones aboard the ship -He found her sobbing and decided that they both needed to get away -He took her out for dates in the city, one thing led to another, and she got pregnant -She met up with Rocky and broke up with him -She couldn’t handle the emotional stress of being with another disloyal man -The pregnancy was a complete surprise -She had been told that, after the miscarriage, she couldn’t have children -At this point she now faced being dishonorably discharged, homeless, and pregnant -She was told on April 1, 2010 that she was pregnant -Thought that it was a sick April Fool’s Day joke at first -Because she was pregnant she had to be flown off the ship -The ship was in Pearl Harbor and only two weeks from returning to the U.S. -Still had to do the “flight of shame” out of Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii -In light of the circumstances, she and Sergeant Oudbier began dating (01:39:45) Stationed in San Diego -She was able to sleep on a friend’s couch in San Diego for two weeks -Her family didn’t know she was off the ship and pregnant -Told them when they came to greet her in San Diego -Also introduced them to Matt Oudbier -She was transferred to the Transient Personnel Unit in San Diego -Moved into an apartment with Matt and started to learn about each other more -Assigned to Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility (FACSFAC) San Diego -Didn’t want to be assigned to that -Job was to track air traffic in the San Diego area �-She was being treated well by Matt and was away from the people that hated her -Decided to have another child with Matt before he was deployed to Afghanistan -Wanted to make sure that she had two children in rapid succession -First daughter was born on December 12, 2010 -She was working a rotating shift at FACSFAC -8AM-2PM, 2PM-10PM, 10PM-8AM, Thursday and Friday off -Made sleeping hard which made life hard -On top of this she was receiving death threats from Tim -Managed to get through all of it with the help of Matt -Transferred to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California after her second child (01:46:16) Reenlistment and Reassignment -She decided to reenlist and was reassigned to the USS New Orleans in November 2012 -At the time of her assignment to that ship it was in dry dock undergoing repairs -She was a regular operations specialist and was no longer considered “staff” -Met the new people that she would be working with, hoped that she could start over -She was an E5 (Petty Officer-2nd Class) -But she had no pins (enlisted warfare pins) and had two children -Both were major negatives, and her reputation had already followed her -Got off to a bad start with her coworkers -She was cleaning a space with them on the ship -Mentioned that a song sounded like a song by the rap group NWA -Someone reported her for being “racist” -Stuck up for herself and explained the context of the use of the word -The chief petty officer liked her and gave her plenty of work to do -The New Orleans got out of dry dock and began to do maneuvers to prepare for deployment -Matt was getting out of the Marines which meant he could stay with the kids (01:52:39) Leaving the Navy -Saw a young female sailor starting to go through the same things she had with Tim -Tried to give her advice about avoiding men like that -The girl wound up getting sexually assaulted anyway -She tried to defend the girl, but was rejected -Other sailors under her command were leaking classified information and getting it disorganized -Because she was in charge she was the one who was blamed for it -Faced going to prison because of it -Her emotional state deteriorated again and she began to contemplate suicide -Marriage wasn’t turning out the way she thought it would -Starting to “grey out”-essentially going through life on autopilot -While doing an air and sea exercise she finally had a nervous breakdown -Spoke with a medical officer, legal officer, and a chaplain -Told the chaplain everything that had happened to her in the Navy -She was removed and taken to shore via boat -Remembers seeing Comic-Con 2013 happening in San Diego -This would have placed her departure from the New Orleans in July 2013 -She was taken to meet with her psychologist who had helped her stay in the Navy -She had wanted to stay in the Navy, but was going to be medically discharged -She had wanted to go on the deployment �-People were saying she was just faking to get out of being deployed -Wishes that she could have had the friendships male sailors had had -She was considered “promiscuous” for talking to a male sailor -Or exercising in front of male sailors -Got discharged from the Navy in February 2014 (02:03:55) Moving to Michigan and Life after the Navy -Sent the children to Michigan to live with their maternal grandmother -Her depression was getting worse again -Braved it to be around for her husband and children -Lived in a motel with Matt while as they prepared to leave San Diego -One night she went to the hot tub and had a drink and one extra sleeping pill -Fell asleep in the hot tub, and Matt thought it was a suicide attempt -She was taken to Balboa Hospital and woke up in the mental ward -Had to stay there for a couple days before being released -Decided to move to Michigan and start their lives over there -Wanted to be able to attend Grand Valley State University -Figured that it would be best so that children could be watched by family -Moved her mother to Michigan from Texas -Neighborhood she was living in was getting worse -As of 2015, she is in therapy and is considered 80% disabled by the government (02:09:16) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -She doesn’t know how to explain to college students about her experiences in the Navy -About depression, military reputations, about how the enemy isn’t an enemy -Doesn’t feel like a war hero, just feels scarred from the sexual abuse -Has had to choose her children over revenge for what Tim