11 24 1541 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9edaf5ade103474a84aef7d9e869288d.mp4 5d55b22d7230a5cc91ea29975526ac84 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4ca2ef81a295bd6909299834c23f9c74.pdf 973d921fbaa1e0124ce88c3c44a59caf PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Robert O’Brien World War II 57 minutes 8 seconds (00:00:20) Early Life -Born in Detroit, Michigan on October 31, 1922 -Moved when he was an infant to Grand Rapids, Michigan -His father was a dentist -Wound up following in his father’s footsteps after the war -Mother was a housewife -He had three older siblings, and three younger siblings -Attended mostly Catholic schools when he was growing up -Almost graduated from St. Augustine Cathedral School in Kalamazoo -Family moved back to Grand Rapids and he graduated from Catholic Central -Wound up getting an honorary diploma from St. Augustine -Met his wife-to-be at Catholic Central -Graduated from high school in 1940 -His father did a lot of dentistry work via a barter system that he set up with patients -Ex. Do a couple fillings if the patient would put up wallpaper in the living room -Growing up in the Depression he didn’t notice how much money his family had -Knew that he was being taken care of and that’s all that mattered -As he got older he began to follow the news about Germany and Japan (00:03:44) Start of the War and Enlisting -In his second year of college Japan bombed Pearl Harbor -Remembers men quitting school and enlisting the next day -He was at Grand Rapids Junior College (now Grand Rapids Community College) -He definitely did not want to be drafted, and especially did not want to be 4F (unfit for service) -Dream was to get into aviation -Navy recruiters came to the school and asked if anyone wanted to join -He enlisted in the aviation program and was accepted -Wanted to finish his second year of college first though (00:06:28) Training Pt. 1 -The science and math courses he had taken made the aviation training easy for him -One of the most exciting things was his first solo flight at Bowling Green State University, Ohio -Received preflight training at the University of Iowa -During that time he was in excellent physical shape -He was involved with boxing in Iowa -Remembers feeling really strong -Training began in the summer of 1942 after his sophomore year of college -For the first part of training he was sent to Delaware, Ohio -Most of the places that he trained at were colleges -Lived at the college in Delaware, Ohio -Moved into a sorority house that had been acquired by the Navy �-Received his basic training at Delaware, Ohio -Sent to Ottumwa, Iowa and started to get into aircraft there -At that time of his training the Navy would recruit football coaches from major colleges -Used them as instructors -Remembers in the college in Ohio there was a huge pool with a tall diving board -Used it to simulate jumping off the side of a ship -Also had to learn how to deal with a panicking shipmate -An instructor would jump in behind you and pull you underwater -Had to learn how to get them off you then pull them to the surface -It was easier for him since he had come from Michigan where there was a lot of water -He trained alongside other men that had a commitment to the military -A lot of the training consisted of classroom work and learning about flight and aircraft -A lot of men washed out when it came time to actually fly (00:13:46) Training Accidents Pt. 1 -At Ottumwa a man with the same last name as him had a flight accident and lost his leg -Public Relations notified Robert’s family and the Grand Rapids Press -Had thought that he was the one that had been injured -Public Relations quickly discovered their error and notified his family and the press -Allowed Robert and his mother to meet in Chicago so that she could see he was okay -When he was doing his solo night flight at Ottumwa the man in front of him crash landed -He thought he had a green light to land -Made a split second decision to pull off and circle back -Almost clipped the wing of the plane that had crashed -Turned out that he had actually had a red light which meant he was not clear to land -He was almost ejected from flight training due to his mistake -He had a good record though which saved him from being washed out (00:18:23) Stationed at Whidbey Island Pt. 1 -He wound up stationed at Whidbey Island, Washington with a land plane squadron -Orders to go overseas kept getting cancelled which meant that the war was winding down -Did rocket training and gunnery training around Mount Baker in the Cascade Range -Flew the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver -The first time he flew one had didn’t really know how to fly that specific model of plane -Managed to land at an auxiliary field and got acquainted with the plane -He held the rank of ensign when he was sent up to Whidbey Island (00:21:00) Training Pt. 2 -In basic training there was an emphasis on discipline -Navy prided itself on having a professional image -He had no trouble adjusting to that kind of lifestyle -Wanted to have a good record throughout his time in the Navy -All of his training lasted four (or five) months -Went to ten different bases before reaching his duty station at Whidbey Island (00:22:22) Stationed at Whidbey Island Pt. 2 -He was assigned to VP 199 at Whidbey Island -A patrol squadron (00:22:33) Overview of Service Pt. 1 -Started at Delaware, Ohio then went to Bowling Green State University �-Did his first solo flight at Bowling Green State University -Went on to pre-flight training at University of Iowa -Received primary flight training in the Stearman biplane at Ottumwa, Iowa -During his first flight in that he went up with an instructor -Instructor did a lot of acrobatics to get the airsickness out of cadets -Went to Corpus Christi, Texas to get commissioned as an officer in the Navy -Went on to Pensacola, Florida (00:25:08) End of Service Pt. 1 -Left the Navy as a lieutenant junior grade -When the war ended he could have stayed in the Navy and made a career out of it -Had no chance of becoming a high ranking officer though -Simply because he had not attended the United States Naval Academy (00:26:20) Overview of Service Pt. 2 -From Pensacola, Florida he was sent to Lake City, Florida -From Florida he was sent up to Beaufort, South Carolina then on to San Diego, California -Started his training sometime in the summer of 1942 (most likely June 1942) -Arrived at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in late 1942 (00:28:09) Stationed at Whidbey Island Pt. 2 -Spent a lot of time waiting around for orders to be deployed -Thought they’d be sent to Alaska, or into the Pacific Theatre -Orders would arrive and then get cancelled -Spent a lot of time playing tennis to kill time -Whidbey Island had a seaplane base and a land plane base -Seaplane base had PBYs for search and rescue missions -Also had some PBYs painted black for night operations against the Japanese -Received daily reports about the war’s progress -Had a sense that the Allies were making good progress against the Axis -Had heard about the Battle of Midway in the summer of 1942 -Conducted patrols for Japanese submarines off the northwestern coast -Trained with depth charges and torpedoes -Trained with those weapons on a nearby lake -Referred to torpedoes as “fish” -He loved to fly around the islands that were in Puget Sound -Had three men in a crew (NOTE: In the Helldiver there were only two crewmen) -The pilots had to know about navigation and many other fields -This was because they had to maintain strict radio silence during flights -Never saw a single Japanese submarine -Worked with American submarines looking for Japanese submarines -There was still concern that Japan might try to attack the West Coast -Heard about Japanese midget subs scouting the San Francisco Harbor (00:36:53) Visiting Seattle -He was allowed to visit Seattle -Flew into Seattle Airport and then relatives would pick him up and he’d stay with them -Remembers there wasn’t a war feeling in Seattle -Meant to him that the Allies were in control of the war -There were still blackouts at night �-Remembers sailors would go into the city and get drunk -As an officer he would have to get them back to their base -Attended some USO Shows -Appreciates what the entertainers of the time did for the troops (00:40:24) Stationed at Whidbey Island Pt. 3 -During his time at Whidbey Island he would also ferry high ranking officers around -Flew a transport that he had received no prior training with -Seamless transition though -Showed him that the Navy did an excellent job training pilots (00:41:06) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Navy taught him how to focus -All throughout his time in the Navy he was determined to be a survivor no matter what -The values that he learned in the Navy went on to help him in dental school (00:42:32) End of Service Pt. 2 and End of the War -Received orders to go to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois in November 1945 -Heard very little about the end of the war in Europe in May 1945 -Heard about the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan -Didn’t have much of an opinion about it other than that he supported President Truman -Most people agreed with President Truman’s decision -Remembers when President Roosevelt died and how so many people grieved about that -When the war ended in August 1945 there was a lot of celebrating (00:46:06) Visiting Seattle Pt. 2 -When he was stationed at Whidbey Island he had bought a Model T to drive around the area -Drove with other men in an effort to save gas -Also wanted to make sure he had other people with him in case the car broke down -Remembers that it was incredibly difficult to get new tires for cars during the war -As a result he had a tire repair kit to patch tires in case he got a flat (00:47:02) Coming Home -In November 1945 he took a train across the country to Great Lakes to get discharged -Saw snow that was up to the top of telephone poles in South Dakota -Enjoyed all of the train trips that he took in the Navy -After getting discharged he went home to Grand Rapids -Started looking for jobs once life settled down (00:48:37) Life after the War -His wife was a physical therapist at the Mayo Clinic in Grand Rapids -At the time only men were allowed to be department heads -Wanted to be a department head so he could be with his wife -Eventually abandoned that and decided to pursue dental school -Applied to dental school and was accepted to that at the University of Michigan -His sons became dentists and his grandson became a dentist -Started seriously dating his wife-to-be after the war -Has lived in Grand Rapids for sixty six years (as of 2015) (00:49:53) Training Accidents Pt. 2 -Felt very blessed during his training -Almost crashed on multiple occasions but managed not to -Feels that God, or a guardian angel, was watching over him �-There were a lot of crashes in the Cascade Range during rocket training -A close friend of his was killed during a training run -In Ottumwa, Iowa he remembers seeing the wreckage of a plane that had crashed -The pilot’s body had basically been meshed into the plane -So severely that if they wanted to bury the pilot, they’d have to bury the plane (00:52:30) Veterans’ Organization Involvement -He is now a member of the American Legion -Went on the Spirit of Grand Rapids Honor Flight to Washington DC in May 2015 -Chance for WWII and Korean veterans to go to DC and be honored for their service -Attended a WWII veterans’ convention in Grand Rapids -Learned about the Honor Flight there (00:53:52) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -It taught him how to focus -Taught him about the importance of life and of the people around him -The GI Bill that he got from his service tremendously helped him with dental school -Didn’t have to pay any money for his dental school at the University of Michigan -Tends to be very thankful now -Proud to be a veteran of World War Two -Has always felt bad for the men that were 4F or the men that got washed out -Understands it was for the best though because it probably saved their lives and others � 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_OBrienR1774V Title A name given to the resource O'Brien, Robert F. (Interview outline and video) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-22 Description An account of the resource Robert O'Brien was born on October 31, 1922 in Detroit, Michigan. His family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan when he was a baby and he grew up there. In the spring of 1942 he enlisted in the Navy with the intention of becoming a pilot for the Navy. After receiving training in Ohio and Iowa he was commissioned as an officer (receiving the rank of ensign) in Corpus Christi, Texas and then went on to receive further training in Florida and California before being assigned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington. He was assigned to a land based squadron, VP 199, while at Whidbey Island where he flew a Curtiss Helldiver and patrolled the waters off the northwestern coast for Japanese submarines. After the war was over he received orders to go to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois to be discharged and left the Navy in November 1945 with the rank of lieutenant junior grade. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource O'Brien, Robert F. 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. 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/251225e86637a2c64a6ec88adca00cfb.m4v 873de92de2f48d73957ae99f0f7ced48 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5b514caf7736957997cd41d4d2886572.pdf 77edcd7b6f63dd770bec6c75cc87fdbe PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Jack Norton World War II 1 hour 18 minutes 32 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -Born on a farm in Ottawa County, Michigan on May 27, 1920 -He grew up on the farm that he was raised on -Attended Hudsonville High School and graduated from there in 1937 -His neighbor had a plane and flew it over the farms which introduced him to flying -In high school he learned about bookkeeping, so he could manage the farm’s finances -Learned that the family farm was losing money and wanted to leave -His neighbor got him a job at Kent County Airport (now Gerald R. Ford International Airport) -He worked for Pennsylvania Airlines -Paid $5 per week -Lived in a room in a hangar owned by Pennsylvania Airlines -Sometimes he would sit in the manager’s office after hours and directed flights -Stayed at the airport for nine months -He quit after a flight from Chicago arrived that had a cabin covered in vomit -All of the passengers had gotten airsick over Lake Michigan -It was his job to clean up the sick, he refused and left (00:03:35) Enlisting in the Navy -After leaving the airport he decided to enlist in the Navy -It was his first choice among the branches at the time (Navy, Army and Marines) -He wanted to see the world and decided the Navy would be the best way -He went to the recruiting center in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Given a brief, rudimentary physical there -He went to the recruiter in the spring of 1938 and it took until October 1938 to get accepted -Over the summer he had five separate physicals to see if he was acceptable (00:04:31) Basic Training -He was sent to Newport, Rhode Island for basic training -Home of the Navy War College -His enlistment was for four years -During training if you received five hundred demerits you would get kicked out of training -By the time he was done with training he had received only eighty four -In basic training he received rifle training -Learned how to properly maintain a rifle -In the morning instructors would inspect the rifle to see if it was maintained properly -If you didn’t maintain your rifle you would get demerits -They were working with the Springfield 1903 bolt action rifle from WWI -Basic training lasted five months -The focus during basic training was on military etiquette and history -Because of his height he was initially selected to be a standard bearer for the Navy -The New York World’s Fair was coming and he was to be a part �-He didn’t want to be in that because afterwards he’d be a seaman first class -He didn’t want to be a seaman; he wanted to be a machinist, so he was reassigned (00:07:31) Machinist Training -He was sent to Norfolk, Virginia for machinist mate school -He wanted to work in the engine room of a ship and work with machines -He’d had prior mechanical experience at the airport -He received sheet metal work, lathe, and milling machine training (00:09:40) Volunteering for the Pacific Fleet -After graduating from machinist training he was offered a choice on which fleet to join -At the time the two major fleets were the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets -He chose the Pacific Fleet for his assignment -He chose it because you were given thirty days to get to San Diego, California -Acted as a sort of leave -When he arrived in San Diego he was put on a work detail -Their job was to refurbish American ships [Lend-Lease destroyers] to be given to the British Navy -They worked from 8 AM sharp to 12 PM sharp; no breaks, no exceptions -He stayed on the work detail for seventy nine days until he asked for reassignment -He had gotten sick of the regimen of that schedule (00:11:30) Volunteering for the Asiatic Fleet -To get out of the work detail in San Diego he volunteered to join the Asiatic Fleet -The first ship he was assigned to was the USS Henderson -An old WWI transport still used as a transport to get troops around the Pacific -He got seasick on the Henderson -His job onboard was to clean the toilets which only made his seasickness worse -It took him two months to finally get used to being on the ocean -Onboard the Henderson they travelled the West Coast and through the Pacific -Transporting troops for their fleet deployments (00:13:57) Overview of Pre-War Pacific Travel -He sailed to Honolulu, Hawaii first -After Honolulu he sailed to Guam -From Guam he sailed to Manila, Philippines -Before the war Manila was a beautiful city -It stank like horse manure, but it had beautiful Spanish architecture -He remembers going to the old Spanish fort and drinking beer -From the Philippines he went to China -In China he sailed up and down the Chinese coast stopping at ports along the way -During his sailing around China he got a chance to see the Great Wall (00:16:00) Assignment to the USS Barker -When he was in Manila he was assigned to a destroyer -He was assigned to the USS Barker DD 213 -It felt like riding a speedboat because it could travel at 45 knots (roughly 52 mph) -This is the destroyer that he sailed around China on -He boarded the Barker on January 1, 1940 -The Asiatic Fleet’s task was to protect American interests in Southeast Asia -The Japanese had already taken over the Chinese coast by this time �-When they were in ports controlled by Japan, Japanese planes would buzz their ship (00:19:17) Going to China -When he was in China he noticed that the Japanese soldiers largely avoided American troops -When he was in China he had a tailored suit made for him -When he went to pay the tailor requested American, or Mexican, currency -When he was in a port a Chinese woman was bayoneted to death by a Japanese soldier -She was caught with American money -In China Americans were safe from harm from the Japanese -Oddly enough Japanese soldiers were actually quite friendly towards Americans -One time he had to move through a crowd and a Japanese officer escorted him -The officer accomplished this by intimidating the crowd with a sword -When they stopped at the northernmost port they went to the nearby American Marine base -Marines would allow Chinese civilians to collect bullet casings from the firing range -The civilians would then use the casings to make money -In China he got to visit the American Embassy in Peking (now called Beijing) -Spent a week there -In the capital the Japanese soldiers were everywhere -A Japanese machine gunner was stationed just outside the Embassy -In Peking he had a personal rickshaw driver -He noticed that all across China people were starving -In Peking there was a “wailing wall” where loved ones put their dying/dead family -At the time Hong Kong was still controlled by the British -He made friends with a few British soldiers and visited their base -The police in Hong Kong were Sikhs from India -He saw hundreds of child prostitutes working the street in Hong Kong (00:28:12) French Indochina -From China they sailed down to French Indochina (modern day Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) -They stopped in Haiphong (now in modern northern Vietnam) -Found the city unimpressive -At the time the region was still controlled by France -This places the arrival there sometime in the summer of 1940 prior to September (00:29:39) Start of the War -Prior to the war he, and most other enlisted men, didn’t believe the U.S. would get involved -Officers recognized that there was a chance of involvement, but unlikely -They believed that if Japan attacked, Japan would be defeated in six weeks -Early in the Pacific War this was proven wrong with the loss of two major ships -The Barker was in Tarakan, Borneo, Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) on December 7, 1941 -Received news of the attack on Pearl Harbor while they were in port there -They were with the destroyers the USS Houston and the USS Marblehead (00:32:53) First Contacts with the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies -Their first contact with the Japanese was in the Dutch East Indies -They were part of a coalition of American, British, Australian, and Dutch ships in the area -On the north side of Borneo they ran into two Japanese destroyers -Strangely enough the Japanese destroyers didn’t fire on them -At the time the Barker was not outfitted with radar -In early 1942 the USS Houston (one of the other American ships in the area) was sunk �-It had been in the Battle of Sunda Strait (the strait between Java and Sumatra) -When they were in the Banka Strait they were attacked by low flying Japanese planes -They were able to successfully repel the attack though -Shortly after the Battle of Sunda Strait the Dutch East Indies fell to Japan in March 1942 (00:36:27) Australia -When the Dutch East Indies fell the Barker was in Australia receiving repairs -Their first stop was in Port Darwin to join the USS Perry there -They rescued a sailor from the USS Perry who had been blown off the ship -They sailed down the western coast of Australia and stopped in Exmouth Gulf -Remembers that the waters there were full of sharks -The Barker continued on and stopped in Perth until Australia reinforcements arrived there -While they were in Fremantle a Dutch freighter’s crew mutinied -A Dutch sailor tried to get onto the Barker, but was scared off -As he ran away an Australian marine shot and killed the sailor -After leaving Fremantle they sailed along the southern coast with four other destroyers -On the way they stopped in Melbourne -From Melbourne they sailed to Sydney and on the way there they stopped in Adelaide -By now it was the summer of 1942 (00:41:22) Mission in the Pacific -Their main mission in the Pacific was to help escort convoys and attack Japanese submarines -During convoy escorts Japanese submarines were rarely a threat -In later summer 1942 the Barker went to Pearl Harbor -After Pearl Harbor they were placed on the “Pineapple Run” -Escorting convoys from San Francisco, California to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (00:43:02) Atlantic Duty -In early 1943 the Barker crossed the Panama Canal and entered duty in the Atlantic Ocean -While in the Atlantic he remembers sinking two German U-Boats -They received credit because they captured at least one surviving prisoner from each -They made a few trips across the Atlantic -One of the trips was escorting a French ship from Connecticut to Casablanca -Another trip involved escorting a French aircraft carrier from Martinique to Casablanca -In 1943 there was still a high presence of U-Boats in the Atlantic -As a result they were made part of a hunter-killer task force sent out to hunt U-Boats -In the Atlantic they would stop in the Azores Islands controlled by Portugal -Portugal was neutral in the war -On the west side U-Boats would refuel and on the other side there were Allied ships -The Barker was instructed to attack U-Boats once they entered international waters -They were never able to catch the U-Boats once they left though (00:47:15) Reassignment to the USS Henry R. Kenyon -In 1943 he was reassigned to a destroyer escort -Prior to boarding the new ship he received training on the new propulsion system -It was incredibly rigorous because it was six months of school condensed to one month -The ship that he was reassigned to was the USS Henry R. Kenyon -He arrived at the shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts to board the ship -Construction hadn’t even started yet -On top of that his record wasn’t in yet either �-Because of not having his record he was given a ten day leave -Returned and construction still wasn’t done so he was given another ten days -He wound up doing this three times before the ship was ready -It took thirty days for the Kenyon to be launched and another thirty to be commissioned -Construction began September 29, 1943 and it was commissioned November 30, 1943 -Their first destination was Bermuda (00:50:32) Crew and Conditions on the USS Henry R. Kenyon -Some of the crewmen came from rich families and didn’t want to go to sea -None of them wound up being truly qualified which put him in charge -One propulsion mechanism had been put in wrong and he had to fix it -The propulsion system on the Kenyon was more up to date and ran cleaner and more efficiently -As opposed to the older ships which ran on diesel and were filthy -He was placed in charge of the men in his section based on his experience -Only five enlisted men onboard had been to sea before (him being one of them) -The officers they had were largely inexperienced and needed direction from the veterans (00:55:47) Atlantic Duty aboard the USS Henry R. Kenyon -Their primary duty in the Atlantic was to escort convoys in the Caribbean Sea -They usually operated between Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Recife, Brazil -Once they completed their duty in the Atlantic they were sent through the Panama Canal (00:56:19) Returning to the Pacific aboard the Kenyon -Their first destination was Bora Bora part of French Polynesia -They had to travel from the Galapagos Islands to Bora Bora -The officer in the engine room needed Jack’s direction to figure out the fuel needed -Specifically the fuel needed to insure they reached Bora Bora -From Bora Bora they travelled to Manus, Admiralty Islands -From Manus they traveled to Hollandia, New Guinea -Aboard the Kenyon they tended to act independently in the Pacific -Escorting convoys, laying mines, and hunting Japanese submarines -They depth charged a fair amount of submarines, but never received credit for their kills -They were never able to recover a live prisoner, so it couldn’t be confirmed -When they were operating in the Pacific they never encountered any Japanese aircraft (01:00:45) Operating in Okinawa -From the Philippines they traveled to Okinawa -Arrived in Buckner Bay, Okinawa and set down anchor there -While they were in Okinawa he was placed on deck watch from midnight to 8 AM -Unorthodox considering that his position as a machinist usually kept him below decks -While on deck watch one morning he witnessed a kamikaze attack -The harbor laid down a smokescreen which rendered the attack useless -In Okinawa he would watch B-24 bombers return from bombing missions heavily damaged (01:03:20) Returning to the Philippines -When the Philippines were liberated he was able to return and see Manila again -By now the city had been ruined from the fighting -Considered it a tragedy because it had been a beautiful city before the war -He learned to fly while he was in the Philippines through a man named Pappy Gunn -He had begun to learn when he was in Michigan, but never completed his lessons -Once in the Philippines he completed his private flight training �-The man he learned from played an instrumental role in Allied victory in the Pacific (01:09:20) End of the War, Coming Home and Life after the War -He was in Subic Bay, Philippines when the war ended -He remembers an ammunition ship in the Bay firing rockets in celebration -When he returned home he went deer hunting with his father and his friends -He returned home in November 1945 -Note: Most likely December 1945 because that’s when the Kenyon returned to the U.S. -After the war he got a job shoveling coal for the Pennsylvania Railroad -Worked there for five years and decided to quit -Learned that they were switching from coal to diesel and decided to say -Made a career in the railroad and stayed with it for thirty five years (01:11:16) The Tonga Islands and Christmas Day -While on the USS Barker they stopped in the Tonga Islands -While stopping there they got to meet the islands’ four hundred pound queen -She was invited onboard for a dinner -When she left he made an effort to help her onto the boat to bring her back -As a result he wound up beneath her and his head went up her skirt -Also aboard the Barker they stopped in Sumbawa Island on Christmas Day 1941 -Just as they got ready to eat dinner a four engine bomber approached -In a panic they thought it was a Japanese bomber coming to attack -Turned out that it was a New Zealand bomber (01:14:22) Reflections on Service -He enjoyed his time in the Navy, even the wartime experiences that he had -Amazed at how people reacted in dangerous situations -Astounded that at the beginning of the war they had been expected to fight with WWI weapons -He always felt that the Barker had been a good ship, but outdated nonetheless -For example: in rough seas rivets would pop out making the ships susceptible to sinking � 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_NortonJ611V Title A name given to the resource Norton, Jack (Interview outline and video), 2008 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-12-15 Description An account of the resource Jack Norton was born in Ottawa County, Michigan, in 1920. He graduated from high school in 1937 and enlisted in the Navy in 1938. He trained as a machinist's mate and sailed first on a transport ship in the Pacific, then on the destroyer USS Barker from 1940 to 1943, engaging mostly in convoy escorts and antisubmarine patrols in the Pacific (including visits to China before Pearl Harbor) and Atlantic (sinking two U-Boats). He then transferred to the destroyer escort USS Henry R. Kenyon, and again served in the Atlantic and Pacific, witnessing a kamakaze attack at Okinawa and ending the war in the Philippines. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norton, Jack 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. 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/bd3d65fc2791dd55d45e20c6a6b3e70e.m4v 87fe223a4f9499029b953bbaeb4df535 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1972ae9cc777bff848d363f4b31383da.pdf 246d1ae15b1742a0d77c0bffea12fead PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Buford North World War II 1 hour 12 minutes 35 seconds (00:01:17) Early Life -Born in Paragould, Arkansas on October 22, 1922 -He was one of twelve children -Eight boys in the family and four girls -One brother and one sister are still alive -His father’s name was John and his mother’s name was Myrtle -He went to Beech Grove Elementary School in Arkansas -There were twenty to twenty five students in the whole school -He went to high school in Flint, Michigan -Wasn’t able to graduate because of joining the Navy, but he did get his GED -His father was a farmer in Arkansas and a General Motors factory worker in Michigan -His mother was a housewife -Had to take care of the children (00:05:17) Start of the War, Awareness of the War and Enlisting -He was in eleventh grade when the war began -He remembers the attack on Pearl Harbor and Congress declaring war on December 8, 1941 -Prior to going into the service he had electrician experience -This led to him qualifying to becoming a ship electrician in the Navy -He remembers that everyone was emotional after the attack on Pearl Harbor -He eventually received his draft notice six months after Pearl Harbor -His brother had already been in the Army and had served in the North Africa Campaign -He was wounded and discharged before Buford entered the service -His brother’s experience in the Army motivated him to join the Navy instead -He enlisted in the Navy in June 1942 (00:09:02) Training Pt. 1 -He went to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training -From Illinois he was sent to Louisiana to get his assignment -He was assigned to a destroyer and received further training in Louisiana -From Louisiana he went to Orange, Texas and went aboard the ship there -It was a different life being in the Navy -Had to leave a familiar life behind and essentially begin anew in the Navy (00:11:34) Sinking of the Ship and End of Service -His ship was hit and sunk on June 10, 1945 off the coast of Okinawa -After the ship was sunk he was sent to San Diego, California -Once he arrived in San Diego he was discharged from the Navy (00:12:10) Training Pt. 2 -He feels that he did well in basic training -Followed the orders that he was given -At Great Lakes Naval Station he was given gunnery training on Lake Michigan �-Firing at targets that were out on the Lake -When he was sent to Louisiana he was stationed in New Orleans -When he went to Texas the ship that he was assigned to was still being built -While waiting for the ship’s building to be completed he received further gunnery training (00:13:34) Assignment to the USS William D. Porter -He had been assigned to the USS William D. Porter DD-579 (a destroyer) -It had 5 inch guns and twin-mounted 40mm antiaircraft guns -There was an original crew of 350 men -Had to take on more men because they didn’t have enough to man the guns -Specifically needed more sailors to be able to use the depth charges -He specialized as an electrician aboard the ship -He served with other men from Michigan (they came from Pontiac and Detroit) -Prior to becoming an electrician on the ship he had received electrician training -At the General Motors Institute and in Electrician Specialist School -He boarded as an Electrician’s Mate Third Class -He and the other original crewmen boarded the Porter latter part of 1942 (September 27, 1942) (00:19:10) Escorting President Roosevelt and Maneuvers -After the Porter was launched they crossed the Gulf of Mexico -Received more gunnery training aboard the Porter while travelling -The Porter was selected to be an escort in the convoy taking President Roosevelt to Africa -FDR was being taken to the Cairo and Tehran Conferences at this time -The Porter was helping to escort the USS Iowa (battleship) that FDR was aboard -Afterwards they returned to the States and crossed through the Panama Canal -They had trained in Cuba, Bermuda and Trinidad -Note: The entire crew of the Porter was under arrest, briefly, at Bermuda -There had been a friendly fire incident involving the USS Iowa -It had been construed as an assassination attempt; pardoned by FDR (00:23:50) Joining the Pacific Fleet and Philippines Campaign -Note: The Porter went to the Aleutian Islands before the Philippines Campaign -The Porter was assigned to Pacific Fleet 58 -Comprised of the following ships: -7 battleships, 7 cruisers, 14 destroyers, and 2 Australian ships -They were bound for the Philippines to aid in the U.S. Invasion of Luzon -The Fleet pulled into the Lingayen Gulf and the Australian ships went in first -The Australian ships received the brunt of the Japanese defenses and had to retreat -Two American destroyers were sunk by the Japanese in the Lingayen Gulf -The Porter’s task was to help destroy Japanese defenses, so U.S. ground forces could move in (00:27:36) Sailing to the Aleutian Islands -The Porter went up to the Aleutian Islands, Alaska to aid in continued fighting there -Note: Mr. North says that this was after the Philippines, but in fact it was before -The Porter operated in the Dutch Harbor, Adak and Unalaska areas of the Aleutian Islands -Aided in bombarding Japanese positions that were still there -Conditions in Alaska were good, the sea was calm, but there was a consistent heavy fog (00:28:58) Okinawa Campaign and Sinking -After the Aleutian Campaign they sailed to Pearl Harbor -After Pearl Harbor they sailed to Okinawa �-They went to Okinawa to support the ongoing American campaign there -They were hit fifty miles off the coast of Okinawa by a Japanese kamikaze -Sometimes Japanese planes would attack in groups of thirty at a time -They were aiding in the bombardment of Okinawa at the time -Bombarded Japanese positions for three days and three nights -He was always astounded by the firepower of U.S. battleships -They were attacked by kamikazes and two were able to break through their defenses -The one that hit them crashed below the Porter and exploded beneath the ship -It caused severe damage to the engine room (00:32:10) Abandoning Ship -He was up to his knees in water after the ship was hit -His task then was to shut down the generator and redistribute the ship’s electricity -After that he aided in helping keep the pumps powered by emergency generators -This wasn’t the first time they had experienced kamikaze attacks -They had been attacked by them in the Lingayen Gulf -When the Porter began to go down the wounded were evacuated first -Miraculously no one had died aboard the Porter -They were able to keep the ship afloat for an hour before finally abandoning ship -He remembers watching the ship sink -Once he abandoned ship he was taken off the Porter by a U.S. landing craft -The USS William D. Porter sank June 10, 1945 (00:37:25) Coming Home and End of Service -After the Porter sank he and the other crew were sent to Okinawa -At Okinawa they boarded a U.S. transport ship bound for New Guinea -Also sailed with Japanese prisoners of war -In New Guinea they were issued new clothing -After leaving New Guinea they went to Pearl Harbor and from Pearl Harbor back to the States -Arrived in San Francisco -He remembers going under the Golden Gate Bridge -After arriving in San Francisco he was sent to Mare Island Naval Shipyard -From there he was discharged (00:40:50) Getting Wounded on the Porter -When the Porter was hit the concussion of the explosion ruptured floor plates -They were held together by bolts -One of the bolts flew up from the floor plate and hit Buford’s knee -It didn’t cause any serious damage, or require hospitalization -He was told he would be awarded a Purple Heart, but never received it (00:43:28) Life after the War Pt. 1 -After the war he worked in General Motors Buick Motor Division -He worked as an electrician there -He started working for GM in 1947 and retired in 1983 -After retiring he took up golf -Wanted to use it as an avenue to travel -Later in life he attended Porter crew reunions throughout the U.S. -He specifically remembers the ones in New York City and Orlando, Florida -Over the years he kept in contact with the men from Michigan that he had served with �(00:45:48) Personal Communication and Living Conditions in the Navy -He stayed in contact with his family by way of mail -On board the ship they used short wave radios for shipboard communication -Had to have the ability to communicate with various rooms on the ship -The crew had no access to the telephones on the ship for personal communication -It would take a couple months to receive letters from his family -He ate pretty well on the Porter -In Alaska they were able to eat fresh tuna -Filtered their own water aboard the ship -Took in ocean water and cleaned and desalinated it for consumption -In Australia they would get frozen beef supplies -They had to make supplies last until they were able to get into a port again (00:51:31) Downtime in the Navy -Aboard ship they had access to movies -They had access to radios for entertainment purposes if there was nothing to do -They were able to pick up the Bob Hope Show broadcast -To get new movies they would swap films with other ships nearby -Some sailors would take out a boat and go over to the ship and make the exchange -After they returned to San Francisco they were given leave -He was able to go to a military club with the friends that he had made from Michigan (00:55:00) The Men He Served With -Feels that he served with good officers and enlisted men -After going over to the Pacific the Porter was assigned a new commander (00:55:48) Education after the War -He went to a junior college (community college) after the war -He went back to General Motors Institute for further electrical training (00:57:01) Other Details Pt. 1 -While they were near Australia they would run into massive schools of flying fish -In the Pacific the ship had to zigzag to avoid Japanese submarines still in the area (00:57:57) Veterans’ Group Involvement -After his service he joined the American Legion at Post 413 in Grand Blanc, Michigan -Served as their Vice Commander for a time -Involved with various trips and activities with the Legion -Eventually had to leave that Post because he had to move closer to his job with GM (00:59:45) Reflections Pt. 1 -He still uses Navy terms in everyday life -Feels that he is part of a dwindling group of WWII veterans (01:01:46) Other Details Pt. 2 -In the Pacific they would run into sporadic storms -Crossed the Equator and International Date Line multiple times -He thought that the Equatorial region would be hotter than it was -When they crossed the Equator the first time the new sailors had to be “initiated” -Ceremony carried out by veteran sailors who had crossed the Equator before -One of the crewmen was a survivor from the USS Arizona -When they stopped in Pearl Harbor he was able to see the wreckage of the USS Arizona �(01:06:50) Life after the War Pt. 2 -He had one daughter -He is now both a grandfather and a great-grandfather (01:07:16) Reflections Pt. 2 -He considers himself one of the lucky older veterans -Considers himself to be in still good physical and mental shape Audio/Visual Interview ends at 1:07:35 Pictures with Explanations from Interviewee (01:07:36) Buford and his friends from Michigan in a military club in San Francisco in 1945 (01:08:35) Associated Press picture of the USS William D. Porter sinking #1 (01:09:28) Associated Press picture of the USS William D. Porter sinking #2 (01:10:05) Associated Press picture of the USS William D. Porter sinking #3 (01:10:35) Buford and his wife (01:11:25) Buford at the World War Two Memorial in Washington DC #1 (01:11:59) Buford at the World War Two Memorial in Washington DC #2 � 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_NorthB1676V Title A name given to the resource North, Buford (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-09-04 Description An account of the resource Buford North was born in Paragould, Arkansas, in 1922. His family later moved to Flint, Michigan where he attended high school. He enlisted in the Navy in June 1942. He received basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois and transferred to New Orleans, Louisiana for further training and his assignment to a ship. From New Orleans he went to Orange, Texas to board the USS William D. Porter as an Electrician's Mate 3rd Class. The USS William D. Porter participated in escorting President Roosevelt to Allied conferences in Africa and the Middle East as well as campaigns in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, the Philippines, and finally at Okinawa supporting the invasion there. On June 10, 1945 the USS William D. Porter was struck by a Japanese kamikaze plane and sank off the coast of Okinawa. Buford, along with the rest of the crew, was successfully rescued and returned to the United States. