20 24 1541 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8d14426d335414c3e13320fbd18ac38f.mp4 d5021151e2777e095993868c9c0e561c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/302b67cadbfe5da8ed753e6334bcb8d1.pdf 5b4c460ea590f52b46c070aac2cd1f61 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Tony Trovato Total Time: 01:26:00 Background • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (00:20) Born March 13, 1912. Born on Grant St. on the Southwest Side of Grand Rapids, Michigan Moved around different locations in Grand Rapids His family traveled to Europe in 1924, when he was 12, so that he could meet his grandparents (00:46) He counts it a blessing to have visited because he eventually served near his European family during the war He knew the Italian language fluently. He could read, write, and speak it fluently (01:21) o Thanks the Lord for an amazing trip where he was able to easily communicate with everyone Both of his parents were born in the same village in Sicily. (02:19) His father worked for the Metal Office Furniture Company, now known as Steelcase (03:00) Tony went to school through the 8th grade (04:25) Spoke Italian at home (05:07) Worked at several local grocery stores by the time he was nearly 19 years old Learned Lithuanian when he transitioned to a new job because of local demographics (06:24) Managed to keep working during the Depression (07:10) o His father brought home the guts of animals for food during this time He got married when he was 28 years old in 1940. Enjoyed going out to dance with his friends for enjoyment (09:25) Left the grocery store to work for Metal Office Furniture Company (17:10) Met his future wife Hazel through a co-worker o Hazel was older than he was, but that did not matter (11:41) o Hazel had back and kidney problems (13:06) Left the grocery store to work for Metal Office Furniture Company (17:10) o Worked here when Pearl Harbor was attacked (18:19) o Learned of Pearl Harbor through the news media Left his job at the Metal Office Furniture Company (19:52) Enlistment & Training – (21:05) • He was deferred from service but did not want to be �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • o He wanted to enlist in the Navy because he did not want to go into the Army (21:18) o Was not forced into the service (21:26) o His wife’s response to him joining the Navy was that he should do what he wanted to do (21:49) Joined in March of 1943 (21:57) Went to get his physical in Kalamazoo, Michigan (22:15) o Was assigned to the Army at his physical, but explained that he was a volunteer for the Navy Was stationed at Great Lakes, Illinois, for boot camp (22:48) o He was the oldest guy in the camp by 10 years (23:38) Was made second class [spokesman] (24:51) o Had troops under his authority Learned how to handle personnel, troops, and platoons in boot camp (24:41) Was assigned to go to Norfolk, Virginia (24:52) Learned anti-aircraft firing and how to maneuver a ship o Where he learned to be a boatswain (25:21) He was assigned to be a boatswain when he was in Norfolk Was then sent to Seneca, Illinois with a full crew (26:58) o Picked up his LST here Travels down the Illinois River to the Mississippi River o Remembers seeing people on the coastline watching as they passed down the rivers (28:40) o Dropped anchor overnight along the river (28:52) Stopped in New Orleans (29:28) During this time he was aboard an LCVP (29:47) o He had a smaller boat from the LST Dropped comrades off in New Orleans (30:12) o Waited at the landing dock for his friends until it was night time (30:25) Was able to find his LST in the bay at New Orleans (31:07) Was in New Orleans during the enforced “black out” (31:46) o It was difficult to maneuver the boats because lights were not used (31:56) Equates his bad eyes to his experience as a lookout in the Navy (32:07) Left New Orleans in a convoy through the Caribbean (32:35) Traveled up to Norfolk, Virginia and picked up the remaining crew (33:27) The LST was filled with highly combustible, radio controlled explosives, and other cargo Active Duty – (34:42) • • The trip across the Atlantic was with a convoy (34:51) o The weather made many of the men seasick (35:09) Had the same crew the entire time (35:45) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Had German E-Boat encounters when traveling across the Atlantic Ocean – around Gibraltar (36:12) o The Germans fired two torpedoes that went under their LST (36:44) Went through the Mediterranean and traveled to Algeria (37:33) o The convoy went across the bay to load up on supplies in Oran, Algeria – diesel and food (38:10) From Oran, he traveled directly to France (38:29) o Took part in the Southern France invasion (38:46) Was on the bow of the ship serving as 1st gunner with a 20 or 40mm (39:18) o Was not allowed to have a camera When they hit the beach at the southern invasion, the doors opened and all the troops went out (39:58) o There was gunfire so they pulled anchor and left for supplies (40:20) o Went back and forth to the place of invasion, but did not see as much action the second time o Brought supplies in for the troops (40:46) Was never alone overseas (41:21) Loaded up boats full of prisoners (41:49) o Sent them to prison camps (42:02) o Noticed that the prisoners were no different than any other person (42:11) o Made friends with the prisoners – gave them cigarettes and was given two German ornaments (42:30) o The prisoners were just ordinary Germans – not SS (44:19) Did not like when they helped carry a load of Gurkhas and Senegalese (44:52) Stopped in cities in southern France as well as Taranto, Palermo, and Naples (46:43) o Went to visit his family in Sicily as well (47:55) Got a free ride to visit his family (48:29) While in Pompeii, Italy, he visited a guide's villa where he was given spaghetti (49:40) o The spaghetti was dug up (49:48) o The spaghetti was still good, even after being buried because of the German occupation (50:19) When he was in Naples, it was extremely bombed out (51:09) o Palermo was bombed as well (51:18) Loaded two suitcases of food to take to his relatives, but was not allowed to take them by himself – able to use his language skills for this (52:25) Had a wonderful Skipper – Lt. (j.g.) Hotchkiss (53:24) o They were both 33 years old (53:28) o Hotchkiss loved to drink (53:44) o Could not drink on board ship, so the skipper would go to the Red Light District instead (54:02) The Navy gave soldiers warnings to avoid the Red Light Districts (54:17) He was shore patrol both overseas and in America (54:31) o Would have to go out to the bars to get sailors (55:20) �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • o No soldiers ever put up a fight (55:48) o Was on patrol for all sailors (56:01) Saw German submarines and aircraft while in the Mediterranean (56:50) o Germans had better PT boats than the Allies (57:25)  They were faster and more maneuverable (57:39) Sailed to Corsica and Sardinia to pick up troops and supplies (58:15) o Was able to go on shore and explore while in these places (58:30)  Was not allowed to explore in Oran or any of Africa (58:51) o Was able to go and buy souvenirs in France and Italy as well (59:05) A friend stole a work of art from an art museum in Toulon, France (59:54) o It was against the law (01:00:09) o The museum was abandoned (01:00:17) Picked up a piano from a music store in Toulon, France and brought it on deck (01:00:44) Traveled to Athens one time and got to see the Acropolis (01:01:22) Traveled primarily between Italy and France – never traveled to Egypt (01:02:03) When on the ship, there were actual doctors on board (01:02:48) He hung out with black stewards on board (01:03:20) o Saw them as part of the family o Did not find it strange that blacks were only allowed to be stewards (01:03:37) Enjoyed the food in the Navy (01:05:00) o Had a great chef at his disposal (01:05:19) More than once, he had to interpret for the Skipper (01:06:18) The civilians loved the American people (01:06:50) o Were blessed just for being there o The food supply was less in Italy than it was in France (01:07:20) Enlistment time was two years during peaceful times and three years during time of war (01:08:36) Received commendation (01:09:01) The Skipper arranged for him to go home (01:09:14) Was put on a personnel transport boat – ended up in Boston (01:09:48) Was given a chit to travel on train or bus (01:10:09) He was discharged out of Great Lakes (01:10:30) He was in France when the Germans surrendered (01:11:18) o In France when the Japanese surrendered as well (01:11:23) After the Service (01:11:28) • • • He arrived at home in 1945 Went back to work at Metal Office Furniture Company (01:12:19) o His boss Frank Harman was excited to see him He was told that he would receive the same pay as when he left for war (01:13:05) �• • • • • • • • • • o Although others had received raises while he was gone at war, he was told that he had to prove he was still good at his job to get the raise o His boss told him that “you don’t know how lucky you were to be dodgin’ bullets” (01:14:12) o Left the job after his boss said that Found a job working with tool and die with a neighbor across the street (01:15:34) The Grand Rapids company wanted to send him to Holland, Michigan to work and start a crew there (01:16:48) o Did not go because he did not want to leave his wife (01:17:15) Lost his first wife to bone cancer (01:17:32) Lost his second wife to heart problems (01:17:44) Worked at Grand Rapids Brass (01:18:12) There was a married woman that he made eye contact with and fell in love (01:19:10) o She eventually got a divorce and became his second wife (01:19:32) Bought a house on Burton Street (01:21:38) o He helped out a friend water plants at the nearby greenhouses (01:21:56) When living on Burton Street, a friend told him about a lot of land where he eventually built his home (01:24:05) He does not believe that he changed from the Navy at all – he is still the same man (01:25:11) He says that he has so much to say about everything, but that it is difficult because his mind is wearing out (01:26:22) � 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 TrovatoT1351V Title A name given to the resource Trovato, Anthony (Interview outline and video), 2012 Description An account of the resource Tony Trovato was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1912. He was son to Italian immigrants and could speak fluent Italian. He enlisted into the Navy in 1943 when he was 31 years old and trained at Great Lakes where he learned how to handle troops and personnel. He was later assigned to Norfolk, Virginia where he was trained to be a boatswain. After leaving Norfolk, he was sent down the Mississippi River to New Orleans and eventually made his way across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. While in the Mediterranean, his convoy spent the majority of its time resupplying troops in France and Italy as well as carrying war prisoners. He served as shore patrol near the end of his time before he was discharged in 1945, after both Germany and Japan had surrendered. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Trovato, Anthony 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 Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-03-15 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/13caac7d44b2333995dacfdda20cbf15.mp4 ad43fb253f2474b3bd2edbeeb65534b6 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/837868841ef16729ecbdcdc00cd270aa.pdf 2d4d114f8c2eef8dfb9b09bcdbfbc82d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of Interviewee: John Tibbe Name of War: World War II Length of Interview: (00:55:52) (00:10) Background Information • John was born in Grant, Michigan on March 10, 1921 • His father was a farmer and able to keep his farm during the Depression • John went to school through 8th grade and then began helping his family with the farm • He had been working on the farm when he heard about Pearl Harbor being attacked on his neighbor’s radio • John was drafted into the Army in the fall of 1942 (5:30) Training • John was sent to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, Michigan for induction and then to Camp Shelby, Mississippi for basic training • They stayed in tents and slept in cots, but overall John did well during training and got along with the drill sergeants • He trained with men from all over the country • Every day they started running in the morning; they had started at 5 miles per day and eventually made it to 38 miles per day • They went through weapons training with rifles, automatics, BARs, and machine guns • He was able to go to a USO show in New Orleans for Thanksgiving break • John was trained to be an anti-tank gunner when he went through advanced training at Camp Pickett in Virginia (17:35) Leaving the US • John was sent from Norfolk, Virginia through the Panama Canal into the Pacific on a ship from the Netherlands • Their were minorities from Dutch colonies on the ship and John felt they were all treated very badly, like slaves • They had two meals a day, were lucky enough to have nice weather, but had a long trip because of the zigzag course they had to take �(26:15) New Guinea • The area was very muddy, hot, rainy, an filled with lots of trees and kangaroos • John stayed at the 32nd Division’s base where he continued training and was assigned to a different regiment • There were many attacks by Japanese in pillboxes • The Americans had to gather up casualties and bury them • The jungle area was filled with bugs, turtles, snakes, crocodiles, and huge pythons • They all had to take medicine to prevent malaria, but John still got jungle rot • He only ran into a few Japanese soldiers while working in New Guinea (35:40) Morotai Invasion • They left New Guinea and landed on the island of Morotai • The camp was near an air strip and many civilians were out every day washing their clothes • They were told that the island was secure and that the fighting had ended before they arrived, but that was not the case • Many Japanese continued to come near their base to surrender and some stayed in the jungle • There were many Japanese POWs and the Americans felt it was wrong that they had to feed them so well • John did not see all the POWs as bad people, but as men that got pulled into the war, just like the Americans (50:10) Discharged • After being discharged John went back to Michigan and continued working on his family’s farm • He eventually got a job on another farm working a tractor, and then later began working for the Spartan Foundry • John later married and had 7 children � 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 TibbeJ Title A name given to the resource Tibbe, John (Interview outline and video), 2008 Description An account of the resource John Tibbe was born in Grant, Michigan on March 10, 1921. He went to school through the 8th grade and then began working on his family's farm until he was drafted into the Army in the fall of 1942. John went through basic training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi and then later went through Advanced Infantry Training at Camp Pickett in Virginia where he trained to be an anti-tank gunner. After training John was stationed in New Guinea and also the island of Morotai. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tibbe, John Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-12-04 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9ca3630009c72e45b29d92f0ddf141c3.mp4 94ddd7a297b098d7f0311da31b12630f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9f585b40bd3ecb7bb0f0fad2134afd62.pdf 37c928fb35cb8be14ac746efe7dafabf PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Herman Keizer Cold War/Vietnam War/Peacetime/War on Terror 1 hour 43 minutes 13 seconds (00:00:49) Early Life -Born in Chicago on May 21, 1938 -He was the oldest of seven children -He had four sisters and two brothers -His father was a truck driver -His mother was a housewife (00:02:02) Getting Drafted -After high school he attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan -He completed his junior year and then funds ran out -Decided to take some time off to work and get more money -Because he left school he lost his draft deferment -He had been studying to be a minister -He got drafted in 1962 (00:02:38) Training -Received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky -Went to Fort Dix, New Jersey for further training -Stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia after training was complete -He was there during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy Assassination -Basic training was a unique experience -Remembers that the first thing that happened was his head was shaved -Quickly adjusted to being called by his last name -First week of basic training was comprised of running and physical training -Second week dealt with bayonet training and weapons training -Learning how to shoot and maintain your rifle -Went out on bivouacs during basic training -He was made an acting sergeant because of having three years of college -Basic training lasted eight weeks -During basic training he actually gained weight -He could never do the long runs because he didn’t know how to pace himself -Trained to become a chaplain’s assistant (00:06:16) Seminary -After he got out of the Army in 1964 he went to the Seminary at Calvin College -After he got out he also got married -He graduated from Seminary in 1968 (00:06:32) Cuban Missile Crisis -He was going to be part of the first wave into Cuba if the U.S. invaded -Preparations were being made by the chaplain -Where to set up on the beachhead and what to expect -It was a scary time �-His job as chaplain’s assistant was to carry a rifle and protect the chaplain -He also helped the chaplain get set up for services -In a combat situation he would have defended the chaplain and assisted the chaplain -Helping to tend to the dead and dying (00:08:06) Assassination of President Kennedy -He was just getting off guard duty at Fort Belvoir when he heard the news of the assassination -Went and alerted his first sergeant -He went over to the chapel -Knew that a lot of soldiers would be looking for spiritual guidance during that time -Remembers when engineers from Fort Myer, Virginia set up the Eternal Flame -He also worked as a chauffeur for the bishops and cardinals coming to see President Kennedy -Because he was their driver he was able to go to the front of the line to see his body -He sang at a memorial service for the president -Everyone was stunned and wanted to talk about what had happened -It was a difficult time for the troops because they had lost their commander in chief (00:10:07) Civil Rights Movement -He had received training in riot control during the Civil Rights Movement -Never actually saw any racial violence during his time at Fort Belvoir -A lot of soldiers talked about inequality (00:11:05) Reenlisting as a Chaplain -After he completed Seminary in 1968 he reenlisted -He was allowed to become a chaplain faster because he had already served two years -He went through Officer Training -Consisted of getting back into shape, learning how to be professional, process paperwork -He knew that he would probably get sent to Vietnam -The war was losing public support by the time he reenlisted -At Calvin College he had learned about the “Just War Theory” -He was against the war, but didn’t express his own opinion to the troops -The “Just War Theory” had three parts: -What was the rationale for going to war? (I.e. just cause or last resort) -Discrimination and proportionality (Avoiding killing civilians) -Working on returning to a state of peace after the war (00:15:18) Stationed at Fort Gordon -Before being deployed he was sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia -First was stationed at the Signal School -Then went on to the basic training camp to get back in shape before deploying -He worked alongside Catholics and other Protestants without any problems -He was stationed there for six months (00:16:58) Deployment to Vietnam -When he got deployed his wife was seven months pregnant -He left the United States out of California -From California they flew to Hawaii -From Hawaii they flew into Saigon, South Vietnam (00:17:29) Joining the 1st Infantry Division -From Saigon he was bussed to the 1st Infantry Division Headquarters at Di’An -He received his orientation there �-During this time he was issued his gear -From Di’An he was sent to Lai Khe -It was a former Michelin rubber plantation -He was stationed there for five months -After he was there for five months the 1st Infantry Division began to leave Vietnam (00:18:53) Joining the 4th Infantry Division -After the 1st Infantry Division left he was going to be sent to the rear -The 4th Infantry Division needed a new chaplain -He volunteered to take the position -He enjoyed being part of the religious unit that he was in (00:20:22) In the Field -At first his commander didn’t want him to go into the field -He was able to convince his commander to let him go -He wanted to be out with the troops -He would fly out into the field aboard Huey helicopters -He either went when the troops went or later during a resupply run -He remembers seeing two soldiers get decapitated by a helicopter -They didn’t duck when they left the helicopter (00:22:23) Enemy Contact & Being in Cambodia -When he was with the 4th Infantry Division he went into Cambodia -First time that he saw North Vietnamese tanks and artillery pieces -He went in with the first company to establish a firebase -They found an abandoned medical center -It was six stories underground -It had been built with primitive handmade tools -They also discovered a sapper training area -Two days later their firebase was hit by sappers -He remembers a rocket propelled grenade exploded above where he was sleeping -The force was strong enough to blow off his flak jacket and rupture his air mattress -He ran around tending to soldiers wearing only his helmet and a flak jacket -The only defense he had was a .45 caliber pistol -He was in a few major engagements as well as a number of firefights -During his time in Cambodia he was wounded -He also fell out of a helicopter at 150 feet when the rotor blade hit a high tension wire -The soldiers always took care of him well when he was in the field -During one operation they went into a valley and found a small North Vietnamese farm -Killed the North Vietnamese soldiers and took over the farm (00:27:34) Other Dangers -While he was in Saigon someone dropped a grenade in the gas tank of his jeep -It had tape around it that would decay from the gas and then explode -He had to deal with a hysterical and armed soldier that was on a base -This soldier had been walking point for ten months (stressful and high risk position) -The soldier’s wife and the soldier’s friend had had an affair -Herman faced down the crazed soldier and tried to talk him down -The soldier ran to get another gun and Herman punched him, knocking him out -The soldier was eventually evacuated to Walter Reed Army Hospital �-He was then medically discharged -Because of Herman’s actions he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal -Highest non-combat medal (00:32:00) Duties as a Chaplain -He started his days at 5 AM and went out to the field -He would then return with the last helicopter back to base -He would then clean up, eat, and visit the hospital and morgue until midnight -Usually only got about five hours of sleep each night -He would conduct three services each day -He would serve communion as a symbol of suffering, but also hope -If there were a lot of casualties chaplains would only go to the hospital -His job as a chaplain was to tend to the soldiers that were going to die -He remembers one Jewish soldier that he prayed with -They prayed the 23rd Psalm together and then the soldier died -He did not like to visit the morgue because he saw the mangled bodies of soldiers he knew -He would conduct final confessions and bless the Catholic dead with Holy Water -This was if the priest was absent (00:36:53) Maintaining Stability and Faith -If he wanted to remain sane he would have to take care of himself too -Made sure that he took time eat, sleep and relax -He had a friend in Saigon that he would visit and go golfing with -During times of crises soldiers either turned to or away from God -Most soldiers took comfort in faith (00:40:10) Getting Wounded and Helping with the Wounded -When he fell out of the helicopter he broke both of his arms -He managed to land in elephant grass though which helped break his fall -He was sent to Tan Son Nhut and from there to Camp Zama, Japan -After he was stable enough he was sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois to recover -Prior to the helicopter accident he was wounded in Cambodia -He had been hit with shrapnel, but those were minor injuries -He remembers when a Chinook helicopter accidentally landed on a truck carrying soldiers -He helped pick up body parts and conduct the memorial service -He was sent to Great Lakes Naval Station in 1970 -After recovering he was sent to Fort Carson, Colorado in November 1970 (00:43:31) Keeping in Touch -He still keeps in touch with the men he met in 1st Battalion 26th Infantry Regiment 1st Division -He attends reunions -Receives Christmas cards and a newsletter -He is part of the 1st Division Society (00:44:38) Downtime, Viet Cong, and Contact with Family -He didn’t have much downtime when he was in Vietnam -His son was born while he was in Vietnam -Remembers that the birth was actually announced by a Viet Cong soldier -The Viet Cong soldier had found out the news through the Red Cross -The barber that he went to was eventually killed during a night patrol -He had defected to the Viet Cong �-The day before the barber was killed he had given Herman a shave and a haircut -He communicated with home by way of letters and tapes -There was, at the minimum, a two week delay in getting letters or tapes from home -He didn’t get to see his son until he got to Great Lakes Naval Station -He was nine months old at the time and was terrified of his father -Writing letters home was cathartic -Enjoyed getting the tapes because he could hear his wife and child (00:48:33) Dealing with the Drug Problem -When he got back to the United States he was a captain -At Fort Carson, Colorado he worked with soldiers that had drug addictions -He started to work on an amnesty program for the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division -He did this while in Vietnam and would send soldiers to Saigon to detox -Did the same thing while he was in the 4th Infantry Division -He used what he had learned to Vietnam to help at Fort Carson -He attended Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and USC to write up a guide for the military -A more comprehensive and practical approach to deal with alcohol and drug abuse -He was sent to Wurzburg, Germany to help in the hospital there -Helped to set up a drug program there -He also reformed the system while he was there -Officers were protecting soldiers that were abusing drugs to keep a good reputation -He started a school in Europe for all of the branches of the armed forces -Teaching drug counselors how to properly deal with drug abuse (00:52:10) Working in the Pentagon -After Europe he returned to the United States and attended Columbia University -Worked as part of the faculty there until 1982 -He went to the Pentagon to work for General Max Thurman -He wrote a paper for him on leadership, families, and ethics -Presented his work to the Chief of Staff and the Secretary of the Army -While he was working at the Pentagon he was a major and then promoted to lieutenant colonel (00:53:58) 25th Infantry Division -After the Pentagon he was assigned to Hawaii to be the chaplain for the 25th Infantry Division -He got to travel to all of the Pacific bases -He visited South Korea for three months every year that he did that -He didn’t get to be as close to the troops as he had been though -Remembers that captains would look up to him, but majors just saw him as a boss -He enjoyed being part of the staff during that time (00:55:28) The Gulf War -He went back to the Pentagon to work for the Chief of Chaplains during the Gulf War -Helped set up a program to educate soldiers about Islam -Convinced the State Department to allow Christian & Jewish services to be held in Saudi Arabia (00:56:12) Peacetime Duties -He attended the Army War College for one year -After the War College he worked for the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon -He worked to make sure that Jewish soldiers could get kosher rations -Figured out that you could just make kosher rations that everyone could eat -As opposed to the costly idea of having to make and sort out special rations �-He worked on making MREs (meals ready to eat) for Kurds who were starving -Worked with dieticians to make sure the Kurds weren’t getting too much food -If they got too many calories at once the shock would kill them -He went to Europe to be the European Command Chaplain -The scope of his job included all countries between Norway and South Africa -Did that from 1994 to 1997 -He worked in Eastern European countries to help reestablish their chaplaincy programs -Saw the first graduating class of chaplains from Romania and the Czech Republic -He visited South Africa to help with the post-Apartheid integration process -Helped educate chaplains in African countries that were participating in peacekeeping missions -Teaching them how to teach soldiers about civil liberties and human rights -After that he went back and worked for the Chief of Chaplains at the Pentagon -He planned to do only one more year and then retire -This plan was interrupted by a sex abuse scandal at Aberdeen Proving Grounds -He was transferred to work for the Chief of Personnel -Creating a plan to deal with the scandal -He spoke before the Senate and House Armed Services Committee -He retired at Fort Myer and then was rehired -Had to do this because of Army protocol concerning length of service (01:03:32) Working at the State Department and September 11th -He went to work for the State Department in 2000 -Working on religious freedom issues in African countries and the Balkans -Coordinating with American embassies in those countries -He was in the State Department on September 11th, 2001 -He saw the Pentagon in flames -The State Department was evacuated and he told people to go home -Told them to avoid using subways or other mass transit systems -He went over to the Pentagon to help tend to the wounded -He knew forty five people that were killed in the Pentagon during the attacks -He was personally congratulated by Colin Powell for scattering State Department employees -He eventually retired from the State Department (01:07:06) Post-Military Life Pt. 1 -After leaving the Army he was diagnosed with lung cancer -After his lung cancer was treated he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan with his wife -He worked with civilian and military chaplains in the Christian Reformed Church -He would still visit the Pentagon three times each year for work -It was harder for his wife to adjust to being a civilian than it was for him -Had to make new friends and get involved in new groups which was difficult (01:10:04) Treatment as a Soldier -When he came home from Vietnam he was spit on and called a baby killer -Later, after he retired, he was made a distinguished alumnus at Calvin College and Seminary (01:11:34) Veterans’ Groups -He is part of the Big Red One Society (1st Infantry Division) -He is part of the “Hooties” -He is a member of the Army and Navy Club -He is the chaplain for the Purple Heart Club �(01:12:31) Post-Military Life Pt. 2 -He worked for the Christian Reformed Church for eight years -He worked with the Truth Commission on Conscience in War -Specifically dealing with moral injury of war and conscientious objectors in war -In 2009 he helped develop an eight step plan to deal with moral injury -He worked with female theologians from the West Coast to create grant proposals -Retired from that in May 2014 (01:15:17) Reflections on Service -He still has bad dreams once in a while -No one goes to war and comes back unchanged -His military service caused some difficulties for his marriage -It made him a workaholic -The process of making a soldier is done well, but the process of making a civilian is not -Soldiers go back to civilian life and miss their purpose, their friends, and their weapon -Soldiers lose their sense of identity -Retired career soldiers still dress and act like soldiers even in the civilian sector -He believes that there still needs to be a draft -Only 1% of the populace is in the military -Believes this creates a disconnect between civilians and soldiers -Forces soldiers to do multiple consecutive tours -Believes that the government has abandoned the military as well as any moral agency it had -Causes soldiers to lose the will to fight and question the cause -Believes that the Veterans’ Administration doesn’t actually help veterans -All it does is give them medication -He thinks that everyone ought to serve their country -Either through civil service (Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) or the military -Doesn’t feel that there are any opportunities for conscientious objectors to serve -The nature of warfare has changed which puts a lot of psychological strain on soldiers -They come home feeling ashamed of what they had to do overseas -He still misses the Army -He doesn’t believe that chaplains are doing their job correctly anymore -Too focused on gaining followers instead of just helping soldiers that want help Question and answer portion ends at 01:27:25 01:27:25-01:42:57 -Showing of plaques, service medals, and significant personal effects from 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 KeizerH1723V Title A name given to the resource Keizer, Herman Jr. (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Herman Keizer was born in Chicago on May 21, 1938. He was drafted into the Army in 1962 and served as a Chaplain's Assistant at Fort Belvoir, Virginia until 1964. He studied at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and also attended the Calvin Theological Seminary in 1968. He was commissioned as a chaplain in the Army and was deployed to Vietnam. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division and operated out of Lai Khe. He went into Cambodia in the spring of 1970, and due to actions there received a Bronze Star for valor. He joined the 4th Infantry Division in An Khe where he developed an amnesty program for soldiers suffering from drug addictions. While at An Khe, he broke both of his arms in a helicopter crash. He recovered at Camp Zama, Japan, and at Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Chicago. He served as the hospital chaplain at Fort Carson, Colorado, from 1971 to 1972 where he wrote an essay on Selective Conscientious Objection and wrote the basis for the Army's drug and alcohol program. He also worked on a case dealing with sexual harassment in the Army. He served at the State Department and helped with evacuation of personnel during the September 11th Attacks. After he retired from the Army he has stayed active with support groups for veterans, and helped with the Truth Commission on Conscience in War, and has also written on Moral Injury in War. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keizer, Herman Jr. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Vega, Nikki (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-01-16 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/795d8375c7c32d5a3ca24fa4e2fc7356.mp4 f70135ee015bf6d568f0d422c42babe0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9694e99afb4555581c8327f709776c91.pdf 4a060f5c0d5ec17afcde4c1d6e3d0e03 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Robert Keith World War II 32 minutes 39 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on September 20, 1926 -Grew up in Grand Rapids and attended Grand Rapids Public Schools -Father worked for a railroad company in Grand Rapids -Mother was a housewife -His father had steady work throughout the Great Depression -Started off working on steam engines, then switched over to diesel engines -He had two siblings (00:01:20) Start of the War and Following the War -Doesn‟t remember where he was when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor -Doesn‟t remember there being any significant changes at school -He knew that he would eventually have to serve and was fine with that (00:02:04) Enlisting in the Army Air Force -He enlisted in August 1944 before his eighteenth birthday that September -Graduated in January 1945 before he reported for duty -He was officially in the service by March 1, 1945 -Needed a parent‟s signature because he wasn‟t eighteen -Parents were okay with it because it was better than getting drafted -He went into Cadet Training -Program that would prepare recruits to be an office, or a pilot -It was near the end of the war though, so he did not complete that -Wound up getting sent to a technical school to be an airplane mechanic (00:03:50) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Sheridan, Illinois to be inducted -From there he was sent to Keesler Air Force Base near Biloxi, Mississippi -Went there by train -Slept in the seats of the train cars -It was an interesting trip for a young man -Training consisted of a lot of calisthenics, marching, and learning to take orders -Treated well by the drill sergeants -Received training with the .45 caliber pistol and submachine guns -Received tear gas training -Learning how to react quickly to a gas attack -It was cool in March and the barracks didn‟t have heat or air conditioning -By the summer it was hot and humid (00:07:13) Technical School -During the summer he went to the technical school to become an aircraft mechanic -This was also at Keesler Air Force Base -Classes were from midnight to 6AM �-Had to sleep in the heat of the day (00:07:39) Downtime during Training -They were allowed to go off base -There wasn‟t much to do in Biloxi though -There were bars and you could play slot machines (“one armed bandits”) -Gambling was illegal though, so sometimes the slot machines would „disappear‟ -Did not notice anything in the way of racial tension -This was most likely because communities and the military were still segregated (00:09:12) Stationed at Keesler and Langley Field -He was at Keesler from March 1945 to September 1945 -He was transferred to Langley Field, Virginia due to his records being lost -Spent two months there -After that he was deployed to Germany (00:09:50) End of the War -On VJ Day (August 15, 1945) the base was closed down and they were kept on base -On VE Day (May 8, 1945) they were in the field bivouacking, so nothing major happened (00:10:44) Deployment -He was deployed to Europe in November 1945 -He was en route on Thanksgiving Day 1945 -Remembers President Truman promising turkey for every U.S. service member -They were served sauerkraut and frankfurters on the trip over -Sailed over on a converted ocean liner -It took seven days to sail from the United States to Le Havre, France -When they reached Le Havre he remembers seeing the scuttled ships half sunken in the harbor -From Le Havre they were taken to a rail yard and placed on boxcars -Took ten days to go from Le Havre, France to Munich, Germany -On the way over they were following a hurricane, so it was a rough voyage -There were swells that were over twenty feet high -A lot of the men got seasick -Never got a chance to go on deck due to the weather (00:12:22) Travelling across Europe -Travelled in boxcar‟s without beds -This meant that they had to sleep on the floor of the boxcars -Got only two hot meals during the ten days of travel -There weren‟t bathrooms on the train, and didn‟t stop at bases with bathrooms -Just had to get off the train and go somewhere when the train stopped -Stopped first at a building in Furstenfeldbruck -There was no heating, no hot water, and the windows were smashed out -Received their assignments there (00:13:33) Stationed at Landsberg Air Base -He was assigned to a former Luftwaffe air base called Landsberg -He was stationed there with a small group of men -Initially shared the base with Army Engineers for about a month -Living conditions on the base were good -Engineers had repaired the facilities and they slept in the Luftwaffe quarters -Had a nice room and shared it with two other men �-The base had two primary functions -Repairing Allied aircraft -Destroying German bombers -During his time there he worked on C-47s, A-26s, a P-47, and bush plane type aircraft -His job was to do engine changes -When he first got there the entire end of the runway was occupied by C-47 transports -Worked on those until they were all gone -Purpose was to get them operational (00:16:33) Recreation in Germany -There was very little to do on the base in terms of entertainment -Sometimes they would get a movie, and it would run for the entire month -Base was too small for USO performers to come through -Protocol on the base was pretty relaxed though, which made up for the lack of entertainment -Allowed to report for duty at any time -Close enough to Munich that he could borrow a vehicle and go into the city -In the summer he would go up to into the German countryside and go camping -Brought a tent, K-rations, and a keg of beer -On the base they had access to beer all day, all the time -If they didn‟t want beer they could go into Munich and buy cognac (00:18:10) Contact with Germans -They had German cleaning ladies that did their laundry -He and other soldiers gave them food because the Germans were basically starving -The economy in Germany at the time was a barter system based on cigarettes -For example: a haircut might cost two cigarettes -He had very little contact with the German civilians besides the cleaning ladies -There were still a lot of German prisoners of war on the base when he arrived -Didn‟t have any contact with them though -After three months they were released and sent home (00:19:13) Evidence of the War Pt. 1 -Most German cities that he saw had been reduced to rubble -Train tracks had been targeted during Allied bombing campaigns to deny movement -That‟s why it took ten days to get from Le Havre to Munich -The buildings at Landsberg were intact save for bullet holes in the walls from strafing runs (00:20:11) Receiving News and Contact with Allied Forces -They weren‟t able to receive much news -Especially nothing about the burgeoning Cold War tensions -Only news source was a radio -Stationed in the American Sector, so he didn‟t see any other Allied forces (00:20:43) Evidence of the War Pt. 2 -Got a chance to go up to Frankfurt to visit a friend who was stationed there -On the way up had to pass through Augsburg while the city was on lockdown -There had been a grenade attack on an American jeep in the city -Got escorted to the train station by American military police -Saw Munich, Augsburg, and Frankfurt and all of those cities were in ruin -The German civilians were living in the rubble �(00:22:22) The Men He Served With -He was serving with other men that had gotten into the service at the end of the war -The officers and enlisted men had an amicable relationship -Protocol concerning rank was not heavily enforced -He was allowed to do things that technically required a higher rank than he had (00:23:36) Visiting Switzerland -During his time in Germany there was a tour of Switzerland organized by the Army -He volunteered to go on that -Lasted one week -First city he saw was Basel, Switzerland and toured the city via bicycle -Switzerland was untouched by the war -He was treated well by the Swiss -Always interested in talking to American soldiers -The tour was organized and paid for by the American government (00:25:14 Payment -He was paid in German deutschemarks, but they were essentially useless -Could only use them at the PX (Army general store) on the base -Trading with Germans was done using cigarettes anyway (00:25:49) Crime in Munich -In Munich there was a lot of crime -German women would lure American soldiers down to the riverfront -When they got there, German men would mug the American soldiers -Troops weren‟t technically allowed to carry firearms off the base -The military police would allow you to carry a concealed firearm off the base -That was the only way you were allowed to leave the base (00:27:02) Coming Home and End of Service -He left Germany in September 1946 -Got discharged in October 1946 -Did not spend a full two years in the Army due to a reduction in forces -He was one of the last men to leave Landsberg besides the officers -Left out of Bremerhaven, Germany -The voyage home had rough seas, but was otherwise good -The ship had been taken by the Allies after WWI -Served better food, allowed to explore the ship, and go up on deck -Pulled into New York -They were taken to a base and he was put on KP (kitchen patrol) duty -Serving steaks to incoming soldiers -After he was done with that he was allowed to go off base -From there he was sent back to Illinois to be discharged -He hitchhiked back to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Remembers just walking into the living room -Went back to work shortly after getting discharged -Went to Grand Rapids Junior College (now Grand Rapids Community College) -Student there for two years -Transferred to the University of Michigan for one year -Studied mechanical engineering �-Transferred to Western Michigan University for two years -Studied business administration -Got a job in accounting -Moved to Alpena and worked there for eighteen years -Worked for a Canadian company called Abitibi -Manufactured newspaper -After Alpena he moved back to Grand Rapids (00:31:21) Reflections on Service -It gave him the chance to experience what it was like to be in the service -Felt that the military just wasn‟t for him -Didn‟t like being restricted and living a regimented lifestyle -Understands how it works for some people -Just didn‟t fit well with his personality � 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 KeithR1747V Title A name given to the resource Keith, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Robert Keith was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1926. He grew up in Grand Rapids and in August 1944 he enlisted in the Army Air Force, almost a month before his eighteenth birthday. He reported for duty on March 1, 1945 and was processed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He was sent to Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi for basic training and then a technical school where he learned how to be an aircraft mechanic. His time there ended in September 1945 and he was sent to Langley Field, Virginia for two months. In November 1945 he was sent over to Germany where he was stationed at Landsberg Air Base near Munich doing engine changes on a variety of aircraft, but the major focus was on the C-47 transport plane. His time in Germany ended in September 1946. He returned to the United States and was discharged in October 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Keith, Robert Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Air Forces Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-04-22 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c8d7bc1e9b559642765329dbbca36e14.mp4 f09d8774c5b52e8dee4540943b38ac5e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7e21c315e611d5d30274fdb24ab921f2.pdf e5a76fd0e0733e138271130bcbd3c11b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Ben Jerzyk Vietnam War 40 minutes 41 seconds (00:00:32) Early Life -Born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on October 6, 1945 -His father was serving in the military at the Soo Locks -His mother was eighteen or nineteen when he was born -His father was on deployment in the South Pacific when he was born -His father was from Chicago and his mother was from Canada -They were married in Canada in 1944 -He is the first and oldest child of the family -He had seven other siblings (six brothers and one sister) -His youngest sibling was born in 1968 while he was in Vietnam (00:03:02) Education -He graduated from Marquette High School in the Upper Peninsula (of Michigan) in 1963 -He attended Northern Michigan University for one year -After that he went down to Menominee, Michigan where his parents were living -Parents couldn’t afford to send multiple children to school at the same time -Went to school on a rotational pattern of school one year, work for one year -He attended Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan -He went to Battle Creek, Michigan for a six month course for physical therapy -This was from January 1967 to June 1967 (00:03:58) Getting Drafted -He was drafted at the end of June 1967 after completing the physical therapy course -From Battle Creek, Michigan he was bussed to Fort Knox, Kentucky -There he was processed into the Army -From Fort Knox he was bussed to Cincinnati, Ohio -From Cincinnati he was flown to Fort Sam Houston, Texas -He was a conscientious object due to being a Seventh Day Adventist -This led to his placement into the medic training program (00:04:52) Medic Training -He was placed into the HUMMRO: Human Military Medical Resource Organization -His training was basic and advanced infantry training combined into one long training session -His class was the first to use electronic education as a means of teaching course material -He and the other recruits would be brought into a room and watched instructional tapes -He also received hands on medical training as well -How to properly apply bandages and give shots -His training class had a total of eighty recruits -Seventy eight of them went to Vietnam -Two brothers were sent to be stationed in South Korea (00:06:05) Deployment to Vietnam -He was deployed to Vietnam in mid-December of 1967 right before Christmas �-Wound up spending Christmas in Vietnam -He was assigned to the 133rd Medical Detachment Company -Worked with two transportation battalions -They had two doctors, a pharmacist, ambulance drivers and other medics on staff -His job was to give patients a preliminary medical screening before being sent to doctor -Check their temperature, blood pressure and other rudimentary conditions -Never ran into any severe illnesses or injuries -He was stationed at a place called Cat Lai -It was on old French military base from the 1950s -Located north of Saigon and south of Bien Hoa -His unit also had access to ambulances and medevac helicopters (00:07:40) Enemy Contact -The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces stayed away due to the high amount of U.S. troops -At night the Vietnamese would fire six to ten mortars at their base -Afterwards they would immediately retreat -They never consistently damaged anything -A few buildings were damaged once in an attack -He felt fairly safe where he was stationed -Never had to go out into the battlefield (00:08:10) Downtime -He met some soldiers that he befriended and would spend off duty time with them -During downtime there were a variety of things to do -He would play ping pong -The base had a swimming pool and a movie theatre -There was a chapel that soldiers could attend on Sunday -Some days it didn’t even really seem like you were in a warzone -During the day he would never hear any signs of combat (00:08:54) Tet Offensive -During the Tet Offensive in early 1968 the base was mortared every other night -During the Tet Offensive the medical tent and dispensary were hit by mortar fire -He was advised to stay in one spot and make himself as small as possible -Minimized the chance of getting hit while running for cover -Just had to hope that a shell didn’t land close to him, or directly hit him (00:10:17) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -He feels that his two years of military service was an overall good experience -He didn’t want to make it his career, just fulfill his obligation -Advises that any young person that doesn’t have any direction in life to join the military -He enjoyed his time in the Army (00:10:57) Fort Carson, Colorado -His last five months of service were spent at Fort Carson, Colorado -While there he got to see Pike’s Peak -He was there when former President Eisenhower died (March 28, 1969) -Remembers that all the flags were lowered to half staff -Relatively close to the Air Force Academy headquarters there which he found interesting (00:11:22) Training in Saigon -While he was in Vietnam he got to go to Saigon for further medical training �-His education in physical therapy allowed for him to go to the 3rd Field Hospital -He received further physical therapy training there (00:11:38) Medical Career -When he was at Fort Carson he was allowed to go to Denver for further medical training -Went to Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center in Denver for physical therapy training -After the Army he wound up not going into physical therapy as his career field -He went on to become a radiology technician -He had always had an interest in the medical field -He had originally wanted to go into nursing after serving -Kellogg Community College didn’t have any openings so he went into radiology -He wound up having a career as a radiology technician for thirty five years (00:13:15) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -He wouldn’t have enlisted in the Army if he hadn’t been drafted -This is because if he had enlisted he was worried he would have been in a combat role -Due to his religious beliefs that would not have set well with him -Proud and willing to have served his country -He was among a lot of other conscientious objectors in Vietnam -He just had a total aversion to killing, or causing harm to, anyone (00:16:45) Travelling in the Army -When he flew from Cincinnati to Fort Sam Houston he got plane sick -First time that he had ever been on a plane -When he flew over to Vietnam the jet stopped in Hawaii -He remembers that the airport they stopped at had beautiful natural décor -The flight to and from Vietnam was fairly uneventful -When he returned home he was allowed to bring a little less than 400 pounds of souvenirs -He had bought a high end stereo and music, so he brought that home with him (00:19:52) Arrival in Vietnam -His first thought upon arriving in Vietnam was that it was warm -He met a soldier from Battle Creek, Michigan his first day in country -After arriving he had to wait two days to receive his assignment -After receiving those orders he was transported to Cat Lai by jeep (00:21:12) Life at Cat Lai -In Cat Lai they were next to the Saigon River -Transportation battalions would unload barges at Cat Lai -Used Vietnamese and Filipino workers to do the supply handling -American soldiers would oversee the workers -His main job was to aid U.S. troops who got sick, or injured at Cat Lai -Never ran into anything too severe -Gave him a chance to do physical therapy -Feels fortunate to have been at a place where nothing extreme happened -He slept in a tent for medical personnel, but the base did have barracks -He doesn’t recall any American soldiers getting killed while he was at Cat Lai -A few men received minor shrapnel wounds during the mortar attacks -Three or four foreign workers on a barge were killed during the Tet Offensive -Distinctly remembers the smell of the bodies after being pulled from the water �(00:27:44) Medical Work at Cat Lai -He administered a fair amount of penicillin shots during his time there -U.S. soldiers would fraternize with local women and contract diseases -His main function as a medic was to carry out basic processing -Collected information from soldiers who came in requesting aid -After that ran a preliminary check up on them (temperature, blood pressure) -Medical facility that he worked at would close by about 8 PM -They were able to react quickly at any time if they were urgently needed though (00:29:26) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -He has good memories of his two years of service -He feels that being older helped him cope better with being in the Army -Knew how to respect superiors and be disciplined -Understood why the war was being fought (00:31:23) Coming Home and Readjusting -Readjusting to civilian life was very easy for him -When he came home from Vietnam he was allowed two weeks to visit his family -After that he went to Fort Carson, Colorado for five months -He had no problems with PTSD upon coming home -Attributes that to not being in the field and witnessing combat -He never experienced any harassment from people who were anti-war -On the contrary he was actually routinely thanked for his military service (00:33:10) Reflections on Service Pt. 3 -Looking back he isn’t happy about how American leadership allowed for the war to turn out -Tries to remind himself that there’s nothing to be done about those decisions now -Glad that he was able to serve his country -Feels that most who served are happy to have done their part -He feels that his service enforced having a good work ethic, being disciplined and ambitious -He also attributes his time in the Army to furthering his interest in medicine -He feels extremely lucky to have made it through psychologically and physically unharmed � 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 JerzykB1630V Title A name given to the resource Jerzyk, Benjamin (Interview outline and video), 2014 Description An account of the resource Ben Jerzyk born in 1945 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He was the oldest of eight other children and his father was a World War Two veteran. He attended college and trained as a physical therapist and was drafted into the Army in June 1967. He trained as a medic at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He was deployed to Vietnam in mid-December of 1967 and was stationed at Cat Lai with the 133rd Medical Detachment Company. He spent eleven months in Vietnam during which time he lived through the Tet Offensive in early 1968. After returning home from Vietnam he completed his service at Fort Carson, Colorado in early 1969. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jerzyk, Benjamin Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jerzyk, Isabel (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 Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-05-22 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f570b9fbe195a804d4d0adf76700688b.mp4 44e73035134f2e42f3b4c6c37a416d14 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5b0bf48f326d2e41ad987f0807f7df36.pdf 50534eee3c0f9ce20c96703293bbbd30 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Mort Hoffman World War II 51 minutes 18 seconds (00:00:31) Early Life -Born in Rochester, New York -Most likely in 1926 -Grew up in Rochester -Attended George Washington High School and Ben Franklin High School -Graduated from high school in June 1944 (00:01:05) Enlisting in the Navy -He enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school -Sent to Naval Training Station Sampson, New York -A lot of his high school friends joined the Navy at the same time that he did -Had been in the New York National Guard from 1942-1944 -Got sick of being a foot soldier -There was also a patriotic duty to serve one’s country during World War II -He felt a personal duty to help stop the spread of fascism due to his parents’ heritage -Mother had been born in Ukraine -Father had been born in Belarus -Father had served in the Russian Army in WWI -Moved to the United States after the war (00:04:47) Deployment -Sent to Camp Parks, California to receive his overseas assignment -He was given a week leave home before being deployed -Upon returning from leave he wound up in a naval hospital due to a severe fever -His original unit was shipped out to the Marianas Islands at this time -He was reassigned to another unit and deployed with them -On December 7, 1944 he was aboard the SS Carl Schurz bound for the Aleutian Islands (00:06:10) New York National Guard -In the National Guard as a high school student -Only had to be sixteen years old to be in the National Guard -He received Army basic training -Drills and marching -Would go to Camp Smith near Peekskill, New York for maneuvers -Several of his friends were in the National Guard as well -Helped prepare him for when he enlisted in the Navy (00:07:29) Basic Training and Assignment to the Seabees -Basic training lasted twelve weeks -Basic training consisted of a lot of marching -Went out for drills on Lake Geneva -He was in good shape during basic training -There was an emphasis on discipline and following orders �-Wasn’t too difficult for him to adjust -There were 144 men in his barracks -He was not allowed to leave the base during the twelve weeks of basic training -Parents were allowed to visit him after four weeks though -He had worked for an auto parts store in high school -He had experience with putting things together which led to assignment to the Seabees (00:10:00) The Seabees -The Seabees had been established in 1942 -Navy’s version of the Army Corps of Engineers -Duty of the Seabees was to do construction work -Building docks and airstrips -Destroying enemy coastal defenses (00:10:52) Stationed on Adak -Constructed a spare parts depot for vehicles on base -He was part of the 114th Naval Construction Battalion -He had been assigned to the Navy side of Adak Island -Maintaining refrigeration units for the mess hall and the medical facilities -His unit finished a landing strip in only nine days -The men in his unit got along together well and did their work well -Primary duty was to maintain construction vehicles for the construction of that air strip -In early 1945 he was reassigned to the Marine camp on Adak Island -Trained with the Marines -Carried the twenty pound Browning Automatic Rifle -Went on marches with them across the tundra -It got down to -55oF one night while they were bivouacking -There was a fleet assembled to prepare for the planned invasion of Japan -British ships, Canadian ships, and Russians ships were assembled there -NOTE: The Russians did not declare war on Japan until August 9, 1945 -The planned invasion was cancelled after the atomic bombs were dropped -The rest of his time was spent doing maintenance work (00:15:33) Coming Home Pt. 1 -In early July 1946 they flew back to the continental United States -Landed at Seattle, Washington then took a train to Lido Beach, Long Island, New York -There was an attempt for the men to reenlist -He declined (00:16:53) Living Conditions on the Aleutian Islands Pt. 1 -They lived in Quonset huts -The snow could get up to nine feet high -There was a major snow storm that was the result of a typhoon near Hawaii -During that time you were not allowed to walk anywhere without another sailor -There were ropes strung between the buildings -Both of these things were to avoid anyone getting lost during the storm -This storm had 107MPH winds -They had “foul weather gear” -Heavy, fur lined, insulated jackets that the soldiers envied -Some soldiers would trade their beer ration for a coat �(00:19:11) Downtime on the Aleutian Islands -The normal shift was eight hours and everything after that was downtime -There was a movie theatre that they could go to -There was a beer hall -There was a recreation center -Had pool tables, shuffleboard, etc. -A lot of downtime was spent sleeping -There was no alcohol abuse that he was aware of -Used downtime to write letters home every day -His parents would send him corned beef, cookies, and cake sealed in cans -It was far better than the processed meat and powdered eggs they were served (00:21:17) Contact with other Military Forces -He met Russian, Canadian, and British troops -The Russians could speak a little English and he could speak a little Russian -This was because of his parents’ heritage -Found that it was actually harder to communicate with the English due to their accent (00:22:11) Living Conditions on the Aleutian Islands Pt. 2 -There were sixteen men to one Quonset hut -Also could sleep in an insulated tent -They would keep their food in a box in the ground as a sort of improvised refrigerator -Also allowed to cook their own food on an oil stove (00:23:18) Contact with Friends after the War -He had a lot of friends while he was in the Navy -He still maintains contact with some of them -There has never been a formal reunion for his unit though (00:24:45) Life after the War Pt. 1 -He went to Des Moines, Iowa for college at Drake University -Started college in January 1947 -He joined the American Veterans (AMVETS) -His roommate had been in the Army and had landed at Sicily and Anzio, Italy -He and his wife visited Anzio after the war -He met a man that knew a man that Mort worked with in Grand Rapids -He saw the American cemetery that had been established at Anzio -Now works as a civilian contractor for the Navy -He worked for Wolverine-Hushpuppies Shoe Company -Opened 128 specialty stores around the country -Worked with foreign distributors -Established a store for the company in downtown Charleston, South Carolina -He set up locations for the Navy -Due to his job he has gotten to travel around the United States and around the world -He has been to Japan three times, Italy two times, and Spain one time (00:30:24) Morale -The morale was good in his unit -Everyone knew they had a job to do and did it -There was only one casualty in his unit -Man killed himself after learning that his first wife knew about his second wife �(00:32:08) Indigenous People and Animals -The only other living things on Adak were foxes and some trappers -There was also salmon and king crab that they could go fishing for (00:32:39) Revisiting the Aleutian Islands -He has since gone back to Kodiak Island -He tried to return to Adak but it has since been returned to the Native Americans -It is also basically inaccessible (00:34:00) Famous People -He saw President Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt when he was in the Navy -Got to see actor Don Ameche -Saw Phil Spitalny and His All Girl Orchestra -He had gone to high school with one of the girls -Got to go to dinner with them -Saw actor Tyrone Power (00:34:56) Logistics -There were a few thousand men on Adak -Ships would come in periodically to deliver supplies and refuel -There was an Army Air Base nearby and planes would fly patrols from there (00:35:50) Life after the War Pt. 2 -The summer of 1946 he worked for a local gas and electric company doing construction -He attended Drake University because some friends were going there and it wasn’t crowded -He majored in marketing and accounting -Worked for the Edison Brothers’ Shoe Company -From there he went to work for Utica Shoes and became the manager -Worked there for ten years -Worked on his master’s degree but didn’t complete it -GI Bill took care of that -Moved to St. Louis in 1958 and got married there -He worked for another shoe company in St. Louis -It was strange to go from being the one taking orders to being a manager (00:41:14) Veteran Group Involvement -He joined the AMVETS -Eventually became a post commander -Still receives their newsletter -He has attended AMVETS conventions in Iowa, St. Louis, and Grand Rapids (00:42:38) Life after the War Pt. 3 -He has one daughter -Moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1976 and got the job with Hush Puppies (00:42:58) Reflections on Service -Taught him about camaraderie -Always thought positively about their contribution to the war effort -It was difficult to visit Japan the first time after the war in light of their war crimes -Taught him people skills -Learned how to get along with a lot of different types of people -Taught him teamwork -Learned that sometimes some jobs can’t be done by just one man �-He did face discrimination due to being Jewish -Some men beat him up solely for being Jewish -Just tried to ignore the people like that -Otherwise he and the non-Jewish soldiers got along and took care of each other -There were three Navajo Native American soldiers in his unit -They faced some discrimination as well -Remembers that one wasn’t allowed to go home for his parents’ funerals -Felt that it was a worthwhile experience and is grateful that he came through it okay -Reflects on the men that didn’t make it, especially some of his friends that didn’t make 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 HoffmanM1755V Title A name given to the resource Hoffman, Mort (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Mort Hoffman was born in Rochester, New York in 1926. He grew up in Rochester and graduated in June 1944. From 1942-1944 he was in the New York National Guard and after graduating from high school decided to enlist in the Navy. He trained at Naval Training Station Sampson, New York and was deployed out of Camp Parks, California. He was sent up to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and served on the island of Adak with the 114th Naval Construction Battalion, helping to maintain vehicles and equipment as well as take part in construction projects. He stayed on the Aleutian Islands from December 1944 to July 1946, and was discharged shortly after his return. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hoffman, Mort Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Moore, Deb (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. National Guard United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-04 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2492be08e25e71838d4eb3d7164feff7.mp4 5d9dd03d262e78f8368d974d31c2e41c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5e74f02e0d3681757e81254ffe721d7f.pdf 7b179babdf1b7d1e8033cdaf33c9dd14 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Vietnam War James Heyn 94 minutes (00:00:15) Pre-Enlistment         Born in St. Joseph, Michigan, raised near downtown o Never allowed a gun as a kid, was a pacifist as a kid o Wasn’t exactly proud to be German after World War II Worked at a toy store from 12-16 as a stock boy Lived a great, quiet childhood, pretty independent child Father was an accountant, Mother was a housekeeper o Mother took in laundry, ironing, and raised a few additional kids Finished high school in June 1965 Got a job from the father of one of the children his mother looked after, worked as stock boy for Heath Company until he got drafted Christmas Eve 1965 Didn’t know a whole lot about Vietnam at the time, knew what was on TV Being a pacifist, James was intimidated, but duty called (00:04:00) Basic Training      Reported to local YMCA, James was transported to Detroit, where he got to see his first strip show o Got a physical here and was inducted into the Army o Walked on Windsor Bridge and contemplated being a conscientious observer, decided against it o Only saw a few people go back home Boarded a train to St. Louis, took a caravan to Ft. Leonard Wood, MO o Processed in and got shots in 107 degree weather Went from here to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, home of the 101st Airborne Division James’ group was the first basic training at the base o They were housed in barracks from World War II, had to be refurbished and repainted, this took up most of the first week of training o All other Basic Training bases were probably full at this point o Many of James’ group from St. Joseph had dispersed at Ft. Leonard Wood Basic training was regular routine, got gassed o James was sitting in a field and saw a troop jumping out of an airplane, whose parachute didn’t open, first eye-opening experience of what was to come o James was a skinny kid, was in fantastic shape after basic training o Often ran from five in the morning to ten at night � o o o o One of the troops was a senator’s kid, complained and got it shortened to nine at night Overall James found it pretty tough, knew it was going to help in the field Discipline was heavily emphasized, many officers were Vietnam vets  People who messed up got sent home, 3-5 didn’t make it  Only occasional minor misconducts, discipline was pushups, dry shaving Adjusting to life in the Army was pretty easy because of the discipline Basic Training lasted about 11 weeks including finishing the barracks (00:14:15) Aviation School         Finished Basic Training in September, sent to Ft. Rucker, Alabama o Father was very crafty, James had knowledge with tools and mechanics, aptitude test sent him to basic aviation school Basic Aviation school was basic aircraft maintenance, how planes fly, engines, general aviation knowledge o About 80% classroom learning, 20% hands on Had much better housing here, much more learning, less Physical Training, college atmosphere o Was good friends with his roommate, enjoyed the school o Ran into singer-songwriter Bobby Goldsboro at the Dauphine Airport Spent five weeks here, Moved on to Light Observation Helicopter school o Operated Hiller OH1 and Bell helicopters for five weeks o Learned much more about helicopter operations and maintenance Moved to Light Utility Helicopter School o Was trained using a CH34 Choctaw, an old Korean War model Graduated, went home for Christmas, was called to Ft. Carson, Colorado in 1967 Noticed the southern hospitality, had a friend from Atlanta he would go home with No racial animosity among troops, Didn’t really see a racial divide in the area but didn’t spend much time off base (00:22:50) 92nd Infantry Division [check bio sheet or interview for correct unit]   Was called to the newly revived 92nd Infantry Division o Only a few people there when James arrives, first month or so is light on duties, keeping barracks clean, building the unit o Had built up enough people around March to start training, got new UH1H helicopters  Equipped with homing rockets and better engines Most training was taking apart, maintaining, and learning about the new helicopters, test flights and training the brand new pilots o Pilots were officers and warrant officers o James had never touched a helicopter during aviation training, team received training from representatives from the manufacturers o New Helicopters were about $250,000 a piece �      The helicopters the men were assigned here they took into Vietnam James chopper was called to respond to reports of smoke, found a downed helicopter that had hit a wire, everyone on board was killed o First time James had seen bodies up close Most helicopter teams were made up of: o A crew chief who was also a gunner o A gunner, who took care of armaments, o A pilot and copilot o Could carry 11 soldiers or up to 20 Vietnamese Trained with combat troops o Practiced insertions and extractions, flight training o Had a very close call with a low flying jet Only a few accidents during training Had officers who had flown helicopters in Vietnam (00:31:20) Deployment to Vietnam      Went from Colorado to Albuquerque, NM, to a small base in Arizona, flew across the Painted Desert, flew down middle of the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, then to Stockton, CA, where he went on leave for a short time, which was cut short James and many other people hitchhiked north to Vale and to Colorado, he hitchhiked to San Francisco during Halloween o Encountered many hippies, Grateful Dead and John Lennon were performing o Was pulled into grand opening of an artist’s studio o Tried to look as common, non-Army as they could, never wore uniform Helicopters were loaded onto the USS Kula Gulf, an aircraft carrier with wooden decks, a merchant marine from World War II o James and a friend built a kite that flew the whole journey to Vietnam o Did not make any stops along the way o Everybody had a duty, James was put on Kitchen Patrol duty (KP) o James enjoyed the trip, got to read a lot o Ship skirted a typhoon, one soldier was seasick the entire trip, weather was pretty good otherwise o Slept in three tier bunks, only a couple feet between tiers Sailed into Vũng Tàu, the R&R center in Vietnam, in middle of November, flew to 10th Aviation Battalion in Dong Ba Thin o Was only helicopter unit here o Had to fill sandbags and build bunkers for first week o Was a pretty safe area James felt sorry for the people, first time he had seen those in a third world country, was a rude awakening, felt compassion for them, felt the Vietnamese were decent people o Had a couple dozen Vietnamese working for them, did laundry, cleaned living quarters and latrines �         Had just over 200 men in his company, most enlisted men stayed together after training Started doing flight missions after Thanksgiving o First mission was Dusk Patrol, simple patrol mission, one of the pilots had flown his helicopter into the ground, killing four men  James was crew chief in the command helicopter for this mission Many of his unit’s missions were “taxi” missions, escorting and supporting ground forces, moving personnel around from base to base Operated all over II Corps area, and in Cambodia where US involvement would be disavowed if they were shot down Only occasionally would do combat insertions, and even then only part of the company Performed a rescue mission, helping some Vietnamese soldiers evacuate the area, had to hover in one spot for about half an hour while people are hauled up, took about 3-4 minutes per person To his knowledge, James never came under fire in his time in Vietnam Life at the base was pretty good, had latrines and hot showers, could go to Cam Ranh Bay to get lobster or a hamburger Spent up to 5-6 hours a day flying (00:55:50) Tet Offensive        Woke up to mortar fire on early morning January 31, two saboteurs had snuck through the Korean perimeter and rigged helicopters to explode with satchel charges o Watched a mortar round hit a fuel dump across Cam Ranh Bay, spectacular explosion o Watchmen who fell asleep were locked in a metal box with no windows, one was killed Troop organized a grid of men and swept the base, lost three aircraft total, James’ was in maintenance James’ team was chosen to fly the II Corps commander around Vietnam to see all the damages of the Tet Offensive, visited every base that was hit, this lasted a week to ten days o Went to Saigon and stayed a few days, not too much action going on o Saw serious damage all over, worst was at Khe Sanh, only stayed two or three hours, watched the intense gunfight like a movie After this mission, went on a mission called Klamath Falls, supported the forward base at Bau Lach, drove a truck of supplies through Vietnam escorted by helicopters along very narrow roads, was not attacked James often had to eat fast during the monsoon season, before his food washed out of his tray James helped build Bau Lach from scratch before the Tet Offensive Continued to fly all over Vietnam, performing all types of missions, got much busier in after the Tet Offensive �o      Was in a helicopter that got its tail rotor shot out, had to perform a landing at 60 knots, everyone on board was fine Participated in direct support of the 101st Airborne Division, flew convoy cover for the 1st Calvary Division, supported different areas of operation all over Vietnam Decided he wanted to go home in June, gave up his helicopter to become a truck driver in Dong Ba Thin, drove supplies and Vietnamese workers James’ weapon of issue in Vietnam was a Smith and Wesson revolver, one of his friends bought a Western style holster and ended up shooting himself in the leg Smooth sailing as a truck driver, flew from Cam Ranh Bay to Tokyo, then to Seattle, WA, and from there back home to St. Joseph, MI Vietnam becomes a distant memory for more than thirty years (01:17:36) Cambodia         Supported Montagnards in the Laos/Cambodia Mountains o People were primitive but sincere Only flew 8-10 missions there, usually quick missions to drop in special forces to observe enemy movements there, did decoy drops to cover their tracks Saved a group of guys who had been dropped off next a Viet Cong force on Christmas Impression of Koreans in Vietnam was short, stocky, and beat each other up just for fun, they thought some were crazy Deployed from the States with troops that had only a month left in their enlistment Morale of the troops was generally pretty high, sustained 22 casualties and a few injuries There were soldiers who partied and drank, but most seemed to be focused on keeping helicopters in tip top shape, No units ever failed to show, performance level was always high James and a friend designed the patch for the 92nd Airborne Division [?] (01:25:00) Going Home      James was warned of the antiwar sentiments, flew home in uniform, didn’t have any trouble but took it off right away, didn’t think about since Classifies himself as a reluctant veteran, he opposed the war Had saved some money in the service, went back to work for Heath Company when he got home Ended up going into maintenance, dabbled in sales, became an entrepreneur and made his own photography business Discovered a website about his unit that brought all his memories back, started connecting with the men in his unit, attended a reunion � 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 HeynJ1908V Title A name given to the resource Heyn, James (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource James Heyn was born in St. Joseph, MI and lived a quiet, independent life. He was largely a pacifist before he was drafted in 1965, but reluctantly accepted his duty to his country. James was in the first group of soldiers to attend basic training in Ft. Campbell, KY. He then attended Aviation school in Ft. Rucker, AL, and upon graduating was assigned to the newly reformed 92nd Assault Helicopter Company. James was then deployed to Vietnam, where he operated with the 10th Aviation Battalion in Dong Ba Thin. He operated all over II Corps before the Tet Offensive, including a few operations in Cambodia and building the base at Bau Lach from scratch. James survived a sabotage attempt during the Tet Offensive, and flew the II Corps commander to survey the damages after the first night. He even stopped in Khe Sanh during the bloody siege. Continued to support units all over Vietnam until he gave up his helicopter so he could return home. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Heyn, James Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-12-08 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/05c41a13688eb876f21ce551622cdf1b.mp4 0db98a40995e0ecbf78e7bf1db5699c3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c2912642af7da1d4cb9f4de9fd54d3de.pdf 48b36e1da3043621fc7ed9bbdc587132 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Vietnam War Edwin Heiden (2015) 105 Minutes (00:00:20) Pre-Enlistment       Born in Benton Harbor, Michigan in March 1947 Raised in St. Joseph, Michigan Mother was a homemaker, father worked for Whirlpool corporation as a tool and die maker Graduated High School in 1965, went to work for Whirlpool on the assembly line Debated college, wasn’t a priority, wanted to see the world Had a friend who enlisted in the Marine Corp, eventually convinced him to join the Marines (00:04:45) Training              Signed up with a Marine recruiter in February, went to Detroit for a physical exam Eventually bussed to Chicago and then flown to San Diego and transported to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, showed up around midnight Edwin’s friend had warned him somewhat about the drill instructors, advised him to just to what he was told First few days were mostly shock and awe for the recruits, drill sergeants establishing control, breaking down the recruits Training was intense, recruits ran pretty much everywhere, lasted 8-10 weeks All gear was Marine Corps issued, Edwin was issued a standard M14 rifle Training was the process of breaking down civilians into marines Recruits did Physical Training every day, Edwin was in fairly good shape, some tasks still proved difficult for him Classroom work entailed Marine Corps History, weapon functions and maintenance Almost all of Edwin’s instructors had experience in Vietnam, focused a lot on team tactics and working together, didn’t mention Vietnam all that much Mistakes were paid for with more PT or verbal abuse, doing it until they got it right Two individuals from Edwin’s platoon were moved to Correctional Custody, where they were treated more harshly, made to carry sledgehammers as rifles and a steel pot for a helmet Adjusting to the Marine life wasn’t too hard for Edwin, he played sports in high school and was used to firm discipline for his father (00:21:20) Advanced Training �        After graduation, Edwin is transferred to Camp Pendleton, California to the Infantry Training Regiment, short 2-3 week infantry training course Trained on different weapons, M60, Rocket Launchers, combat tactics Trained to be a mechanic at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 4-5 week course consisting of operating, maintaining, and repairing vehicles, much more relaxed than earlier training, all classroom and hands on learning Transferred further east in North Carolina to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing as a truck mechanic and jeep driver, shuttled pilots and luggage from planes to quarters Wasn’t sure if he was actually going to Vietnam at this point, thought he would be here for a while, had been here for about a year and was getting impatient, Eventually volunteered to go as reinforcement Spent quite a bit of time in the town off base and on the beach Marines were treated pretty well by the locals as long as they behaved In the military, racial divides were minimal, taught in boot camp that “We are all green” (00:32:30) Deployment            Received a twenty day leave before deployment, visited his family Anti-war and Anti-soldier sentiments weren’t really on his radar, people kept their distance while he was in uniform, no open hostility though Sent back to Camp Pendleton for Staging Battalion training, three weeks which consisted of combat simulations in a simulated enemy village, taught to look out for booby traps Taught Edwin about Escape and Evasion, escaping the enemy if caught and avoiding capture while surviving in the jungle Flew to Hawai’i from Travis Air Force Base on a civilian jet, and then to Da Nang Landed in Da Nang at night, rainy and muggy conditions Assigned to 3rd Motor Transport Battalion after a day or two Took a Marine Logistics flight to Phu Bai, driven from there to his new unit Assigned to Charlie Company, home of the “Rough Riders” Initially just performs miscellaneous repair work, soon offers himself as a truck driver, Assigned to a convoy going to Da Nang, does this for the first few months, driving all over Vietnam o Before the Tet Offensive, this duty was fairly quiet, many of Edwin’s comrades were wondering where the enemy was Was transferred to the 3rd Medical Battalion in the middle of January, was transporting injured children in Hue City a few days before it was attacked, closest Edwin came to real danger before the Tet Offensive (00:49:50) Tet Offensive  There was a South Vietnamese Army boot camp just outside of Phu Bai, recruits started leaving to go celebrate the Lunar New Year, found out later the Viet Cong were replacing them �       Took wounded marines off of helicopters from Hue City into the triage, civilians trying to get out caused minor traffic jam Base was shelled periodically before this, but the wounds and casualties coming in from Hue City really drove home that this was war Troops and tanks had to be transported by river because the Viet Cong had blown up bridges and mined the roads Edwin helped with the wounded and identified bodies up through March, the commander of his division, the 3rd Marine, was killed over Hue City o The flow of injured was so great that marines were being treated in the parking lot of the triage o Edwin turned 21 during this time The Tet Offensive changed the whole atmosphere of operations, soldiers were wary of trusting any Vietnamese after Hue City The South Vietnamese had their own hospital, but it lacked many of the facilities of the US military’s, so Edwin treated many Vietnamese casualties as well Edwin traveled through Hue City in April while moving the 3rd Marine Division, he was awed at all the destruction, Citadel was destroyed, Windows and doors of the University were blown out (00:57:39) After the Tet Offensive             3rd Marine Division is moved North to Quang Tri, life here is much different, Troops were living in tents Vietnamese women were paid to help fill sand bags, sand bags were faulty and would often leak or burst Diet was rationed and worked from sunup to sundown Bunkers could not be dug without hitting water, so they had to be built above ground Troops surrounded each tent with blast walls, set up a maze to offer protection from rocket attacks, which happened 2-3 times Eventually got a hospital up and running, nearby bases handled casualties while the 3rd Marine built their base, used inflatable structures called MUST units as surgical tents Supply building and hospital were finished by the time Edwin left A CH-46 helicopter landed at Edwin’s base after being shot up pretty badly, Chunks of the propeller blades were missing, the helicopter could no longer fly and yet the pilot landed it safely Witnessed an incoming AC-130 crash on the runway and erupt in a ball of flame Edwin Developed plantar warts due to the wet and dirty conditions in Quang Tri, sent to Da Nang to have them removed, stayed at China Beach for an extra day for small R&R Took a five day R&R in Japan, was going to go to Tokyo but protests over the war forced him to back out, stayed with a small group of soldiers in a mountain lake resort near Mt. Fuji, took the train to Yokosuka, canceled a trip to Mt. Fuji due to weather and tried sake instead 3rd Medical Battalion had pretty good morale, Edwin was overall very impressed and very happy with the officers and surgeons �    Once brought in a soldier whose arms and legs had been blown off by a dropped grenade, could only be picked up by his flak jacket, the blast had been so intense that it cauterized his arteries and the surgeon stopped the rest of the bleeding, the soldier was conscious for the entire surgery, actually talked to the surgeon Drug use wasn’t prevalent around Edwin, soldiers stayed too busy, got two beers a day, spent most of their free time writing letters Edwin dealt mostly with Vietnamese women, enjoyed working with them, communicated fairly well, he was struck by how poor they were and the awful conditions they lived in Five people from Edwin’s high school enlisted and went to training at different times, ended up serving in Vietnam at the same time, they set up a location network through their parents and Edwin got to visit all of them at some point, all of them survived and made it back (01:20:48) Getting Out      Edwin thought about extending his tour as a sergeant, but his experiences in the medical battalion helped him decide he was ready to go home Flew from Da Nang to Okinawa and got caught up on his shots and got a physical, stayed a few days and then flew to San Francisco, from there to Chicago and then to Michigan Still had five months left in his enlistment, assigned to 5th Marine Division in CA, taught marines how drive trucks properly, ended up being let out 30 days early Returned to work for Whirlpool for a short time and signed up for the GI Bill, then enrolled in Lake Michigan College, attended for two years majoring in political science, then went with a friend to Western Michigan University for two years, graduated in 1972 Looked for a job for a while, did some odd jobs, went back to Whirlpool, got married in this time (01:28:48) Serving as an Officer        Eventually signed up for Officer Candidate School in 1973, moved to Quantico, Virginia Was like Marine boot camp but much tougher and at a higher level, stressed the heightened responsibility of an officer Also went to Basic School, more about combat tactics, leadership, weaponry Trained with many prior enlisted men, this training was very valuable to Edwin in OCS, Hardest mental and physical work for Edwin Graduates after about six months, assigned as an Infantry Platoon Commander, sent to Camp Lejeune and assigned to 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines Rifle Platoon, mostly administrative work, four of his men were in the brig and two were missing Edwin was also in charge of a motor pool, had his hands full Led his troop in desert warfare training for a month, practiced simulated combat scenarios �     Edwin’s unit was part of special mission force as defense line security for the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, troops would do PT and watch ships come and go from the harbor, this was a six-month tour of duty, Edwin was a First Lieutenant Once received a call about a fence jumper who was stuck, he responded and pulled him down to the US side of the fence, it turned out the man was probably escaping a prison in Cuba, and Cuban officials were claiming that Edwin had kidnapped one of their civilians Edwin was transferred to the 3rd Marines in Camp Lejeune, oversaw the motor pool there The war was over and Edwin figured his service was done so he left when the opportunity arose, worked for Coca-Cola in North Carolina for a time before eventually moving back to St. Joseph, Michigan The Marine Corps changed Edwin’s life, taught him discipline, attention to detail, the brevity of life, and gave his life direction when he really had none � 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 HeidenE1017V Title A name given to the resource Heiden, Edwin Franklyn Jr (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Edwin Heiden was born and raised in St. Joseph, MI in March 1947. He graduated high school in 1965 and joined the Marine Corps shortly thereafter. Edwin adapted to Marine life well and became a mechanic. He was deployed to Vietnam as reinforcement for the 3rd Motor Transport Battalion in Phu Bai, operating mostly as a truck driver. He was soon transferred to the 3rd Medical Battalion, where he served during the Tet Offensive, helping transport and care for the wounded coming from Hue City. His unit then moved north to Quang Tri where he helped construct a new base. Edwin then returned home to finish his enlistment by teaching marines to drive trucks in California. He then left the military for a short time to attend college and get married, before returning to the service through Officer Candidate School. Edwin became an Infantry Platoon Commander and led a unit operating at Guantanamo Bay. Edwin left the service again soon after this and moved back home to Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Heiden, Edwin Franklyn Jr. 