did (02:13:46) Rape and Suicide -Saw countless women just trying to do their job and serve their country -All they got in return for it was to be raped -Found out that Rocky has since committed suicide -Boss at FACSFAC committed suicide after killing his wife -Other people she knew have since committed suicide (02:16:57) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Cannot readjust to being a civilian or a student -Has gotten almost no help from Veterans’ Affairs -Doesn’t spend time with other veterans because all she sees is pity -The Navy and the government continue to send money -They can retract that aid at will though -She grew up in the military and doesn’t know how to be a civilian -She is trying to be a good wife, mother, and daughter in spite of her depression -Doesn’t understand the arbitrary hierarchy of professor and student in college -Doesn’t make sense since the student is an investor, not an employee -Still has trust issues -Stays grounded via the Student Veterans of America at GVSU and Matt -Didn’t know she’d have to prepare for sexual and verbal abuse in the Navy -Didn’t know that she’d have to deal with the coldness and apathy of modern warfare -Believes that she didn’t get to fight the enemy, just got to fight her fellow sailors �-Her sense of patriotism and loyalty to the country have been shaken -Seeing innocent people killed and soldiers killed and maimed for an ambiguous cause -Doesn’t have the sense of camaraderie that she had in the Navy -Despite not getting along with her fellow sailors, at least there was common ground -There is the urge to return to the Navy and go on one last deployment -She wants her story to be known -Hopes that maybe it will make things better for someone else who has suffered -Gives her comfort that her suffering would not be for nothing � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_OudbierJ1732V Title A name given to the resource Oudbier, Jessica (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-02-19 Description An account of the resource Jessica Oudbier was born on April 6, 1989 in Fort Ord, California. Her father was in the Air Force and she grew up in various military communities, even after her parents divorced. After graduating from high school she enlisted in the Navy on August 15, 2007. She received basic training and communications training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois. She was assigned to Tactical Air Control Squadron 12 in San Diego, California. During her time there she withstood repeated sexual assaults as well as verbal harassment from fellow sailors. She was assigned to the USS Bonhomme Richard and took part in RIMPAC 2009 as well as a deployment to the Gulf of Aden for air strikes in Yemen. During her time in the Navy she got pregnant and got married and was assigned to FACSFAC in San Diego. She reenlisted in 2012 and was assigned to the USS New Orleans. After a nervous breakdown she was medically discharged from the Navy in February 2014 and moved to Michigan with her husband and children. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Oudbier, Jessica Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jones, Adam (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/df71455fad8494625cbb3333bd8087fa.m4v 6ed7addd4c27871dd9283d2b82daf30c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1114bb4ca23d0dba4e24bb8ae8017eb1.pdf de552576c5218bc1132c0a7e11227044 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project John Oracz World War II 2 hours 57 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1925 at the family home at 1012 Pulaski Street -His parents were Polish peasant immigrants -They had been living in America for six years at the time of his birth -His father was a furniture factory worker -The chief place of employment was Johnson Furniture in Grand Rapids -He wasn’t able to work too often during the Great Depression -It cost $5/month to live in their house -During the Depression sometimes they didn’t have enough to pay that -His mother cleaned offices in downtown Grand Rapids at night -She was part of a cleaning crew -She would bring home magazines and newspapers from the offices for the family -At home he spoke mostly Polish -He attended a Polish school and a Polish Catholic Church -For nine years of school he received Polish language courses -For high school he went to Davis Technical and Vocational School -Located where Grand Rapids Community College is now -He had to leave school early because of a work injury -He fractured his foot around Christmas 1940 while on his paper route -The journey to school was too difficult with an injured foot -He was forced to repeat the eleventh grade as a result of this -He wound up going to work with his father at the Johnson Furniture factory (00:05:00) Awareness of the War and Start of the War -He was aware of Hitler’s advances in Europe -His father was a WWI veteran, so he understood the nature of European conflicts -He had fought in France and Ukraine as part of an International Expeditionary Force -He was coming home from a movie Sunday night December 7, 1941 -Heard news on the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japanese -When the U.S. was drawn into the war he was still too young to enlist or be drafted (00:07:39) Getting Drafted -On his eighteenth birthday he signed up for the draft -His eighteenth birthday happened to fall on Memorial Day of 1943 -As a result he waited until the next day to sign up for the draft -He didn’t know that the office was open year round -Because of this he was threatened with legal action -The draft board officials thought that he was trying to avoid the draft -Fifteen days after signing up for the draft he received his draft notice -He was sent to Detroit for his physical and induction into the service -At Detroit he was given a choice of which branch to serve in �-He decided to go into the Navy -He wanted to sleep in a dry bed instead of in