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource North, Buford Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Erichsen, Wallace (Interviewer) 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/a9a8fdf245d5aafea7a6e205c2dc59bc.mp4 645a899b3faa9748eeb043371cf3ce75 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b0cc1dd4dd4b7aedbbe775bdd7d91ab8.pdf 489d676254dace4f25a4c43affc53aa4 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Jack Neal World War II (00:00:42) Early Life -Born in Flint, Michigan on January 21, 1927 -Grew up in Flint -His father was the assistant superintendent of the experimental division at General Motors -Family did well during the Great Depression because of his father’s job -He had seven siblings -His older brother joined the Army Air Corps -He was stationed in England with the 8th Air Force during WWII and survived (00:03:00) Start of the War -He learned about the attack on Pearl Harbor through the newspapers and radio broadcasts -He had been aware of what was happening in Europe and Asia -He didn’t think that the war would be over before he was old enough to serve -He was pleased to serve anyway (00:04:12) Getting Drafted and Basic Training -He got drafted in early 1945 shortly after his eighteenth birthday -He was allowed to finish high school though -He took a general aptitude test before reporting for basic training -He reported for basic training in late spring 1945 -He was sent to Camp Lee, Virginia -Originally sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois for processing -Took a train from Fort Sheridan to Camp Lee -Train ride took a day and a half -Allowed to move around on the train, but wasn’t allowed to get off -Camp Lee was near Petersburg, Virginia -Learned about military customs and protocol -Went on marches and went to the firing range -Trained with the M1 Garand and M1 Carbine -Received some handgun training -There was a strong emphasis on discipline -The drill sergeants were reasonable and his lieutenant was an intelligent and good man -He didn’t have any problems with adjusting to the Army -He spent roughly two months at Camp Lee (00:11:29) Advanced Training -From Camp Lee he was sent to Fort Belvoir, Virginia -Same general area as Camp Lee -He was sent there for Camouflage School which was similar to infantry training -He received additional weapons training at Fort Belvoir -Further rifle and pistol training as well as some grenade training -Also received gas mask training (00:12:59) End of the War -He was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina when the Japanese surrendered �-He was there to receive additional, miscellaneous training (00:14:03) Living on Bases -He lived in barracks at each base -Got a chance to meet different people from all over the country (00:14:37) Downtime in the United States -He received weekend passes in Virginia and South Carolina -Travelled the areas -He visited Washington DC and saw the various government buildings there -He realized that there was a definite separation of whites and blacks in the South -He didn’t see anything of significance in terms of racism or discrimination (00:17:50) Comrades -The majority of the Southern soldiers were good men, but some were crude and rough -Most of the men he trained with were in their late teens -The noncommissioned officers (corporals and sergeants) and officers were good men (00:19:38) Deployment -From Fort Jackson he was sent to New York (or New Jersey) -Spent three or four days there -Boarded a Victory Ship (similar to a Liberty Ship) -The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was good -Treated well, fed well, and the weather was fine -They sailed with a small convoy (00:22:11) Arriving in Europe -They went through the Straits of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea -Pulled into Oran, Algeria for two or three days -From North Africa they sailed to Naples, Italy and disembarked there -He had no unit, he was sent over as a replacement -When they stopped in Oran he didn’t get off the ship -He went a few miles north of Naples and stayed in some barracks for a few days -From Naples he was taken up to Rome (00:24:27) Stationed in Rome-German POWs -In Rome he was assigned to a Military Police unit that was near the Tiber River -There was a prisoner of war camp attached to the MP base -Some German prisoners were used for jobs outside the camp doing menial jobs -Some of the German prisoners could speak English -He got to know a couple of the prisoners fairly well -Most of the prisoners were in their mid-20s to early 30s -Some of the Germans were originally from the area that became East German -Did not want to get repatriated and be under Soviet rule -Majority of them left in late 1945/early 1946 -Some did leave during the time he was there (00:28:17) Stationed in Rome-Military Police Duties -He didn’t do too much being part of the Military Police -He would report daily to the headquarters -He worked with the military police that went out on police patrols -They patrolled Rome and the area around Rome -There was a day shift, evening shift, and night shift for the military police �-The objective of the police and jeep patrols was to monitor soldiers in Rome -Primarily dealt with drunken American soldiers in the city -There weren’t too many serious crimes that happened during his time there -One or two murders -Also dealt with AWOL (absent without leave) soldiers -Duty was to find them, arrest them, and hold them until trial (00:32:08) Interacting with Italian Civilians -The Italian civilians had a good relationship with the American soldiers -It was very rare to find an Italian that was hostile -They enjoyed the American presence because the troops spent money -There was a high amount of prostitution, but it was never a problem to his knowledge -Some of the Italian women were educated and worked for the Army as interpreters -Men were able to have actual relationships or friendships with them -He heard a lot of negative comments about Mussolini while he was there -Believes some of this may have been to win over Americans -But also thinks that the majority of it was sincere (00:34:57) Signs of the War -There was very little damage to Rome due to the war -The area around Rome was still damaged even in late 1945/early 1946 -Especially between Rome and Naples -He saw Monte Cassino where the Battle of Monte Cassino happened in 1944 -There were a lot of graves and there was still a lot of destruction (00:36:04) Travelling around Italy -Rome had economically recovered pretty well only less than a year after the war’s end -Shops were open and business was being conducted -The recovery was most likely due in part to the American troops spending money -He got a chance to see Milan and Florence -Got a chance to see some Italian opera performances -He had a fair amount of free time while he was stationed in Italy -He was allowed to take a jeep to travel around the country -Primarily travelled by jeep, and rarely by train -Never travelled alone, always made sure to have another NCO come with him (00:39:18) Living Conditions in Italy -He was housed in a former Italian/German military police headquarters -He shared a large room in the HQ with another noncommissioned officer -Fed good food, it was still military food, but it was the best military food -Occasionally got treated to Italian food that was cooked by the Italian workers -Also able to go into Rome and eat at restaurants there (00:40:54) Crime in Rome Pt. 1 -There was a lot of black market activity -The Italian military police handled that with some assistance from the Americans -Some of the drunken soldiers would get belligerent -Majority were so intoxicated that they couldn’t resist -He was armed with a club and a firearm, but never had to use them -The majority of work against crime was done from his office �(00:43:00) Relationship between Noncommissioned Officers and Commissioned Officers -Most of the commissioned officers in his unit were good men -Some of them were career soldiers and had been in the Army for a decade or more -Had a high level of professionalism -There were no problems between the noncommissioned officers and the commissioned officers (00:44:52) Crime in Rome Pt. 2 -He was never in any dangerous or desperate situations -The Italian police dealt with crimes involving the Italians -Majority of the Italian police were honest men -Some were corrupt though, and possibly involved with prostitution -The main product being traded in the black market was American cigarettes -Some soldiers would sell military clothing or handguns to the Italians -There wasn’t a lot of that going on that he was aware of though (00:47:30) Contact with Home -He was away from the United States for thirteen months -He spent Christmas 1946 in Italy -Treated to a special Christmas dinner -He was able to write letters home to his friends and family -Some friends from Flint Central High School were also in the military -He was able to write to them -Some were stationed relatively close and could visit him in Rome -Censorship of letters ended shortly after he got Italy (00:50:33) Coming Home and End of Service -He was ready to go home when the time -That is not to say he didn’t enjoy his time Italy, but was ready to go back -Placed on a truck and taken a few miles north of Rome to a port -Boarded another Victory Ship there -The voyage home wasn’t bad and he arrived in New Jersey -He was sent to a base in New York for three or four days -From there he was sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois to be discharged -Sometime in early 1947 (00:53:00) Life after the War -He worked at the Flint Post Office for a few months -Enrolled in Michigan State University on the GI Bill -Got his bachelor’s degree in journalism -He worked for the Flint Journal (a newspaper) for a little while -He eventually went to work for the Buick Motor Division at General Motors -Worked in the office, specifically in the purchase department -Working with vendors from all over the state -Got a job through one of the vendors in Ferndale, Michigan -Worked there for eighteen months -He enrolled in Wayne State University and studied law -He got a job with Corporate Service while he was in law school -After completing law school and passing the bar he got a job as a lawyer at a law firm -Worked there for a year and a half -Dealt with workmen’s compensation and malpractice suits �-He opened his own law office in Flint, Michigan -Also had some legal work in Grand Rapids, Michigan -When he was semi-retired he lived for a year in Florida -Decided that he missed the Midwest and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan (01:00:25) Reflections on Service -His service taught him how to live and work with people from a variety of backgrounds -He learned a great deal about the real world which helped him to mature -He thoroughly enjoyed his years at Michigan State University -Allowed that experience due to his time in the Army and the GI Bill � 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_NealJ1705V Title A name given to the resource Neal, Jack (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-11-13 Description An account of the resource Jack Neal was born in Flint, Michigan in 1927. He grew up in Flint during the Great Depression and World War II and was eventually drafted into the Army in early 1945 shortly after his eighteenth birthday. He reported for duty in late spring 1945 and received training at Camp Lee, Virginia Fort Belvoir, Virginia and Fort Jackson, South Carolina. In late 1945 he was sent over to Europe and was stationed in Rome, Italy as part of a Military Police unit there. During his time in Rome he helped keep order in the city, worked with German prisoners of war, and got to travel around Italy. His time in Italy ended in early 1947 and he was sent back to the United States. He was discharged from the Army at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Neal, Jack 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. 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/4161ad2682cdcb119efe5dc19a7d8baa.mp4 5c51ed85ba75a6eec2e3cf25508435bb https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/53aa7c5b0a59974e35048c272837cb98.pdf d1cc415ef4c1876da7829a2f7c8771ac PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Chuck Mulder World War II 1 hour 7 minutes 4 seconds (00:00:40) Early Life -Born in September 1925 in Grand Haven, Michigan -Grew up there -Went to high school in Grand Haven -Dropped out in junior year after father died -Got a job in a factory after dropping out of high school -Shortly thereafter got his draft notice -Attended high school in the late 1930s -He worked at a muffler manufacturing plant -Worked there as a spot welder -Worked there shortly after the war broke out in the United States in 1941 (00:02:13) Start of the War, Attempting to Enlist, and Getting Drafted -Remembers his mother crying when the war began on December 7, 1941 -Crying because she knew that he and his older brother would get involved -Got into an argument with his mother and decided to go enlist in the Navy Reserve -Took a bus from Grand Haven to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Went to the recruiting station near Reed’s Lake and tried to enlist -Turned away due to poor eyesight -Shortly after his eighteenth birthday in September 1943 he received his draft notice -Reported to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois on December 21, 1943 to be inducted -Knew that he was a young man and would eventually get drafted -Accepted it because he was asked to do it, and because his friends were involved -Brother was in the Army Air Force during the war as a gunner -Got shot down during a bombing raid -Spent nine months in a prisoner of war camp, but ultimately survived (00:06:19) Basic Training and Signal Corps Training -Sent to Camp Crowder, Missouri for basic training -Immediately placed into Signal Corps training -Had calisthenics every morning -Training lasted through the spring of 1944 -He was placed into Morse code training as part of the Signal Corps -Could translate and type twelve words per minute -He was left handed which meant he had to adjust to the code keys being on the right -Wound up never using any of his Morse code training (00:08:10) Deployment and Assignment to the 94th Infantry Division -He was sent to a replacement depot at Camp Beale, California -He was given an eighteen day “delay en route” -Meant that he could visit his family before reporting for deployment -He left Grand Haven on D-Day (June 6, 1944) �-Took the bus to Chicago then took a train to Camp Beale -Remembers having to comb cinders out of his hair after the train ride -He was only at Camp Beale for a short time before receiving his orders -Ordered to go to Camp McCain, Mississippi -The 94th Infantry Division needed additional men -Doesn’t remember hearing much about D-Day -By the time he got to Camp McCain the 94th was ready to go up to Camp Shanks, New York -Took a couple days to go up to Camp Shanks -Stayed in Camp Shanks for two (or three) days -Allowed to visit New York City -Remembers going into a chili diner and meeting Bud Abbott -Boarded the Queen Elizabeth with tens of thousands of other servicemen -Felt that ships like that helped the Allies win the war (00:13:35) Unit Designation in the 94th Infantry Division -He was assigned to an anti-tank platoon in a Headquarters Company -Operating a 57mm anti-tank gun -In reality it would have been ineffective against German tanks -Duty was to protect the battalion’s headquarters from any tank attacks -Only fired their gun once and all it did was act as a beacon for German artillery -He was in the Headquarters Company of 1st Battalion of the 302nd Infantry Regiment (00:15:45) Arrival in England -After leaving New York they arrived in Scotland -There was no dock big enough for the Queen Elizabeth -Had to use smaller ships to take men and supplies ashore -Took a few days to unload the Queen Elizabeth -They were taken by train to the small town of Grittleton, England -Got there in late August 1944 -It was rainy and they had to deal with slogging around in the mud -Did some training with the anti-tank gun -Paris had just been taken and the Germans were starting to retreat -Places their arrival in England sometime around August 25, 1944 -Stayed in England for about a month (00:18:13) Arrival in France -Went down to Southampton and boarded a Liberty Ship there -Sailed across the English Channel and landed at Utah Beach on September 8, 1944 -Ninety four days after D-Day -There was still debris from the invasion in June (00:19:19) Stationed in France Pt. 1 -There were still 60,000 German soldiers in Lorient and Saint-Nazaire -The 94th was being sent to that area to keep them contained -Maintained a line there for about two and a half months, dug into hedgerows -NOTE: The 94th was relieved on January 1, 1945 -Eventually moved to the Siegfried Line -Duty there was to stand guard and insure that the Germans weren’t able to break out -Never managed to get a full night’s sleep -They would receive sporadic shell fire from the Germans �-Remembers spending his nineteenth birthday there (00:22:25) Battle of the Bulge Pt. 1 -In late December they received orders to move to the Ardennes Forest -Remembers that their move was because a regiment of the 66th Division had been lost at sea -The loss wasn’t reported and didn’t learn about it until a year later -Didn’t think much about orders, just followed them -Didn’t know that it was called “the Bulge” until ten years after the fact -Didn’t know if the Allies were definitively winning or losing -Just knew that they were on the move and it felt like they were winning (00:24:40) Stationed in France Pt. 2 -In France they were near a group of Free French Forces -A priest would go and talk to the French forces each night -Remembers one night the priest took a shortcut to get to the French troops -Accidentally killed by one of the guards -Only two times that he felt scared when he was in France -The first time was when he heard that they were getting mortared -Scary because unlike regular artillery you couldn’t hear the mortar shells -Second time was when there was a false alarm for a gas attack -Turned out that it was just the smell of apple blossoms (00:28:20) Battle of the Bulge Pt. 2 -Started moving towards the Ardennes just before January 1, 1945 -Started getting really cold and they were being transported in open cattle trucks -Had to stand up for the whole ride and wear a full pack -Men had to be evacuated due to frostbite -Stayed overnight in a dug out in a wooded area -Remembers a German reconnaissance plane would fly over them at night -Nicknamed it “Bed Check Charlie” -The Germans were still dug in and trying to prevent an Allied counteroffensive -They were moved to the Saar-Moselle Triangle -Ground was so frozen that they had to use dynamite to break up the soil -For three days they advanced west into the Bulge and crossed the Saar River -Didn’t run into direct contact with the Germans, but faced their artillery -Mastered the art of getting shells to explode at the tops of trees -Caused a shower of shrapnel and splinters down on troops -His job was to help pull the wounded and the dead out of the woods -Stationed at a forward aid station -He would have to go out 100, or 200 yards to collect the wounded and the dead -Remembers that a lot of the men he retrieved were horribly mangled -Worst one he saw was a dead man that had been blown in half -Worst of the fighting lasted three days for them -Remembers encountering snipers and shelling in one of the towns that they took -Fought in the Bulge for the January portion of the battle -Battle was over on January 25, 1945 (00:39:54) Advancing into Germany -When the Bulge had been pushed back they started taking more prisoners -They were taking thousands of prisoners each day until they reached the German border �-Took over the towns of Dusseldorf and Ludwigshafen -They were the occupying forces there for a while -Ordered not to interact with German civilians -Remembers that it happened anyway -Dusseldorf was the first time in months that he got to sleep in a bed and take a shower -They reached the Rhine River and prepared to intercept any German forces -Germans were trying desperately to destroy any bridges that spanned the river -By now it was the spring of 1945 and nearing the end of the war -There were still pockets of German resistance -Forgone conclusion was that the Allies were going to win -From there they moved south to Munich, Germany -Guarding a prisoner of war camp there -Remembers they found an undamaged brewery and started brewing beer -You could buy a liter of beer for just $1 -Around this time Dachau was discovered and liberated by American forces -This would have been in late April 1945 -Started hearing rumors about other concentration camps -It was hard to believe at the time -Found a medic’s bag in Germany with a bayonet, a P-38 pistol, and a Nazi medal -Stayed in Munich until just after the end of the war in Europe on May 8, 1945 (00:51:40) Occupation Duties in Czechoslovakia Pt. 1 -Received orders to go to Czechoslovakia to stop the Soviet territory grab -When they were en route to Czechoslovakia he received news that President Roosevelt had died -This would have been a month or more after the actual event -He remembers seeing Bob Hope perform in Czechoslovakia -They were helping the civilians harvest their crops -The civilians were friendly (00:53:04) End of the War & Coming Home -Received the news in Czechoslovakia that the atomic bombs had been dropped on Japan -Men were starting to be sent home based on the number of “points” that they had -Points were assigned based on length of service, combat, and dependents -Soldiers were sent to “Cigarette Camps” in France -Cigarette Camps: Collection areas named after popular brands of cigarettes -He was sent to Camp Chesterfield in the Le Havre area -Stayed there until he received orders to go home -He boarded the SS George Washington in Brest, France -Remembers that the voyage home was one of the roughest he had ever made -Pulled into New York and then was sent to Camp Atterbury, Indiana -By now his brother had been liberated from the POW camp and was already home -His mother was ecstatic that her two sons had made it home from the war alive (00:56:05) Life after the War -He was a part of Michigan’s 52/20 Club -Michigan program to give veterans $20 for fifty two weeks or until they got a job -He looked around for various jobs and worked at various places -Got one job at a hotel washing dishes -Got another job at a Michigan State Park �-He went to Hope College in Holland, Michigan on the GI Bill -Received some college credits from being in the Army -Attended for four years -A lot of veterans went to Hope -Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology -He got a job through his cousin’s husband at a shoe company in Holland -Worked as a travelling salesman for them for two years -Travelled around Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, and Ohio -He got married to a girl that he had met at Hope -Sold butcher supplies for a while -Went to work for a die maker supplier -Worked there for fourteen years -He got another job for a steel company as a salesman -Worked there for twenty three years and retired in 1988 -Bought a little cottage in northern Michigan -After retiring he and his wife bought a mobile home and travelled the country for sixteen years -Eventually moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and has lived there ever since (01:02:02) Occupation Duties in Czechoslovakia Pt. 2 -Stayed in Czechoslovakia through the summer of 1945 -Remembers that it got really hot in August -Took a trip to the city of Pilsen (or Prague) and met some Soviet troops -Remembers that they were just a bunch of thugs -Other than his trip to a city and helping the civilians nothing major happened there (01:04:07) Veterans’ Organizations Involvement -Excited to go on the 2015 Honor Flight -NOTE: Interview was recorded about one week before the flight in May 2015 -Attended a veterans’ convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Shocked at the number of veterans that showed up to 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_MulderC1764V Title A name given to the resource Mulder, Chuck (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-07 Description An account of the resource Chuck Mulder was born in September 1925 in Grand Haven, Michigan. He grew up there and in the fall of 1943 he was drafted into the Army. He reported for duty on December 21, 1943 and was sent to Camp Crowder, Missouri for basic training and Signal Corps training. In the summer of 1944 he was assigned to an antitank platoon in the Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion of the 302nd Infantry Regiment of the 94th Infantry Division. He was sent over to Europe in August 1944 and was sent to France on September 8, 1944. He saw action around Lorient and Saint-Nazaire, France and then in January 1945 saw action in the Battle of the Bulge around the Saar-Moselle Triangle. In the spring of 1945 the 94th Infantry Division advanced into Germany and from the end of the war on May 8, 1945 through the summer of 1945 he was stationed in Czechoslovakia as part of the occupation force. He was sent back to the United States in late 1945 and was discharged from the Army at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mulder, Chuck Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Childress, 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/0838165de6189fb1dbfca823597d1dfd.mp4 3679cd77f789d1d41ad1ac4efb597f51 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f71dbeee5fe44bdcfb8087fa66d8e0c2.pdf 5733168a64758138c684989fde004434 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Dr. Richard Muir Vietnam War 51 minutes 10 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 2, 1939 -Grew up in Grand Rapids -Went to Ottawa Hills High School -Father was a partner in the Muir Pharmacy chain -Had two older sisters and one younger brother -Went to Northwestern University, Illinois after high school -Graduated from high school in 1957 -Married his high school sweetheart in the fall of 1957 -After a year at Northwestern University he and his wife transferred to Albion College, Michigan -Finished his pre-med coursework there -Had a child in 1958 and another in 1960 -Got financial support from his father and worked for A&P Grocers -Also was a referee for sporting events -Wife graduated from Wayne State University in 1962 -He went to medical school at Wayne State University -Wasn't largely aware of Cold War events happening in the early 1960s -Focused on completing medical school and raising a family -Had to complete four years of medical school, then one year of internship -Did his internship from 1965-1966 -Hoping to go into orthopedics (00:02:58) Getting Drafted -Received a draft letter in spring 1966 -Said that he was going to be inducted into the Army as a lieutenant -Army needed doctors for the war that was escalating in Vietnam (00:03:42) Training Pt. 1 -Reported to Fort Sam Houston, Texas in August 1966 -Taught how to march -Taught some basic non-surgical wound treatments -Took an additional course on tropical medicine because he was going to be sent to Vietnam -He had volunteered for service in Vietnam -Did not want to be stuck in the U.S. for two years doing boring work -Believed, at the time, that the spread of communism needed to be stopped -Left Fort Sam Houston in late October 1966 (00:05:14) Deployment Pt. 1 -Reported to Travis Air Force Base, California on November 2, 1966 for his deployment -From there he was flown to South Vietnam �(00:05:22) Training Pt. 2 -At Fort Sam Houston for two and a half months -Six weeks of basic training -Four weeks of the tropical medicine course -He trained with a group of doctors, dentists, and veterinarians -Army basically gave up on trying to give them standard basic training -The closest thing they got was going on the infiltration course -Crawling under barbed wire while a machine gun was fired over him -The tropical medicine course was focused on learning abbout tropical diseases -Specifically malaria, bubonic plague, etc. -Had that course because he was was going to be assigned to a hospital -Didn't know where, but knew it would be a provincial civilian hospital -Also taught how to treat tropical infections and parasites (00:07:51) Deployment Pt. 2 -He reported to Travis Air Force Base and his plane had already left -Had to stay a night at Travis to wait for the next flight to South Vietnam -Next day caught a flight that would take him to Saigon -Flew there on a chartered civilian plane -Deployed to South Vietnam as a captain -Promoted to the rank of captain when he reported to Fort Sam Houston -Stopped at Okinawa and then flew to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam (00:09:05) Arrival in South Vietnam -Landed in the morning -It was already hot and humid -Could not find anyone on the base that could tell him where to go -He was taken to a building where assignments were being given to incoming soldiers -Eventually got taken to the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam compound in Saigon -No one knew where he was supposed to go -After a week there he finally received his orders (00:10:54) Stationed in Pleiku -Taken north on a DC-3 to Pleiku -It was in the Central Highlands in II Corps near the Laotian border -Assigned to the MACV compound in Pleiku -Taking over the Military Provincial Health Assistance Program -Purpose of that program was to go to a provincial hospital to help the Vietnamese -Treating civilians and training medical personnel -Met with doctors and noncommissioned officers -Went to the hospital in Pleiku the next day -It was an old French hospital -Got his orientation on the job -The French hospital was composed of various one story buildings -A surgical building and two medical buildings -They were basic facilities that looked more like barracks -He was made the commanding officer �-Had a disagreement with another doctor -Someone had to take over surgery while another took over medicine -He eventually got to do surgery -Felt that the other doctor was incompetent when it came to surgery -Sought help from the career noncommissioned officers that had more experience (00:16:25) Treating and Working with the Vietnamese Pt. 1 -The medical facilities were primitive -Families would stay with patients -Cooked meals in the hospital next to the patient -Treated Vietnamese civilians, but no military personnel -Took care of the Vietnamese and the Montagnards -The Vietnamese refused to be with the Montagnards -Had a handful of Vietnamese interpreters to help him and the other doctors -They were wonderful people -Got in touch with one interpreter decades after the war -Interpreters would communicate with the Montagnards -Ability to communicate was more limited though -Some of the Vietnamese in the hills only spoke French -He spoke a little French, so he could communicate with them -Saw a lot of people come in with wounds from bullets and/or landmines -Burns from house fires -Injuries related to vehicle accidents -Snake bites were also common and festering by the time the patients got to the hospital -Wounds from punji sticks -Punji sticks: Booby traps used by the Viet Cong, sticks in pits smeared in feces -Had to perform a lot of amputations -Hospital got its supplies from the United States government -Had an anesthetic machine that no one knew how to use -Had to rely on novocaine injections for local anesthetic -Had to bring patients with abdominal wounds to the base at Pleiku -Treated at the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (00:21:04) Living Conditions and Downtime -Lived with four other men -Spent a few weeks by himself because the other men were in the field or elsewhere -At first he was depressed because he didn't receive any mail for a couple weeks -The mail eventually reached him which was a morale boost -Played basketball with his roommates once they returned -Passed the time by reading -Would return to the base at night to eat dinner -Very rarely left the base after coming back from the hospital -Only went to the hospital at night if he was concerned about a patient -Had Vietnamese civilians that were approved to work on the base -Cleaned, made beds, and cooked (00:23:35) Evidence of the War �-There were no frontlines, so the war was technically everywhere -The 4th Infantry Division was operating out of Pleiku at the time -When he went to the hospital he would see their vehicles on the road (00:24:03) Treating and Working with the Vietnamese Pt. 2 -There was an airbase that they would fly out of into the mountains -There were a couple bubonic plague outbreaks in the mountains -Used streptomycin to treat the infection -Some people had pneumonic plague -Plague had reached the lungs and was not treatable -Had a mortality rate of 100% -It was interesting to go into the field by helicopter -Flew at tree top level to avoid being shot at by the Viet Cong -Drove out to a village once and heard gunshots -Thought it was combat -Turned out to just be the signal for the village people to gather for treatment -The Montagnard villages were composed of buildings built on stilts -Livestock lived under the houses -Very primitive, but resourceful people -The Montagnards were much less demanding than the Vietnamese -More docile and friendly -Thought that they were better looking people -Didn't see any with modern weapons -Only armed with crossbows -Always suspected that some patients were part of the Viet Cong -Treated them anyway -Wasn't aware of any major Viet Cong activity in Pleiku though -More afraid of being kidnapped than being shot -Knew that doctors would get kidnapped and taken to treat VC soldiers -The South Vietnamese medical personnel were called technicians -Had very little, if any, medical training -He taught them how to put on casts and apply dressings -They would assist with surgeries -Got to know some of them pretty well (00:28:46) Medical and Humanitarian Work Pt. 1 -His job didn't change much over the course of the year that he spent in South Vietnam -Dealt with chronic intestinal parasites, chronic malaria, and tuberculosis -He was able to get running water