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. Marine Corps Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-12-08 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d1874c1ee8baadb841d6b34d4c7c679c.mp4 ab94336b4b49478ffde2430e740aa1b2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4e0c6cf12d36ddd15aac5d9ade653d38.pdf 641992afeee644d10103864e0dcf5775 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Robert Frederiksen World War II 41 minutes 50 seconds (00:00:45) Early Life -Born on October 29, 1925 in West Point, New York -Father was in the West Point Band -Sister was also born at West Point -Father had a stroke when he was 29 years old and was discharged -Family moved to Michigan -Had a wonderful childhood -Grew up in Newaygo, Michigan (00:02:20) Start of World War II -He was a teenager when the United States entered the war -Heard the radio broadcast on December 7, 1941 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor -Everyone was shocked -Men from Newaygo enlisted in the armed forces after Pearl Harbor (00:03:16) Enlisting in the Army Air Force -Graduated from high school in 1944 -Enlisted in the Army Air Force on February 3, 1944 -Wanted to be a pilot -Didn't want to live in the elements as an infantryman (00:03:43) Transfer to Radio School Pt. 1 -Originally signed up as an Aviation Cadet, but the Army canceled the program -Offered his choice of Technical School -He selected Radio School (00:04:22) Basic Training Pt. 1 -Took basic training at Miami Beach, Florida -Stayed in a hotel that was taken over by the Army to serve as a temporary barracks -After drills he would go to the beach (00:05:18) Radio Training Pt. 1 -Sent to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for Radio School after he completed basic training (00:05:25) Progress of the War -Kept track of the progress of the war via radio -Confident that the Allies would win -Knew they had to win (00:05:54) Radio Training Pt. 2 -Learned about Morse code -Taught about radio maintenance (00:06:09) Gunnery School -Sent to Yuma, Arizona for Gunnery School Note: Most likely Yuma Army Air Field -Had to know how to fire the guns on the bombers -He trained mostly on the left and right waist gun positions (00:06:40) Overseas Training -At the completion of Gunnery School he knew he would be deployed �-Excited to go to war -Sent to Lincoln, Nebraska and was assigned to Overseas Training -Assigned to a bomber crew -Did Air to Ground Gunnery Training during Overseas Training -Shot at targets on the ground from the bomber -Also did Air to Air Gunnery Training -Shot at tow targets (targets towed by fighter planes) -First time meeting the bomber crew was during Overseas Training -Men from all over the United States -Got along with them right away -Like a family (00:08:38) Deployment to Pacific Theater -Sent to Salinas, California and boarded a troopship in California -Sailed to the island of Biak -Joined the 372nd Bombardment Squadron of the 307th Bombardment Group of the 13th Air Force -Note: Means he would have flown in a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber (00:09:15) Flying Missions Pt. 1 -Started flying missions out of Biak -First mission was against Japanese installations on Celebes (now Sulawesi, island of Indonesia) -Bombed Japanese structures and strafed enemy ships -No fighter escort -There were 12 to 36 bombers per mission -Successful first mission -Took a little antiaircraft fire on his first mission, but no fighter resistance -Remembers on one mission a 37mm shell went through the bottom of the plane -Grazed his back, passed through the top of the bomber and exploded -Had he been any closer it would have killed him -Flew missions almost every day -After missions they unwound by drinking beer and sleeping -As a radio operator he field a “strike report” after the bombers hit (or didn't hit) their targets -Letting command know if they hit the targets, and if so, how much damage they caused -He was the head radio operator for each flight which is why he filed the “strike report” -Never really thought about things in terms of the “big picture” -Just flew the missions until they didn't have to anymore -Got debriefed at the end of each mission -Each crewman was interviewed separately and then those reports were compared -Continued to hit targets in the South Pacific through the rest of 1944 and into 1945 -Advanced to Morotai in November 1944 -Moved to Leyte from Morotai then to Clark Field, Philippines in September 1945 (end of war) -Remembers seeing a lot of Japanese planes abandoned at Clark Field -Bombed Japanese installations in Borneo, Indonesia -Supporting the Australians as they liberated the island from Japanese occupation -On one mission they used up their entire fuel supply as soon as they got back to base -Had to be towed off the runway (00:15:53) Aftermath of Battles -Stopped in Guadalcanal -Saw the damage from the battle in 1942 and 1943 -Stopped in Tarawa -Saw the damage from the battle there in 1943 �(00:16:48) Flying Missions Pt. 2 -In November 1944 he took part in the largest bombing mission in the Pacific Theater -Carried out a saturation bombing mission -Destroyed everything on the ground with no preselected targets -It was cold in the bomber at 30,000 feet -Wore heavy flight jackets and gloves -Sat behind the copilot when he was acting as the radio operator -Fired the waist guns whenever Japanese fighter planes attacked them -Had to be fearless on missions -Had a window next to him in the radio position -Had an on-plane intercom system so the crewmen could communicate with each other -Communicated with the pilot and copilot about nonmilitary topics most of the time -Trying to keep the mood light before they did the bombing run -As they advanced across the Pacific he knew the Allies would win (00:21:28) End of the War -No one knew for sure about the atomic bombs -When he was at Yuma, Arizona there were rumors about the atomic bombs -Japanese peace emissaries stopped at Clark Field -Remembers tall Australian soldiers were lined up on the runway to greet them -Meant to be imposing and reminder that the Japanese had lost -At Clark Field he remembers Japanese stragglers coming out of the hills to eat and surrender -Tattered clothes, visibly starving, and they stunk -Told about the use of the atomic bombs after the bombs had been dropped -Knew that the war was over and they wouldn't have to invade Japan -Meant that the use of the bombs most likely saved his life (00:25:28) Staying in the Army Air Force Reserves Pt. 1 -Decided to stay in the Army Air Force Reserves -Felt a war would start between the US and the USSR -Wanted to maintain his position as radio operator and rank of tech sergeant (00:26:03) Life after the War Pt. 1 -Went to college at Michigan State University -Studied forestry -Left MSU and got a job in Newaygo -Went to college at Ferris Institute (now Ferris State University) -Studied business and accounting -Got a job in business administration and accounting after graduating from college (00:26:33) Staying in the Army Air Force Reserves Pt. 2 -Stayed in the Reserves for a few years after the war -In the Army Air Force for a total of six years -Two years of active duty service and four years of service in the Reserves -Trained airmen as radio operators -Every six weeks he had to spend a weekend doing training (00:28:10) Life after the War Pt. 2 -Married his high school sweetheart after he returned to Michigan -Life settled into a routine after the war and college (00:28:26) Reunions Pt. 1 -Bomber crew got together once in a while after the war -Attended reunions a few time -At least four or five of the crewmen from his bomber are still alive as of 2016 �(00:29:22) Flying Missions Pt. 3 -Remembers when they dropped bombs the plane would jump due to the sudden release of weight -Heard the concussions in the bomber when the bombs hit the ground -Japanese fighters did attack the plane on some missions -Never caused any damage other than a few holes in the fuselage (00:30:37) Reunions Pt. 2 -Met up with some of the men from his unit who lived in the area -One man from Detroit, one from Flint, one from Chicago, and one from Toledo (00:32:00) Transfer to Radio School Pt. 2 -Disappointed when the Army Air Force cut him from the Aviation Cadets -Felt betrayed -Always interested in amateur radio which prompted him to select Radio School (00:32:35) Radio Communications -All radio communications were official -Used a form of Morse code and secret code to communicate with the base -Communicated with the base as little as possible -Only allowed to radio the base after the bombing run -Maintained radio silence en route to the target -Japanese could figure out where the bombers were and send fighters after them (00:34:05) Life after the War Pt. 2 -Eventually became the CEO and executive vice president of Great Lakes Energy (00:34:42) Reflections on Service -Experiences in the Army Air Force and in the war helped guide him as a person -Grew up a lot -Didn't take long to become a man (00:35:34) Visiting Denmark -Visited Denmark in the 1930s when he was a child -Mother wanted him and his sister to meet their maternal grandparents -Sailed to Denmark on the SS Frederik VIII off the Scandinavian American Line -Took two weeks to get to Denmark and two weeks to get back -Grandparents were named Julius and Sofia -Lived in Denmark for nine months in 1935 -Didn't pay much attention to the politics in Europe at the time -He was only 10 years old -Mother paid attention to the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany -When Jewish people were being rounded up she decided it was time to leave Europe (00:37:50) California -When he was in California he remembers sitting in a cable car with two Danish girls -They asked him if he was a Boy Scout and he responded in Danish that he was a soldier -They were so embarrassed that they bought him lunch (00:39:05) Basic Training Pt. 2 -Remembers one drill sergeant named Sergeant Harris -He was a good natured man that laughed when the recruits joked with him -Marched in Miami while civilians watched -Glad he didn't have to train at a base -Ate in a mess hall separate from the hotel -Still had to eat Army food even though he wasn't on a base � 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 FrederiksenR1894V Title A name given to the resource Frederiksen, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Robert Frederiksen was born on October 29, 1925 in West Point, New York but grew up in Newaygo, Michigan. On February 3, 1944 he enlisted in the Army Air Force with the intention of becoming a pilot. He received basic training at Miami Beach, Florida and after the Aviation Cadets program ended he selected Radio School. He received radio training in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and then went to Yuma, Arizona for Gunnery School. He joined a bomber crew in Lincoln, Nebraska and did Overseas Training with them before deploying to the South Pacific. He and his crew were assigned to a B-24 Liberator bomber in the 372nd Bombardment Squadron of the 307th Bombardment Group of the 13th Air Force based on the island of Biak. He flew on bombing missions hitting targets on islands in the South Pacific. Over the course of 1944 and 1945 they moved to Morotai, then to Leyte, and were at Clark Field in the Philippines after Japan's formal surrender on September 2, 1945. He stayed in the Reserves for four years after the war. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Frederiksen, Robert Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Air Corps Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-09-30 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c2a26965f412b647a7beeb5afc3b4040.mp4 47a274a10ea6ae90b9010539d37d574d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b17d5266e9efba484d9dc703b8b96afc.pdf e266b9d6642fb1149b8fe478339263e5 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Walter Felver World War II-Post War 38 minutes 45 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in Littleton, Colorado on September 4, 1927 -Moved to Phillipsburg, New Jersey when he was five years old and grew up there -Father worked for Ingersoll Rand -During the Great Depression he only worked four times a month -Refused to accept welfare though -He had three brothers and one sister -He was next to youngest -When they were old enough they all got jobs to help the family out -He worked for a newsstand and also sold ice cream to bus passengers -Sometimes would just ride a bus to Philadelphia and back (00:03:03) World War II -Heard about Pearl Harbor when he was in a movie theatre -Manager stopped the movie and announced that Pearl Harbor had been bombed -Didn’t notice too many changes at first other than his father having more work -The rationing of meat and gasoline was put into effect shortly after the war began -Had an old car and had to keep top half of the headlights painted -This was to comply with the blackouts at night -Two of his brothers went into the service during the war -His oldest brother went in first, and then the second oldest brother went in -Second brother was killed in action on August 16, 1944 at Caen, France -Oldest brother made a thirty year career out of the Army (00:06:58) Getting Drafted -Graduated from high school in June 1945 -After high school he continued to work for that same newsstand -He registered for the draft and knew that eventually he would have to serve -Received his draft notice in August 1945 -Reported for duty on January 6, 1946 and went to Fort Hancock, New Jersey -Initially was sent to the Port Authority in New York City to board a ferry -Took the ferry up the Hudson River to Fort Hancock -Remembers seeing an aircraft carrier in the Hudson River -It was very cold at Fort Hancock -Stayed there until basic training was set to begin (00:10:33) Basic Training and Tank Training -Placed on a train and rode from Fort Hancock to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training -Remembers seeing his house from a distance as they passed through New Jersey -Only time that he ever got homesick -Train ride took about a day and a half -Upon arrival at Fort Knox he was assigned to a barracks and medically examined �-He was assigned to armor, specifically tanks -They would go out on the range and practice shooting the M1 rifle and .30 cal. machine gun -Learned how to drive a tank, command its crew, and load and fire the main gun -Went on marches and received something similar to infantry training -Physically demanding -Part of the infantry training involved crawling under barbed wire and being shot over -There was a high emphasis on discipline and following orders as well as following protocol -Had a little difficulty transitioning into being a soldier -Eventually wound up enjoying it -The drill sergeants training them had been in World War Two -Go to punishment for insolent soldiers was extra kitchen patrol duty or sentry duty -Trained in the M4 Sherman tank which was equipped with a 75mm main gun -Was not difficult to drive -Driving it was done using two levers and two brake pedals for each track -Trained at Fort Knox for two months (00:16:50) Assignment to Fort Lewis -After training was complete he was allowed a thirty day leave home -Sent to Fort Lewis, Washington -Had to find transportation to get there on his own -Took about four days to travel from New Jersey to Washington -He was assigned to the 717th Tank Battalion in the 2nd Infantry Division -Prepared to go overseas if necessary -There were three alerts for them to go to Korea -They were supposed to go to Fort Ord, California if they were being deployed -He had a couple duties at Fort Lewis: -Venereal Diseases Noncommissioned Officer (VD NCO) -In charge of handing out and tracking small arms that were being used on base -Everything from a .45 pistol to a .30 caliber machine gun -At Fort Lewis they were using the M26 Pershing tank -Armed with a .30 caliber and .50 caliber machine gun, and 90mm main gun -He carried a .45 pistol and a .30 caliber carbine -He was assigned to a tank crew -There were thirty tanks in the 717th Tank Battalion -He was part of A Company -One of his duties was to assign small arms to different people for different tasks -Then make sure that the weapons were returned and secured afterwards -As VD NCO he had to make sure that men had protection when they left the fort -Also show movies and give talks about what you should do and shouldn’t do -He made the rank of Technician Fourth Grade (similar in pay to sergeant) -Majority of the men that he served with were also T4’s -Fort Lewis was fairly close to Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle -20 miles, 35 miles, and 50 miles respectively -There was a bus that would take you to Olympia -A lot of times you had to get your own transportation -You could get a three day pass to Portland, Oregon if you wanted one �(00:24:24) Men He Served With -Most of the men were new to the Army like he was -Some of the men at Fort Lewis had fought in World War Two -A close friend of his at Fort Lewis had been on the Bataan Death March -The veterans would talk relatively openly about their experiences in the war -There were men from all over the country (00:25:42) Daily Routine -Get up in the morning and get breakfast -Go out for the assignment of the day -Going on maneuvers or going on a hike (00:26:13) Maneuvers in San Diego -For some larger maneuvers they would go down to San Diego, California -For the trip down they had to waterproof the vehicles with cosmoline -They would sail out of Puget Sound and then go down the West Coast -Once in the San Diego area they would drop anchor about three miles off the shore -They would go to shore and back in a LCM (landing craft mechanical) -Remembers going back to the ship in a storm on one maneuver -Thought the LCM would sink and he would drown -The storm was so bad even sailors were getting seasick -And to get onto the ship he had to climb up a rope ladder in rough seas -Navy, Air Force, and Marines were involved in these maneuvers as well -Remembers the Army-Navy Game was being play at this time -They actually stormed a beach in San Diego as part of the maneuvers -Remembers the water still being so warm in November -Went through the city of San Diego on half-tracks and people waved to them -Felt like they were coming back victorious from a war -It was enjoyable to go into the city -They stayed overnight in a barracks -The