a foxhole (00:09:30) Basic Training -For basic training he was sent to Farragut Naval Station, Idaho -He was part of Training Company 679 -They were taken by train to Idaho -They went from Detroit, to Grand Rapids, to Chicago -In Chicago they changed train engines -The whole trip took about four or five days -He remembers being covered in coal soot for the majority of the trip -They were not allowed to look out the windows -Fed meager sandwiches on the trip -Had to sleep in the train seats -Before departing from Detroit they were put in a hotel for the night -He and a few other recruits snuck out and went drinking -He awoke to their room’s phone ringing and someone pounding on the door -They were late to reporting to the train station -Greeted by a none too happy officer at the station -When they arrived at Farragut they were greeted by a Boatswain's Mate -He gave them encouragement, but also expectations -The first part of training was the physical training -They mostly ran and did push ups -They also had to do grounds keeping and other menial labor to be kept busy -At times he would be put on barracks watch for eight hour shifts -At night this meant feeding the coal stove to keep the barracks warm -During basic training there was a high emphasis on discipline and following orders -He made sure to follow every order that he was given -Adjusting to Navy life wasn’t too hard for him -In fact he was fed better in the Navy than he had been at home -While they were stopped in Chicago and changing engines there was a confrontation -He sat down in the back of a car and put his feet up on the seat in front of him -Another recruit came over and tried to push his feet off -John proceeded to resist this -Eventually the seat wound up getting seriously wrecked in the process -The same officer from Detroit was present for this incident as well -The second incident was during basic training in Idaho -For the obstacle course training companies would compete against each other -In John’s company they had a twenty seven year old recruit -He wasn’t as physically capable as the younger men were -In an attempt to help him over one of the walls they pushed him over -This led to the man breaking an arm and losing a few teeth (00:17:25) Radio Training -After the conclusion of the five (or six) week basic training he was given an aptitude test -He thought that he would wind up becoming a machinist -Instead he was selected for radio training at the University of Chicago -One of the first things he was introduced to was the Morse code room �-Going into that segment he knew nothing about code -At first he had trouble with understanding Morse code -Over time he was able to get up to eighteen handwritten words/minute -He was transferred to the typing segment of Morse code interpretation -Had to learn how to type first which meant going to night classes at a high school -Just like handwriting he was eventually able to get it -The radio school lasted about four or five weeks -During the typing segment he was awarded a certificate for five hundred character accuracy -This meant that he typed five hundred characters without any errors -He was so good other recruits would pay him $5 so he could get certificates for them -At the end of training he finished near the top of his class -He was given the rank of Seaman First Class -Another part of radio training was a radio theory class -Course was learning about the electronic aspect of radios -The professor was so boring that he routinely fell asleep in class -He was still able to pass the class though (00:23:37) Downtime during Radio Training and Other Details -There were a few times where he was able to visit downtown Chicago -He sent most of his money home though, so he didn’t have much money to spend -He was close enough to Grand Rapids that he could hitchhike home and visit his family -He was extremely close to where the initial building of the atomic bomb was happening -During radio training he fell ill with “Cat Fever” -His fever was so high that when he reported to sick bay he was immediately put to bed -He fell asleep and two days later he woke up (00:25:37) Deployment to California -He finished his training in Chicago in late November (or early December) 1943 -He was given a short leave home before going to California -After leave he was sent to Shoemaker Navy Base, California -It was a base for outgoing sailors -He was sent to California by way of train -The train got stuck in a snow storm in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range -They were there for three days without any supplies -They eventually arrived at Shoemaker which was near San Francisco -When they pulled in there was a race riot going on -They were kept in Shoemaker to wait for their assignments -During his time there he saw a roster that said they were going overseas and he announced it -This led to a severe reprimand from his superior officers for sharing classified info -Later in the base’s general store he heard civilians talking about the deployment -He was astounded that they were allowed to know, but he wasn’t -There was a military prison on the base that was guarded by Marines -He would see prisoners being marched to the mess hall -One of his friends mouthed off to a Marine guard once -The Marines proceeded to beat up his friend and put him in line -John had to help get his friend out of the group of prisoners -He remembers once there was an escapee and the guards were shooting at him -At the time he didn’t realize the prisoners were dangerous/violent criminals �(00:32:00) Deployment Overseas -Eventually he was assigned to go on a troop ship to be sent to the Pacific Theatre -On board the ship they were fed cold food -Told that if they wanted better food they would have to work for it -He wanted better food, so he volunteered to be part of a work detail -He was assigned to work in the anchor room and to do painting -On the voyage over he didn’t get seasick -The original destination was New Caledonia in the South Pacific -Their course was altered and they landed at Espiritu Santo part of the New Hebrides -He found the island to be beautiful and quintessentially Pacific -Clear blue water, perfect white beaches and lush jungles (00:33:50) Stationed at Espiritu Santo -He stayed at Espiritu Santo for about a month waiting for his next assignment -While on the island he was attached to a work detail -Their main task was unloading supplies from ships and handling those supplies -One of the first things he learned was to sleep on his clothes -If you didn’t your clothes would get wet in the night and proceed to rot -On Espiritu Santo he slept in a tent that was constantly covered by lizards -One night a lizard got inside and landed on his chest -He mistook it for a Japanese soldier attacking and he panicked causing an uproar -They mostly handled ammunition and general supplies -They would take it from the ship, place it on trucks and take it to supply huts -He remembers one soldier who knocked over a bunch of ammo and made a terrible mess -He would occasionally work in the beer hut -If a beer case was broken he and the other sailors got to keep it -Once a storm rolled in so they smuggled some beer out and had a party -He worked about twelve hours a day -Another task that he had to do was scrape barnacles off the bottom of oil tankers -Eventually he and the other sailors mutinied and demanded a break -They didn’t get in trouble (they were threatened with it); they eventually got a day off (00:39:30) Assignment to the USS Hoel and the Solomon Islands -In early 1944 he finally received his individual assignment to the USS Hoel -The catch was that the Hoel was going to dock at Guadalcanal -And the other part of that is he would have to wait for it until it arrived -He boarded an oil tanker bound for Guadalcanal -Arrived at Guadalcanal in the late afternoon -He remembers that the arrival was completely uneventful -Recalls that the environment on Guadalcanal was about the same as Espiritu Santo -He stayed at Guadalcanal for a week -After Guadalcanal he caught a mail ship bound for the island of Tulagi -When he arrived at Tulagi there were still Japanese forces at large on the island -The majority of fighting had ended in 1943, but there were still remnant forces -The next day after arriving in Tulagi he was in the mess hall when an alarm went out -Someone thought there were Japanese troops infiltrating the base -Wound up being a false alarm -At Tulagi he was on a work detail handling supplies for a week until the USS Hoel arrived �(00:44:47) Boarding the USS Hoel -Once the USS Hoel finally arrived he was given a haircut before joining -On the Hoel he was assigned to work in the radio room as a radio operator -His job was to write down messages and give them to the decoders -He started working on the Hoel immediately -One of their first tasks that he remembers was going to Hollandia, New Guinea -Their job was to escort a transport that was near there -Being on board the USS Hoel felt like being onboard a tin can -The ship felt expendable -His first night on the ship was a haunting one -He had been assigned to a bunk near the mess hall -The hull was so thin he could hear the water moving just outside of it -It was at that point that he “made his peace with the Lord” -The Hoel eventually ran into a storm in the Coral Sea -This was the first time that he got seasick -He was so ill that he thought he wouldn’t be able to go to his post -Eventually got out of bed and manned his post, vomit bucket in hand -It took about three or four days to get over being sick -The seas were so rough that the ship was getting picked up out of the water (00:50:25) R&R at Manus Bay -He remembers that at some point they stopped at Manus Bay in the Admiralty Islands -It was a chance to let the sailors go ashore and relax for a little bit and resupply -He was on the first boat bound for the shore (they travelled with the beer and baseball gear) -After arriving a storm blew in and they were cut off from the Hoel until 9 or 10 PM that night -When he returned to the ship he was so drunk that he had to be relieved from his watch -He didn’t drink until he was in the Navy (00:52:31) Invasion of Peleliu -The USS Hoel was present for the Invasion of Peleliu -Their task was to serve as a screening ship -This meant protecting U.S. ships and aircraft from Japanese ships and aircraft -During the invasion they picked up a Japanese submarine with their monitoring equipment -Proceeded to depth charge it, but with unknown results -While at Peleliu they were able to pick up “Tokyo Rose” broadcasts -She was a Japanese woman who would send out demoralizing messages to U.S. troops -Her information was generally inaccurate, but at times it was oddly accurate -At Peleliu they saw more Japanese aircraft -They were never really a threat though because they were too far away -Besides the screening task they also bombarded the island for the U.S. invasion force -Generally did it at night for strategic reasons (00:55:38) Preparations for the Invasion of the Philippines and Other Details -After Peleliu they returned to Manus Bay to join the invasion fleet bound for the Philippines -While at Manus they ran into another typhoon -He remembers waves rolling over the ship when he went to get another sailor for watch -Had to use safety lines so he didn’t get washed overboard -Also had to time his movements to avoid getting hit by a wave -The radio room that he was in was enclosed �-It had no portholes, so there was no chance to see outside -There were usually three personnel in the radio room during a watch -Two enlisted men on the radios and a petty officer acting as an overseer -While sailing up to the invasion fleet they had little contact with other fleet ships -On top of being caught in the typhoon at Manus they also had to sail through smaller storms -During the trip up to Manus and during