for the hospital -Built some basic storage for medical supplies -Built a cooking shed for the family members of patients to use for cooking -This was to prevent any accidents from happening inside the hospital (00:29:55) The Vietnamese -The Vietnamese families were no different than American families -Different customs, still people though -Loved their children �-Very close knit -Remembers one patient that had tetanus that was being watched over by his family -After a week he was able to eat again -Wound up choking on a piece of food, aspirated, and died (00:30:48) Travelling -He spent most of his time in Pleiku either on the base or at the hospital -Visited a friend in Nha Trang -Visited a former classmate from medical school who was in Da Nang -Went down to Saigon once to fill out paperwork due to a stolen jeep -Prostitution was very prevalent in Saigon -Prostitutes would knock on doors looking for potential customers -Went on R&R twice -Once to Hawaii to see his wife -Another time to Bangkok, Thailand -Had initially planned to meet his father in Hong Kong -He had served in the Navy in World War I and loved Asia -At the last minute his father decided not to go -Felt that he was too old to travel that much -The medical facilities were much better in Nha Trang and Da Nang -This was due to their being American military medical facilities -While in Nha Trang he contracted Dengue fever -Stayed in an American hospital for four of five days until he was healthy again (00:33:01) Disease -Took an anti-malaria pill -Made him sick though, so he stopped taking it -Never contracted malaria while he was in Vietnam (00:33:15) Opinion of the War -Initially, he was very supportive of the war -After three months of being in Vietnam his opinion changed -Saw how much the civilians were suffering due to the war -Saw that democracy wouldn't work in Vietnam -Too rural and too uneducated for a Western democracy to work -Felt that a lot of the South Vietnamese officials were corrupt -Didn't care about the majority of the Vietnamese civilians, or the Montagnards (00:34:53) Discipline Issues Pt. 1 -Believes that the jeep that was stolen was probably stolen by an American serviceman -Theft wasn't a major issue though -Didn't have much morphine on hand, so didn't worry about it being stolen -Did have codeine and other oral narcotics -Once the storage was built he kept the codeine and narcotics locked in there (00:36:28) American Medical Personnel -The medical service officer was a good man from Minnesota -A new medical officer that later arrived was a good man and they became friends -Stayed friends until his death after the war �-He and his wife are still in touch with that officer's widow -The one incompetent officer was rotated out and replaced with a better officer -Got along with the new man much better -More qualified and more personable -The noncommissioned officers were very helpful -The younger enlisted men worked as medical staff -Most, if not all, of the medics were in the field with the infantry (00:38:24) Discipline Issues Pt. 2 -Overall, the American medical staff were good to work with -A couple of the men were lazy, but otherwise good men -One man was a pedophile -He was caught and dealt with by the military legal system -One man was grossly overweight and had to be rotated out -A lot of the men had problems with alcohol -Never caused any work issues, but it was apparent that they had a problem with alcohol (00:39:28) Communication with Home -Communicated with home by way of letters and audio tape -It was a great morale boost to hear the voices of his wife and children -Communicated with his parents, sisters, aunts, and his brother (00:40:09) Delivering a Baby -One time he and another doctor (OB/GYN) flew up to a village to help deliver a baby -The placenta was blocking the baby from being delivered -Transported the woman by helicopter to a Special Forces hospital -Delivered the baby there via a C section (00:41:06) Medical and Humanitarian Work Pt. 2 -Went to Quinn Yan to visit a Quaker prosthetic center -The center was funded by the Quakers -Taught the Vietnamese how to make prosthetics -Helped teach them about rehabilitation -Helped find a plastic surgeon for a woman with severe burns -She wound up getting the plastic surgery which made her happy -Didn't leave Pleiku for medical work very often -Generally just worked in the hospital in Pleiku -Hopes that he gave the Vietnamese some medical knowledge and good will -Isn't sure about how much it helped though (00:43:05) Revisiting Vietnam -Visited Vietnam in 2001 with his wife -Could not visit Pleiku because it was off limits for foreigners -Saw Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Cam Ranh Bay, and Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) -It was a week long trip -It was a very different country -Most of the young people had no concept of the war -Free enterprise and small shops were abundant and thriving -There was no bitterness among the Vietnamese, even in Hanoi -Saw that communism was slowly being replaced with capitalism anyway �(00:44:32) Coming Home -Wasn't sure when he was supposed to leave South Vietnam -Knew that it would be sometime in November 1967 -Eventually received his orders to return to the United States -Went down to Cam Ranh Bay and then went to Saigon to board a plane -Everyone on the plane clapped when they left the ground -Landed at Travis Air Force Base -It was cold when they landed -Flew from Travis Air Force Base to Detroit -Didn't see any protestors in the United States -Even travelling in uniform he didn't face any animosity (00:45:58) End of Service -Sent to Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, California -Worked at their outpatient clinic for soldiers -Stationed there for nine months until he was discharged (00:46:16) Life after the War -Returned to Detroit -Lived there until 1979 -Wanted to move to California once their children were in college -Moved to California in 1979 and has lived there ever since -Went into orthopedics -Practiced in Detroit from 1973-1979 -Practiced in North San Diego County from 1979-July 2014 -The Army had tried to convince him to reenlist -Offered a promotion to the rank of major -Did not consider it at all -Wife wishes that he had because it would have made their lives easier (00:47:42) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Doesn't regret being in the Army -He is actually glad that he got drafted -Feels that it was a wonderful experience -Has tremendous respect for the military (00:47:56) Major Events of the 1960s -Didn't pay much attention to the Vietnam War after he returned -Does remember when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated -Does remember when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated -Just focused on his family -Paid some attention to the war -Didn't think that the U.S. was accomplishing what they wanted to (00:49:44) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Grew a lot emotionally -Learning how to take care of other people -Learning how to be more self reliant -Took pride in knowing that he went to Vietnam and did what he could to help the people -Has a greater respect for the military -It was a positive experience �-Growing experience for his wife as well -Made their relationship stronger � 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_MuirR1753V Title A name given to the resource Muir, Richard V (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 Dr. Richard Muir was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 2, 1939. After graduating from high school in 1957 he attended Northwestern University, Albion College, and Wayne State University studying medicine. After completing his internship in 1966 he was drafted in spring 1966 and reported for active duty in August 1966. He received training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and volunteered to be deployed to Vietnam. He reported to Travis Air Force Base, California on November 2, 1966 to be deployed to Vietnam. He was stationed in Pleiku where he worked at a provincial civilian hospital treating civilians and training Vietnamese medical personnel. He also would go into the hills and villages of Vietnam to treat the Montagnards as well as rural Vietnamese. He was sent back to the United States in November 1967. He was stationed at Fort MacArthur, California for nine months and was discharged from there. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Muir, Richard V. 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/4a8afa39a8067f67b620956d16b8e858.m4v 321ffc08b5f02b562a02ef3b7c95a4dc https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f17ef83eea5fb987df0d74d3e773a02e.pdf 6b21e3a094f1a61be8b37df769b5bf29 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran's History Project Vietnam War Joseph Minias Total Time (00:28:46) Introduction (00:00:23)  Joseph Minias was born in Bockhorn, Germany in 1945; his family moved the United States when he was five years old (00:00:40)  His parents were both Polish (00:01:37)  Joseph grew up in Buffalo, New York; he has one brother- his family didn't have a car and mentions there wasn't much to do in Buffalo (00:02:28) ◦ He graduated from high school in 1964 and got a part time job as an apprentice for a tool and die shop (00:03:23) ◦ Joseph got drafted for the Vietnam War in 1969; he mentions before that he wasn't paying much attention to what was happening in Vietnam (00:04:12) ▪ He got married in October of 1968 and got his draft notice for the Army in April of 1969 (00:04:25) Basic Training & Beyond (00:05:08)  Joseph says he didn't like basic training because he didn't like taking orders from anyone- being older than the guys giving him orders bothered him (00:06:22)  His Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) was for combat infantry at Ft. Dix, New Jersey (00:07:42) ◦ Joseph got his orders to leave for Vietnam and first was shipped to Oakland, California and then to Alaska to refuel and finally landed at either Cam Ranh Bay or Da Nang Vietnam (00:10:18) ◦ He was ordered to the 101st Airborne Infantry at Camp Evans (00:11:24) ▪ His first recollection of being in Vietnam wasn't pretty: he was sitting in a helicopter and as they were landing gunfire from rockets were coming from everywhere, after they landed he remembers F-15's dropping napalm and bombs (00:14:02) ▪ Joseph mentions repeatedly that he was never told where he was or where he was going while in Vietnam (00:16:49)  At Ripcord, Joseph and his group had to prepare by digging foxholes and placing a lot of sandbags down (00:18:32)  He received a rest and relaxation (R&R) leave to go to Japan; he got to see Mt. Fuji and says overall the trip was nice (00:20:48) Coming Home (00:21:00)  Joseph received a leave to go home for a few days and then he had orders to go to Ft. Riley in Kansas; Joseph got asked to go to Germany and he said no- his duty then was as a bunker guard (00:22:07)  After the Army, Joseph moved back to Buffalo, New York; he had an opportunity to go back to school and went for general studies (00:25:27) ◦ He went back to his old job at the tool and die shop for about ten years; he applied to Ford Motor Company and got the job immediately as an automation repairmen (00:26:37) � 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_MiniasJ1694V Title A name given to the resource Minias, Joseph (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-11 Description An account of the resource Joseph Minias was born in Bockhorn, Germany in 1945 his family moved to the United States when he was five years old. He grew up in Buffalo, New York and graduated from high school in 1964. He was drafted by the Army for the Vietnam War in 1969. He was ordered to the 101st Airborne Division at Camp Evans in Vietnam. He served in the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry, and participated in the Ripcord campaign in 1970. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Minias, Joseph 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/da47f1e5e64c11c506076362a3b584a1.mp4 244c5be2f894af379dc85de0fb58530b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fe4e0e8a5fbb1dbe2fc07311ee7bfc03.pdf f4a3aa1da0398891a52457428d87f956 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Vietnam War Lawrence Merritt Interview Length: (00:39:06:00) Pre-enlistment / Training (00:00:24:00)  At the time he joined the military, Merritt’s immediate family were his parents and three sisters; when he joined the military, Merritt’s family was living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but Merritt had been born in Oak Park, Illinois (00:00:24:00) o Merritt actually joining the military came about from his choice to attend Purdue University, which he did not realize at the time, had a requirement that all freshmen had to take ROTC (00:00:47:00)  While fitting the ROTC into his curriculum, Merritt had to decide between Army, Navy, or Air Force ROTC and he had to do the ROTC for at least one year (00:01:01:00)  However, before Merritt enrolled, the university canceled the ROTC requirement for freshmen but since Merritt was already in a scheduled format, his father thought Merritt should just try the ROTC and see what he thought of it (00:01:13:00)  As well, the ROTC program paid a little bit of money each month, which was a little enticement (00:01:28:00) o Merritt stuck with the Army ROTC and one year led to the next, then to the next, then to the next, and finally to the fourth year, after which, Merritt received a commission as a 2nd lieutenant out of Purdue (00:01:36:00)  Merritt graduated with a degree in civil engineering and as the curriculum unfolded, Merritt could see himself joining the Army Corps of Engineers while the non-engineering ROTC members were likely to go into either infantry or artillery (00:01:52:00)  At the time, the Army required that all engineering officers attend an engineering officer basic course at Fort Belvoir, Virginia that lasted for eight weeks; the course was a first step so that all engineering officer candidates could learn military engineering because they all knew civil engineering but as the military go a hold of them, then the candidates had to learn military engineering (00:02:25:00) o The course was very informative and Merritt was able to apply most of the civil engineering to what he would be doing with Army engineers; however, the course also taught the candidates about explosives, which a civil class would not have taught them, and other aspects of military engineering that might come into play in a candidate’s future (00:03:03:00) o As far as basic training, during one of the summers in ROTC, Merritt and the other members had to go to Fort Riley, Kansas for what was a rudimentary infantry, artillery, and armor exposure; it was nothing more than to teach that there were other disciplines in the Army and in the future, the students might be drawn into one (00:03:26:00) � From Fort Belvoir, Merritt’s first assignment was at Fort Carson, Colorado in a heavyequipment platoon, which itself was in an engineer battalion that worked in support of an infantry division (00:04:01:00) o In the platoon, the soldiers had more combat engineering responsibilities, including: operating heavy-terrain cranes to retrieve vehicles, bridge launch vehicles, bull dozers, road graters, dump trucks, and paraphernalia that might be useful from and engineering unit for an infantry division (00:04:15:00) o Merritt’s time at Fort Carson lasted for about six months before he had a chance to attend another class at Fort Belvoir (00:04:43:00)  While at Fort Carson, Merritt had received assignment to MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) and although there was a class for joining that command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the class was full, so the Army allowed Merritt to go back Fort Belvoir and take and engineering equipment officer course which was intended to give him some time before going to Vietnam (00:04:54:00) Deployment (00:05:32:00)  From Fort Belvoir, Merritt went to Vietnam by way of Travis Air Force Base in California; when he arrived in Vietnam, Merritt still did not know where he was going incountry but he was a 2nd lieutenant assigned to MACV, so the Army started going through the regular curriculum of what advisors did in Vietnam and actually asked Merritt which Corps or region he might be interests in going to (00:05:32:00) o Merritt had the option of going to the north (Military Region 1), the Central Highlands (Military Region 2), Saigon (Military Region 3) or the Mekong Delta (Military Region 4) (00:06:17:00) o Merritt knew that he did not like snakes or DMZs, so he decided to go to Military Region 2 and the Army found an opening for him in that region (00:06:33:00) o After two days, Merritt flew to Nha Trang, which was the stop-off point for the head of Military Region 2; once in Nha Trang, the regional commanders looked in their list of openings and assigned Merritt to the Darlac province, which was on the western reaches of Vietnam (00:06:48:00)  When Merritt first arrived in Vietnam, it was nothing like what he expected; all the training films in college and the war stories Merritt had heard both, in person and over the news, indicated that he would be using his rifle sooner than he wanted, which was not the case (00:07:06:00) o Saigon was domesticated, which was not something Merritt was prepared for, but going into the smaller settlements, it got more rural all the time and things were almost normal, except when nighttime came, which was when people stopped using the roads (00:07:27:00)  Merritt did not realize that the curfews were on-again, off-again but usually, there was no one out at night and it became very quiet in the evenings and nights, not the constant barrage of war (00:08:04:00)  Once Merritt arrived in Darlac, his specialty in engineering allowed him to become an engineering advisor, which was an assigned position in the advisory team Merritt was a part of; the advisory team as a whole was a part of CORDS (Civil Operations and Role �   Development Support), which was made up partially of civilians and partially of military personnel (00:08:29:00) o The advisory team was mostly officers, senior NCOs, and civilians with a government background who were in specialty positions to help improve the society in the area, such as health, education, and welfare (00:08:58:00) o The team was more of a civilian organization working with the Vietnamese than a group of military advisors, although they were in the military (00:09:25:00) o As an engineer advisory, Merritt was involved in several public works projects that required aid from the team; the team did not have specific people to assist in the actual project but the team had money and mental knowledge to help the Vietnamese (00:09:37:00) o Merritt was also the assistant supply officer, which involved the more remote military assignments within the province, who were living more off the land and separate from the advisors living in the towns and Merritt helped supply those soldiers with supplies, including: food, ammunition, and fuel, all of which had to be shipped out from the central point in the province (00:09:55:00)  Along with being the engineering advisor, the supply side kept Merritt pretty busy (00:10:26:00) There was an airfield in the town where Merritt was stationed used by the Americans as well as the Vietnamese infantry division stationed there, who used the airfield as a launch point for their field operations (00:10:43:00) o However, when it rained, all the jet propellant used for re-fueling would float downstream over the land and enter the village, becoming a fire hazard because as the propellants dried up, they stayed on the surface and eventually, a propellant from someone’s cooking stove would light the streets on fire (00:11:00:00) o The engineers had to devise a way to collect the rain water and contain the jet fuel while allowing the storm water to continue flowing (00:11:33:00) o The military had been in the area long enough that it was questionable why something had not been done sooner but it was a military problem that the military had to clean up (00:11:58:00) Another public works project that Merritt took part in was helping construct buildings for administrative duties; the advisors did not actually build the buildings themselves but there was an engineering battalion who came in a built the buildings where the team had chosen to place them (00:12:15:00) Towards the end of his time in Vietnam, Merritt became involved in the Army’s effort to re-locate entire Montagnard villages; the villagers were take out of the contested areas and re-located to an area where the engineers helped them build perimeters and defensive fortifications around the new village (00:12:39:00) o There were a tremendous number of Montagnard villages that had been re-located and although the majority had re-located before Merritt arrived in Vietnam, the Americans were still involved in the re-supply and refurbishment of the fortifications around the villages (00:13:07:00) o The Montagnards themselves did not like the re-location efforts; they were taken from their historic, family areas and re-located to flat farming areas (00:13:30:00)  However, the Montagnard system of farm was such that they would plant crops around their village and they needed the jungle atmosphere and �     replenishment of the soils, which they could not get in the open farm lands, so their farming efforts became more tedious (00:13:44:00) o The soldiers did not supply the Montagnards with supplies, who grew their crops and trade for whatever else they needed in the markets; logging was a big industry for the tribesmen and they could turn any profits from that into rice if they did not successfully grow any (00:14:18:00) The town where Merritt was stationed had around seventy thousand inhabitants but the surrounding areas were more remote, so the entire province itself had around onehundred-and-fifty thousand inhabitants, which was not much for being a seven-hundredsquare-mile province (00:14:41:00) Merritt kept in contact with his family; the mail service as a little slow but the mail eventually came through (00:15:19:00) o It was a little tedious trying to keep up with everything because the letters did not always cover what Merritt wanted to know; there was a limit to how much someone could remember to put into a letter and how much Merritt wanted to read about in a letter (00:15:26:00) o Merritt tried to contact his family once through the telephone system, which was an interesting concept of using radios to transfer a call; although it was a cumbersome system, it was still something Merritt tried (00:15:52:00) The food available to the soldiers was good; because the Vietnamese were cooking American-style food, the soldiers did have to suffer (00:16:10:00) o The food was not overly fancy but the soldiers managed to stay healthy from eating it (00:16:22:00) The soldiers stayed in old French quarters from when the French had occupied the country; Merritt does not know if the quarters were an old French hotel but each soldier had an individual room (00:16:37:00) o However, the soldiers eventually took over a former Special Forces encampment and because the Special Forces tended to receive better supplies and facilities, the soldiers enjoyed what the Special Forces soldiers had left behind (00:16:53:00) Merritt had to put working with the Vietnamese people in two vernaculars: the true South Vietnamese and the Montagnards, and Merritt happened to be stationed in the Montagnard capital of South Vietnam (00:17:09:00) o Therefore, the majority of the people the Merritt and the other advisors worked with were Montagnards; Darlac was one of four provinces that had Montagnard province chiefs (00:17:21:00) o However, there were South Vietnamese living in the area who had actually come down from North Vietnam and found more land available in Darlac than they found by the coastline, where the traditional South Vietnamese maintained ownership of the land (00:17:41:00) o The soldiers enjoyed the Montagnards, who were friendly, knew enough English to keep Merritt out of trouble and so he could communicate with them, and were a happier people than the South Vietnamese (00:18:01:00)  The Montagnards were more festive and had a tighter bond with their families, who they shared with the soldiers, who would went to the different families for Sunday afternoon dinner (00:18:19:00) �   On a typical day, the soldiers had their breakfast in the morning and be working by eight o’clock, although there were some supply soldiers who were always either procuring supplies or preparing to ship the supplies to the outlying units in the area (00:18:43:00) o The outlying units needed new supplies either weekly or monthly, depending on the supplies, and because all the units were on different progressions, the workload for the supply soldiers was spread out, based on what the individual units’ needs were (00:19:06:00) o The units would call ahead with their needs because there were some items the supply soldiers could not get right away, the units knew this and gave the supply section time to scrounge the items ups (00:19:22:00)  Generators were the biggest problem because the units relied on them for electricity twenty-four hours a day, so when a generator went out, the supply soldiers had to have another generator ready, so the supply section always had move generators than they were allocated (00:19:30:00)  Fuel was not a problem; Merritt believes that the supply soldiers were able to do well there because there was a South Vietnamese Infantry in the area and their supplies, namely fuel and ammunition, became supplies for the Americans as well (00:20:06:00) There was combat in the area and Merritt divided it into two groups (00:20:26:00) o The first group were pre-meditated attacks by the American military in which they would plan operations in the area using either helicopters or trucks to get to certain stages areas, where the soldiers would stay for a period before returning to their base (00:20:32:00) o The second group were attacks by the Viet Cong where they would occasionally attack at night using mortars or rockets, which generally aiming at the airfield with the helicopters being a particular target (00:20:53:00)  However, the attacks left the soldiers’ barracks alone as well as the town; Merritt does not recall anyone in the town being wounded in an enemy attack (00:21:12:00) The unit Merritt served in itself was interesting; there were a few enlisted soldiers and a lot of both senior NCOs and officers (00:21:51:00) o After sundown, it seemed like everyone could mingle together; although rank was respected, it was put away so that people got to know each other as part of the team, not by what their rank was (00:22:08:00)  There were a lot of hazing parties for soldiers who were getting ready to go home and other occasions where the soldiers were happy (00:22:26:00) o The soldiers had chances for R&R and they would often go together; however, the soldiers did not receive many because they were a small unit (00:22:51:00) o Once of the advantages in being in the supply section was the soldiers helped obtain the food for all the outlying units and whenever they would go to Cam Ranh Bay or another place on the coast, the soldiers would take Montagnard souvenirs and return with steaks or extra items, so that the section because the focus point for Sunday afternoon partying (00:23:03:00)  The supply section got the goodies while the other soldiers brought the beer and everybody was welcome, including some of the outlying units because there were not much fun in their areas on weekends (00:23:39:00) �  Merritt spent his entire tour in Darlac (00:24:10:00) o A shallow point of Vietnam was that Merritt only saw what he did for that year but he did not know the bigger picture of why he was in Vietnam (00:24:14:00)  Merritt’s was a little easier because he was working with the civilians and he could see construction of buildings were before, everyone was pensive about their future (00:24:44:00)  The soldiers could see an evolution in the attitudes of the civilians; the soldier’s work was having an effect but they might not have been aware of it because they were so close (00:24:59:00) As a young officer, Merritt did have a few extra assignments; there were numerous jobs that needed to be delegated to the younger officers and the officers never knew when the conditions were met for those assignments or what they entailed (00:25:21:00) o One of Merritt’s extra assignments was the MPC conversion officer, although he did not know what the assignment was until somebody told him that the following day, Merritt needed to be prepared to travel to all the district teams, who would be locked down as well as the main base and no one would be allowed to leave or enter (00:25:39:00)  Merritt was expected to collect all of a unit’s military scrip, which was being done all over Vietnam on that day, take the old script back to the regional headquarters, get new script and take the scrip back to the soldiers, giving each soldier the same amount of scrip he had given Merritt in the morning (00:26:07:00)  The purpose of converting the scrip was to prevent any scrip in the black market from being useful again because the scrip would not go back into circulation (00:26:43:00)  There was a thought-process that the Viet Cong and NVA were partially funding their operations through the use black-market military scrip (00:27:03:00)  There were four districts plus the main base and Merritt also had to fly back to Nha Trang to convert the script, which was an hour-and-a-half away from the main base (00:27:27:00)  When converting the scrip, Merritt had to be accurate to the nickel with every soldier, so it was a sort of challenge to make sure he had everything right (00:27:40:00) o Another interesting extra assignment was Merritt was assigned to be the real estate officer, although he had no idea what a real estate officer did (00:27:52:00)  The position was meant to take care of what happened to a facility after the Army unit that occupied the facility moved (00:28:08:00)  Technically, there was supposed to be paperwork done ahead of time saying that before the facility was vacated, there would be a South Vietnamese unit occupant or some other useful job and the facility would then get properly transferred over (00:28:26:00)  However, this was not the case while Merritt was in Vietnam; units were leaving positions so fast that the arrangements could not be made, so Merritt had the job of playing catch-up with the abandon bases to make �  sure that at the least, the province chief would take security forces to each base to make sure the gate was locked (00:28:42:00)  If the gates were not locked, the buildings would be stripped, the plumbing taken out, and civilians would move in to start making houses (00:29:08:00)  One of his last jobs in Vietnam was making sure that the transfers were taking place (00:29:25:00)  Most of the bases were near where Merritt was stationed but there were Special Forces, Signal, and Air Forces units moving around further out and if there was not somebody at an abandoned base with a key and gun to keep people out, then the people were going to get in (00:29:32:00) Merritt had two good friend while he was in Vietnam: one was his senior supply officer who left Vietnam before Merritt and the other was the unit’s Phoenix officer, who was in charge of the Phoenix program for the group (00:30:03:00) o Overall, Merritt served in a small unit but because most of the soldiers varied in age, the two Merritt kept in the most contact with were the two soldiers who were closest to his own age and rank (00:30:53:00) Once it reached the time for Merritt to go home, it was ironic because Merritt did not know he was supposed to be going home (00:31:14:00) o All the soldiers in the unit knew they were deployed for a year and each kept track of his own date of return; however, Merritt was not of the mind to count the days down because he believed that just made it seem longer (00:31:18:00) o Before he even reached the point of being concerned, Merritt still had and R&R to look forward to and had been planning to go to Bangkok with one of his friends; the two men had the trip planned when Merritt was called into the office and told that because of a recent decree by President Nixon, he was going home the following day (00:31:42:00) o Merritt did not have any great period of time to prepare to leave; it just sort of happened, although the unit did have a ceremony for Merritt and another soldier who was had orders to go home (00:32:18:00) Post-Military Life / Reflections (00:32:45:00)  The day Merritt flew back to California was also his last day in the Army; normally, an officer had a two-year enlistment in the Army and four years in the Army Reserve but a couple of months after Merritt was let off of active duty, he was told he did not have to go through the Reserve period because he had been to Vietnam (00:32:45:00)  Once he got home, Merritt was still in a bit of shock from having left Vietnam so rapidly and once he got home, Merritt did not know where to start looking for a job (00:33:32:00) o Merritt had a re-collection of someone saying that the first thing he should do was file for unemployment, but that was not something Merritt want to do because he had not even started looking for a job; nevertheless, Merritt filed anyway and the unemployment office had a catalog of available jobs, so Merritt was able to find a job before he even left the unemployment office (00:33:41:00) o The was a small engineering firm near Chicago looking for an engineer, Merritt interviewed for the job and received it (00:34:10:00) �    Merritt married a couple months after he got home from Vietnam (00:34:25:00) o Before leaving for Vietnam, Merritt bought a car and paid for it while he was in Vietnam; an advantage of being stationed in the far western part of the country was that there was not much for Merritt to spend his money on (00:34:31:00) o Once he returned, Merritt picked up the car and married his wife a couple of months afterwards (00:34:53:00) Merritt does not remember much from after the war; for him, the sooner he could move on, the better because the war was not a popular thing and something he could tell others that he had done for the last year (00:35:21:00) o The war was not really something Merritt paid much attention to; he was getting married, starting a new job, trying to re-connect with people from college, and there was not a great interest in re-living the military experience (00:35:52:00) o When Merritt returned home, his parents had a cake for him and that was about it (00:36:39:00) Merritt received a Bronze Star that was issued after Merritt left Vietnam and the medal came as a surprise (00:36:49:00) o Merritt cannot say that he did one significant thing or another; it was a unit effort and there were others who were doing the same kind of work that Merritt was doing (00:37:05:00) o The soldiers could tell that the Vietnamese civilians appreciated what the soldiers were doing, although Merritt cannot speak about how the military viewed what the soldiers were doing (00:37:19:00) Merritt and his father have talked several times, not only about the Vietnam experience but the part about being an officer and the leadership, things that, when Merritt initially started college, did not think he could have or would have done (00:37:47:00) o It was a building of both confidence and ability as well as the effort of responsibility (00:38:10:00) o Being in command of his first platoon and see his soldiers complete their tasks was very important for Merritt (00:38:21:00) � 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_MerrittL1012V Title A name given to the resource Merritt, Lawrence (Interview outline and video), 2009 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-11-10 Description An account of the resource Lawrence Merritt was born in Oak Park, Illinois, although when he enlisted, Merritt's family lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After attending Purdue University and completing the university's ROTC program, Merritt received a commission in the Army Corps of Engineers and went to Fort Belvoir, Virginia for his training. From Fort Belvoir, Merritt initially received an assignment to Fort Carson, Colorado but soon received assignment to MACV. Once he deployed to Vietnam, Merritt worked as an engineering advisor in a province populated largely by Montagnards. Merritt stayed in the same province his entire tour and returned to the United States once his tour was complete. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merritt, Lawrence Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Serafino, Meg (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/b7cd56396d8d29a14ebb35e676557401.mp4 07df1d3520e6d4200fd06ffd65b45e28 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fefdc7d84a7e416e4dfa4e5388cb54f2.pdf 31c736c2c6d8d77011d67c6b8d700a22 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Vietnam War Madelaine McGregor Length: 38 Minutes Pre War She was born in South Bend, Indiana (0:30) Her maiden name is Schrader and she has one older brother (0:38) She went to high school in South Bend (0:44) She meet her husband [Michael McGregor, whose interview is also in our archive] when she was 15 in high school in blind date on Halloween, she married him at the age 19 )1:29) She was working for an insurance company, she had been in co-op in high school where she worked half a day and went school for the other half (1:48) She thought about going to college but her family did not have enough money (2:01) She would have gone into nursing had she gone to college and she had volunteered at hospital in middle and high school (2:32) She got married in 1965 her husband had graduated from the university of Indiana and had accepted a job in Columbus, Ohio (2:44) The wedding was moved up by two weeks so that her husband could be exempted from the draft that had just been announced (3:28) They had their honeymoon in Saint Joseph, Michigan and then they moved Ohio where her husband started his job as a syphilis epidemiologist (4:44) �She was going to find a job, but her husband Mike did not want her to work so she did not, after a few months they moved back Indiana where her husband got a job with the Bendix Corporation (5:23) The Draft Her husband was drafted in the fall, because by that point they had started to draft married men with no children (6:02) She moved in with her parents, and soon found out that she was pregnant (6:35) She was in shocked that she was pregnant (6:48) On her husband's side of the family this was the first baby born in 22 years (7:20) She told her husband after basic (7:56) Working and Pregnancy She started working in an office in order to pay for the car and because her allotment from the military was very small ( 8:37) They sold typewriters and office machines, and hid her pregnancy as long as possible but she had to tell her boss eventually, which led to her having to sit in the back of the room and she could not work with customers (9:43) She felt that it was unfair, but they did help her as much as possible, but the day after she left the job she had the baby (11:47) She needed the money to help pay for the baby (12:07) �After the bay was born she got more money from the military and she saw her husband during the third trimester, She was later able to take the bus to see him (12:21) Communication Her husband Mike was originally be sent to Germany but he wanted to be stateside to see his son be born, after Mike Jr. was born, he got papers to be sent to Vietnam (12:54) Mike’s father had died during D-Day and he was raised by his Mother and Aunt. His brother served in the Marines and got out just before Mike was drafted (13:38) She did not see Mike until next June when Mike came on leave, by that time Mike Jr. was 1 (14:43) They kept in touch by sending letters and tape recordings (15L36) It was difficult to write the letters because she was not sure what to tell him about because how normal her day to day was compared to what was happening in Vietnam (15 48) Mike’s letters were largely positive and did not mention the fighting, his only compliant was about the food and she sent him care packages every month 16:15) She was able to see him for 10 days in Hawaii and the people treated them very well, and Mike was able to do many things that he had missed (17:03) Mike had changed a lot. He was he was much quiteer and did not like crowds because the effect of the war he was even suspicion of children and had difficultly interacting with other people (18:17) He very observant of any room they were in (18:34) �She went home, and was receiving enough money not need to work, because she got a larger allotment after the birth of Mike Jr. Mike was able to leave the service several months early, with no explanation (21:01) After the War She and the baby went to go meet Mike, there was sense that people looked down on them (22”31) Early when they had dinner near the base people treated them very poorly and were did not want serve them at all.