the typhoon there was little access to food (00:59:52) Battle off Samar (part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf) -The USS Hoel was part of Taffy 3 (an escort carrier group) for the Invasion of the Philippines -Their job was again to act as a screening ship against Japanese aircraft and submarines -He remembers during the Battle off Samar being called to general quarters -They had been under the impression the only Japanese naval threat was submarines -During the battle a Japanese battle fleet was able to sneak up behind the U.S. ships -They were able to get in among the U.S. ships to make the attack as effective as possible -Aware that there were Japanese ships in the area, but didn’t know it was a fleet -This is when they were called to general quarters and he had to stay at his station -Taffy 3 was the northernmost carrier group and the first to witness the Japanese attack -Taffy 3 was comprised of the following ships: - 6 CVE’s (escort carriers) each with about forty or fifty planes -3 Destroyers -30 destroyer escorts (five per escort carrier) -They knew that they couldn’t engage Japanese battleships and win -The strategy then was to run and protect the escort carriers -Used storms in the area as a way to stay hidden -Once the escort carriers were clear the destroyers turned and charged the Japanese ships -Used their engine smoke to cover their charge -While the battle was going on John was acting as a messenger on board the Hoel -He wasn’t exposed to the fire that they were taking from Japanese ships -Occasionally stepped outside and saw American ships burning on the ocean (01:09:27) The Sinking of the USS Hoel -The Hoel wasn’t hit immediately by enemy fire -Their first course of action during the battle was to fire torpedoes against the Japanese ships -Unlike the Japanese, they couldn’t reload their torpedo tubes -Unfortunately their torpedoes and 5 inch cannons were ineffective against battleships -After the first torpedo run they had to make a turn and that’s when they were hit first -After that they started taking more consistent hits from the Japanese -The first place to get hit was one of the Hoel’s fire rooms which slowed down the Hoel -The fire room was part of the ship’s engine system -Eventually radio communication on the Hoel broke down -This made John’s messenger duties exceedingly necessary -Over the course of the battle the Hoel took forty (or fifty) large caliber hits -He was in the radio room when the commander gave the order to abandon ship -Sailors had already been jumping off the Hoel before the order came down -John’s duty was to “deep six” (throw overboard) the decoding machines -He felt like he couldn’t leave without doing that -He wasn’t able to get into the decoder room because he was never given a key -At this point the Hoel took another hit and he was knocked unconscious �(01:15:38) Abandoning Ship -After he came to he knew that Hoel was starting to capsize -After making his way outside he couldn’t see any other survivors in the water -He proceeded to jump off the starboard side and rapidly swam away from the ship -While in the water the Japanese were still shooting at sailors in the water -Immediately after abandoning ship he couldn’t find anyone else and had no sense of direction -While he was in the water a group of Japanese destroyers came by looking for survivors -At this point his life jacket was full of holes and effectively worthless -Eventually a Japanese ship started to charge at him -No matter what he did he couldn’t shake it and it eventually bore down on him -He was rolled under the bow and thought he was going to be sucked into the propellers -He made it out from under the ship and was so close that he could see Japanese Marines -After surfacing U.S. planes started to strafe this ship and drove it away -He eventually made his way to a floater net (survival device) with a couple other survivors -After abandoning ship he had been swimming consistently for an hour (01:22:55) Stranded at Sea -Soon after reaching the net a life raft came by with the other survivors and wounded -He remembers holding up one of the wounded men who had a hole in his back -The wound was so serious John could see the man’s heart and lungs -Eventually the man died and John had to put him overboard -After a few nights at sea he began to experience hallucinations -He had had very little food and no fresh water -He had also ingested a high amount of sea water which worsened the dehydration -He eventually returned to his senses which made him incredibly aware of the situation at hand (01:26:00) Rescue and Rehabilitation -On the third day at sea at noon they were rescued by an LCI (landing craft, infantry) -Once he was aboard the LCI he was so weak that he couldn’t even stand -He remembers being given warm tea -They were taken up to Leyte Gulf, Philippines -En route they were attacked by Japanese planes -Final destination was a hospital ship in the Gulf -He was placed on an LST (landing ship, tank) that was serving as a hospital ship -He was taken to Hollandia, Papua New Guinea -He remembers that the voyage over was hectic and noisy -He spent a couple weeks in the hospital at Hollandia before being moved again (01:30:02) Leave Back to the United States -After recovering he found out that there was a U.S. transport in the harbor at Hollandia -Its job was to pick up survivors from the Hoel and bring them back to the U.S. -John was going to be denied leave because the officer didn’t think he was a survivor -So he snuck down to the ship and joined the other survivors -The transport stopped in Brisbane, Australia on the way back to the States -Picking up more soldiers who were returning home -He remembers passing under the Golden Gate Bridge when they pulled into San Francisco -Once he disembarked he was processed at Treasure Island and given a thirty day leave -The leave home for him was a hectic one and began in early December 1944 -He