(23:38) They were treated well in South Bend, but Mike continued to have nightmares and other problem for a couple of months (24”23) They decide to take a vacation to reconnect and they went to Niagara Falls, and they felt much better (25:52) Mike got a job and they moved to Niles, Michigan (25:48) Mike became a Human Resources director which was something that he liked more than being an epidemiologist (26:14) They had another child named Melissa, and Madeline was a stay home mother because that was what they though was best for the family (27:34) She disagreed with the anti-war protestors and would argue with them (29:24) They children kind of knew that their father was in Vietnam nut they were very young at the time (29:45) �She was very removed from the women women’s movement, was more effect by the civil rights movement that they supported because they grew up in desegregated community (31:34) One of the Mikes friends from the war was an African American man who in an interracial marriage, was disliked by the McGregors’s neighbors when the couple came to visit (32:02) She also noticed segregation when they went to Kentucky to meet her husband and that affected her greatly(33:23) She happy that troops were treated better now, but she is unhappy that her husband was treated poorly at the time (35:03) She was not sure why they were in Vietnam and disliked the war but did not talk to Mike about that (35:57) Her husband as still effected by the aftereffects of the war such as bouts of fear and alertness but it was lessened over time (36:45) She talked to a friend about it a little bit but there was not support groups or consular to go to so she dealt with it as best as they could (37:43) � 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_McGregorM1680V Title A name given to the resource McGregor, Madelaine (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-09 Description An account of the resource Madeline McGregor was born in 1946 in South Bend Indiana. She married her husband Mike McGregor in 1965, at age 19, and her husband was drafted the next year. Around the same time she became pregnant, and had her son Mike Jr shortly before her husband left for Vietnam. While her husband was training but before her son was born Madeline sold typewriters at a store. After he served his two years Mike returned and they had another child named Melissa. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource McGregor, Madelaine Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Coryell, Janet (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. 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/46327f45f3596b2e0c6661c41a1f91c8.m4v ea0ca424b230f2262fa4d4edf5b14697 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/48ceb2f64815317b8eb8338a967d62bd.pdf fb38100ea081b69256d3556ff26f348d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project John Matt Iraq War & War in Afghanistan 1 hour 24 minutes 42 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -Born in Marquette, Michigan on October 1, 1984 -Grew up in Marquette -His father worked for the city of Marquette -In charge of city maintenance -His mother worked in various secretarial positions in the hospital -He had two brothers -Attended Marquette High School -Graduated from there in 2003 (00:01:05) Enlisting in the Marines -After high school he did a lot of job hopping -He was working as part of a security detail at a casino -A friend, who had just completed Marine boot camp, came and visited him -Encouraged John to go and talk to a recruiter -He wanted consistency in his life -Enlisted in the Marines in November 2005 -Prior to going to boot camp there was a preparatory period -Getting physically prepared for boot camp with the help of a recruiter (00:03:00) Marine Corps Boot Camp -Took a van from Marquette to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to go to the MEPS -Military Entrance Processing Station -Various physical tests to see if you’re qualified to go into the military -Took a plane from Milwaukee to San Diego, California -There were drill instructors waiting at the airport -Spent three hours standing at attention on the curb waiting for the busses -In the meantime the drill instructors yelled at the new recruits -First week of training was called “Hell Week” -Get your head shaved, no sleep for thirty six hours after arriving, lots of waiting -Basically getting indoctrinated into military life -On the Friday of “Hell Week,” called “Black Friday” get assigned to training company -Boot camp lasted thirteen weeks -First month the focus is integration at San Diego -Drills, learning about ceremonies, military protocol, and the history of the Marines -Second month is at Camp Pendleton, California -Qualifying with the M16 assault rifle -Land navigation training -Going out into the field and sleeping in a tent for a week -Third month is back at San Diego and there is further training with drills and ceremonies -Boot camp ends with “Parent Day” which is the graduation from boot camp �-Parents from the area can see their sons and daughters graduate -First time that you’re truly recognized as a Marine -His father was a disciplinarian, so getting yelled at was not shocking, or foreign -Learned that teamwork was key to survival -Knew that in the future, if one man made a mistake, it could be fatal -There were always those few who didn’t care, or didn’t cooperate (00:09:08) School of Infantry -His specialization was as an infantryman -After boot camp went home for ten days of leave -Returned to California and went to the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton -Two months of infantry training -Working with a variety of weapons -M240 machine guns, Mark 19 grenade launchers, .50 caliber weapons -Getting the skills needed to be considered an infantryman -Went on marches in the mountains -Every Marine has to receive at least some kind of infantry training -Even Marines in administrative positions receive a month of infantry training (00:10:58) Assignment to the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Marines -In April (or May) of 2006 he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Marines -It took some adjusting to go into the unit that had fought in Fallujah, Iraq -Had to prove himself before being fully accepted -For the next year they focused on training to get ready to go to Iraq -Spent three weeks of every month training in the field -Receiving urban combat training -He began to work with people who were from the Middle East -Learning about the culture, customs, and the language -Trained with them as stand-ins during urban training -The goal was to not be culturally shocked when he got to Iraq -The other part of it was showing that the Iraqis were humans too -Feels that the media only focuses on the negative aspects of the people (00:16:52) Deployment to Iraq -The initial plan was to go with the 31st MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) to Thailand -Train with the Thai military and other military forces in the area -Before leaving saw his sergeant major in the “smoke pit” smoking cigarettes -Learned that this meant they were probably going to Iraq, and not with the 31st MEU -The second day that they were on the ship they were called to the flight deck -Told that there was a change of plans and they were going to Iraq -On the voyage over began target practice -Challenging because of the motion of the ship -They had a month and a half to prepare before arriving in Iraq -Left the United States in summer 2007 -Most likely mid-May because he remembers celebrating the 4th of July in Iraq (00:19:30) Arrival in Iraq -When they arrived there was no clear route into Iraq -Had to go with a four man team of combat engineers to clear the route of IEDs -From there their mission was to find an abandoned building and get established in it �-The ship arrived in Kuwait -They had to wash dust and dirt off their equipment, vehicles, and clothing -Kuwaiti culture demands that no foreign soil be on their soil -Stayed in Kuwait for a week -While in Kuwait given more cultural awareness courses -Went to a place called TQ in Iraq (Al-Taqaddum Air Base west of Baghdad) -Collected their ammunition and got assigned to a vehicle there -Spent five days at TQ -After TQ went to their area of operations in Iraq -Operating near COP (Combat Outpost) Golden -They paid some of the local elders to move out of their houses and live with family -This allowed them to set up in the houses and have immediate access to the area -They would go out on patrols and meet with the locals -Operating in a largely uninhabited part of Al Anbar Province (western Iraq, bordering Syria) -South of the city of Al Karmah -They could see rockets being fired at night -On the outskirts of an area where major fighting was occurring (00:24:00) Interacting with Iraqis Pt. 1 -In their interactions with the Iraqis they would try to figure out what the people needed -First step was to contact the village elder and talk to him first -From there give him water, educational supplies, and any other supplies -He would go and hand out the supplies to the families -It showed that the U.S. was the supplier, not the savior -Whenever they went out to meet with the Iraqis, medics came along -Able to provide medical assistance the villagers wouldn’t have gotten otherwise -The Iraqis reacted positively to the American presence, but they were wary of helping -They wanted to help, but were afraid of what the Insurgents might do to them -Some Iraqis helped regardless of what the Insurgents threatened (00:27:40) Daily Routine in Iraq -His days were organized in a 4x4x4 pattern -Four hours of patrolling a square kilometer area -Watch the roads and study the daily habits of the people -Talk to the locals and gather any possible intelligence -Figure out who needed to be talked to -Either because they could help, or were a threat -Four hours of guard duty at the house -Go up on the roof and watch the neighbors to check for consistency -Four hours of sleep -The 4x4x4 pattern would be done twice a day (00:30:16) Interactions with Iraqis Pt. 2 -One Iraqi man wanted to help, but wanted to be “arrested” to do it -He didn’t want to look like he was willingly helping the Americans -Told them to stage a fake raid on his house at night -The situation seemed sketchy, so they went to talk with him during the day -The man had left and his son was the only one at the house -His son had three cell phones which was a sign of being involved with the Insurgents �-The man never did come back to his house (00:31:52) Enemy Contact in Iraq -The worst contact they had with the enemy in Iraq was soon after they arrived -Combat engineers were helping to build up their fortifications -A vehicle-borne sniper came by and shot at them -One of the combat engineers was hit through both lungs -He walked over to see how the engineer was -The man was already pretty much lifeless -Drove home the selflessness of all military personnel -A noncombatant gave his life for the combatants -The combat engineer wound up dying en route to a larger medical facility -The contact drove home the severity, and reality, of the deployment -After that they didn’t take too many more casualties -All wounded, no fatalities (00:36:06) Living Conditions in Iraq -At times they could go to their battalion’s base -Living conditions still weren’t good there -No air conditioning, and the base was made up of tents -In the field they would live off MREs (meals ready to eat) -Sometimes only ate one MRE a day -Taking a real shower was nonexistent -Learned how to use body wash and a bottle of water to get somewhat clean -The average temperature every day was around 130oF -Grew to appreciate the most basic things when he came home -They would pay villagers $30 for a block of ice just to help deal with the heat (00:38:38) Coming Home from Iraq -The deployment to Iraq was nine months -Did not receive any R&R while in Iraq -Came home around Christmas/New Year’s Eve of 2008 -Boarded a ship in Kuwait and sailed home -It was a chance to unwind and decompress before coming home -Aboard ship they received reintegration classes -Learning how to cope with being around family again -At the time didn’t want to get lectured, but knew that it was necessary -Learned about the signs of PTSD and how to deal with it -Upon coming home, some men wanted to go back to Iraq because it was easier than civilian life -In Iraq everything was provided, no bills to pay, just had to stay alive (00:41:00) Leaving the Marines -At first he wanted to stay in the Marines -He had his wife and children to consider though -If he stayed in there was a chance he would wind up going to Afghanistan -Left the Marines and went to college and got a part time job -Didn’t have insurance and had to rely on state aid -Felt that that wasn’t good enough and wanted to pursue other options (00:43:18) Enlisting in the National Guard -Enlisted in the National Guard and was able to stay in college and keep working �-Assigned to the 1431st Engineer Company in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan -Volunteered to go help the 1433rd Engineers in the Lower Peninsula -Wound up getting deployed to Afghanistan -Joined the National Guard in March 2010 -Only five months after getting out of the Marines (00:44:20) 31st MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) -After Iraq, but before the National Guard, went with the 31st MEU on a training mission -Learning how to be a “boat company” -Operating like a special operations unit off of a ship -Went to Okinawa, Japan for a month -Went to an island in the Philippines and trained with the Filipino Marines -Had some encounters with the Filipino civilians -Little kids would trade random items for ballpoint pens -Learned a lot about jungle warfare from the Filipinos by going on patrols with them -Went to Seoul, South Korea and trained with the Republic of Korea Marines -Visited the city of Seoul -Saw the Korean War memorials and got to see what the war was like for them -Went to the Korean Demilitarized Zone -Saw the Bridge of No Return -If you start to cross it you have to cross to the other side -Otherwise you will be shot -Asked his officer if he could try to run it, but was not allowed -Went back to Japan for another month and then flew home (00:48:19) Training with the National Guard -Went to Fort Crowder, Missouri for demolitions training -Spent one weekend a month training with the National Guard -The role that he trained for was to be a combat engineer -Clearing roads of IEDs and other explosives -They had a vehicle that could safely detect where explosives were -They also had equipment for BIP: blow in place -Destroy an explosive without the help of a bomb disposal team -Also learned how to efficiently cut down trees by using explosives (00:51:25) Deployment to Afghanistan -He was deployed to Afghanistan in the summer of 2012 -Went to Kingsford Armory in the Upper Peninsula and took a bus to Grayling, Michigan -Remembers being escorted to the Mackinac Bridge by the Freedom Riders -Motorcycle group that will escort deploying soldiers and welcome them home -Along the way people would come out and show their support as they passed through towns -It was a morale boost to see local support -Flew to Afghanistan -Remembers that it was a long plane ride -A lot of them took sleep medication to help the time pass -Remembers getting fed a lot -Stopped in Germany to refuel and to get a chance to stretch in the airport (00:55:07) Arriving in Afghanistan -Landed at Kandahar Air Field in southern Afghanistan �-There was a major base there -Received cultural integration classes at Kandahar -Stayed at Kandahar for a couple weeks waiting for an assignment -Got a chance to Skype with family back home -It was totally different than what was available in Iraq in 2007 -Had access to a TGI Friday, soccer games, internet, ping pong, video games -Meant to be a taste of the United States in Afghanistan (00:56:50) Afghan Society -Afghanistan was mostly nomadic, agricultural, and primitive compared to Iraq -The cities were slightly more modern than the rural areas -They had access to some modern amenities like a barber shop (00:58:10) Assignment in Afghanistan -He and his unit were assigned to Forward Operating Base Pasab near Kandahar -Their mission was route clearance -Securing roads and clearing them of IEDs and other explosives -Making it safe for the infantry to go out on patrols during the day -Felt hugely responsible for the safety of the infantrymen -They would get up before dawn to go make sure the roads were clear -The other part of route clearance was to make it safe for the locals to travel (01:00:20) Enemy Contact in Afghanistan -There were more IEDs in Afghanistan than in Iraq -His unit had the highest discovery and detonation rate of IEDs -By the time they arrived the terrorists were running out of money and starting to retreat -The first couple months they were there they always had firefights during route clearance -Eventually the firefights stopped and it became easier to do their job -They lost one man very quickly -He stepped on an IED and it detonated right beneath him -It was the same as in Iraq, it made the situation very real again -He knew how to deal with it after having experienced it in Iraq -Went and talked to the new soldiers and made sure they were alright -Still completed the mission for that day for the sake of closure (01:03:42) Interacting with the Afghans and Coalition Forces -The Afghan people had a larger sense of entitlement than the Iraqis had -They would more readily ask for stuff from American soldiers -Help from soldiers was expected -If you didn’t have anything to give them they would turn against you -Little kids would throw rocks at them -During the deployment he saw a loss of public support happening in Afghanistan -The Afghan National Army (ANA) became a threat at times -Members of it wound up being double agents for the various terrorist groups in the area -At the end of his deployment he started seeing people returning to the region -Indicated that Afghanistan was normalizing and support was returning -The ANA had a lot to learn still even at the end of his deployment (2013) -They were not used to American military tactics -Just wanted to charge into a situation guns blazing -The didn’t understand protocol or Rules of Engagement �-There were communication problems -Didn’t know if interpreters were trustworthy -Most of the time had to rely on body language to communicate -At Kandahar Air Field you could meet the other Coalition soldiers -Never carried out operations with them though -Always made sure to guide the ANA soldiers and give them advice -During house searches they had the ANA do the searches and act independently -This allowed for the ANA to see that they were being given respect (01:11:08) Living Conditions in Afghanistan -Living in a forward operating base was much better than the living conditions in Iraq -At the FOB he had access to a modern gym -On the FOB they were able to eat real meals and not just MREs -They had “Taco Tuesdays,” and steak and lobster on Thursdays -Remembers they had a butter sculpture of the Last Supper -Showed that the Afghans were starting to respect American culture too -Served as a morale boost (01:13:58) End of Deployment to Afghanistan -Even by the spring of 2013 there was still a lot of work to be done in Afghanistan -Around Easter 2013 they were preparing to return to the United States -By the time they left Afghanistan the firefights had stopped and IEDs had gone down -There was only one road that consistently had IEDs on it -In their area, enemy morale had been broken and they were retreating -Went to Kandahar Airfield for a few weeks -Looked for ways to kill time -Did end of deployment work -Physical and psychological health evaluations (01:16:42) Coming Home -From Kandahar flew to Fort Bliss, Texas -Processed out there -Mostly allowed to just unwind and not have any military responsibilities -Just had to report at 7 PM each night so they knew you were alive and well -Went to the on base shopping mall, saw movies, and swapped war stories -Took more reintegration courses at Fort Bliss -After Iraq understood that they were necessary for readjusting -From Texas flew back to Michigan and landed at Sawyer International Airport -Formerly K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base -Left Sawyer International on a bus and after only driving a few miles the bus broke down -Still had to go to Kingsford Armory for the formal homecoming ceremony -He was walking distance from his house though -In the meantime the soldiers got off the bus and started making snow angels -Got a new bus and went to Kingsford for the homecoming ceremony -Got to be reunited with his wife and children -Remembers that it was a much bigger homecoming than when he was in the Marines -Reaffirmed his National Guard service, truly felt that he was fighting for his community (01:21:15) Present Service -Still does the one weekend a month, two weeks a year with the National Guard �-He is currently involved with helping to train soldiers at Fort Custer, Michigan in urban combat -How to properly breach and clear houses -Incorporates both his infantry and combat engineer experience (01:22:35) Reflections on Service -Learned that there was nothing that he couldn’t handle -He loved, and still loves, the spirit of teamwork in the military -Helped him to learn that it’s okay to have a support network and to ask for help -He still loves the sacrificial aspect of the military � 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_MattJ1670V Title A name given to the resource Matt, John (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-09-27 Description An account of the resource John Matt in 1984 in Marquette, Michigan. He grew up in Marquette and attended high school there and graduated in 2003. In November 2005 he enlisted in the Marines and attended boot camp at San Diego/Camp Pendleton and the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton specializing as an infantryman. In the spring of 2006 he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Marines. In mid-May 2007 he and his unit left for an international training mission in Thailand, on the second day of sailing they were rerouted and deployed to Iraq. They arrived in Iraq in late June/early July 2007 and were stationed in a village south of the city of Al-Karmah near Combat Outpost Golden in the Al-Anbar Province. During his time in Iraq he went on patrols and took part in the humanitarian mission to improve the lives of the Iraqis. Around Christmas/New Year's Eve of 2008 he and his unit returned home. In 2008 and 2009 he went with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea to carry out training missions with the allied forces in those countries. After leaving the Marines in late 2009 he enlisted in the National Guard in March 2010 and was assigned to the 1431st Combat Engineers Company in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan based out of Kingsford Armory where he could be near his wife and children. He volunteered to help the 1433rd Combat Engineers based in the Lower Peninsula and wound up getting deployed to Afghanistan in the summer of 2012. His unit operated out of Forward Operating Base Pasab helping to clear the road of improvised explosive devices and other explosive materials. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Matt, John Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jones, Adam (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American United States. Marine Corps United States. National Guard 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/6e3671ddf0ea0210c64590964b85e320.mp4 090504505ac28afef8a20247253df0e5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/896c2fa6ba71fd93a429b9e2f2fc760e.pdf 6be1479a76387a3e8850d98993ec8baf PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Maurice Lehmann World War II 1 hour 12 minutes 57 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born on March 23, 1924 in Englewood Hospital on the south side of Chicago -Lived on the south side of Chicago -Moved to Villa Park, Illinois in 1929 -Father worked for Lorenz Publishing -Publishing sheet music for churches and schools -Had steady work during the Great Depression, but had his hours cut -Worked a side job selling AAA Insurance door to door -After the war Lorenz sent him a check for the money lost in the depression -Father worked for Lorenz for forty five years -Graduated from Wheaton Academy in 1942 -Attended Wheaton College after high school -Stayed there until March 1943 when he got drafted into the Army (00:02:27) Start of the War -Didn't pay much attention to the fighting happening in Europe and Asia in the late 1930s -On the afternoon of December 7, 1941 he listened to the radio with some of his friends -Heard the news from Washington D.C. and heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor -Shocked to hear about the attack -Didn't realize the gravity of the attack until later -Rationing went into effect -Gas was rationed which made travel difficult -Food was rationed -Mostly coffee, sugar, and meats -Tried to enlist in the Navy Air Corps because his brother was in the Navy Air Corps -Couldn't get in, so he decided to wait to get drafted and go to college in the interim (00:05:27) Training (Basic Training, ASTP, and Infantry Training) -Reported for duty on March 20, 1943 -Reported to Fort Sheridan, Illinois for processing -Sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky -Didn't know it was an armor base -Received basic training and tank training at Fort Knox -Did a lot of marching -First time in a tank learned that it wasn't for him -Saw a notice asking for volunteers for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) -He applied for it and got accepted -Sent to Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio for ASTP �-Thought it was a good school -Spent nine months there -Studied with 400 other GIs -Went to classes from 7 AM to 8 PM -Got two years of college credit in nine months -At the end of ASTP the men were supposed to go to Officer Candidate School (OCS) -Their commencement speech was to be given by Senator Robert Taft -Told they weren't going to OCS -A lot of the men were audibly upset about the change -Sent to Camp Swift, Texas -D-Day was coming and the Army needed more infantrymen for the new front -During ASTP they went to classes for the entire day then studied at night -Very comprehensive education -Good professors from all over Ohio teaching them -Spent three to four weeks at Ohio State University before going to Muskingum College -GIs were kept separate from the female students at Muksingum and Ohio State -Got to get the speech from Senator Taft -Sent to Camp Swift in early 1944 -Received infantry training there -Learned how to shoot rifles and march -In very good physical condition -Did physical training during ASTP -Muskingum College was famous for John Glenn studying there after the war -Went by train from Ohio to Texas -Traveled in coach cars -At Camp Swift some men were placed in artillery or medical -Most of the men from ASTP wound up in the infantry -He was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 405th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division -His company commander was Jimmy Corner, a Hollywood actor -Trained at Camp Swift for three months -Learned how to crawl under barbed wire and dig foxholes and trenches at Camp Swift -Assigned to be a rifleman and the first scout for A Company -His duty was to go 400 yards ahead of the unit and signal if there were Germans -Didn't ask for it, just got assigned it -Many of the men from ASTP were disappointed they weren't going to become officers -He just accepted it and understood the Army needed more infantrymen -Completed training at Camp Swift in June, or July, 1944 (00:19:20) Deployment to the European Theatre -Received orders to go to the European Theatre -Went by train to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and the division assembled there -Spent two or three weeks there -Received more vaccinations -Went to New York Harbor at night -Boarded the the troop transport at night -2000-3000 men aboard the ship �-Sailed over on a repurposed Swedish ship -Part of a convoy of more than 50 ships -Doesn't remember seeing one other ship the whole way across -Ships launched from all over the East Coast and assembled in the Atlantic Ocean -Heard depth charges dropped to scare off U-Boats -Zig-zagged across the Atlantic Ocean to help avoid U-Boats -Took nine days to cross the Atlantic Ocean -Pulled into Cherbourg, France in the middle of the night on September 23, 1944 -Voyage over was calm (00:22:05) Arrival in the European Theatre -Boarded a large, flat top barge and sailed to the docks in Cherbourg -Walked through the outskirts of Cherbourg -Got to a spot and was allowed to stop and sleep -Got to a town named Valognes and trained there (00:24:09) Battle of the Bulge -Moved through Belgium and Holland to the northern German border -South of Arnhem and near the Roer River -On the western edge of the "bulge" (the German offensive) -Immediately after the Germans attacked they were shuffled into General Montgomery's 9th Army -As a scout he had to go out at night and see where the Germans were and report their position -The American artillery fired all day and all night into the bulge -The 102nd entered combat in early November 1944 relieving the 84th Infantry Division -Battle of the Bulge began mid-December 1944 -First night on the line a German plane flew over and dropped flares -Trying to see where the American troops were positioned -Learned quickly to keep their heads down because the Germans randomly shot at their lines -Within a few days began scouting -First time out he found a whole unit of German tanks -Snuck back to his position and reported his find -Learned that if you took fire you dug in immediately -On one occasion a piece of shrapnel stuck his helmet only an inch above the rim -It was cold and the ground was frozen -Still had to dig in anyway -Some of his closest friends were killed right next to him -Out of his platoon only he and his lieutenant survived or avoided getting wounded -Advanced when they could -Remembers one lieutenant lost his mind and charged the German lines with a shovel -Killed almost immediately after getting out of his foxhole -Advanced, dug in, and defended their new position from German counter-attacks -On one occasion got so close to the Germans they could hear the Germans talking -Encountered German tanks -Had to rely on artillery because small arms were worthless -American tanks were sometimes able to back them up �-Remembers encountering one burning tank -Heard the men inside screaming as the ammunition exploded -Regularly in action from November 1944 to May 1945 -On December 23, 1944 heard American bombers fly over to bomb German positions -Swarms of bombers -Couldn't believe the sight -Germans bolted and retreated at the sight of the Germans -Got promoted to the rank of sergeant because so many other sergeants were killed -Saw an American plane get shot down on Christmas Day 1944 -Saw no parachutes and realized the men on board had been killed -Saw some German aircraft -Once in a while saw dogfights happen -Only got strafed once by a German plane when they were on a road (00:40:51) Advancing into Germany -Stayed in the countryside on the march into Germany -Most German towns were abandoned -Saw the bombing of Cologne -Didn't see any German civilians -Walked across the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge in April 1945 -Off in the distance saw the Germans launch a V2 Rocket -Remembers it was unlike anything he had ever seen -Fought their way up to the Elbe River -Found an abandoned town and got to sleep in houses (00:44:40) End of the War in Europe -At the end of the war there was a wounded American soldier in Berlin -He volunteered to get the American -Rode up to Berlin on a Soviet truck -Found the American being cared for in a Soviet field hospital -Brought him back to the American line -Got to meet some Soviet troops -Took pictures with them -Wasn't able to converse with them though -Soviets stayed on their side of the Elbe River -In Tangermunde, Germany at the end of the war -Quartered in an abandoned candy factory -Waiting to receive word that the war was over -Encountered German prisoners crossing into Allied-occupied Germany -Wanted to surrender to Americans -Came over by the hundreds -Happy to drop their guns and be done with the war -Many of them were young men, like himself -Didn't see any displaced persons at the end of the war -Discovered a war crime in Gardelegen on April 15, 1945 -Place where 1200 people were herded into a barn and burned by the Germans -Will never forget his company commander's reaction after going into the barn -He saw a pile of ashes and bones eight feet high �-Had no idea how extensive the Holocaust really was -Heard more about the concentration camps after the war (00:53:20) Post-War Duty and End of the War in the Pacific -With the war in Europe over they received orders to train for the invasion of Japan -Trained in Tangermunde -Marched more and received more weapons training -Sent to Camp Chesterfield, France -The atomic bombs were dropped and orders for the Pacific Theatre got cancelled -Had to wait to have enough points -Needed 85 points to be sent home -Points awarded based on combat, length of service, rank, and dependents -Played sports and occupied their time -Got to go to Shrivenham American University in England for three months -Went there in the fall and winter of 1945 -Enjoyed his time in England -Got to visit Westminster Abbey -Returned to Camp Chesterfield (00:58:04) Coming Home & End of Service -Went to Le Havre, France and boarded a ship -Took eight or nine days to get back to the U.S. -Rough voyage -Got seasick -It was great to see the New York Harbor -Sailed back to the U.S. in February or March 1946 -Sent to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin in March 1946 and got discharged there -Went right from New York to Camp McCoy (01:00:24) Life after the War -Went home and wanted to rest a while -Went to Maranatha, Michigan and worked there for the summer of 1946 -Helped his father in the fall and winter working for Lorenz Publishing -Went back to Maranatha in the summer of 1947 to work -Went to Grand Rapids School of the Bible with his future-wife in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Got married and got a job with Lorenz Publishing -Went to Memphis, Tennessee in 1949 and set up a Lorenz Publishing branch -Sold sheet music to schools and churches -Did that for ten years -Moved back to Grand Rapids and worked for Zondervan Publishing -Did that for 25 years -Remembers the rise of Elvis Presley in Memphis -Saw him drive by in a car -Had two children born in Memphis -Remembers the early beginnings of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (01:05:30) Reflections on Service -Had a profound impact on his religious beliefs -Army made him disciplined, thrifty, and patient �(01:07:47) Living Conditions -In combat they had K Rations -Meager clothing and supplies when they were on the frontline -Had to get resupplied at night -On one occasion they were dug in for a few days in a turnip field -Had to eat raw turnips while they were dug in -Field kitchens were in the rear -Didn't have a hot meal for a long time -Enjoyed the K Rations, because he had to -K Rations were made up of Spam, cheese, chocolate, and crackers -Wanted to make the chocolate last for as long as possible -Chocolate was also an energy bar � 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_LehmannM1872V Title A name given to the resource Lehmann, Maurice (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-25 Description An account of the resource Maurice Lehmann was born on March 23, 1924 in Chicago. In March 1943 he was drafted and was processed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois then went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training. He was accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program and went to Ohio State University and Muskingum College for ASTP. After graduating from ASTP he was reassigned to the infantry and received infantry training at Camp Swift, Texas. He was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 405th Infantry Regiment, 102nd Infantry Division to serve as a rifleman and a scout. In September 1944 he sailed out of Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and arrived in Cherbourg, France on September 23, 1944. After further training in France they entered combat in early November 1944. He saw fighting during the Battle of the Bulge then advanced into Germany. He crossed the Rhine River in April 1945 and fought with the 102nd Infantry Division up to the Elbe River and made contact with Soviet troops. At the end of the war he was present for the discovery of the atrocity at Gardelegen. After the war he trained for the invasion of Japan in Tangermunde, then with Japan's surrender he was stationed at Camp Chesterfield, France and studied at Shrivenham American University in England. In March 1946 he returned to the U.S. and was discharged at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lehmann, Maurice 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 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/9f8a053dcb3033e63dc002248b5ed960.mp4 b60f7aff1e7663c4810e72d82377da04 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/de2e47e62c93f6893544c1d9fc8b26f4.pdf e906777f8aa44b76dc56811358a9bfbe PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Dale Lancaster Cold War-Post Korean War 45 minutes 41 seconds (00:00:39) Early Life -Born in Wyoming, Michigan on June 6, 1931 -Grew up there -Father worked for Nash-Kelvinator as a sprayer -Sprayed the enamel on the boxes of refrigerators -Never went hungry during the Great Depression -Mother stayed at home -Had four siblings (00:02:00) World War Two -Remembers hearing about Pearl Harbor from his neighbors -Collected scrap metal for the war effort -Tin cans were especially wanted -Had air raid drills -Got under your desk at school -Paid a lot of attention to the war -Kept track of where the troops were in the world -Got most of his information via the radio -Remembers hearing about the invasion of France on June 6, 1944 (00:04:08) Pre-Army Life -Graduated from high school in 1949 -Went to Grand Rapids Junior College (now Grand Rapids Community College) -Transferred to Western Michigan University -Majored in secondary education with a focus on social studies -Government, history, geography, economics, and psychology -Started the psychology department at East Grand Rapids High School -Graduated from Western Michigan University in 1954 -Got married in June 1954 (00:06:08) Getting Drafted -Got drafted in December 1954 -First he had ever heard about getting drafted -December 8, 1954 he reported for duty -Went to Detroit for his draft physical (00:07:27) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training -Buildings at Fort Leonard Wood were wooden -Had to have a fire watch because the buildings were heated by a coal stove -Men were a variety of ages and from all over the country -Remembers one recruit from Louisiana that had never taken a shower in his �entire life -Received rifle training -He had never shot a gun in his life -Some men from Minnesota helped him learn how to shoot -Wound up getting the Sharpshooter Qualification Badge -Second highest marksmanship badge -Days started early with physical training -Went on long marches -Recruits were punished with extra physical training -It was difficult for him to adjust to the Army -Missed his wife -Had no trouble adjusting to the discipline aspect though -Basic training lasted six weeks (00:12:58) Advanced Training -Had advanced training that was another six weeks -More physical training -Received combat engineer training -Putting together Bailey bridges -Portable, temporary bridges that could be quickly assembled and disassembled -Some men would go to Waynesville, Missouri to buy prostitutes -He would just spend his downtime in the library -Wife stayed in Michigan during his training -Got to visit his wife on leave after his training was complete -Only given a week of leave though (00:15:33) Deployment to Europe -Volunteered to go overseas because he didn't want to be stuck on a base in the U.S. -Volunteered specifically for service in Europe -Got assigned to a duty station in West Germany -Took a Victory Ship to Europe -Got seasick -Left out of New York City -Took twelve days to cross the Atlantic Ocean (00:17:16) Arrival in West Germany -Went to Heidelberg, West Germany -At the time it was headquarters for the Army in Europe -Got interviewed by a drunken sergeant -Assigned to the historical division in Karlsruhe -Working with former German generals -Writing military history and teach them English -He went to Karlsruhe and showed up at the historical division, completely unexpected (00:19:53) Stationed at Karlsruhe -Mostly college graduates in the historical division -More officers than enlisted men -About twenty five men in the outfit -They were in Smiley Barrakcs �-Old SS barracks -Not part of a larger base -Had to get security clearance to work in the historical division -Background check conducted by the FBI -Mostly just talking with relatives to see if he was a security threat -While waiting to get security clearance he would go on mail runs to Heidelberg -Had a German driver and a staff car -Looked official, so he got saluted a lot -Only about fifty miles from Heidelberg -There was still a lot of evidence of the war -Giant rubble heaps covered in grass -Hope was to create manmade hills that were more asthetically pleasing -German civilians had to cooperate with the Americans -Rented an apartment with his wife -Neither he, nor his wife, could speak German -She spent a lot of time cooking meals -Went to a park in Karlsruhe together -Socialized with other American military couples living in the apartment complex -German economy was weak, so the U.S. dollar was still strong -Made buying things easy -Could travel Western Europe on a private's salary (00:26:17) Working in the U.S. Army Historical Division -Handling top secret documents -They were relatively close to the East German border -There was a level of tension -Would have been overrun if the Soviets had attacked -Collecting information from German officers on how to fight the Russians -Using their information to create effective strategies -Learning from the Germans mistakes in World War Two -He worked with Hitler's chief of staff, Franz Halder -Seemed to be a nice man -Thought that Hitler was an idiot that didn't know anything about strategy -Most of the generals on the base blamed Hitler for everything that happened -Also tried to distance themselves from any former allegiance to the Nazi Party -Franz Halder had been placed under arrest during the war for contesting Hitler -This allowed him to escape prosecution during the Nuremburg Trials -He would work with a detachment of officers on projects -Preparing strategies to deal with a possible war with the Soviet Union -Learned that Soviet troops were considered highly expendable -Ex. Soviet troops would be sent in human waves to attack a machine gun nest -Learned that Soviet troops were not good soldiers -Most of them were conscripts with very little training -Worked with a Jewish private that was a good man -Had a colonel that insisted that the men in the historical division got exercise �-One afternoon, once a week, they all had to do something physical -He would play tennis -It was great because it basically meant having the afternoon off (00:35:07) Cold War Events -Remembers the 1956 Hungarian Revolution -There was talk that their time would be extended -Did not come to fruition because the U.S. did not get involved -Bases were placed on a higher state of alert -President Eisenhower alluded that there might have been American intervention -Aware of the U2 flights -Received monthly intelligence reports -Consisted of detailed aerial photographs of the Soviet Union -Remembers the Gary Powers U2 Incident in 1960 -Gary Powers was shot down over Russia and captured -Later exchanged for a Soviet spy in 1962 (00:38:02) Chronologist Duty -His other duty at Karlsruhe was as a U.S. Army Europe chronologist -Keeping a daily record of troop movements in Europe -It was dull work, but it was vital -Officers would routinely come in to see where a unit was in Europe -Tracked troops in West Germany and France (00:40:13) End of Service Pt. 1 -Had an offer to be a civilian worker for the Army in Algeria -Turned it down because he wanted to go back to the United States -Would have done the same type of clerical work in Algeria, just as a civilian (00:41:00) Black Market -There was a booming cigarette black market in West Germany at the time -Another GI approached him and asked if he wanted to take over his black market -Turned it down because he didn't want to risk getting arrested (00:42:00) Coming Home & End of Service Pt. 2 -Left Germany in November 1956 -Got discharged from the Army at Fort Hamilton, New York -Got to see the Statue of Liberty when he returned to the U.S. (00:42:32) Life after Service -He was in the inactive reserves for six years -Got a job at East Grand Rapids High School -Had sent an application letter to the school while he was still in Germany -Got hired while he was still in Germany -Started teaching there in January 1957 -Taught there for twenty five years -After teaching at East Grand Rapids he taught World War Two classes at Aquinas College -Got paid a small amount, but mostly did it for fun (00:44:17) Reflections on Service -Learned to take care of himself -Worthwhile experience for him �-Especially considering that he got to handle an historical aspect of the Army � 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_LancasterD1730V Title A name given to the resource Lancaster, Dale G (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-02-12 Description An account of the resource Dale Lancaster was born in Wyoming, Michigan on June 6, 1931. After graduating from college with a degree in social studies and getting married in 1954, he was drafted in December of that year. He was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training and engineering training. Upon completing those twelve weeks of training he volunteered for a deployment in Europe. He was assigned to a duty station in West Germany, and after reporting for duty in Heidelberg, he was sent to Karlsruhe to work with the U.S. Army Historical Division due to his college education in history. His primary duty there was to work with former German generals to prepare a strategy to deal with the Soviet Union in case it ever attacked Western Europe. In November 1956 he left West Germany and was discharged from the Army at Fort Hamilton, New York. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lancaster, Dale G. 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 Other veterans & civilians--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/6240615bab353439a2a03be93a12f3c2.mp4 9e313a94e3f8cc07e519e49cc1610b7e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6b733f25dea7106cff07e28443ddbc8f.pdf 70571e77299e3a943ec71c14ee1b4b5c PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project John Kuennen Vietnam War 1 hour 47 minutes 21 seconds (00:00:24) Early Life -Born on March 1, 1950 in New Hampton, Iowa -Grew up on a farm near Fort Atkinson, Iowa -The farm had been in the family for one hundred years -It is still in the family in his name -Both of his parents worked on the farm growing up -He had four brothers -He was the youngest -The farm still relied on manual labor even in the 1950s and 1960s -Had to work a 280 acre farm by hand -Attended St. Lucas Catholic Schools for eleven years until it closed -Transferred to a different Catholic high school and graduated from there in 1968 (00:02:36) Awareness of Vietnam -He was aware of what was happening in Vietnam -There was a local radio station that would report on Iowans killed in Vietnam -Hearing about local men getting killed made the war even more real -Some young men from their community were killed in action (00:03:23) Attending College & Volunteering for the Draft -He wanted to go to college -Attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa for one year -At the time he assumed that he would eventually be drafted -Went to his local draft board to talk about volunteering for the draft -He was told that if he volunteered for the draft he could go to Germany -Decided to volunteer for the draft on the off chance he’d go to Germany (00:04:37) Basic Training -He reported for basic training on June 20, 1969 and flew out of Des Moines, Iowa -Sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana for basic training -It was somewhat of a culture shock because he had never been out of the Midwest -Arrived at Fort Polk at 10 PM -Immediately noticed the distinct smell and heat of Louisiana -Didn’t have to go through processing since that had been done in Des Moines -Basic training wasn’t very physically challenging for him -Because of the heat that summer they had days off and the physical training was relaxed -It was slightly difficult for him to emotionally and psychologically adjust -Example: Getting called to formation for inspection, randomly, at 2 AM -He trained alongside draftees, enlistees, National Guardsmen, and Army Reservists -The draftees were treated with a little more respect by the drill sergeants -The vast majority of the men at Fort Polk were draftees -He received training with the M16 assault rifle �-Also with the LAW rocket launcher, M60 machine gun and .50 caliber machine gun -Basic training lasted eight weeks (00:09:37) Leadership Training -At the end of basic training he was given the option to go to Officer Candidate School -Decided not to take that offer, so he was offered Leadership Training -Decided to accept that instead -Received Leadership Training at Fort Polk -Consisted of classroom work on how to be a good leader -Lasted only two weeks (00:10:28) Advanced Infantry Training (AIT) -After Leadership Training he took AIT at Fort Polk to become an 11 Bravo (infantryman) -His leadership training meant he would be a squad leader during AIT -He would be in charge of ten other soldiers during the AIT course -It just so happened he wound up being in charge of ten black soldiers -There was a slight cultural divide, but there were no major problems -In AIT he received more detailed weapons training -Went out in to the field for training -Marching through swamps -Living out in the field like he would in Vietnam -Received some survival training -Learning how to scavenge for food and survive independently -There was also training on how to interact with Vietnamese civilians and search villages -AIT lasted eight weeks (00:12:40) Deployment to Vietnam -He was given thirty days of leave to go home -He had orders for Vietnam, but he didn’t have any orders for a specific unit -His parents were stoic about his deployment and not openly emotional about it -He spent time with his girlfriend (who would later become his wife) -He flew out of Oakland, California to Alaska and then to Japan (00:15:17) Arrival in Vietnam -He arrived at Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam on November 29, 1969 -The first thing he noticed about Vietnam was the tremendous heat -For the first week that he was in Vietnam his body had to adjust to the environment -He had to deal with an intestinal problem for two days -Spent most of it just sitting on the toilet (00:16:20) Assignment to the 1st Infantry Division -He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division -They were operating about thirty miles north of Saigon, South Vietnam -After joining them he received a quick refresher course on weapons training -Firing his M16 rifle on the firing range and throwing grenades -Heard about training accidents where men died from grenade accidents (00:19:02) Patrolling with the 1st Infantry Division -The 1st travelled almost exclusively with trucks, not helicopters -Drove around the area occasionally stopping to set up an ambush -Started patrols with them in December 1969 -Stayed at the Michelin Rubber Plantation on Christmas Eve, 1969 �-On Christmas Day they were treated to a huge Christmas feast then had to go into the field -Remembers being on the plantation and taking sniper fire -The area had been mostly secured, but the plantation was still in the “free fire zone” -It meant anyone that was unconfirmed as a friend was a target -Also meant that after curfew anyone non-American could be shot without question -Despite being in the “free fire zone” they couldn’t discharge weapons from 7 AM – 6 PM -There were still civilian workers that worked on the plantation -Remembers a civilian being killed at 6:57 AM -There was a dispute over whether it had been a legal kill, or not -Never found out if he was just an early worker, or Viet Cong -During the day on the plantation relaxed, played cards, and slept -Only stayed on the Michelin plantation for ten days at a time before going back to the field -The main focus of their patrols was the Mekong River Delta (00:23:26) Enemy Contact and Duty with the 1st Infantry Division -In the Mekong River Delta region they would routinely find enemy bunkers and booby traps -He walked point a few times -Leading a patrol, but not in command of it -His initial job was to carry extra ammunition for the M60 machine gun -Later on he would become a radioman and carried the PRC 25 radio for a squad -He would go out with squads to set up an ambush, or establish an observation post -Operated in mostly uninhabited areas which meant not having to deal with civilians as much -There weren’t even that many villages where they were operating -Their enemy in the Mekong was the Viet Cong -The problem is that the Viet Cong could blend in with civilians and were hard to identify -The Americans would initiate most contact with the Viet Cong -Remembers during one ambush killed ten Viet Cong soldiers and then buried them -The next day they killed another ten Viet Cong and buried them as well -They were almost always the aggressors and never ran into Viet Cong ambushes -On patrol the main threats were booby traps and snipers -If a bunker was discovered it was treated with extreme caution -They would usually throw in grenades to kill anyone that might be inside -Sometimes the bunker was so deep that not even grenades were effective (00:28:14) Travelling in Vietnam -There were a lot of roads in the area that they were operating in -It meant being able to travel between the field and the base relatively quickly -Operated around a place called Black Widow Mountain -Remembers walking through a river and almost falling into a bomb crater -The water was clear enough that he could see where the crater was (00:30:00) The Things They Carried -He as a radioman carried a fifteen (or sixteen) pound radio and a five pound backup battery -Carried five, or six grenades (each weighing about one pound) -Carried twenty clips of ammunition for the M16 rifle -Some rope -They were able to drink the water from local sources -Carried four to five quart sized canteens -C rations �-The total weight of all the things they carried was about sixty to seventy pounds (00:31:32) Reassignment to the 101st Airborne Division -He stayed with the 1st Infantry Division until mid-March 1970 -At the time he 1st Infantry Division was being pulled out of Vietnam -As well as anyone who had had at least ten months of service in Vietnam -He accepted that the 1st Infantry Division was going home, but he wasn’t -He was taken to the rear and was then reassigned to the 101st Airborne Division -He was flown up Hue via C-130 transport and took a truck from Hue to Camp Evans -At Camp Evans he was assigned to C Company of the 2nd Battalion / 506th Infantry Regiment -When he arrived, C Company was in the field, so he was taken to them by a Huey helicopter -Once he met up with C Company he was introduced to the jungle and to Captain Vazquez -Vazquez was the company commander at the time -He was the “new guy” but was treated with more respect since he had seen some combat -The men of the 101st were generally welcoming of men from the 1st Infantry Division -Upon joining C Company he met and befriended another man from Iowa (00:37:31) Duty and Patrolling with C Company -His initial duty was just to be a rifleman and to carry extra ammunition for the M60 -He also wasn’t expected to walk point immediately either -They were patrolling in thick jungle -Eventually the monsoon season began -Had to walk up and then down steep hills in torrential downpours -Usually patrolled as squads, or as platoons, but not as a full company (00:39:58) Enemy Contact with C Company -Their main enemy was now the North Vietnamese and not the Viet Cong -The North Vietnamese were far more aggressive -By early April 1970 two men in C Company had already been killed -Learned that bullets don’t really make a sound like they do in the movies (00:41:53) Conditions in Central Vietnam -The terrain was hilly and the heat was oppressive -Completely different environment than where he had been with the 1st Infantry Division -Some men passed out due to the heat and the changing oxygen levels -If a man passed out another man had to go down to him and carry him back -There was one time where the man sent down wound up passing out as well -Passing out from heat stroke meant an immediate medical evacuation from the field -If you cut your hand on bamboo as you came down the hill you were evacuated -A cut could be deep enough that it reached the bone -After a while the patrols and the inherent dangers of them became routine and avoidable (00:44:14) Establishing Firebase Ripcord -After a night spent at the base of the hill Ripcord would be on the company got up early -Started walking up the hill to the top expecting to run into enemy resistance -On the way up and at the top they received no enemy fire or found any enemy soldiers -The most they found was some abandoned bunkers -They secured the hilltop and started digging foxholes -In the middle of digging a soldier was killed after hitting a grenade with his shovel -John was close enough to take a piece of shrapnel and get covered in blood -A medevac was called in and he and the other soldier were evacuated from the hilltop �-He was taken back to Camp Evans -While there he met Colonel Lucas the commander of 2nd Battalion -Talked about how things were going in the field and if Ripcord was secure -Wound up spending ten days at Camp Evans -Three days in the hospital and seven days on guard duty -After healing at Camp Evans he returned to Ripcord -When he got back the fortifications were built and the howitzers and mortars were set up -C Company was in charge of guarding the perimeter -They occasionally took incoming fire -C Company was eventually relieved by another company and flown off Ripcord (00:52:14) Activity before the Battle of Ripcord -After being on Ripcord he remembers flying to various hills in the vicinity -The one thing he remembers the most is how a landing zone was established for an air assault -First the artillery would bombard two potential landing zones -This was so the North Vietnamese didn’t know the actual landing zone -Then Cobra gunships would come in and strafe the landing zones -He was always proud to have been part of those air assaults -Doesn’t recall Captain Vazquez leaving and being replaced by Captain Hewitt -After leaving Ripcord they carried out patrols in the area around the firebase -In May and June of 1970 C Company didn’t take many, if any, casualties -The only concept of time that he had was the night and day cycle -Usually didn’t even know what day of the week it was -During one operation he remembers being on the last helicopter out -The door gunners started firing at targets on the ground -The helicopter veered left and then right violently -Learned that they were receiving fire and had been hit -The M60 gunner in his squad had been hit in the thigh -The fuel line had been hit by enemy fire -Flew back to Camp Evans and the M60 gunner was evacuated (00:59:00) Battle of Firebase Ripcord-Battle of Hill 902 Pt. 1 -On July 1, 1970 his platoon went to the top of Hill 902 -At the top he dug a foxhole and got settled in -It was the second night that 3rd Platoon had been on the top of Hill 902 -Tremendous strategic mistake because the North Vietnamese knew where they were -He was acting as the radio operator for Lieutenant Campbell at this point -At one point he was told to move to a different foxhole with the M60 gunner -This position was on the western edge of the hill near a trail -He felt they would be the most exposed to a North Vietnamese assault -Fortified his position with mines and prepared for the night -That night he couldn’t smell the North Vietnamese in the jungle when he usually could (01:05:09) Battle of Firebase Ripcord-Battle of Hill 902 Pt. 2 -They would sleep in shifts, and when the attack began on the morning of July 2nd he was asleep -He was woken up and told that there was movement -Immediately after that there was an explosion directly behind them at the command post -John manned the radio immediately and remembers hearing the screaming of the wounded -The Battle of Hill 902 was the only time that he ever fixed his bayonet �-He called in artillery and told them to “fire for effect” -At first thought that he had become the acting company commander -He thought that everyone was dead or incapacitated -The artillery barrage that came in from Ripcord was incredibly close to his position -He called in a flare to illuminate the hill and popped right over the command post -Didn’t call anymore so as not to potentially give away any American positions -During the fighting he was able to collect a wounded soldier nearby and pull him into the hole -The position next to his was hit hard by a satchel charge -The original foxhole that he had been in took a direct hit from a rocket -One soldier was vaporized by the explosion -At one point the commanders in the rear thought that they had been wiped out -He detonated all three of his claymore mines and threw all of his grenades during the fight -The enemy was too close to shoot at with a rifle, or a machine gun -Ran the risk of hitting your own soldiers at that point -Cobra gunships eventually flew in and started giving supporting fire (01:15:07) Aftermath of Hill 902 -As soon as it was light enough out 1st Platoon was flown in to relieve them -Everything (equipment, people, weapons, vegetation) had been shot up and destroyed -Remembers that there were bodies everywhere -After the fighting they collected the dead North Vietnamese and dead Americans -Counted at least thirty dead North Vietnamese -Official numbers are around ten to fifteen dead North Vietnamese -The area was secured and he returned to where his original foxhole had been -He had to identify the remains of one of the men that had been in it -By 11 AM July 2nd he, and the rest of his platoon, was pulled off of Hill 902 -Along with a crate full of unexploded ordinance -After the battle he was so shell-shocked that he felt physically ill -They were taken back to Firebase Ripcord and had to go right back into the field -They weren’t even allowed to have one day off -Expected to go back out without a medic or a company commander -After Hill 902 he couldn’t bring himself to eat for two days (01:19:44) Battle of Firebase Ripcord-Battle of Hill 1000 -On July 7, 1970 they were flown out to aid D Company which was pinned down on Hill 1000 -While moving forward on the hill he remembers a man directly behind him getting killed -During the assault on Hill 1000 C Company was down to only being the size of a platoon -At this point Jeff Wilcox was their new company commander and they had a new medic -Remembers that on Hill 1000 that was the only time he saw a flamethrower in Vietnam -It was never put into use on Hill 1000 though -He stormed Hill 1000 as a radioman -They started taking enemy fire and Cobras were called in to provide covering fire -The medic was killed almost instantly on the second assault on July 8 -He was able to pull the medic’s body down the hill to be evacuated -They were eventually ordered to pull off of Hill 1000 and regroup at a landing zone -Remembers Captain Wilcox arguing with Colonel Lucas at the landing zone -Colonel Lucas wanted a third assault and Captain Wilcox refused �(01:28:21) Battle of Firebase Ripcord-Evacuation -C Company went to Hill 805 for one night -Remembers the commander of B Company being struck by lightning, but surviving -On July 23, 1970 C Company was pulled back to Camp Evans and Ripcord was abandoned -On July 23rd American B-52 bombers flew in and bombarded the NVA on Ripcord -Learned at Camp Evans that A Company was still in the field and pinned down -D Company was sent in and successfully extracted A Company (01:31:12) Reassignment to the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) -He was scheduled to go on R&R in August -There was a chance that he could go to the rear to serve in the TOC -Decided to cancel his R&R -Had to tell his brother and his parents that he couldn’t meet them in Australia -He was reassigned to the TOC at Camp Evans to be a radio operator for the 2nd Battalion -Remembers that the new colonel for 2nd Battalion didn’t have much combat experience -Colonel Lucas had been killed on July 23rd during the evacuation of Ripcord -The new colonel would want to go out and meet with companies in the field -Also wanted to be able to get the Combat Infantry Badge -John would accompany him into the field -Recalls that the colonel was a little bit naïve and gung ho -Example: The colonel would walk point despite being a colonel -He would work nights at the TOC and would check in with companies in the field each hour (01:36:12) End of Tour & Coming Home -He finished his tour and was relieved of duty -After his tour was up he still had some free time on Camp Evans -At one point he volunteered to go on a supply run to a unit five miles from Camp Evans -In retrospect felt it was a bad move, but fortunately nothing happened -Upon returning home he flew out of Hue -He and the other soldiers were told not to celebrate until they left Vietnamese airspace -Once they were over the South China Sea everyone on the plane cheered -They flew directly from Hue, South Vietnam to Seattle, Washington (01:38:26) Drug Use & Racial Tensions -While in Vietnam he didn’t witness much drug use -There was some use in the rear, but never saw drugs being used in the field -Noticed that there was some racial tension in the rear, but not in the field -He never had any problems with people due to their race -Feels that he may have been too young or naïve to have noticed any tension (01:39:44) End of Service -Upon coming home there were some meetings about taxes and healthcare -He was given thirty days of leave to go home -Upon coming home he was warned about the possibility of being harassed by protestors -He was told not to pay them any mind or to react to them -He never encountered any protestors when he came home though -He flew back to Iowa for his leave then flew down to Fort Hood, Texas -Arrived at Fort Hood on November 30, 1970 -While at Fort Hood he was allowed to go home for Christmas -Drove up to Detroit with some friends then flew to Chicago �-From Chicago flew to Iowa then after Christmas flew back to Fort Hood -His time with the Army ended in April 1971 -While at Fort Hood he took part in some radar testing -Aside from that just stayed busy by cleaning vehicles and trying to kill time (01:43:51) Life after the Army -After the Army he returned to his family in Iowa -He was only home for one week before returning to work in construction until August 1971 -He got married on September 4, 1971 -After his honeymoon he went to the University of Northern Iowa -The first year back for him was difficult -He was trying to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder -Wound up graduating from in 1975 with a degree in business management -He was able to attend college on the GI Bill -He got a job at the Post Office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa -Nine months later he quit the Post Office and bought his uncle’s farm -His uncle’s farm was right next to his parents’ farm -He actively farmed for twenty years, and still farms part time -He fathered three sons and one daughter -After farming for twenty years he returned to the Post Office and still works there (as of 2014) � 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_KuennenJ1692V Title A name given to the resource Kuennen, John (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-09 Description An account of the resource John Kuennen was born in New Hampton, Iowa, in 1950. After graduating from high school in 1968 he attended college for one year before volunteering for the draft. He trained as an infantryman at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and went to Vietnam in November, 1969. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division and patrolled the Mekong River Delta area as a radioman. In mid-March 1970 the 1st Infantry Division was sent back to the United States and he was reassigned to C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division based out of Camp Evans as an infantryman and then as a radioman. He took part in the establishment of Firebase Ripcord on the edge of the A Shau Valley and later in the Battle of Firebase Ripcord specifically on Hill 902 on July 2nd and then on Hill 1000 on July 7th and 8th. After the fall of Firebase Ripcord on July 23rd, 1970 he was reassigned to the Battalion Tactical Operations Center at Camp Evans as a radio operator. In the fall of 1970 he returned to the United States and completed his service in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas in April 1971. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kuennen, John Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McGregor, Michael (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/48ed9f34ecba0b4a59e11378075fe3f0.mp4 9c96273a015882a5176fc713315f4191 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a591bf0598f2d7315772b73cf7a5c3e1.pdf 30a71efc570c8440576a846907b965f4 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Al Kraker World War II 1 hour 46 minutes (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in Allendale, Michigan on June 26, 1924 -Grew up in Allendale -Hadn't travelled further than fifty miles from home before he was in the Army -Came from a farming family -Family had a farm before the Great Depression -Lost the farm during the Great Depression -Retained a small piece of property -During the Great Depression he worked for other local farmers -Did manual labor and worked with heavy machinery -Weeded by hand for 10¢ an hour -Helped clear swampland with a Caterpillar -Learned about vehicle repair at an automotive garage that was between home and school -Frequently stopped there after school to learn more about cars -Had a radio in their home, but rarely used it -Due to his mechanical knowledge he was able to help with repairs in the home -Went on to be useful knowledge in the Army -Eventually led to him doing wiring on neighbor's houses after the war -Graduated from high school in 1942 -Went to work at Keeler Brass -After that worked for a boat company in Holland, Michigan -Building wooden, thirty six foot, diesel powered landing crafts -Worked there for four months until the defense contract expired -Went to Muskegon for a job interview with two of his friends -He got the job, but they didn't -He had to decline the job because he relied on car pooling due to gas rationing -Went to Grand Rapids, Michigan to get a job with Rapistan -It was a new company that needed employees -He got a job, but his friends didn't -Had to refuse again because he relied on car pooling -Founder of the company reevaluated the hiring decision -Hired his friends as well -Wound up returning to work there for forty four years after the war (00:07:26) Getting Drafted -He received his draft notice in December 1942 -His friends had gotten their draft notices at the same time -He was called up for service in February 1943 -Reported for basic training in March 1943 �(00:08:07) Basic Training -He was sent to Camp Crowder, Missouri for Signal School -He was initially placed in an automotive mechanic's school -The officer teaching the course had no idea what he was doing -He brought this to his commander's attention and was assigned different duty -Rather than train with the rest of the men he was able to work on trucks for three months -He was still allowed to take part in the graduation ceremony at the end of basic training (00:10:06) Applying for Pilot Training -At the end of training he decided that he wanted to try and be a pilot -Signed up for that and took a lot of tests -Training company commander pulled him aside -Told him that he should wait until he was a little older to become a pilot (00:10:54) Downtime at Camp Crowder -Could get a pass every two weeks to go into Joplin, Missouri -A river ran through the city and there were parks that lined the river -Enjoyed going to those parks (00:11:55) Deployment to the European Theatre -He then applied for officers' training and was accepted after the Army Air Force rejection -He was then told to go wait for a train that was scheduled to arrive at 1 AM -Train never came -Went back to base and waited around for three days -Got another notice to go to the train station -Finally got on a train that was bound for New York City -In New York he boarded the USS Monticello -Bound for North Africa -It was an Italian cruise ship before the war and had been converted into a troopship -There were 7,000 men on board -It was incredibly hot and cramped -Fed twice a day at 4AM and 4PM -Only given a cup of oatmeal and an apple for each meal -Could go on deck just once a day -Monitored by Marines to make sure no one tried to hide on deck -Left the United States in July 1943 -Part of a 200 ship convoy -Protected by ships that were looking for U-Boats -It was a slow convoy because they were travelling with fuel ships -Had a problem with their propulsion system -A steam engine exploded killing a few sailors -Lost power as a result and were left behind by the convoy -Engines were repaired and a day later they caught up with the convoy -Got to see the Straits of Gibraltar after they passed into the Mediterranean Sea �(00:18:10) Arrival in North Africa -Arrived in Oran, Algeria -It was a beautiful, natural port city -A friend of his had landed there six months earlier and had his ship torpedoed -By the time that he arrived in July 1943 the Axis forces had been pushed out of Africa -The first week he was there he got a fever -Turned out that he had contracted malaria -Spent two weeks in a hospital (00:19:45) Joining the 591st Signal Depot Company -He joined his company and there was a repair section that worked on generators -He was selected to repair generators and assumed they were smaller generators -Turned out they were larger generators used to power buildings -He was ordered to repair one of those larger generators -Managed to do it without any formal training -He was assigned to the 591st Signal Depot Company -Attached to the 34th Infantry Division -They had lost a lot of men at the Kasserine Pass -He was not received well by the older men in the unit -They believed that 'kids' shouldn't be fighting a 'man's' war -He also had a run in with the company commander -Al had not been introduced to military etiquette and discipline in basic training -He answered casually to the company commander who took exception to that -He stayed with the 591st for one year (00:24:09) Working with the 591st -There was a period for a few months where he worked eighteen hour days, seven days a week -Used 100 octane gas to get grease stains out of clothes -Company commander wouldn't allow anyone to go into the mess hall with dirty clothes -He was able to work fairly independently on projects -Had 100 Italian prisoners of war -He was given six prisoners to help him with basic maintenance tasks -All of the prisoners were farmers that had no experience with