surprised his parents by just showing up at the house �-Walked from the train station in Grand Rapids to his home -His parents had received a letter saying that he was missing in action -Over the course of his leave another family from Grand Rapids approached him -Their son had been on the Hoel as well and they wanted to know his fate -Unfortunately John didn’t know what had happened to their son -It was something that stayed with him -Upon returning home for leave he learned that the Battle off Samar hadn’t been publicized (01:37:10) Reflections on the Battle off Samar -He feels that the U.S. Navy as a whole had made serious mistakes in the Battle off Samar -Namely that the Japanese fleet shouldn’t have been able to sneak up like they had -This is why he was reluctant to talk about the battle after the war -He didn’t even know that the U.S. had won the Battle off Samar and the Battle of Leyte Gulf -He also wasn’t aware that Taffy 3 had been responsible for winning the Battle off Samar (01:40:07) Returning for Naval Service -After his thirty days of leave were up he returned to California to report for further service -After completing small craft training he was assigned to the USS Delegate (a minesweeper) -The training had been about how to serve aboard a ship like a minesweeper -When he was in his barracks waiting to board the Delegate an officer came in to collect him -Told to gather his things and follow him -This happened in such a rush that John forgot some of his clothes that were drying -He was reassigned to a minesweeper with the number 433 -He didn’t know anything about what was going on -Upon boarding the 433 he was immediately taken to the bridge to meet the lieutenant -By now it was early 1945 (January or February) -After meeting the lieutenant he was taken to the radio room of the 433 -Found that it was more advanced, unfamiliar equipment -He essentially had to train himself with how to handle the radios -He was eventually able to learn how to use the radios so as to contact port authority -The main task during that voyage was a “shakedown” near San Diego and Mexico -A “shakedown” is a testing phase to check for any possible faults or failings -Sometime during this he was assigned to handle Morse and semaphore code -Lucky for him he had taught himself semaphore on the Hoel -He was also briefly assigned to sonar duty -Taken off quickly after it was clear that he didn’t know about sonar -While pulling into San Diego he had flown a semaphore flag in a distress signal -Led to a PBY Seaplane asking if they needed help -He was reprimanded for flying that flag the wrong way (01:50:50) Transfer to Los Angeles -After returning to the port he thought he would be headed across the Pacific again -Instead he received orders to go to San Pedro, Los Angeles -He arrived at San Pedro at night and had to sleep on the floor of a gym -Within a few days someone lost his records -He wasn’t supposed to be in Los Angeles he was supposed to be in San Francisco -He was going to be used as a Polish translator during the initial U.N. meetings �(01:54:40) End of the War, Post-War Service, and Discharge -After Los Angeles he received orders to go aboard another minesweeper -He went aboard the USS Miami and went to Pearl Harbor to join the new minesweeper -He was to act as a radio operator aboard what would be the radio ship -In the group of minesweepers it would take in incoming radio messages -After Pearl Harbor they went to Kwajalein Atoll -They were joining other ships for the planned invasion of Japan -Before they could go the atomic bombs were dropped, and the war ended -At the time of the atomic bombings John had spent thirty four months in the service -Twenty three months at sea, eleven months stateside -With the war over he was transferred to the USS Manayunk at Saipan-Tinian -The other radio operator had been relieved due to a family emergency -While at Saipan-Tinian he was able to visit the B-29 bomber base that was there -Over time he got to know and befriend some of the pilots -He was astounded by how well fortified the island was -While there he was invited to go on a B-29 to Guam -He asked the captain if that was acceptable and his request was denied -Paranoid that John would leave his post and go home -Eventually John was assigned to the USS Castle Rock -It was on the Castle Rock that he would return to the United States permanently -The USS Castle Rock pulled into San Francisco March 27, 1946 -Upon returning to the States he was given his honorable discharge from the Navy � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_OraczJ1663V Title A name given to the resource Oracz, John (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-08-12 Description An account of the resource John Oracz was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1925. He was drafted into the Navy in 1943 and went to basic training at Farragut Naval Station, Idaho and then went to the University of Chicago for radio training. In late 1943 he was sent to Shoemaker Navy Base, California to wait for his next orders, and in early 1944 he finally received orders to join the Pacific Theatre. After doing a few weeks of supply work on various liberated Pacific islands he finally boarded the USS Hoel, a destroyer, in early 1944 in the Solomon Islands. Aboard the Hoel he saw action during the Invasion of Peleliu and at Leyte Gulf, where his ship was sunk. He was rescued after three days in the water, and served on several other ships without seeing further action until he returned home in 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Oracz, John Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b36ea683ffe0ff18ddc3b9c0e524353a.mp4 a1c68455e4fc1077111465e6b6515f91 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a0f6e4ec15a110df74f6d1fa1c7aee0e.pdf 40867b0572cb0c49b139f74bda5798b4 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project George Oosterbaan World War II 50 minutes 45 seconds (00:00:15) Early Life -Born in Ellsworth, Michigan on May 17, 1926 -Father had a 200 acre farm -Kept the farm during the Great Depression -Had twelve to fifteen dairy cows, grew potatoes, corn, and red beets -Always had food to eat and clothes on their back during the Great Depression -Only 350 people lived in Ellsworth -Town was dependent on the farms for food -Helped the farms during the Depression -He had an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother -Went to a one room country school house -Didn't go to high school -Dropped out after completing the eighth grade -Worked on the farm until he was sixteen years old and moved (00:03:18) Start of the War -Didn't pay attention to the war before Pearl Harbor -Learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor in school -Didn't realize the gravity of the attack until later -In 1942 or 1943 he moved from Ellsworth to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Had never been any farther than Traverse City or Petoskey -Got a room at the YMCA -Got a job at American Seating -Didn't notice many of the effects of the war (00:04:55) Enlisting in the Navy -Tried to enlist in the Marines in spring 1944 -Thought they had a good uniform -Had a physical and got turned away because he had bad teeth -Enlisted in the Navy in May 1944 (00:05:47) Basic Training & Amphibious Training -Sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training -Given nine days of leave at the end of basic training -Sent to Camp Bradford, Virginia for Amphibious Training -Basic training was a little different -After living independently in the city and on the farm the structure came as a shock -Trained with men from all over the United States -Emphasis on discipline -Went on marches -Had to pass swimming and diving tests �-Instructors helped you if you couldn't swim -Did kitchen patrol (KP) duty -Worked in a pie locker and handed out pies -Basic training was a good experience -Received some firearms training during basic training -Small arms (rifles and pistols) -Basic training lasted five weeks -Amphibious training was a little more difficult -Learned how to fight fires and fire the guns on the amphibious vehicles -Amphibious training only lasted two weeks -Needed replacements in the South Pacific (00:08:55) Joining the Crew of the LST 720 -Sent to Navy Pier in Chicago -Stayed there for eight days -Sent to Jeffersonville, Indiana to pick up LST (Landing Ship Tank) 720 in August 1944 -Sailed the LST 720 down the Ohio River to Louisville, Kentucky -Sailed down the Mississippi River and went on the Gulf of Mexico -Went on a two week shakedown cruise -Ran into the banks of the Mississippi River a few times -Sailed near the coast -Practiced beaching the ship (00:11:03) Deployment to Pacific Theatre -Went to Gulfport, Mississippi -Loaded with food and a Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) -The LST 720 was 380 feet long and 50 feet wide -Had a crew of 140-150 men in combat and 80-90 men while out of combat -Sailed to the Panama Canal -Got liberty there -It was all new to them -Ordered to sail for Brisbane, Australia -Their orders were changed for the New Hebrides islands -Crossed the Equator -Went through the King Neptune Ceremony -Before crossing the Equator he was a "Pollywog" -After crossing the Equator he was a "Shellback" -Ceremony took a full day -Had their head shaved down the middle -No silverware for the day -Arrived in the New Hebrides in late 1944 -Launched the LCVP and brought food to New Guinea -Took 33 days to get there (00:15:45) Sailing to the Philippines -Collected Army personnel in the New Hebrides and sailed for the Philippines -Part of a convoy -On February 3, 1945 one of the LSTs got hit with three torpedoes -Note: Possibly January 3, 1945 based on other dates �-The rear third of the ship sank in a matter of minutes -166 soldiers and sailors were killed -Convoy had to keep going, but the escorts rescued the survivors -Japanese submarines were still a threat -One night, at 2 AM, a destroyer picked up a Japanese submarine on radar -Submarine was right next to LST 720 -Destroyer used depth charges and the explosions almost knocked him out of bed -Had to deal with kamikazes the closer they got to the Philippines (00:18:46) Philippines Campaign -LST had huge doors on the front -Pulled up to shore, opened the doors, and dropped the ramp -Allowed vehicles and troops to go right onto the beach -Lingayen Gulf was their D-Day -Landings happened during January 4 through January 18, 1945 -Sailed around the Philippines transporting troops and supplies -Went to Leyte Gulf -Stopped in Manila, but couldn't explore the city -City was still being fought over -Got into Manila in April 1945 -Got to see the city then -City was in ruins -Received well by the Filipinos -Sailed to Subic Bay in Luzon -Sailed back and forth between Leyte and Luzon through the summer of 1945 -Made stops in Finschhafen, New Guinea; Panay, Philippines; and Hollandia, New Guinea (00:21:45) End of the War -In Leyte on August 12, 1945 -Had been following the news of the Battle of Okinawa -In Leyte when they heard news about the atomic bombs being dropped -All of the ships shot in the air in celebration -Some men got wounded by the falling shells -Knew that this signalled the end of the war -Knew they were going to invade Japan if the bombs hadn't been dropped -Knew the invasion would have been far worse than Okinawa (00:23:56) Post-War Duty Pt. 1 -Men were released on the point system -Needed 85 points to get discharged -Points were given based on length of service, rank, combat, and dependents -Three quarters of the crew were young, single, and had no children -Meant it would take the men longer to get discharged and get home -Stayed in the western Pacific for six months -Brought Chinese slave laborers from Japan back to China -Brought Japanese soldiers and their families from China back to Japan �-Took supplies to Korea -Got along