machines -None of them spoke English and he didn't have an interpreter that spoke Italian -They stayed behind when the 34th Infantry Division moved into Italy in September 1943 -Airplanes would come in in the morning to deliver damaged machines -At the end of the day they would fly out with the repairs done -A lot of machines were damaged due to negligence and stupidity -For example: running a motor until it ran out of oil (00:29:09) Living Conditions and Discipline Problems in North Africa -They lived in tents a few miles outside of Oran -There were six or seven other companies in the same area -Each dealing with specialized tasks �-Had a portable radio that had been salvaged from a jeep -When they went into town with the radio the children would follow them -Fascinated with what they were hearing on the radio -The relationship between U.S. troops and the civilians was not good -A lot of U.S. troops would scam civilians out of money -The civilians would sneak onto the base to steal equipment -Sometimes he and the other men would have to work until 1 AM -Then they would have to deal with the company commander -He would randomly wake them up at 2:30 or 3 AM to pick up cigarette butts -Three men couldn't handle it and wound up committing suicide -This went on until a congresswoman inspected the base and interviewed GIs -After that things improved -He applied to become a paratrooper shortly after the congress woman visited -Just as a way to get out of that unit -Company commander also stole vehicles and equipment -Used it to pick up local girls and have sex with them (00:37:12) Airborne Training -He went for an all day physical exam to become a paratrooper -Had bad vision in his right eye which should've barred him from Airborne service -The medical examiner was an old friend from high school -Approved him for Airborne training -Went to southern Italy for Airborne training -The first day there he had to jog five miles without stopping -The second day he had to jog ten miles without stopping -The third day, and every day after that, he had to jog twenty miles without stopping -Started with 650 applicants -If you fell over and lost consciousness you were allowed to continue training -If you just quit you were washed out and sent to the infantry -Received training with different rifles and the bazooka -On their way to their first training jump they saw British paratroopers doing a training jump -One of those men had a faulty parachute and fell to his death -On his fourth training jump he was carrying a forty five pound machine gun -It was a windy day and he had a hard landing -Resulted in a few crushed vertebrae which led to a month in the hospital (00:44:01) Assignment to the 10th Mountain Division -He was sent to a replacement camp after recovering -Went on five mile marches every day and set up mortars for live fire exercises -At 3PM they packed up the mortars and went back to base -There were 7,000 men at the replacement camp -The goal was to keep them occupied so that nothing bad happened -He was there for about one month �-Received orders to join the 10th Mountain Division -Got some more training with them -They were scheduled to go into northern Italy to push out the Germans there (00:46:14) Appendicitis -On the day that they were supposed to go he went to the hospital -Had been complaining of abdominal problems -Turned out that he had appendicitis and needed to have it removed -He was at that hospital for one week -Treated by an older doctor that believed bed rest really meant not leaving the bed -The patients were transferred to a hospital in Naples -Had to wait an hour to get a bed -Asked a nurse if she could get him something to eat -Told him that after so many days he would have to do it himself -Problem was, he couldn't walk, so a friend of his went and got him some food -Had to get used to walking again -After he recovered he was sent to another replacement camp -While at the hospital in Naples he saw some of the paratroopers that he had trained with -They had done a combat jump and were severely wounded in the resulting fighting -Made him thankful that he had gotten hurt on the training jump (00:51:32) Traveling Italy -While at the second replacement camp the 10th Mountain Division had their last battle -This would have been in late April 1945 -Every morning he would go to the bulletin board to see if he was getting reassigned -Spent a lot of time doing more weapons training -Finally got orders to join a unit -The unit he had orders for was the 591st Signal Depot Company -Decided that he would rather not rejoin that unit -Hopped a freight train in hopes of traveling to Germany -Brother was in the 3rd Armored Division and he wanted to visit him -While recovering from the vertebrae injury he wrote a letter to his old company commander -Told him what he really thought of him -Hadn't seen his brother in four years -Couldn't get on an airplane in Rome because he had the wrong kind of uniform -Hopped another train and went to Naples -Boarded a plane that he thought was bound for Germany -Stowed away in the cargo hold -Co-pilot went to check the cargo and found him -Told Al their destination was Burma, not Germany -Al got off the plane and went to Caserta thirty miles north of Naples -It was serving as the headquarters for the Supreme Allied Commander -Went there and said that he was lost and showed them his orders -Spent a whole day in a colonel's office �-Made contact with the 591st and sent for a jeep -Wound up sleeping in the colonel's office -When the colonel came back he was angry that Al slept in the office -Until he realized that a jeep had never been sent -Prior to going to boarding the plane in Naples Al knew where the 591st was -He had no money, and no food -Hitchhiked to the camp and got there around 2AM -Started looking for the cook that he had been friends with in Africa -Found him and woke him up successfully -Got some food then went back to Naples -After that is when he reported to Caserta to go to the 591st (01:05:00) Rejoining the 591st -Eventually rejoined the 591st -Expected to be berated by the company commander -Didn't see him for three days -On the third day the company commander asked Al to see him in his office -Told Al that he didn't want him in the 591st, but they needed him -They were going to the Philippines, but the other men didn't know -Started to receive additional training from a lieutenant from the infantry -The man had zero experience and Al didn't feel like getting killed by incompetence -Told the company commander that he wouldn't train under that lieutenant -The company commander agreed (01:09:06) Deployment to the Pacific Theatre -The men were deeply depressed when they were told that they weren't going home -Sailed on an APA across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Panama Canal -Crossed the Pacific Ocean without any escorts -Ship was crowded -Got a job with the crew so he didn't have to just sit around doing nothing -Placed on the garbage detail -Sorting trash and dumping it overboard -Kept him busy for a few days -Got sent a frying pan, a carton of eggs, bread, and a crate of oranges -Gifts from the cook that got Al the job -Stopped in Hollandia, New Guinea to refuel (01:15:02) Stationed in the Philippines -Arrived in Manila -Set up tents -Waited there for a couple days for a ship to take them to Cebu, Philippines -During that time the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered -He contracted dysentery and was sent to the hospital -Ten days of treatment and seventeen shots -He got eight shots in his left arm and two in his right arm �-Arms swelled up and he couldn't feed himself -Had to spend an extra week in the hospital recovering -Eventually rejoined the 591st -Not allowed to do any heavy work for a month -Spent a lot of time going into Cebu (01:18:39) Returning to the United States -He went back to the station hospital and still had dysentery -In worse condition than he thought he was -Got the shots again, but they didn't help -Started getting sores due to the heat -Head surgeon decided that he needed to be in a colder climate to recover -Boarded a hospital ship and set sail -On the third day they hit a typhoon and the ship lost power -Ran into a man that he went to high school with -Had to eat standing up -The waves were fifty feet high -Had to cover the smoke stack so water wouldn't get into the engine -Had to tie themselves to the bed so the waves didn't throw them out -Eventually got power back to the ship -Only pulling five knots though (roughly 5.7 miles per hour) -After the ship's power was returned the captain decided to take the northern route -Sailed up to Alaska -Had ice all over the ship that was a foot thick -Able bodied patients had to chip the ice -Sailed down the West Coast and pulled into San Francisco on January 10, 1946 -Spent a week in a hospital in San Francisco (01:27:17) End of Service and Coming Home -Boarded a train and went to Mayo General Hospital in Galesburg, Illinois -Spent a couple months there -After six weeks he was given a pass to go home -Wasn't able to hitch a ride home -Most people were reluctant to help a soldier -Only ever got as far north as Benton Harbor, Michigan -At the end of his stay at the hospital he had four days of dentist work done -After that he was discharged from the Army -Took a train to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Got to his sister's house at 1 or 2 AM (01:30:47) Life after the War -He went back to work at Rapistan -Had waited eighty days because he was hoping to start his own automotive garage -Decided that he didn't have the finances to do that -Worked on an assembly conveyor -Got transferred to a position on a steel shearer -He decided to get into home building so he quit Rapistan -Didn't have the money for that either so he went back to work for Rapistan �-One day he was out driving by Allendale -Saw a hitchhiker and decided to give him a ride -Hitchhiker shot Al and then pulled a knife on Al -Al managed to disarm him and got control of the pistol -Hitchhiker fled the car and Al tried to shoot him -Pistol's firing pin was broken -Another driver found Al and took him to Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids -He was treated by a a surgeon that had treated men in World War One -Had surgery without anesthesia -Passed out and regained consciousness five days later -Took a year to fully recover -Went back to work at Rapistan as a purchasing agent -Eventually got promoted and ran the department for twenty five years until he retired (01:44:15) Reflections on Service -Helped him grow up -Learned to keep his mouth shut -In a way, it led to him returning to work at Rapistan after the war and he enjoyed his career � 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_KrakerA1742V Title A name given to the resource Kraker, Alvin (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-04-09 Description An account of the resource Al Kraker was born in Allendale, Michigan on June 26, 1924. He grew up there and when he was older learned about engines at a local automotive garage. After graduating from high school in 1942 he was drafted in December of that year and reported for basic training in March 1943. He was sent to Camp Crowder, Missouri where he spent three months working on trucks. In July 1943 he was sent to North Africa and arrived in Oran, Algeria. He was assigned to the 591st Signal Depot Company in a repair section working on generators. He was stationed there for a year until he applied for Airborne Training. He trained in Italy until he suffered a severe back injury on a training jump. After recovering he was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, but was unable to see action with them due to a case of appendicitis. He was eventually reassigned to the 591st and went to the Pacific Theatre with them in the summer of 1945. He was briefly stationed in the Philippines, but contracted dysentery and had to be sent back to the United States after Japan surrendered. He was sent to a hospital in Galesburg, Illinois to recover and was discharged from the Army in early spring 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kraker, Alvin 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 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/472883a458b49796c3c16213ef0f4cd2.mp4 fae226126986cfb73d669506d2700ff2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fdfb253572e89011d44403ddf34b2a3c.pdf 6ff12016c6b802d68b45f9524f0aec0e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Keith King World War II 1 hour 7 minutes 58 seconds (00:00:14) Early Life -Born on April 5, 1921 in Greenville, Michigan -Grew up in Greenville -Went to high school in Greenville -Graduated in 1939 -The Great Depression made life very difficult for them on the farm -Three families lived on their farm -Mother died when he was two years old -Father remarried and had four more children with Keith's stepmother -Shared the farm with his uncle's family -He helped on the farm -Decided when he was a junior in high school that he would be a farmer -After graduating from high school he stayed on the farm to help his father -Wound up getting a farming job in Greenville through a cooperative program -Sent to Cleveland, Ohio to learn about how to repair farming equipment (00:02:47) Start of the War -He was working in Greenville when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor -He was aware of what was happening in Europe and Asia in the late 1930s -Knew about Hitler and Mussolini -Didn't understand everything, but was very aware of what they were doing -He was in a cow barn and heard the news on the radio that Pearl Harbor had been destroyed (00:03:52) Enlisting in the Army -Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor he decided to enlist -Wanted to join the Army and help beat Hitler -Believed that the war would be over within six months after the U.S. joined it -Enlisted in the Army in 1942 -Processed at Camp Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan (00:05:00) Training -Took a train from Camp Custer to Los Angeles, California -Boarded a troop train in Los Angeles and went north to Camp Roberts, California -Greeted by a sergeant that introduced the new recruits to how the Army operated -There was the "Army way" and "your way" and the "Army way" always won -Spent three months training at Camp Roberts -He was interviewed about his civilian work experiencec and any applicable skills -Because he was a certified mechanic he was assigned to vehicle maintenance �-Received three weeks of basic infantry training -Learned how to clean and fire the M1 Garand rifle -Also learned how to fire the Browning Automatic Rifle and M1A1 Carbine -Learned how to march -Learned the fundamentals of being an infantryman -High emphasis on discipline -When the lights turned on in the morning you were expected to be up and ready quickly -Men that didn't adjust to the regimen of Army life were punished -Usually by getting yelled at and being assigned extra menial duty -He adjusted well to Army life and had no problem following orders -Learned how to work on jeeps, weapons carriers (jeep/pickup truck), and the 2.5 ton trucks -He was "first echelon" -Meant he could change oil and change bearings, but could not work on the engine -Trained with men from all over the United States -Some men were in their early thirties, but most of the men were in their early twenties -Majority of the men he trained with were draftees (00:10:35) Stationed at Camp Butner -Boarded another troop train and went north to Seattle then cut southeast -Five days later wound up at Camp Butner, North Carolina -It was a new camp -He was assigned to a service company in the 310th Infantry Regiment, 78th Infantry Division -Service company had cooks, typists, clerks, and maintenance personnel -Did regular maintenance work on vehicles while at Camp Butner -Got married while he was stationed at Camp Butner -Met a girl at a dance in Greensboro, North Carolina and eventually married her -Stationed at Camp Butner for a year -Helped keep the base functioning by keeping the vehicles running -The South was tremendously different from the North -Wife's family owned a tobacco plantation -Father-in-law was a Democrat ("Dixiecrat":pro-Southern) -Able to bond over mutual interest and knowledge of farming -Noticed the segregation in the South -Whites boarded buses first, then the blacks got on if there was any room -Saw the separate bathrooms and other public facilities -Came as a tremendous culture shock to him -Went on maneuvres in South Carolina -Acted like he was in combat and did the same job he would do in combat -Helped repair vehicles -Went on long marches -Southerners were gracious and helpful �-He got along well with the men that he served with -Had to out of necessity -There was only one older sergeant among the younger noncommissioned officers -He only pulled rank if it was absolutely necessary -Only had one bad encounter with an officer and it was the general of the 78th -Got reprimanded by General Parker for walking to work with his hands in his pockets -Allowed to live off the base with his wife because he was a sergeant -Got disenfranchised with the Army because he didn't feel that he was doing much for the war -Requested to be discharged to go back to working on the farm in Michigan -Felt he would do more good for the war effort by working on the farm -Didn't realize that he was part of a larger strategy -Army knew that the 78th needed to be kept in the U.S. until the right moment (00:24:36) Deployment to the European Theatre -In fall 1944 they received orders to go overseas -The response among the troops was positive -Went on maneuvres in Tennessee to preprare for the deployment -Went to Virginia for final training before going overseas -Sailed out of New Jersey on a repurposed English passenger ship -Hurt his ankle before getting deployed but wanted to go anyway -Managed to get a top bunk in a seven-high bunk bed on the ship -Sailed in a convoy with other transports and protected by destroyers -Woke up one day and the ship was by itself on the Atlantic Ocean -One of the engines had failed -At the mercy of the U-Boats -Repaired the engine and caught up with the convoy (00:28:00) Arrival in Europe -Arrived at Plymouth, England -Went to an encampment near the White Cliffs of Dover -Stayed there for five days and received new equipment before going to the continent -Crossed the English Channel on Thanksgiving Day 1944 -That crossing was a little rough -Saw the remains of ships in the water off the coast of France -Lectured not to talk to any French civilians -Didn't know if they were Nazi-sympathizers, or not (00:29:24) Battle of the Bulge Pt. 1 -After arriving in France they moved into Tongeren, Belgium on November 27, 1944 -From Belgium they moved into the 310th Infantry Regiment moved into the Hurtgen Forest -Moved into the Hurtgen Forest (Germany) in early December 1944 -Remembers that the whole area resembled Michigan -It was starting to get cold -Slept in tents, abandoned buildings, or captured German quarters �-Dug in and didn't move much once they hit the front line -Their objective was to protect a dam in the area and defend the area from any German attacks -Battle of the Bulge began in mid-December 1944 -Allied artillery fired over their heads into the German "bulge" -One of his jobs was putting a wooden cross on the front of jeeps -Did this to disarm wire booby traps the Germans strung across roads to behead GIs -Held their ground when the Germans made their major offensive -Always had a lot of work to do -Most vehicles sustained damage during the initial assault -There was a town with some damaged American vehicles -Ordered to go into the town and drive the vehicles out -Went out two GIs per vehicle -Drove as fast as they could to avoid getting hit by German artillery -Got back to base with four blown tires -Had to drive six miles dodging artillery -Service Company never had one casualty -Held the line through January 1945 and advanced at the end of January (00:35:56) Advancing into Germany Pt. 1 -Captured a few dams in Germany in February 1945 -Captured one larger dam similar to the Hoover Dam -Note: Most likely the Schwammanauel Dam on February 9, 1945 (00:36:40) Battle of the Bulge Pt. 2 -On Christmas Day 1944 they got some cakes to give to the riflemen -Still remembers seeing all of those young men, fresh out of high school going to battle -Knew that ninety percent of them weren't going to make it (00:37:50) Advancing into Germany Pt. 2 -Most of the German villages they encountered were shot up -Had to bombard towns to force out, or kill, the remaining German resistance -Saw a cow tied up in some rubble -Farmer wanted to retrieve the cow -GIs held him back because it was probably a booby trap -Crossed the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, Germany -Only one of two remaining bridges that spanned the Rhine River -Learned that the first tank to cross the bridge was driven by another man from Greenville -He survived the war and they talked about their experiences later -German Stuka dive bombers strafed and bombed the American forces in vain -He stayed on the west bank and watched the advance of the American troops -Germans had no strength to resist the advance across the Rhine -Had to wait for the pontoon bridge to be built because the Ludendorff wasn't stable -Found a damaged Kubelwagen and repaired it �-Drove across the pontoon bridge in the captured Kubelwagen -Moved north up the east bank -Fought in the Ruhr Pocket -Ran into an old neighbor from Greenville who was serving as an officer and an artillery observer -Moved into an agricultural area -Advanced into the Ruhr Pocket in April 1945 -Set up their motor pool in a farmer's backyard -Conversed with the German farmer and helped him with milking the cow -Feels that that simple action promoted a lot of good will -Learned about what motivated the Germans to support Hitler -They didn't realize what he was until it was too late -Resistance was put down brutally and quickly -Even German "Aryans" were subject to rape and execution -Younger Germans, especially young women, ardently supported Nazism -Didn't understand the barbarism the Nazis were capable of -He captured twelve German soldiers near the end of the war -They were happy to give up -They were in their thirties or forties and had most likely been forced into service -Impressed by how quickly the German civilians cleaned up their bombed out communities (00:50:16) End of the War in Europe -Barred from entering Berlin until after the Soviets captured the city -He was forty miles from Berlin when he ran into his brother -He was an officer in the Cavalry -After the war ended they stayed in the western part of Germany -Quartered in old German barracks -He got to know some of the Germans and went wild boar hunting with them -Didn't stay in Germany too long after the war ended because he had enough points to go home -Needed 85 points to go home -Points were awarded based on length of service, combat seen, dependents, and rank -Celebrated VE Day (May 8, 1945) by going onto the roof of a railroad station and drinking wine -Ran into a French brother and sister that were Displaced Persons and had been slave laborers -Learned about what they went through -The average person was ready to give up long before Germany surrendered -German civilians were very compliant with the American soldiers (00:57:52) Coming Home & End of Service -Took a ship out of Antwerp, Belgium -Got out of Europe just before men were scheduled to retrain for occupation duty in Japan �-Left Europe in September 1945 -Took fourteen days to get back to the United States -Ran into a bad storm and had to endure that for two days -Arrived in Boston -Got a steak dinner -Sent to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania to be discharged -Ready to go home -Whole process took three days (01:02:24) Life after the War Pt. 1 -Father brought Keith's wife and son up to Michigan -Took a series of bus rides from Pennsylvania back to Greenville, Michigan -Got home at 9 or 9:30 PM -Greeted by his wife and his sister -Felt strange, and kind of anticlimactic, to be back in Michigan -Got a job with Carnation Milk -Worked for them for four years -Got back into farming with his father -Wife adapted well to life on the farm -Raised cattle, dairy cows, and grew wheat and corn (01:05:13) Reflections on Service -Feels that it was an education you couldn't buy -Learned a lot through what he experienced during the war (01:05:53) Life after the War Pt. 2 -Sold the farm to Ore-Ida in 1964 with the condition that he could live and work on the farm -Continued to work for eighteen years then retired -Wife died from breast cancer in 1985 -As of 2015 he still lives on part of the original farm and still enjoys doing a little farming � 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_KingK1863V Title A name given to the resource King, Keith C (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-08-03 Description An account of the resource Keith King was born on April 5, 1921 in Greenville, Michigan. After the attack on Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Army in 1942. He was processed at Camp Custer, Michigan then went to Camp Roberts, California for three months of infantry training and vehicle maintenance training. From Camp Roberts he was sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina and was assigned to a Service Company in the 310th Infantry Regiment of the 78th Infantry Division. He went on maneuvres, got married, and worked at Camp Butner until the division was deployed in fall 1944. They crossed into France in late November 1944 and took up positions in the Hurtgen Forest on the Belgian-German border. He took part in the Battle of the Bulge then the advance into Germany, crossing the Rhine River in March 1945 and fighting in the Ruhr Pocket until Germany surrendered in May 1945. He stayed in Germany until September 1945 when he was sent back to the United States and discharged at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource King, Kieth C. 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 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/2f01280712ce2d10717874ff0e9d0693.mp4 55bd48533d75dc4830e1f35546ad5903 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e8c937ad4fb1fbed0b539897d6f00d68.pdf 7e9819eb680757757ac98c24df1bb845 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Jack Kennedy World War II 39 minutes 28 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan at Butterworth Hospital on April 17, 1924 -Grew up in Grand Rapids -Lived across from Blodgett Emergency -Whenever it rained he would cut through the hospital on the way to school -Father ran a mattress factory -During the Great Depression it was tough, but he was still able to make money -Able to keep his business through the Great Depression (00:01:38) Start of the War -He was in high school when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941 -Followed news of the war in Europe and Asia prior to Pearl Harbor -Remembers the news about Pearl Harbor being on every radio -A lot of young men decided that they were going to enlist after Pearl Harbor -He decided to just wait to get drafted -Father wanted him to have some college education before being drafted -Took him to Michigan State University and enrolled him there in January 1942 -Able to stay at Michigan State for one semester (00:04:36) Getting Drafted -Got drafted into the Army Air Force -He wanted to be in the Army Air Force anyway, so it worked out in his favor (00:04:55) Training -Received some training in Salt Lake City, Utah after basic training was done -Didn't enjoy basic training -Had to go through it twice -Once after he was processed, and again after he joined his unit in Utah -Went to Bowman Field, Kentucky for basic training -During basic training there was a focus on marching -Wasn't difficult for him because he had been in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps -Not a lot of emphasis on discipline -Went to Salt Lake City after training at Bowman Field (00:08:10) Stationed in the United States -He was assigned to be a medic in Salt Lake City -Medic training consisted of learning how to treat wounds and unload wounded men from aircraft -It was pretty rigorous training, but good training -Contracted pneumonia and was hospitalized for thirty one days -After that returned to his original unit �-Had a lot of time off when he was stationed at an Army base in Indiana -Able to go home a lot -By the time he got to Indiana he had been transferred to the regular Army as a medic (00:14:17) Deployment to the European Theatre -On New Year's Eve he had some leave time in New York City -Had a good time and stayed up all night -It was the end of 1943 going into 1944 -Note: Based on later information, most likely end of 1944 going into 1945 -Sailed on a Liberty Ship -The voyage over was not a good one -The North Atlantic Ocean is not a good place to be in the winter -Almost everyone got seasick -Sailed as part of a convoy -Saw a couple U-Boats that were chased away by their escorts -Took only six days to cross the Atlantic Ocean (00:17:00) Advancing through Europe -Landed in France in early 1945 -His medical battalion was attached to the 3rd Army -Joined them in France -Plan was to follow Patton's 3rd Army -It wasn't a good time -A lot of time was spent walking -Travelled by truck a little, but mostly advanced on foot -Established field hospitals as they advanced through Europe -His job was as a surgical technician -Had to participate in operations -It was interesting, but felt confining to not know how long they would be in an area -Didn't stay in the first area too long -Moved across France and got to the German border -Crossed the Rhine River into Germany -From that point on they were walking -Travelled across France on boxcars -Didn't see much destruction from the Allied bombing campaign -Some areas were damaged, but it wasn't as bad in the countryside and small towns (00:22:58) Field Hospitals -The field hospitals were pretty simple -A tent with a surgery cot for the badly wounded -Basically, a place to stabilize men and then move them on to a bigger hospital -Later on could get set up in buildings and live and work in them -Took over any buildings that were available -Most buildings had been abandoned �(00:24:45) Advancing through Germany -Started seeing a lot more German civilians as they advanced through Germany -They were friendly and didn't seem afraid of American soldiers -Gave them medical aid if they needed it -Saw concentration camps and prisoner of war camps -Didn't see many displaced persons (00:27:18) End of the War Pt. 1 -In Germany when Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 -They were heading north towards the Baltic Sea -Unit was most likely no longer attached to the 3rd Army -Didn't see any Soviet or French forces -Did see some British troops though (00:28:31) General Patton -Saw General Patton a few times -Didn't hero worship him because he saw him as just another human being -Thought he was a good military leader, but not a pleasant person to be around (00:29:13) Concentration Camps & Prisoner of War Camps Pt. 1 -Saw German prisoner of war camps and concentration camps -Based on the living conditions, knew that the prisoners weren't treated well (00:29:31) Occupation Duty in Germany & End of War Pt. 2 -Stayed in Germany for months after the Germans surrendered -Set up a field hospital in Germany -In Germany when the Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945 -They had originally been slated to go to the Pacific Theatre for the invasion of Japan -Heard about the atomic bombs being dropped while they were still in Germany -The hospital they established in Germany was for treating American military personnel -After the war was over they spent a lot of time just trying to find something to do -Commanding officer told them that they couldn't just sit around -He decided to learn how to ski, but basically had to teach himself -Went to a German ski resort town and found a German instructor -Paid him in cigarettes to teach him how to ski -Had to deal with a language barrier -Didn't travel around Europe after the war (00:34:30) Concentration Camps & Prisoner of War Camps Pt. 2 -Commanding officer was adamant that the men saw what the Nazis did at the death camps -It was not good -Only corpses remained by the time he saw the concentration camps -Survivors had most likely been evacuated (00:35:38) Coming Home & End of Service -Left Europe in 1946 -Arrived in New Jersey and didn't stay there very long -Sent to Camp Atterbury, Indiana and got discharged there (00:36:35) Life after the War -Went back to college at Michigan State University �-Father insisted that he went back to school -Studied business administration -Father encouraged him to take insurance courses -Worked for his father at the mattress factory and inherited it -Retired from there in 1991 (00:37:58) Reflections on Service -Believes that he got a lot of good things out of his service -There were times during it that he wondered what they were doing in the war -It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all good either -Got along well with the other men that he served with -Doctors were good at what they did and stayed focus � 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_KennedyJ1788V Title A name given to the resource Kennedy, Jack W (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-06-28 Description An account of the resource Jack Kennedy was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on April 17, 1924. He grew up there and in the summer of 1942 was drafted into the Army Air Force. He received basic training at Bowman Field, Kentucky and was then sent to Salt Lake City, Utah for medic training. He was eventually transferred to a regular medical battalion in the Army and was stationed in Indiana. In early 1945 he shipped out of the United States and arrived in France. His unit followed Patton's Third Army across northern France and over the Rhine River into Germany. After the war ended his unit established a field hospital and stayed for the rest of 1945. In 1946 he was shipped back to the United States and was discharged at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Kennedy, Jack W. 