well with the Japanese soldiers and Chinese laborers -Soldiers were happy that the war was over -Stopped in Okinawa -Had to watch out for the mines laid around Japan -Destroyed four or five of them -Able to destroy them with a rifle -Stopped in Sasebo, Japan on December 7, 1945 -Pulled into port next to a warehouse filled with Japanese rifles -Each sailor got to take home a brand new rifle -Went ashore in China a lot -Very depressing environment -Received well by the Chinese civilians -Stopped in Shanghai in February 1946 -Got to explore the city -Good to get your feet on dry land (00:29:42) End of Service & Coming Home Pt. 1 -On March 3, 1946 they stopped in Hong Kong -Received orders to return to the U.S. -Crew got to go ashore in the city -Sailed to Tsingtao, China to pick up some Japanese soldiers and bring them back to Japan -Sailed from Japan to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in April 1946 (00:31:15) Post-War Duty Pt. 2 -Stopped in Qinhuangdao, China another time before the time at the end of their service -Brought supplies and American soldiers up the Shihe River -Went back and got American marines and brought them up the river to join the soldiers -Marines were disappointed that soldiers got there before them -Stopped in Inchon, Korea on another occasion -Sailed into a river that had a 28 foot tide every 12 hours -Constantly had to adjust the ship's position so they didn't run aground -Bringing supplies into Korea -Preparing for a possible future conflict on the Korean Peninsula (00:34:37) End of Service & Coming Home Pt. 2 -Got to Pearl Harbor on April 29, 1946 and left on May 5, 1946 -Saw a Hula Show in Pearl Harbor -Could still see the sunken ships and damage from the bombing in 1941 -Sailed up to Bremerton, Washington -Stayed there from May 16 through June 7, 1946 -Getting ready to decommission the ship -Held on the ship for a few weeks because a few men on the ship stole some pistols -Never found out who took the guns -LST 720 was eventually taken to a scrap yard after it was decommissioned and cut up -Took the ship to Pier 42 in Seattle then to Burrows Bay, Washington �-Ship was decommissioned on June 24, 1946 -Took a train back to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois to get discharged in late June 1946 -Crew of LST 720 was brought into a room -Told to take two steps forward if they wanted to reenlist for two years -The entire crew took a step back as a sign that they didn't want to reenlist (00:37:44) Duties Aboard the LST 720 -Learned how to be a helmsman during the shakedown cruise in the Gulf of Mexico -In combat he was assigned to a 20mm gun -Received his training on the job (00:38:25) Life after the War -Discharged in late June 1946 -Given a free ride back to Grand Rapids -Given an extra $500 by the Navy -Went into Grand Rapids and bought a 1936 Ford -Went to the Ionia Free Fair -Returned to Ellsworth and worked on his brother's dairy farm for two years -Returned to Grand Rapids -Drove a semi-truck for a year -Transporting furniture all over the country -Met his wife through an old friend -Married for 59 years as of 2015 -Had four children -Had a very good life with her -Got a job running machines for Blackmer on Century Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Made pumps -Worked a machine there for nine years -Got promoted to supervisor and worked as a machine shop supervisor for 22 years -Benefited from the insurance provided by the Veterans' Administration (00:42:48) 2015 Talons Out Honor Flight -Participated in the May 2015 Talons Out Honor Flight -Enjoyed the trip -Night before the flight got treated to a dinner at Thousand Oaks Golf Club -Got up at 4 AM and reported to Gerald Ford International Airport at 5:30 AM -Got served breakfast before the flight -Boarded the plane at 7 AM and got to Washington D.C. at 8:30 AM -Got to ride in a chartered bus and had a police escort -Saw the Air Force Memorial -Saw Arlington Cemetery -Most powerful experience for him during the trip was seeing the rows of graves -Saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -Saw the Vietnam War Memorial -Saw the Korean War Memorial -Saw the World War II Memorial �-Had a wall of 4,048 gold stars, each star representing 100 Americans killed in action (00:49:37) Reflections on Service -Went into the service as a wild teenager and came out mature -Got discipline -Glad that he was in the Navy and in the war � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_OosterbaanG1867V Title A name given to the resource Oosterbaan, George (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015 Description An account of the resource George Oosterbaan was born on May 17, 1926 in Ellsworth, Michigan. In 1942 (or 1943) he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and in May 1944 he enlisted in the Navy. He received basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois then went to Camp Bradford, Virginia for Amphibious Training. He went to Jeffersonville, Indiana and joined the crew of LST 720 and sailed to the Gulf of Mexico for the ship's shakedown cruise. In late 1944 they sailed to the Pacific Theatre and operated around the New Hebrides until sailing to the Philippines in 1945. He took part in the Battle of Lingayen Gulf in January 1945 and supply operations around the Philippines until the surrender of Japan in August 1945. After the war he stayed with crew of LST 720 and sailed around China, Korea, and Japan helping transport liberated Chinese slave laborers and Japanese soldiers back to their home countries. In spring 1946 they sailed for the U.S. and arrived in Bremerton, Washington in May 1946. The ship was decommissioned in June 1946 and he was sent back to Great Lakes Naval Station in late June and got discharged there. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Oosterbaan, George 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 Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4