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 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/dd3da711b287b2b33b6926e0bb3c07d7.mp4 95365306306d6d38568b313523be3ea5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/27c321929738b2c2dc96e7d1e31d0c7e.pdf 0d0ac6c4c01046bb49bf6ce9679c59b5 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project William Huyser World War II 35 minutes 46 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life Pt. 1 -Born August 3, 1924 in Pella, Iowa -Grew up on a farm that his parents were renting (00:00:33) Start of the War Pt. 1 -He remembers December 7, 1941 and hearing the news about the attack on Pearl Harbor -Believed that a war with Japan would be over quickly (00:00:49) Early Life Pt. 2 -Stayed on the rented farm until he was sixteen (or seventeen) then his parents bought a farm -The Great Depression was already a difficult time, and drought only made it worse (00:01:49) Start of the War Pt. 2 -Didn’t pay a lot of attention to events happening with the Germans and the Japanese -Knew about the “peace talks” Japan was having with the United States -From what he heard it seemed like they were going well -He knew men that were getting drafted, or were enlisting prior to Pearl Harbor -He was aware of Hitler’s presence in Europe and the damage that he was causing -He began to see rationing early on in the war -He graduated in summer 1941 before Pearl Harbor, but was given a deferment -It was determined that farmers were too essential to be drafted -His older brother was also turned away from the service because of a heart murmur (00:05:58) Volunteering for the Draft -As the war went on he grew uncomfortable with being deferred -Knew men that had gone to the war and come back -Deferred men were looked down upon -He and a friend gave up their deferment at the same time -He reported for duty on April 14, 1945 -Reported to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri to be processed (00:07:33) Basic Training -Sent to Camp Hood, Texas for basic training -Received training with the M1 Garand rifle -Went on long marches and bivouacked a few times -Remembers one march was twenty miles with a full backpack -Had weekly rifle and uniform inspections as part of instilling discipline -Adjusting to Army life wasn’t too difficult -He was used to demanding physical work from growing up on a farm -Followed orders because the only option was to cooperate -He was given a furlough (leave) at the end of basic training -His training began close to when Germany surrendered (May 8, 1945) -His training ended shortly after the atomic bombs were dropped (August 6 & 9, 1945) �(00:12:10) Deployment to Japan -After his leave he reported to Fort Riley, Kansas -Took a train to San Francisco, California and boarded a ship there -Train ride took three or four days -Boarded a ship in San Francisco and sailed directly to Yokohama, Japan -Took about one week to sail across the Pacific Ocean -Three or four days were spent in Typhoon Louise -Arrived in Yokohama in October 1945 -Remembers that rebuilding efforts had not begun yet -City had effectively been laid to waste by the bombing campaign -Most people were living in shacks (00:17:47) Utsunomiya, Japan -From Yokohama was sent one hundred miles north to Utsunomiya, Japan -Utsunomiya was a rural area and had largely been spared the worst of the war -Mission in that area was to patrol the roads and search buildings -Keeping the peace and looking for any weapons caches -Didn’t run into too many Japanese civilians in Utsunomiya -Went there as part of a nine hundred man battalion -Lived in barracks -Stayed there for about three months (00:20:36) Yokohama, Japan -Sent back to Yokohama and assigned to a port (transportation) company -Overseeing the Japanese foremen who were overseeing the Japanese dockworkers -Japanese civilian workers were being used to unload American ships -A rebuilding effort had begun in Yokohama -Living in barracks again about one mile from the harbor -Noticed that the Japanese workers were deferent and also a little fearful (00:23:26) Downtime in Japan -He was able to visit Tokyo -Most of Tokyo was heavily damaged -Only the business district and the Imperial Palace were intact -Got a chance to go shopping -Saw U.S. soldiers fraternizing with Japanese women -Shop owners were respectful and eager to do business with Americans -Spent his downtime reading or writing letters to his girlfriend and family -He was used to going to church on Sunday and was able to do that in Japan -Thought about ways that he could spread the Gospel to the Japanese -Also thinking about ways to get missionaries to Japan (00:27:58) End of Service -His tour in Japan ended in November 1946 -Took a ship from Yokohama back to California -Had good weather this time -Travelled from California to Illinois to be discharged from the Army -This happened in December 1946 -Visited his girlfriend in Grand Rapids, Michigan then returned to Iowa �(00:30:17) Life after the Army -Enrolled in college at Calvin College and began there in January 1947 -Studied theology there -Graduated from Calvin College and Calvin Seminary in 1953 -Worked at a variety of churches around the Midwest -First one was in northern Michigan, north of Cadillac -Worked there for three years -Second one was in Madison, Wisconsin where he started a church -Worked there for six years -Third one was in Kalamazoo, Michigan for thirteen years -Worked at Western Michigan University as a campus minister for nine years -Last four years were in Lansing, Illinois -Working at WMU the goal was to have a good impression on the campus -Worked with some of the international students -Remembers a couple from Nigeria -Worked with a young man from Iran -Helped him with housing once because his money didn’t come through -Has maintained contact with him since then -Part of his wedding when he married an American girl -Not allowed to return to Iran because of the Iranian Revolution (00:34:24) Reflections on Service -Got a chance to meet a wide variety of people -Including other types of Christians from around American and the world -Appreciated the opportunity to different kinds of people -Got a chance to experience different people and different cultures � 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_HuyserW1746V Title A name given to the resource Huyser, William (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 William Huyser was born in1924 in Pella, Iowa. He grew up there and graduated from high school in summer 1941. He was deferred from the draft because he worked on his parents' farm, but gave up his deferment in 1945. On April 14, 1945 he received his draft notice and he began basic training at Camp Hood, Texas in early May, 1945. After basic training he was sent to Fort Riley, Kansas and was then sent to Japan as part of the occupation force in October 1945. He was stationed in Utsunomiya and Yokohama and returned to the United States in November 1946. He was then sent back to Illinois and was discharged from the Army there in December 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Huyser, William 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/f080ba970ed3e02c0ea07f1da88d6176.mp4 299cd28f06ddef5e404a1780122f8ec3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9d3873d1755b1007343186805ac0ca4f.pdf 0ff1f58625dd004f9d7177069e4808c5 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Nicholas Huizenga World War II-Post War 39 minutes 35 seconds (00:00:11) Early Life -Born in Munster, Indiana in 1925 -Northern part of Indiana near Gary and considered to be in the Chicago metropolitan area -Went to a private Christian high school in Englewood, Chicago, Illinois -Father worked as a carpenter -Nicholas worked on an uncle's farm every summer after he turned twelve -Father was laid off during the Great Depression -It was a difficult time for the family, especially since there were eight children -Uncle would give the family food (00:02:09) World War II -Heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor on the radio -Didn't pay a lot of attention to the war before the U.S. entered the war -Pearl Harbor served as a wake up call and made him realize that the U.S. was in danger -Men in Hammond and Gary were working in the factories on government contracts -Meat, sugar, and petroleum products were rationed -Had to have special stamps to buy gas -His uncle that owned the farm was allowed to have more gas -This was because farms were considered crucial for the war effort -Did air raid drills and blackouts at night -Air raid siren would go off and they would go in the basement -There were food caches scattered throughout the city -Graduated from high school in 1943 -Fully expected that after that he was going to be drafted -Had friends from high school that had been killed in action in Europe -Since he worked on the farm he was given a draft deferment -Parents and other relatives believed that he would serve the country better that way -He had an older brother that fought in Europe and in the Pacific -Believes that influenced his parents to get him a draft deferment -Felt somewhat guilty that he was able to stay home and have a good job -Still contributing to the war effort in a major way by helping grow food -He was active in his church producing a newsletter about the servicemen from the congregation -Gave the community information about where they were and what they were doing (00:08:39) Getting Drafted -He received his first draft notice after his two years of deferment expired �-Given a big going away party by his family -He returned 4F (unfit for service) due to having poor eyesight -Guilt was replaced by feelings of inadequacy and embarrassment -He eventually received another draft notice -By now the war had ended -This time he was accepted -Got inducted into the Army in October 1945 -Had initially been told by a doctor that his eyesight wouldn't allow for him to shoot a rifle well -In basic training he received the highest marksmanship badge with the M1 Garand (00:11:14) Overview of Service -Sent to Camp Atterbury, Indiana where he worked in the reception center -Processing soldiers that were returning home from their deployments -From Camp Atterbury he was sent to Fort Knox, Kentucky where he worked with records -Received basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama near the end of his enlistment -He was in Camp Atterbury, Indiana for seven months and worked as a company clerk -He was in Fort Knox, Kentucky for four months as a technician fifth grade record clerk (00:12:30) Stationed at Camp Atterbury -At Camp Atterbury the company he was in consisted of a captain, a lieutenant, and a 1st sergeant -Beneath them were the barracks orderlies and Nicholas -Their job was to deal with the records of the men working in the camp -1st sergeant was AWOL (absent without leave) -This resulted in Nicholas being made the acting 1st sergeant -It was a very easy and relaxing job -Spent a lot of time playing ping-pong with the captain and the lieutenant -Had great admiration and respect for the men that had served overseas -Offended and unimpressed by their behavior when they got home -Many of them drank too much and spent a lot of money on gambling -Doesn't recall any of them being rude to the clerks though -The barracks orderlies were black soldiers from the South -He befriended them because he was against prejudice and racism -Would often visit Indianapolis to go roller skating, or to see a movie -Did a lot of reading in his downtime, and took a college course on psychology -Went home frequently on a pass -Sometimes took a bus, and sometimes hitchhiked -Went to church every Sunday on the base -Appreciated what the chaplain(s) did for the soldiers -Feels that he was able to grow in his Christian faith -Provided a stabilizing force -Basically the same chaplain led all of the church services -Mother came and visited him one Sunday -Still remembers the sermon that was given that day -Didn't have much in common with the other enlisted men �-Got along better with the officers that he worked for -Remembers that the captain was kind to him (00:21:07) Stationed at Fort Knox -He was sent to Fort Knox after being at Camp Atterbury for seven months -Worked in an office and kept service records -Got promoted to the rank of technician fifth grade (T5) because he was a responsible worker -At that time it was mainly a training base -Saw a lot of new recruits and draftees -Would see tanks being driven around the base -It was a more established base and had more brick buildings as opposed to wooden ones -Remembers that the library was beautiful and he used it extensively -Planned on returning to college after getting out of the Army -Had already taken some math courses at Indiana University -He continued his college education after getting discharged -Officers were good, honorable, and respectable men (00:25:55) Basic Training -Near the end of his time in the Army he was sent to Fort McClellan, Alabama for basic training -Couldn't leave the Army without getting basic training -Traveled to Alabama by train -Remembers that it was very humid, and very hot -Visited Montgomery and saw statues of Confederate war heroes and the mistreatment of blacks -Horrified by how black citizens were treated in the Deep South -Basic training consisted of exercising and one long bivouac -On the bivouac taught how to set up a camp and shoot their rifle -Basic training was eight weeks long -He was in excellent shape, so the exercise didn't bother him -There was a high emphasis on discipline and following orders -Prior to basic training he had never really handled, or fired, a gun -Father disapproved of guns, and he didn't even have a BB gun when he was growing up -As a result of that, he was more humble and attentive during rifle training -Because of that he scored highest on the shooting range -Also awarded the Expert Marksmanship Qualification Badge -Highest marksmanship badge possible -Adjusted well because he had already been in the Army for ten months -Got along well with the officers, sergeants, and other trainees -He was a little older than the other men that were in training (00:30:51) Stationed at Fort Bragg & End of Service -After basic training he was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina -Part of a record training company in the 6th Infantry Regiment -Liked the captain and the various sergeants in that company -Got to visit Terra Ceia, North Carolina and attend church there �-Knew that his time in the Army was coming to an end -Anxious to get out -One lieutenant saw that he had the potential to become a professional soldier -He enjoyed the patriotism and the regimen of life in the Army -Wanted to get out and return to college though -Wanted to see Europe, but he would've had to reenlist which he didn't want to do -At the end of 1946 he was discharged (00:33:32) Life after Service -Registered for college at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan -GI Bill paid for twelve months of school plus the number of months you served -In his case that was a total of over two years worth of college -Completed college in only three and a half years -Tuition and books were paid for, and he was given $100/month -When he graduated he didn't have any debt -Graduated with a degree in education -Worked as a teacher in Indiana and Illinois -Taught middle school -Eventually became a principal -Was a principal in the Chicago area for twenty years -Was a principal in New Jersey for twenty years -Retired from teaching and returned to Grand Rapids with his wife -Wanted to be at a Christian Reformed Church that was more egalitarian -Believed that women ought to be church elders and pastors -Had two daughters that were ministers in the Christian Reformed Church (00:36:16) Reflections on Service -Believes that he became more patriotic as a result of his service -Appreciated the discipline and the opportunity to serve his country -Believes that it made him more liberal and accepting other peoples and cultures -Tremendously helpful when he became a principal -Enjoyed some of the traditions of the Army -Had a deep respect for the officers that he served under -In a way, they became role models for him (00:37:48) Talons Out Honor Flight -Went on the Talons Out Honor Flight in May 2015 -Chance for veterans to see Washington D.C. and be honored for their service -Thoroughly enjoyed himself -People in Grand Rapids and Washington D.C. expressed their appreciation to the veterans -Had a police escort in D.C. as well as a guided bus tour of the National Mall -Enjoyed seeing the Lincoln Memorial, the war memorials, and the Roosevelt Memorial -Great experience getting to mingle with the other veterans and hear their service stories � 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_HuizengaN1851V Title A name given to the resource Huizenga, Nicholas J (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-07-07 Description An account of the resource Nicholas Huizenga was born in Munster, Indiana in 1925. He graduated from high school in 1943 and was given a draft deferment so that he could work on his uncle's farm to provide food to the country and the troops during the Second World War. In 1945 his deferment expired and he was drafted into the Army in October 1945. He served for seven months at Camp Atterbury, Indiana processing returning soldiers, then four months at Fort Knox, Kentucky handling records there. He received his basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama and his final duty station was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was discharged from the Army in late 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Huizenga, Nicholas J. 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 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/435026884709aabf0ca6d4fbd554a711.mp4 3096be6369ed8a32805c914f431f354d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9dd55831ff62f464f2ed81b00dfd48f6.pdf 44c9ffcdfaf4177b8b49edceb53f78af PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Gerald Hopkins World War II 32 minutes 17 seconds (00:00:12) Early Life -Born in Blanchester, Ohio in 1927 -Grew up on a farm -Went to Morrow High School in Morrow, Ohio -Graduated from there -Went to Wilmington College for a year and a half -Parents were farmers and worked on two farms -Able to keep their farm during the Great Depression -Raised cattle and dairy cows and delivered milk -He had a younger brother -Graduated from high school in 1944 -Studied coaching and mathematics in college -Wanted to become a teacher (00:02:05) Getting Drafted, Basic Training, End of the War, & Deployment Pt. 1 -Got drafted on June 19, 1945 -Went to Columbus, Ohio then got sent to Indiana then down to Texas -Received basic training in Texas -Played basketball for the battalion team during basic training -Atomic bombs were dropped on Japan while he was in basic training -Dramatically changed things because they were planning on invading Japan -Received a thirty day leave in November 1945 -In December 1945 he received orders to go to Germany for occupation duty (00:03:18) News of the War -Followed the news of the war -Knew in Texas they were training for the invasion of Japan -Remembers hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor -Sitting on the living room floor doing his homework and he heard the news -Attack came as a shock -Didn't think about getting drafted, just tried to focus on the present -Knew he would probably get drafted though and wanted to get some college before that (00:04:45) Basic Training & Deployment Pt. 2 -Sent to Camp Walters, Texas for basic training -Enjoyed his time in basic training and found it fun -Enjoyed going on marches and playing baseball -Learned how to climb down rope ladders into landing craft -Only specific training he got pertaining to the invasion of Japan -When it came time to be deployed he went to New Jersey and boarded a ship -Remembers passing the White Cliffs of Dover in England en route to Europe �-Pulled into Le Havre, France on Christmas 1945 (00:06:19) Occupation Duty in Marburg Pt. 1 -Assigned to office duty in Marburg, Germany -Worked as a special orders clerk -Processing paperwork for soldiers returning to the United States -Stationed there for a month (00:06:41) Arrival in Europe -Remembers standing in line in Le Havre for Christmas dinner and it was raining -Remembers going by train to Germany -Passed through Paris (00:07:06) Evidence of the War Pt. 1 -Didn't see damage from the war until he got into Germany -No damage from the war in Marburg (00:07:52) Vacation in Switzerland -Went to Switzerland for a week's vacation while stationed in Marburg -The vacation only cost him $75 -Paid for lodging, food, transportation, and skiing -Went skiing on the Matterhorn -Stayed in Zermatt (00:08:16) Show Business Duty Pt. 1 -Transferred to Kassel, Germany -Planned on going to Berlin -Saw a GI song and dance show and decided to get into that -Requested a transfer to 3rd Special Services to do song and dance -Request was granted -Went to a city on the Rhine River (possibly Ochsenhausen) in May 1946 -Rehearsed during the summer -Played shows around Germany as part of "Script and Score" -Soldiers' show with the 3rd Special Services -He performed a magic act -Performed in PXs (post exchange) -Visited Stuttgart (00:10:17) End of Service & Coming Home Pt. 1 -Offered a chance to reenlist and go home -Decided to go back home and return to college -Sent to Bremerhaven, Germany and took a ship back to New Jersey in late November 1946 -Discharged in December 1946 -Got a ticket to Tucson, Arizona -Parents had sold their farm and moved there -Visited his parents then returned to Ohio because he had a girlfriend there (00:11:55) Evidence of the War Pt. 2 -Never got to see Berlin -Saw Kassel, Munich, Stuttgart, and Wiesbaden -There were a few places, like Nuremberg, that had sustained heavy damage �-Other places, like Stuttgart, had been spared -Kassel had sustained some damage -The city he went to on the Rhine River was virtually untouched (00:12:52) Contact with Germans and British -The German people wanted to trade and buy things from American soldiers -He had no trouble with the German people -Met some British soldiers in a British hospital when he was having trouble with his feet -He wasn't comfortable around them -Found them too proper (00:14:15) Living Conditions & Downtime -Once he got into show business he got to stay in hotels -Slept and ate in hotels -Had bands of Displaced Persons (refugees) play music for them in hotels -While in Marburg he got treated to music with dinner -Went to nightclubs and beer halls -Went to dances with German girls -Didn't have a lot of downtime while he was in show business -Spent all day preparing for shows -Performed at night (00:16:02) Occupation Duty in Marburg Pt. 2 -In Marburg did a lot of paperwork -Had a German secretary help him and was a good typist (00:16:26) Crime in Germany -Never ran into any crime -Aware of black market activities in Germany (00:16:59) Gypsies -Met some gypsies in Marburg -They set up camp near the base -He visited the gypsy camp and performed magic tricks for the children -The gypsy children all smoked and he gave them a few of his cigarettes -None of the gypsies could speak English -The most they knew how to say was, "Cigarette, Joe?" -They stayed in Marburg for three or four days then left (00:18:42) End of Service & Coming Home Pt. 2 -He was pressured to enlist in the National Guard after getting discharged in New Jersey -Remembers walking to the train station after getting discharged -Failed to salute a lieutenant -The lieutenant yelled at Gerald about failing to salute an officer -Gerald proceeded to explain that he was a civilian and walked away -Discharged in December 1946 (00:20:07) Life after the Service -Went back to college in January 1947 -Got married in 1947 -Took a half semester of college in Kentucky then returned to Wilmington College �-Graduated from college in 1949 -Qualified to be a teacher, but there were no job openings in August 1949 -Got a job with GM -Retired from that after thirty years -Lived in Ohio until 1972 -Moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and worked at the GM factory on 36th Street -Retired in 1982 -GI Bill paid for his college -When he got discharged he was completely out of the Army -As a result, the Korean War had no effect on him -Noticed a major change in public opinion during the Korean War and Vietnam War (00:22:30) Life during World War II -Remembers rationing during the Second World War -Gas was rationed -Because they were farmers they were allowed extra gas (00:23:22) Veterans' Group -He was part of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) when he lived in Ohio -Helped organize bingo games -Ran a blackjack table at the VFW (00:24:08) End of the War Pt. 2 -The news of the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan came as a shock -Realized that Japan was going to surrender and the invasion was called off -Knew he would get called up for occupation duty -On Victory in Japan Day there were big celebrations in Texas -On Victory in Europe Day there were celebrations, but the war with Japan muted them (00:26:04) Talons Out Honor Flight -Note: The Talons Out Honor Flight was an organized tour and event for WWII and terminally ill veterans that brought them to Washington D.C. to commemorate their service and show them the National Mall in May 2015 -He enjoyed his trip -Full day that began at 5:30 AM and ended at midnight -Felt that it was done well -Went with men from his retirement home that are friends and also veterans of World War II -A memorable day (00:27:46) Show Business Duty Pt. 2 -Did a Ted Lewis style routine and sang "Me and My Shadow" -Combination of comedy and song -Some soldiers did a dance routine -A lot of slaptstick comedy -Their goal was to get the soldiers to laugh a little and not be homesick -Performed in opera houses (00:29:06) Reflections on Service -Feels that it was a great vacation opportunity provided to him by the Army -Chance to be young and see parts of the world he probably wouldn't have gotten to see �-Everything was good, for the most part -There were some bad experiences, but nothing too traumatic � 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_HopkinsG1866V Title A name given to the resource Hopkins, Gerald (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-07-16 Description An account of the resource Gerald Hopkins was born in Blanchester, Ohio in 1927. He was drafted on June 19, 1945 and was processed in Ohio and Indiana before going to Camp Walters, Texas for basic training to prepare for the invasion of Japan. When the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan and Japan surrendered the invasion plans changed and he was assigned to occupation duty in Germany. He was deployed to Germany in December 1945 and arrived in Le Havre, France. He was stationed in Marburg, Germany for a month working as a special orders clerk (processing soldiers being sent home) before applying for the 3rd Special Services as a performer. He traveled around Germany with the GI song and dance troupe "Script and Score" performing in German cities all around West Germany. In November 1946 he took a ship back to the United States and was discharged in New Jersey in December 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hopkins, Gerald 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. 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/abed89f628c9ed807ec1faac0934bff8.mp4 389246a1851dd01c2830d6872cd9b786 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a197128cc356e394046000089c1a4d5e.pdf 3b52c211102547dd9e3e50c8fbb40fd7 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Robert Hoolsema Cold War-Korean War Era 41 minutes 7 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in 1928 in Grand Rapids, Michigan in Blodgett Hospital -Grew up in the Grand Rapids area -Father was a carpenter -During the Great Depression his father didn’t have any carpentry work -Thirteen years before he went back to carpentry -He had one sister -His mother stayed at home (00:01:09) World War II -Cousin came over on December 7, 1941 and said Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor -Followed the news of the war in the papers and the radio -The war ended while he was still in high school -Saved tin cans for the war effort -Had air raid drills -Neighbor and father were air raid wardens -During an air raid drill a siren would sound and they’d turn their lights off -Happened at night -Never thought Grand Rapids would be bombed though (00:03:37) Getting Drafted -He graduated from high school in 1947 -Became a carpenter after high school -Getting drafted interrupted that for a couple years -He got drafted in mid-1950 not long after the Korean War started -Sometime after June 25, 1950 (00:05:24) Korean War -Remembers seeing pictures of the winter of 1950 in Korea during the war -Didn’t pay as much attention to the Korean War as he did to World War II (00:06:08) Basic Training -Sent to Camp Carson, Colorado at the end of October, 1950 -Travelled to Detroit then, Fort Sheridan, Illinois then took a troop train to Camp Carson -Met National Guardsmen from South Dakota -Assigned to the 196th Regimental Combat Team -Had to fill the ranks of the 196th with draftees -He wound up training with a lot of men that he knew from Grand Rapids -The men from South Dakota were welcoming and friendly -Some were officers, some had fought in World War II -He was part of a rifle company -Trained to live in foxholes and to prepare for infantry warfare -Started off with marching, learning to follow orders, running, and hiking �-The area was dry and could be very hot, or very cold -Also had to adjust to being 6,000 feet above sea level -It was hard for him to adjust to Army living -He complied with orders though -The drill instructors were reasonable people -He wound up spending nine months at Fort Carson (00:13:41) Infantry Training -Part of those nine months were spent in infantry training -Trained with the M1 Garand rifle -Familiarized himself with the .30 caliber and .50 caliber machine guns -Trained with hand grenades -Trained with the Browning Automatic Rifle, but didn’t do much with it -Remembers that it was a heavy weapon -Went on maneuvers in the foothills -The artillery units would train by shooting over them as they advanced on a hill -Also worked with tanks and “Weasels” (M29, tracked vehicle for traveling in the snow) (00:16:44) Orders for Alaska -Didn’t know if they’d be sent to Korea or not -They eventually received orders to go to Alaska -They kept receiving draftees that wound up getting sent to Korea -The men that were sent to Korea were the ones that caused problems (00:18:40) Downtime during Training -Didn’t spend much time in Colorado Springs -Did visit Denver on leave during the weekends -Hitchhiked there and hitchhiked back (00:19:49) Traveling to Alaska -He was given five days of leave before being sent to Alaska -The men were happy being sent to a place where they wouldn’t be shot at -Took a train up to Seattle, Washington -Spent five days there -Boarded a troopship in Seattle and sailed north to Alaska -Traveled via the Inland Passage to Haines, Alaska (00:20:50) Maneuvers in Alaska and Canada -After landing at Haines he and the 196th maneuvered through Yukon Territory -Making their way towards Fort Richardson, Alaska -The maneuver took about one month -Did it in later summer/early fall 1951 -Remembers that it rained a lot and there were some nice days -It was a 500 mile trek to Fort Richardson -Traveled on foot as well as in trucks -Took part in simulated combat with troops from Alaska (00:22:36) Stationed at Fort Richardson -Fort Richardson was near Anchorage -They were supposed to be living in brand new, 500 man barracks -They weren’t ready when they arrived -Had to live in tents until late fall 1951 �-Moved into the new barracks when they were completed -They continued to do drills and war games when they were settled in in Alaska -Once winter came they were given skis -Became ski troopers -It was incredibly difficult -Had to carry a 9 pound rifle and a 60 pound pack -Did cross country skiing -Only rifle companies became ski troopers -Used snow shoes to get around as well -The skis were easier for travel though -The snow in Alaska stayed around, as opposed to gradually melting like it did in Michigan -The snow was two – three feet deep on average -It could get down to -40oF -Had to watch for signs of frostbite on the face where it was most susceptible -The coldest it got while he was in Alaska was -50oF -They were working so hard that they were still sweating in the cold -Had to camp out in the cold -They had portable heaters -The rations would freeze and had to be thawed -Slept in sleeping bags on top of the snow because the ground was too cold (00:29:38) Downtime in Alaska -They had pool tables at the fort -They were busy all day, so they would write letters at night -Also had to was their own clothes, so “downtime” was used for that as well -He would go into Anchorage which was still a frontier town -Met a man who drove a semi-truck and would travel with him around Alaska -The roads were unpaved, so sometimes they traveled on frozen riverbeds -Alaska has changed since he was there -The soldiers were treated well by the Alaskans, better than the Coloradoans -This was because in Colorado Springs soldiers would cause trouble -Some men would go hunting and fishing in Alaska -They would use their bayonets to go spear fishing -Some men would go rabbit hunting -Allowed for a variety of food (00:33:40) Cold War -Remembers the Elmendorf Air Force Base was basically next door to Fort Richardson -Fort Richardson’s purpose was to protect Elmendorf from being attacked by the Soviets -They would have had to hold out for three days before reinforcements could arrive -The only way the Russians could have successfully invaded would have been with paratroopers -In retrospect this seemed ridiculous -Also monitored Soviet troop movements in Siberia (00:36:01) End of Service -Stayed in Alaska for thirteen months (time in Alaska most likely ended in late 1952) -He was sent back to Camp Carson and was discharged from there -A lot of the men he served with were discharged at the same time �(00:36:53) Life after the Army -He returned to Grand Rapids and continued to work as a carpenter -He worked for a contractor then started his own contracting business -He bought a furniture factory and ran that for twenty years -Retired after that -Made chairs and then did wood bending -His sons run the factory now (00:38:45) Reflections on Service -His service was good for him -Maybe not good for everyone though -It taught him to appreciate being a civilian -It taught him good values -Learning how to live with different people and get along with them -He gained life experience and independence -It helped him later when he went into business -He met a lot of men that were good to serve with � 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_HoolsemaR1737V Title A name given to the resource Hoolsema, Robert (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 Robert Hoolsema was born in 1928 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He grew up in Grand Rapids and graduated from high school in 1947. He was drafted into the Army in mid-1950 and began training at Camp Carson, Colorado in late October, 1950. He received basic training as well as infantry training there, and after nine months he and the rest of the 196th Regimental Combat Team were sent up to Fort Richardson, Alaska. During his time in Alaska he went on maneuvers and prepared for the possibility of a Soviet invasion of Alaska, specifically protecting Elmendorf Air Force Base. In late 1952 he was sent back to Camp Carson, Colorado and was discharged from the Army. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hoolsema, Robert Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Other veterans & civilians--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/ae7e979262c2f7c6c26d6d437c5809b9.mp4 00ca6b853b1818e74b8b1c6d671f10c4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fa8de4c3e9d49e210fa858a67116ceb1.pdf 4f3ca218e9974dda84567ed5df7b765e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Ralph Hauenstein World War II 1 hour 16 minutes 35 seconds (00:03:03) Beginning of Military Service -Working as a city editor [for Grand Rapids Herald] in Grand Rapids, Michigan before the war -Called into service by the War Department in September 1940 -He was a reserve officer at the time -Sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois -This was the beginning of his duty as an intelligence officer -At the time the Army’s intelligence capabilities were very limited -He was made the Public Relations officer for Fort Sheridan -He worked alongside intelligence officers -Worked with an intelligence officer who had worked in the FBI -His duty as a PR officer was to insure that Fort Sheridan had a good public reputation -One of his first duties was to investigate a fire that had broken out at Fort Sheridan -This fire then resulted in some promotions being withheld -Ralph suggested calling in the FBI to find out who, or what, caused the fire -As per his suggestion the FBI was called in and the cause of the fire was discovered -A soldier had been stealing gas, and smoking a cigarette while doing so -Worked in conjunction with Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois -Acted as a liaison for the Army with the Naval intelligence there -Another job was to work in counter subversive operations -Select an informant from the lower ranks to report any subversive talk among soldiers -He felt that it was insidious -Eventually the operation was eliminated -At the time he had access to top secret radar detection systems -This was because one of Fort Sheridan’s primary duties was antiaircraft -When the machines arrived they were broken -It was initially thought to be the work of sabotage -Learned that it was just poor materials (00:09:27) Deployment to Iceland -He learned early on that the United States would eventually get into the war -He was made part of an intelligence team to be sent to Iceland with a Marine brigade -They were going to relieve British troops that had occupied Iceland -Iceland was technically in the zone of combat -The objective in going to Iceland was to stop Germany from taking over Iceland -If Iceland was lost German U-Boats could work from there to stop supply convoys -The British that they were relieving had been the ones that fought at Dunkirk, France -Went to Iceland in September 1941 -His assignment was to be an assistant G2 (intelligence) officer (00:13:00) Awareness of the War -He was convinced early on that the United States would go to war �-Thought that it would be because of German aggression, not Japanese aggression -Remembers when the Germans torpedoed the USS Kearney in October 1941 -This happened before the U.S. was even formally in the war -He had to take an Icelandic tug boat out to where the ship had been attacked -He made a report to be sent back to President Roosevelt -Tried to keep the incident quiet in Iceland so that the news couldn’t report on it -Had the news reported on it the U.S. could have gone to war much earlier (00:15:14) Living Conditions in Iceland -Slept in Nissen huts -Helped build up the infrastructure of Iceland -Building roads and setting up telephone lines -Had to live on spam for a few months -He worked with a good staff in Iceland (00:17:16) Start of the War -He was largely unsurprised that the United States was finally dragged into the war -The only thing surprising about it was that Japan, and not Germany, had attacked -This was simply because the focus had been on Europe, not on Southeast Asia -Immediately concerned about a possible German attack on Iceland -There were a few German battleships operating in the area -Had to hope that the British Navy would be able to aid them if necessary -Early on Germany began to send over bombers to gather intelligence -If they flew low enough to take accurate photographs they were shot down -He was sent to investigate a German bomber that had been shot down over the glacier -Went out with a team and discovered German naval codes had been onboard -He was sent to London to deliver the code book to the British intelligence -They realized the value of what had been found (00:20:47) Wartime Operations in Iceland -The main purpose of forces in Iceland was antisubmarine warfare -Remembers watching convoys of 50 ships being sent to aid the Russians -Only seven or eight would return -He was promoted to be the commanding intelligence officer in Iceland -Worked as the liaison between Washington D.C. and London -Part of his new duty was to oversee the recon operations being carried out in Norway -Worked with Norwegian troops that had retreated to Iceland -Helped them infiltrate Norway to gather intelligence on German forces there -Began working with two Norwegian agents: Beetle and Cobweb -They would later become instrumental in the success of D-Day (00:23:20) Transfer to London -He expected to be sent back to the United States in 1943 -Instead he was transferred to London to begin working on a special mission -He was placed on an intelligence task force to handle the invasion of France -Planning the intelligence aspects of the invasion -Working with French resistance groups to aid in the invasion -When he got to England he was allowed some leave time in London -His task was to plan a phantom invasion of France -A ruse to distract the Germans from Russia long enough for Russia to counterattack �-Unfortunately Germany didn’t take the bait and stayed in Russia -His new position in London was to be the assistant to the chief of the Intelligence Branch -Worked with him on numerous projects, but namely D-Day -Placing new officers in new positions created in the Army -Translators, interpreters, and intelligence officers specifically -Worked in the G2 (intelligence) and G3 (operations) sectors of the Army -For the most part the British had commandeered the intelligence operations of the war -Relied on a “bodyguard of lies” to protect the truth -Essentially, deceive the Germans as much as possible to trick them into making mistakes (00:29:29) Intelligence Operations in London -Project Bodyguard was a two part intelligence operation -Fortitude which focused on Northern Europe -Zeppelin which focused on Southern Europe -He would liaison with British intelligence staff, but worked with an American staff -Aided by the British “Body of Twelve” -Designed plans to deceive the Germans -Submitted the plans to American intelligence to review -Look for any possible flaws or logistic problems (00:32:54) Operation Fortitude -He helped work on the plan to convince Germany the invasion would happen at Pas de Calais -Had to insure that 2,000 German tanks were kept away from Normandy -Specifically wanted to deceive Hitler into staying away from Normandy -They were always successful in tricking Hitler -They were able to know what the Germans were going to do, before they actually did it -Used British “Ultras” to intercept communications between Axis leaders -Always made sure to never underestimate Hitler -Managed to keep the bulk of Hitler’s forces in Norway and Denmark and out of France -Created “phantom” divisions and real divisions of troops as part of the deception -Managed to convince Hitler that the invasion would happen through Norway -Worked in conjunction with the Russians and the Swedes to pull this off -Started setting up a phantom division in southeast England to be led by Patton -Used inflatable vehicles and mannequins to convince German recon aircraft -Relied on the help of German double agents to gather intelligence from occupied Europe -Convinced Germany that nonexistent forces were going to be involved with the invasion (00:40:48) Preparing for D-Day -On the eve of the invasion the biggest concern was whether it would be successful or not -Took part in a council of intelligence officers from the U.S. and the British Empire -Organized by Lord Mountbatten -He was one of the two American officers at the council -Addressed the council and told them that battleships would be needed for the invasion -His idea was dismissed at first, but later implemented -Held in the Scottish Highlands -Watched as British Royal Marines prepared to scale the cliffs of Normandy (00:43:05) Logistics of D-Day and the Liberation of France -The logistical preparations were led by General CH Lee -Convinced Hitler that they would invade with 87 infantry divisions and 7 airborne divisions �-In reality they only had 37 infantry divisions and 5 airborne divisions -The only logistical problem during the French liberation was the gasoline supply -Patton was advancing so quickly they couldn’t keep his vehicles fueled (00:45:10) D-Day -On June 6, 1944 he was in the war room watching Operation Overlord play out -It was a somber environment -Everything wound up going according to plan for the most part -The only snag was a German reserve infantry division showed up at the last minute -Had gone up to Normandy to train and was there during the invasion -Another problem was that some troops were being unloaded too quickly -Got dropped off in high water and drowned -Began receiving reports that the bombardment and paratrooper missions had gone well -He knew at the end of the first day that this was the beginning of the end for Germany -Received reports that the French resistance had done their part in aiding the invasion -They had managed to destroy roads and railroads necessary for German movement (00:48:51) Liberation of France -After D-Day the next major strategic moves would be in the hands of Allied generals -The intelligence forces were able to keep a good order of battle -Basically knowing exactly where Allied and German forces were at all times -His job became to oversee the analysis of aerial photographs and the interrogation of prisoners -He was sent to Normandy and from there flew into Paris -Landed at a soccer field -Met with the French Forces of the Interior who escorted him through Paris -It was a grandiose entrance for the French forces to reenter Paris -He was taken to the Majestic Hotel in Paris which had served as the German headquarters -He converted it into his own intelligence headquarters -Throughout the war gathered intelligence about newly liberated areas (00:53:17) Battle of the Bulge -By December 1944 he knew that Hitler would ultimately be defeated -The only reason Hitler’s bulge strategy worked was because of communication discipline -He had ordered all German units to maintain a communications blackout -As a result that is why the German offensive caught the Allies off guard -After the Bulge failed in January 1945 Hitler was, for all intents and purposes, defeated -Knew it was just a matter of crushing German opposition (00:54:43) Beginning of the Cold War -As World War II neared its end he could see the Russian advance across Europe -There was concern that the USSR would turn on the Allies and start a whole new war -Stemmed from Russian troops occupying areas they were not supposed to occupy -Patton wanted to strike Russia first as soon as the war with Germany was over (00:56:10) End of the War -At the end of the war in Europe there was a chance he’d be involved in the invasion of Japan -There were concerns about morale for infantrymen that were going to be redeployed -At the end of the war he was back in the United States working in the War Department -Helping to get the CIA established and the placement of intelligence officers -He was anxious for the war to come to a complete end and to get out of the Army -The main purpose in establishing the CIA was to insure the U.S. had a concrete intel service �-At the start of the war there had been nothing until the OSS came along -The OSS being the precursor to the CIA -He was overjoyed when the war finally came to an end -At the end of it didn’t think of himself as being anyone that special in the war effort -Just one man that was part of a larger force for a higher good -Feels there are so many heroes that suffered so much for the cause (01:00:27) Meeting with German Officials and the Holocaust -At the end of the war he was involved with interrogating German officers -The purpose was to gather as much intelligence from them as possible -He met with Field Marshal Von Rundstedt of the Wehrmacht -Amicable to talk with -Von Rundstedt had wanted to surrender even before D-Day had happened -Confessed that he had had no faith in Hitler whatsoever -Said that he should have stayed in the mountains tending a farm -Met Herman Goering commander of the Luftwaffe -Found him fat, arrogant, and narcissistic -He was part of the Allied force that liberated Dachau -Saw the unbelievable atrocities that the Nazis had committed -Saw rooms filled with corpses and lye waiting to be burned or buried -Saw the gold fillings ripped from the mouths of victims (01:05:19) Postwar Duty and Reflections -One of his last duties was to help with the organization of the occupying force of Germany -Getting intelligence officers from the U.S. to Europe and in position -Felt a sense of accomplishment with the war being over -Went from working behind a desk becoming a colonel in the Army -Because of what they achieved there was a sense of accomplishment in everyone 01:08:38 INTERVIEW ENDS � 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_HauensteinR1701V Title A name given to the resource Hauenstein, Ralph (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-31 Description An account of the resource Ralph Hauenstein was working as a newspaper editor in Grand Rapids, Michigan in September 1940 and in the Army Reserved when he was called to active duty was assigned to be the public relations officer for Fort Sheridan, Illinois. In September 1941 he was assigned to an American intelligence task force, along with an American brigade, that was being sent to Iceland to relieve British troops that were stationed there. He worked as an intelligence liaison between Washington D.C. and London and oversaw the recon operations being conducted by Norwegian troops into Norway. After the outbreak of war he was transferred to an intelligence task force that was based in London that was preparing for the invasion of Western Europe through France. In the time leading up to D-Day he was involved in deceiving German forces stationed in Europe namely in the hugely successful Operation Fortitude which drew the bulk of German forces away from Normandy to Pas de Calais. He served as an intelligence officer during D-Day, the liberation of France, and the Battle of the Bulge as well as witnessed the results of the Holocaust. At the end of the war he took part in the interrogation of high ranking German officers and helped build the CIA out of the OSS. After the Second World War his time with the Army ended and he left with the rank of colonel. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hauenstein, Ralph Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army 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/ec1da02afee306309dfe4f8e3e253717.mp4 37d2abfd8b5e12d462fe5254768d636b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/75e1db8090a907e650a1ebbaf6cfd722.pdf ee4e6235f14443bee00b0a2cf07275d0 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Korean War Jack Harris Length of interview (00:45:32) (00:00:18) Introduction & Pre-War Life  Childhood (00:00:18) o Born in Lucas, Ohio to a family of farmers in 1933 o Father was a bootlegger o He was seven when World War II started  Education (00:01:38) o Attended High School in Buckley, Michigan, south of Traverse City o He then went to Michigan State  Remembering World War II (00:02:30) o He remembers seeing newsboys selling extras right after Pearl Harbor was attacked o His father entered the army, serving in Italy as a cook in Patton’s army  Korean War Era (00:04:35) o He finished high school in 1951 o Jack was in the ROTC while at Michigan State o He struggled with college and eventually dropped out and was almost immediately was drafted into the army in April of 1953 (00:06:00) Training  Jack went to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, for basic training (00:07:55) o He remembers it being a rather active training camp, having maybe as much as 30,000 troops there at one time o Jack had sixteen weeks of basic infantry training  How to throw grenades, shoot a machine gun, how to use a bayonet, and rifle training o He remembers having no fear of going to Korea  He was in his fifteenth week of infantry training when news of the armistice came (00:09:25)  He was on a march to where they were going to bivouac when a jeep came up and the driver announced “it’s over”  Jack remembers that after the armistice, training was pretty loose and the army had difficulty with discipline (00:10:04) o He remembers that discipline was relatively lax to begin with o Jack also remembers some corruption at the camp, with the officers giving men leave and then renting their cars to them so they could travel to Detroit for $50 to $100 a piece  Most of the camp cadre had been to Korea (00:11:37)  Jack remembers there being propaganda that they were soon going to have to fight the Russians and they had to be ready, however he and most of the men knew this wasn’t likely to happen (00:12:16) � After basic, Jack was assigned to keeping the fires going in a coal fire furnace that heated the barracks (00:13:00)  Jack was interviewed by a corporal, who was trying to figure out where to send him (00:14:08) o During the interview the two built a rapport and the corporal moved him from the list of men being sent to Korea to the list of men being sent to Europe (00:15:15) Atlantic Voyage and Active Service  He reported to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, getting there by train, before being sent to Europe on a troop ship (00:15:20) o Spent ten days crossing the Atlantic o He remembers the weather being spring-like o Jack was sea sick for some of the voyage  They landed at Bremerhaven, Germany where the men were then dispersed in Germany (00:16:37)  Jack was sent to Frankfurt, Germany (00:16:56) o Germans were very friendly towards Americans o He was a part of a German-American club, which was a social club with German citizens, American serviceman, and German students  He was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division (00:17:40) o Jack doesn’t remember himself as being a very good soldier, never making it farther than private first class  Jack was assigned to division ordnance, where they had him keep track of where all the division’s broken down vehicles were (00:18:35)  He stayed in what had been a German barracks in Frankfurt (00:19:25) o He recalls going by the opera house, which was a shell of a building, having been hit with fire bombs during World War II o There was still a lot of destruction left over from World War II despite the rebuilding that was going on  They were on combat alert at least once a month, treating the alert as if war had been declared (00:20:55)  Jack had thirty days of leave that he used to travel Europe (00:21:27) o The cost of travel was very little with his military pass o Jack also remembers the black market being big in Europe at the time and the American dollar having high value  Jack served with primarily other draftees who were quickly processed and discharged (00:23:00)  Jack remembered having a Major who was reverted back down to Sergeant First Class after the Korean War (00:23:34) o Promotion could be rapid in war time, but with the war over the Army was diminishing in size and there were a lot of cut backs  Having grown up in Northern Michigan, Jack’s service in the Army was his first time around African Americans (00:24:15)  Jack recalls more of his training o He recalls half of the men in his basic training group were from poor African Americans from Detroit o He remembers getting along with the other men well � Prostitution was wide-spread in Germany due to the lack of jobs (00:26:20)  Almost all the officers and non-commissioned officers had German girlfriends, which were called “Class B Dependents” (00:26:40) o Not all of these women were prostitutes however and some serious relationships did develop  Jack never really learned much German, because most of the Germans spoke English (00:27:40)  Jack was deployed in Germany for a year, roughly half his time in the service (00:30:00)  He was anxious to get out of the army, because he knew that he had the GI bill to take advantage of when he returned home (00:30:20) o The GI bill paid for his education nearly all the way through his master’s degree o He remembers the GI bill wasn’t a lot of money, but due to the relatively low cost of college, that didn’t matter (00:32:20) Returning Home and Post-War Life  Although some of the men were flown back to the United States, Jack had to take a troop ship home (00:32:30)  Jack was discharged in Chicago at Great Lakes Training Base, having disembarked from New Jersey and taking a train to Illinois (00:33:07)  He immediately returned to college after being discharged (00:33:50) o Jack was a much better student this time as he was more mature and serious about his education o Initially, he went to a community college in Traverse City, earning an associates degree o Jack returned to Michigan State where he earned a baccalaureate degree in political science and a teaching certificate  Jack spent his first five years as a teacher, first teaching government and then later English and social studies (00:35:46)  Making very little money, Jack took a series of different jobs (00:36:38)  Jack eventually returned to education after returning to school and earning a master’s degree (00:37:14)  Jack feels that his time in the Army was beneficial for him, especially because of the GI bill, although he didn’t enjoy it at the time (00:38:15)  He remembers that during the Korean War Era, he and most of the other men viewed the war as “the right thing to do” (00:39:10) o Jack did not feel the same way about the Vietnam War and shared the growing sentiment that it was “not the right thing to do” o He recalls Kent State happening during his years in graduate school and demonstrating in Washington � 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_HarrisJ1716V Title A name given to the resource Harris, Jack (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 Jack Harris was born in 1933 in Lucas, Ohio to a family of farmers. His family later moved to Michigan where he attended high school in the town of Buckley, graduating in 1951. He later attended Michigan State for a time, but left before finishing a degree. In 1953 he was drafted into the Army, where he took basic training at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. During his training, the armistice was signed, ending the Korean War. After training, Jack was sent to Frankfurt, Germany where he was assigned to Division Ordinance in the 4th Infantry Division. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Harris, Jack 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. 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/400733bb3c0239a1a043449219e4d957.mp4 c7fc6aa01d610ce0eaf43c3fdfd14378 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/43a1de5774ade27de56fec5f88f1be34.pdf da5d4357551e875260f4fa39d3e829d4 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project George Gordon World War II 1 hour 20 minutes 3 seconds (00:00:22) Early Life -Born in Evanston, Illinois in 1925 -Raised in Lacrosse, Wisconsin and Winnetka, Illinois -Graduated from high school in 1943 -Father was initially a beer distributor for Heileman Brewing Company -Later went on to become a stock broker for Ashland Oil Company -Had three brothers -Remembers that the family had a cottage in Wisconsin (00:03:06) Start of World War II and Enlisting in the Marines -Head about the news concerning Pearl Harbor that Sunday night -Didn’t know anything about Pearl Harbor prior to the bombing -Gas rationing took effect quickly after the United States entered the war -Had to do a lot of walking just to accomplish every day errands -He was made aware of the war by the personal impact that it had on his life with rationing -Prior to Pearl Harbor he hadn’t followed the war in Europe -In April 1943 he was drafted by the Army -On the way to being sworn into the Army the Marine Corps offered him a chance to enlist -Changed his mind and decided to enlist in the Marines instead (00:06:35) Marine Corps Boot Camp -Went to boot camp in San Diego -Didn’t do so well with rifle training because of bad knees -The Marines desperately needed new soldiers so he qualified as a sharpshooter anyway -Got to boot camp by way of train -After twelve weeks of training he was allowed for a short leave home -Went on marches in the mountains around Camp Pendleton, California -Most men actually enjoyed being in boot camp -They were given three square meals a day and a bed to sleep in -Specialized with the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) -Remembers that there was competition between the training platoons -Who could do a training task better, who would be rewarded, etc. -Main emphasis was discipline and following orders (00:14:37) Deployment to Guadalcanal -In December 1943 he was sent to Guadalcanal in the Pacific Ocean -He was assigned to C Company 1st Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment 3rd Marine Division -Remembers that his lieutenant had been an editor for the San Francisco Chronicle -Had gotten to Guadalcanal after being sent over from New Caledonia by way of transport -Noticed that older men didn’t deal with deployment as well as the younger men did -While he was in Guadalcanal he developed a serious infection -While at Guadalcanal they received additional training for fighting in the Pacific �-Learned that he was incredibly adept at throwing grenades -Broke a Marine Corps distance record (00:20:21) Marianas Islands Campaign-Landing on Guam -In June 1944 he boarded an LST (landing ship tank) bound for the Marianas Islands -Lieutenant got a personal letter from General Teddy Roosevelt Jr. before landing -Landed at Guam -LSTs were being protected by a destroyer -Still took a hit from a Japanese dive bomber -Before the landing at Guam they ran out of cigarettes -He was part of the third wave in -Still took Japanese artillery fire -Japanese had already been pushed off the beach by the first two waves -Abandoned his BAR and instead chose to help wounded down a hill back to the beach -Later got hit by several banzai attacks without any kind of rifle to defend himself with -Remembers that the Japanese were using dud grenades -He was finally able to find an M1 Carbine to use for the time being -Shot and killed a charging Japanese lieutenant colonel -Noticed that the lieutenant colonel was attempting to become a suicide bomber (00:33:45) Marianas Islands Campaign-Silver Star on Guam -After getting established on Guam he and his unit were sent out to relieve an outpost -They were set up in a skirmish line to attack a Japanese position -Miscommunication led him to initially going out on his own -Was able to get back to his own line without alerting the enemy -Eventually the skirmish line pushed forward to engage a Japanese machine gun position -He wound up running straight towards the machine gun position and got separated from his unit -Only had two grenades on him -Used last two grenades and two live ones that he found to neutralize the machine gun -For destroying the position on his own he was awarded the Silver Star (00:44:10) Marianas Islands Campaign-Other Details on Guam -Spent a lot of time hunting down the Japanese forces on the island -Given alcohol one time by a doctor to relieve his fatigue -Wasn’t a drinker at the time and was able to fall asleep in his foxhole -He wound up being able to sleep through a firefight between Japanese and Marines -Spent three days in a hospital because of having dengue fever -Spent most of his time on Guam going out on patrols (00:48:33) Iwo Jima -After Guam he and his unit were sent over to participate in the invasion of Iwo Jima -Remembers that it was a hellish looking place -Ugly island with nowhere to find cover from fire -Soldiers welcomed getting horrendously wounded just to be off the island -Remembers seeing amputees that were happy to be done with fighting -Remembers that even after Mount Suribachi fell the Japanese continued to fight on -Almost had to land on Iwo Jima -His unit was being sent in, but after a logistics mix up his unit was sent back to the ship -The plan from there on out was to keep his regiment on hand as a reserve unit -Worked with cargo on board the ship during the Iwo Jima Campaign �(00:56:29) Return to Guam -In later 1945 after Iwo Jima he and his unit were sent back to the northwest part of Guam -Mission was to help clear out the 7,500 Japanese that were still at large on the island -Placed in charge of his squad -Ran into a Japanese suicide bomber -Was able to kill him before he could detonate the grenade that he was holding -Eventually was able to clear out the remaining Japanese on the island -Remembers that Guam had a diverse mix of terrains -Red soil, arid places; jungle; and beautiful beaches -His platoon was sent to a hill as a show of force for the higher command -They weren’t supposed to be near the hill, but were because of miscommunication -American artillery barrage wound up killing half of the platoon in a friendly fire incident (01:05:24) Interactions with Non-Americans and Foreign Experiences -Didn’t interact very much with the native Chamorro people on Guam -They were U.S. friendly, but they didn’t exactly like the U.S. presence either -Knew that they actively fought against the Japanese though -Heard about one Chamorro farmer killing a group of Japanese soldiers -Caught them on his farm and hanged their bodies -He and the other Marines were allowed to eat the native fruit on Guam -Got to know some of the native farmers on Guam -Got to know some of the Korean forced laborers that they liberated from the Japanese -Very friendly towards Americans -Saw the Marines as liberators and allies (01:09:03) End of the War and Coming Home -Got back to the United States on December 14, 1945 -Landed in San Diego -Went back to Chicago by way of train -Didn’t have any overcoats provided to them even in the dead of winter -Had been kept on Guam even after the bombs were dropped -Serving as a U.S. presence there -They had also been training for the planned invasion of Japan -Sent to Great Lakes Naval Academy in Chicago and was discharged from there -His father picked him up in Chicago and brought him home to Winnetka, Illinois (01:14:22) Life after the War -In early 1946 he enrolled in and attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York -Graduated after attending for four years -Went to work for the same company as his father -After that got involved with Standard Oil of Indiana (renamed: Amoco, now part of BP) -Worked in Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan as well as in Chicago -Met his wife while working for Standard Oil -Settled permanently in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1955 (or 1960) (01:16:59) Reflections on Service -Learned that sometimes you have to have faith in fate -No amount of training is ever too much training to prepare you for something -Happy and feels lucky that he was able to avoid some of the worst landings in the Pacific -Combat experience taught him to listen to intuition �-Feels that instinct and intuition saved him when he destroyed the machine gun on Guam � 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_GordonG1653V Title A name given to the resource Gordon, George (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-06-26 Description An account of the resource George Gordon was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1925. He grew up in Lacrosse, Wisconsin and Winnetka, Illinois and graduated from high school in 1943. In April 1943 he received a draft notice for the Army, but enlisted in the Marine Corps. He trained at San Diego and Camp Pendleton, California and specialized with the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle). In December 1943 he was sent to Guadalcanal in the South Pacific where he joined C Company of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine, Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. In June 1944 he partook in the invasion of Guam where, after neutralizing a Japanese machine gun nest, he was awarded the Silver Star. At the start of 1945 his unit sailed to Iwo Jima but did not land, and instead returned to Guam to clear out Japanese stragglers and prepare for the invasion of Japan. He remained there after the Japanese surrender and returned home in December. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gordon, George 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. 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/e6bc8cbace97538f9790e8dd249d8492.mp4 ed91351d652e384b31a0bc01b062d8b1 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/05ee6576c05965132cfff57169528474.pdf 25759b254cda6ee5f6353e6a27204de8 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project William Gerber World War II 1 hour 20 minutes 22 seconds (00:00:09) Early Life -Born on June 26, 1921 in Menominee, Michigan -Had three brothers (two were twins and one was a single brother) -Grew up on a farm near Menominee -Attended a country school until the sixth grade -Moved into town to attend middle school and high school -Graduated from high school in 1939 -Father had worked as a mechanic -He was a WWI Navy veteran -Mother was a home maker (00:03:58) U.S. Citizens Training Corps -In August 1938 he received military training through the U.S. Citizens Training Corps -Went to Fort Brady, Michigan near Sault Ste. Marie -Training lasted four weeks -Trained from six in the morning to eight at night (00:05:24) National Park Service and Beginning of the War -After high school was sent to Houghton, Michigan as part of National Youth Administration -Received training about radios there and learned Morse code as well as radio technology -Got appointed to be the radio technician for the National Park Service at Isle Royale -Arrived at Isle Royale on December 6, 1941 -They had access to a radio and heard about the attack at Pearl Harbor the next day -They weren’t allowed to leave the island to enlist or do anything like that -Stationed on the island until the spring of 1942 -During the week they would patrol the island -After Pearl Harbor he had to encode all radio transmissions -Left Isle Royale in May 1942 (00:14:58) Returning to Menominee and Hospital Job -Returned home to Menominee after being on station at Isle Royale -Got a job at the nearby Marinette General Hospital in Marinette, Wisconsin -Lived at the hospital -On duty for eight hours a day and on call for the other sixteen hours -Worked as a medical technician on the ambulances -Worked at the hospital from May 1942 to July 1942 -Remembers one ambulance call where a woman suffered a head injury at a farm -He was driving the ambulance for that call -Nurse on board made it clear that he wasn’t going fast enough -Wound up going 65mph through the town to get back to the hospital (00:19:36) Getting Drafted and Basic Training -In July 1942 he was drafted into the Army �-Reported for basic training on the fourth or fifth of August 1942 -Went to Fort Custer, Michigan to be inducted into the Army and to go through processing -From Fort Custer he was sent to Fort Story, Virginia -Training he received through Citizens Training Corps proved to be extremely helpful -Got promoted to the rank of corporal after being in the Army for only six weeks -Told that his Citizens Training Corps training had effectively been basic training (00:21:52) Radio Training -Because of his experience with radios he was placed into the radio training program -Wound up receiving a total of five months-worth of radio training in the Army -Got sent to radar school at Fort Monroe, Virginia -Six weeks of intense training -Equipment they were using was top secret at the time -Day started at eight in the morning and ended at nine at night -Radar unit got broken up and he was placed in field artillery training -Got sent to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas -Received his field artillery training there -Had less work to do than the other trainees because of prior training experience -Got trained on how to be a radio operator for field artillery units -Job was to receive codes and coordinates and relay that information to gun crews -Stayed at Fort Chaffee for a couple months (00:25:13) Deployment to Europe and Overview of Deployment -He was assigned to the 663rd Field Artillery Battalion -From Fort Chaffee they were sent to New York City and from New York got sent to England -By the time they arrived in England it was spring 1944 -Eight weeks after the D-Day Invasion his unit landed at Omaha Beach in France -His unit was involved in the Allied offensive in the Rhineland and pushing into Germany -Eight inch howitzers were the primary artillery pieces that they used -Got to go through Paris en route to the Rhineland -His unit was one of the first to fire across the Rhine River into Germany -Offensive began in late 1944/early 1945 (00:32:49) Personal Responsibilities and Experience with Combat -His task was to act as a liaison between the forward observers and the gun crews -Transmitted the coordinates from the forward observers to the plotters -Gun crews were usually made up of six to eight men -There were three guns to each battery -Had to sleep wherever you could -Unit moved forward every day if an advance was possible -They were usually just behind the frontline if not within eyesight of the main fighting -If they and the infantry were able to break through German defenses they would advance -Germans never got very close to the artillery position -Usually had Allied infantry between them and the Germans -His unit didn’t sustain any casualties that he knew of -He himself didn’t get wounded during his time in Europe (00:37:24) Interactions with Civilians Pt. 1 -Remembers moving into liberated towns and being greeted by the civilians -Civilians would come right up to Allied troops and give them hugs �-They knew that they had finally been liberated from German rule -He had never seen so many happy people in his life (00:38:20) Logistics of Deployment -When they were deployed to Europe the equipment and personnel were moved over together -From England they had traveled to France aboard a larger landing craft (LCT or LST) -Able to pull right up to Omaha Beach and unload soldiers and equipment right onto the beach (00:40:01) Battle of the Bulge -Got involved in the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944-45 -Unit acted as artillery support for the infantry units under siege in Bastogne, Belgium -They were only about five miles away (at the most) from where the main fighting was occurring (00:41:09) Interactions with Civilians Pt. 2 -Remembers the French women being very welcoming of the U.S. troops -Children would also come running up to the U.S. troops to give them hugs -Moving experience for the soldiers that had children of their own back home (00:42:27) Battle of the Rhineland and Pushing into Germany -Pushed across the Rhine River in early 1945 -Eventually made it all the way to Berlin -Supported infantry during the offensive all the way up to Victory in Europe Day (May 6, 1945) -Some of the Germans welcomed the U.S Army and the end of the war -Others were resentful about being occupied -In time they eventually accepted the reality that they had been defeated (00:43:58) Coming Home and End of Active Duty -Returned to the United States as individuals and not as a single unit -Got sent home depending on how many “points” you had -Point system: Acquired points depending on length of service and action seen -Landed in New York City and got sent to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey -From Camp Kilmer took a train to Fort Custer, Michigan -Got processed out there and was discharged from active duty in February 1946 -From Fort Custer took a train to Chicago and from Chicago took a train back to Menominee (00:46:44) Involvement with the American Legion -Upon arriving home he joined the American Legion in Menominee -Has been a life member of the Legion ever since -Became vice commander of the American Legion post at Menominee -During his time with the American Legion helped in any way he could -Doing odd jobs and a variety of tasks for the post -Had a couple hundred members at the post that he was a part of (00:48:29) Life after the War -Attended Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma for two years -Studied general commercial radio with a focus on radio engineering -Also received his radio license through them -Spent some time in Oklahoma City -During his time there met a girl and met that girl’s sister -Wound up marrying the sister and stayed married for twenty five years and eight months -She died in 1973 and he never remarried -“Never ran into anybody that could replace her” -After completing his radio studies and getting married he returned to Menominee, Michigan �-Got a job at WMAM radio station out of Marinette, Wisconsin -Acted as both their radio and TV engineer -Also worked at their satellite station in Manistique, Michigan -Stayed with WMAM for several years -Got a job in the Michigan State Police through his twin brothers who worked for the police -Started at Houghton Lake, Michigan as a radio operator -Stayed there for about half a decade -From Houghton Lake got transferred to Rockford, Michigan -Worked there for twenty five years until he retired in 1974 (00:54:38) Morale and Conditions in the Field during the War -Stayed in touch with family by way of V-Mail (Victory Mail) -Form of military sponsored postage that used microfilm to make shipping more efficient -Had a mess sergeant for their unit who was very particular about the quality of food -He was such a good cook that a general wanted him to be his personal chef -Refused the offer, so the general would come down and eat with the enlisted men -Also very strict with the cooks that worked for him -If food was not prepared to his liking he would force them to redo it -Never had any problems with having enough supplies -Didn’t feel stressed during his time in Europe just tried to take everything in stride (00:58:38) Downtime and Entertainment in Europe -Everyone had their own form of entertainment -On the first New Years that he was in the Army he got into a poker game -Won five paychecks even though he’d never played poker before -Got to see some of the USO Shows -Some were good, some were bad, and some he was indifferent about -Soldiers were allowed to take leave into nearby towns -Grew up speaking Danish, German and English so he could talk to German civilians -Germans were surprised that so many Americans could speak German -He was able to visit Paris and various small towns during his time in Europe (01:04:58) Relationship with Officers and Fellow Soldiers -Held officers and the other enlisted men in high regards -There were a few officers in particular that were good leaders and good men -Didn’t keep in touch with anyone that he served with after the war -Men that he served with were from all over the country -Too difficult to maintain a friendship with someone that lived hundreds of miles away (01:07:53) Involvement with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion -Belonged to the Veterans of Foreign Wars for a while when he lived in Menominee -Not all that he thought it would be -Kept his American Legion membership no matter where he was transferred -Officially remained a registered member of the Menominee post -If he walked into a local American Legion post with his hat on people didn’t question it -Didn’t bother to transfer his membership to the Houghton Lake or Rockford post (01:09:03) Army Reserves and Korean War -Stayed in the Army Reserves after WWII -Didn’t seek out warfare, but if he was needed to fight he was willing to go -When the Korean War broke out he was called to active duty and was sent to Japan �-Due to security clearance issues he wasn’t allowed to be sent to Korea though -Stayed in Japan for a year until he was sent back home -Retired from the Army Reserves in 1967 -Spent a total of twenty five years in the Army (01:12:07) Life after State Police -Retired from the State Police in 1974 in Rockford after serving them for twenty five years -After retiring from the Michigan State Police he worked odd jobs for various people -Anything that came along he was willing to help out with -Experience in the Army and in the Boy Scouts had taught him a wide array of abilities -He’d been very active in the Scouts as a youth and as a parent (01:14:34) Reflections on Service -The abilities that he’d learned in the Army transferred well into civilian life -His service in the Army instilled in him a sense of community and selflessness -If his help was needed then he would pitch and help where he could -Saw it all as just something that had to be done and he did 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_GerberW1661V Title A name given to the resource Gerber, William (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-07-14 Description An account of the resource William Gerber was born in 1921 in Menominee, Michigan. He grew up there and attended high school there until he graduated in 1939. In the summer of 1938 he trained with the U.S. Citizens Training Corps in Fort Brady, Michigan for four weeks which would later count towards basic training in the Army. After completing high school he went to Houghton, Michigan as part of the National Youth Administration and received radio training. This led to his getting involved with the National Park Service and his working at Isle Royale National Park starting on December 6, 1941 and being relieved from that duty in May 1942. After Isle Royale he worked briefly as a medical technician and as an ambulance driver for Marinette General Hospital in Marinette, Wisconsin. In July 1942 he was drafted into the U.S. Army and in August 1942 he reported for basic training. He was sent to Fort Story, Virginia and because of his prior military training he was quickly promoted to the rank of corporal. He went on to receive radio training at Fort Story and Fort Monroe in Virginia and he was later attached to the 663rd Field Artillery Battalion as a radio operator. In spring 1944 his unit was deployed to Europe. They would go on to participate in the Battle of the Bulge and supporting Allied infantry in Bastogne, and the 663rd was one of the first units to cross the Rhine River into Germany to begin the Allied invasion of Germany. He was discharged in February 1946, but remained in the reserves and was called up during the Korean War and served in Japan at that time. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gerber, William 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 Michigan--History, Military Veterans World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--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