next day they boarded the USS Skagit and sailed back up to Seattle (00:32:38) Downtime -They would visit the nearby cities for their sources of entertainment -Never did anything that got him into trouble or that he felt he shouldn’t have done -There was a nice dance hall in Portland, Oregon -Could go to movies -Some men would get into trouble when they left base -Either by going to the bars or having relationships with local women -He managed to avoid that (00:34:20) End of Service -He spent a year and a half at Fort Lewis -He knew that he was going to be discharged in September 1947 -One of his final duties was to be an armed escort to transport a prisoner to the mental hospital -Had to sit in the back of the truck with a loaded rifle, across from the prisoner -Transportation happened without incident -Relieved to get back to Fort Lewis and turn in his rifle �(00:36:04) Weather at Fort Lewis -Remembers that it rained almost constantly in the area that Fort Lewis was in -As a result he would have to take his uniform to Tacoma every week to get pressed (00:36:34) Life after the Army -Went home and one of the first things he did was see his girlfriend -He got a job at the Easton Daily Express, a newspaper in eastern Pennsylvania -Worked as a compositor (setting the type or text for printing) -Worked there for forty four years -Eventually moved to Michigan with his wife to be closer to his two children -Son had gotten a job in Lansing, Michigan to be a TV weatherman -Daughter’s husband’s job transferred him to Michigan � 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 FelverW1761V Title A name given to the resource Felver, Walter (Interview outline and video), 2014 Description An account of the resource Walter Felver was born in Littleton, Colorado on September 4, 1927, but his family moved to Phillipsburg, New Jersey when he was five years old. He grew up during the Second World War and lost a brother to that conflict. After graduating from high school in June 1945 he signed up for the draft and in August he received his draft notice. He reported for duty on January 6, 1946, and after a short stay at Fort Hancock, New Jersey he was sent by train to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training and armored (tank) training. When his two months of training were complete he was sent to Fort Lewis, Washington where he stayed for a year and a half, going on maneuvers, keeping a record of where the small arms were and who had them, and acting as the Venereal Diseases Noncommissioned Officer. He was discharged in September 1947. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Felver, Walter 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 Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-10-31 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/97b4142e00439225b48009adadac60c0.mp4 0938b62329c7bdff3e8223a967c7f318 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0fe83eaf9020d392cbd1ee6c4ee3c344.pdf 835a38d8cb11c0661e2f7bbf7ff390b1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Milton DeVries, Albert Lobbezoo and Andrew Dykstra 53:58 Introduction (00:42)    Milton DeVries, is from Wyoming, Michigan and was in the 32nd Division, 127th Regiment, Company F. While in he served as a sergeant. Albert Lobbezoo is from Caledonia, Michigan. He was drafted on April 16th 1941, and served in the 126th Infantry and finished his service in the 32nd Division Signal Corps. Andrew Dykstra was born in Kellogsville, Michigan and served with the 32nd Division. Andrew was in Company F, 127th Infantry, and held the rank of sergeant. Before the Military (02:28)        Milton, was working at General Motors in 1941 and he was drafted into the Army on April 16, 1941. When they were drafted, they started out in Bigelow Field in Wyoming, and they went to Kalamazoo the first night. The next day they were brought to Fort Custer, Michigan and they were inducted into the Army on April 17. Before Andrew was drafted, he worked for several years on a farm. Albert also worked on a farm prior to his military service. On October 13, 1940, all men from age 21-29 had to register for the draft. Albert and Andrew knew each other before the war had begun. Military Service (05:20)         The men spent about two weeks at Fort Custer once they were inducted. They pulled targets at the firing range. Then they were sent to Camp Livingston, Louisiana and were put into the 127th Infantry. At basic training, the climate was hot. That summer, one of the largest military maneuvers in our nation’s history was held in North Carolina. It lasted for six weeks. The only equipment that they had was their rifles. The uniform that they wore was from World War I and the rifle was also a WWI issued 23. (07:27) In May, they were still wearing wool uniforms. When Pearl Harbor happened, the men were in Louisiana. Albert was coming home from church and he heard about it on the radio in the car. Every morning the men were told to pack everything they had in their barracks bag because they did not know when they would leave. The 125th Infantry was sent to the coast to guard the United States. They left Louisiana in February 1942. The Division was slated to go to Europe, but they were needed in New Guinea. (09:27) �    Albert drove a Carry-All, which is like a Suburban, from Louisiana to Massachusetts. From there they boarded a train and five nights and six days later they arrived in San Francisco. They did not get off the train very often, each man had a bunk, and the only time they left their car was for lunch and dinner, and to walk around a little bit. When they arrived in San Francisco, they went to Fort Ord. About a month later, they boarded a ship on April 16, 1942. The first night was very stormy, and the men remember passing Alcatraz and the storm picked up right away. (11:49) The Pacific (12:00)         While on ship, Albert was on the ‘poop deck’ playing cards and the attitude of the men was that they would not be gone very long because they would quickly whip the Japanese and then go home. The men did not know where they were going, but they made landfall first in Australia. When in Australia, the infantry was moved far away from the towns. They were in an Australian Army training camp which only had tents and a mess hall. The camp was called Woodside and it was just Americans there, no Australians. The Australians were very happy to have the Americans there. Especially the women. At the camp, they did some drill and a few war exercises. They moved to Camp Cable outside of Brisbane where they were given jungle training. (14:20) At this point, they still had no contact with the Australian Army. By that time, they had been issued M-1 rifles and summer uniforms. New Guinea (16:00)        Milton and Andy took a Kaiser built Liberty Ship from Brisbane to New Guinea. Barrels of gas made the below decks smell, so Milton and a friend managed to stay top side for most of the journey. They land at Port Moresby, New Guinea. The men were sent out in a field near the airfield and were told to dig in. (18:03) Part of the 126th walked over the Owen Stanley Mountains and the others flew over. All three men were able to fly. When they landed on the other side of the mountain, it was many days walk to Buna. Andy remembers flying to the airfield at Dobodura and walking north to Buna. On Christmas Day, 1942, they began the battle. (20:47) The men saw plenty of Japanese snipers, and many American soldiers were killed from them. A man named Yeutter in Weapons Platoon was the first one to be wounded, and afterwards, Milton got his tommy gun (Thompson sub-machine gun). Communications were poor, but Albert worked the switchboard at the 32nd Division Headquarters, which was pretty well protected. (22:26) �                    Andy remembers one time while they were on the front lines, they heard what sounded like firecrackers behind them, which turned out to be Japanese soldiers shooting explosive shells. When they first went into combat, they did not know where the Japanese were. They crawled along and when someone fired at them, they fired back. (24:41) There was no front line, because the Japanese were everywhere. In their company, 223 men went over the mountains in several planes. Once the battle was over and they returned to Australia, only twenty three remained. Not all were killed, but there were many casualties. They could usually smell the Japanese because they were so close. (26:15) Around Christmas Eve, Milton and another soldier named Pete, got into a boat and went out to a peninsula, and for three days they were surrounded by the Japanese. Thirty or forty men formed a circle and just waited for them to come. The Australians were approaching from the south with tanks, but the tanks could not effectively operate, so everything had to be done hand to hand. Andy stayed back with the supplies, so he was able to avoid most of the heavy combat. But one day he was walking down a trail and a mortar shell fell right between him and another man, but it was a dud and it failed to explode. Organization was non-existent because artillery and mortars were flying everywhere, and many casualties were a result of friendly fire. (28:33) Andy was in charge of the runners because he was a sergeant. He remembers that everyone was on their own. Nobody knew where anybody else was. At night, the Japanese would approach their positions and throw stones to try to get them to shoot and reveal their location. (30:13) Milton and his men were there for three days, pushing forward and fighting at Buna Mission. He was shot on January 2nd at Buna Mission. In the middle of the night, sometimes friendly fire would occur because people would be coming and going all the time, it was hard to tell friend from foe. During a beach landing, Al was coming ashore and he saw General MacArthur smoking a pipe coming up beside him. (32:02) The three men believe that MacArthur was one of the greatest leaders and generals that the United States has ever had. After the men were done digging their foxholes, they would be filled with water. The changing of the tides caused the ground water to rise as well. The food that they were eating was c-rations. Some planes were dropping supplies, but they were often shot at by the Japanese. Andy remembers that the first Japanese he saw were dead bodies on the beach, which was after Buna. (34:18) Most of the men had malaria, dengue fever and yellow jaundice. Al had jaundice so bad the medic thought he was dead. He was flown to a med-center to be treated. The men also had jungle rot on their feet, with the temperature up to 130 degrees and it rained everyday. (36:00) When Milton was shot at Buna Mission, he was sent back to an aid station, sewed up and put in a medical tent for ten days before he could be moved back to Port Moresby. �  Al made it through the entire war and went to the Philippines. When he came home, his unit was preparing to invade Japan, and only two original members of the 32nd remained; Al being one of them. The men fought in blue jeans, and the personnel on the boats taking people back and forth all wore combat uniforms. After Buna, they had k-rations for food, and they also had other supplies that they needed. After Buna (38:42)             Once fighting in Buna was over, the men were sent back to Australia to regroup because they had lost so many men. They stopped at a nice beach, Coolangatta, so they could swim. While swimming, a soldier was hit by a wave, taken out to sea and drown. The men remained there for about two weeks. After they got enough men to head back they went to Finschaefen. That is where Andy got enough points and was sent home. He left through Milne Bay. (40:27) Al went from Australia to the Philippines and was at the Battle of Leyte. (43:35) This battle was very tough, on the way up a mountain to establish a communication station; they looked down and could see the Japanese and tell them from the Americans by their shoes. Reports say that there was between twenty and thirty thousand Japanese there. They had one prisoner; he was skin and bones and scared stiff. If the Japanese knew he was still alive and was caught, they would have killed him. At a Japanese hospital, they saw that they killed their own wounded that couldn’t be moved so they would not be captured by the Americans. (45:35) From Leyte, they made a landing at Luzon. From there Al ended up in Baguio which was a nice resort. At that point, Al and the other member of the 32nd were able to go home. They left from Manila and boarded a captured German ship. The captain was also German, and he did not know how to navigate or read a map because it took them thirty two days to get home. (47:14) Thinking back to the battle, Andy remembers one of his runners was heading back from the front and he ran into General Eichelberger, who asked him how things were going. The runner offered to take him up to the battle to see for himself, he said that he wanted too, but they wouldn’t let him because of his rank. He was a good general. Al remembers back in Brisbane seeing MacArthur and his wife with their son walking to church one morning. After the War (49:18)     After Milton was wounded, he was shipped back to California and eventually sent back to Battle Creek, Michigan. He was there from May till August 16, then was discharged. Milton was given an office job at General Motors and stayed there for thirty five years. Andy went back to working on the farm for Westman Brothers for twenty five years. Al also went back to the farm. Bell Telephone offered him a job right away due to his signal corps and communications experience in the war. He turned them down. �   Then he went to Reynolds Metal for a while, built trailers, and eventually got a job at General Motors. Even though he worked for GM, he always drove a Ford, and when asked about it, he said he knew what a GM car was made of. (52:15) After the war experience, the men feel that people should not take for granted the freedoms that they have. � 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 DykstraA0266V Title A name given to the resource Dykstra, Andrew (Interview outline and video), 2004 Description An account of the resource Milton was born in Wyoming, Michigan and worked at General Motors until he was drafted. Albert was from Caledonia, Michigan and he worked on a farm. Andrew grew up in Kellogsville and he too was a farm hand for many years. Like Milton and Albert, he was drafted on April 16, 1941. All three men served with the 32nd Division and were sent to New Guinea and participated in the Buna campaign. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dykstra, Andrew 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 Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004-10-04 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/07d4fc2370a569384c674cbe39edbb5f.mp4 9266827184de4afa760db6a4a50e8689 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7aa4e43ce40b47c1300515262016b1fb.pdf 27f98bc1d3cf17d18e6c81e548c8c233 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Roy & Marion Davis World War II 1 hour 52 minutes 40 seconds (00:00:15) Roy's Early Life -Born in Hartford, Michigan -Small town of about 2,500 people -Grew up in Hartford -Marion's family moved to Hartford -Roy and Marion met in school, eventually dated, and got married after the war -Born in 1924 -Father owned the Hartford Greenhouse -House was attached to the greenhouse -Provided flowers for funerals, anniversaries, and school dances -Sold the greenhouse in 1946 after Roy came home from the war -Had a sister -Always had three meals a day during the Great Depression -Father planned on building two more greenhouses -Great Depression made it impossible to finance that project (00:02:35) Start of the War -Didn't pay much attention to the fighting in Europe and Asia before World War II -He was in a drugstore playing pinball and a kid came in and said Pearl Harbor had been bombed -Meant nothing to Roy because he didn't know what, or where, Pearl Harbor was -Remembers riding in the car in 1938 and listening to the radio -News broadcast came on the radio announcing Hitler's conquest of Czechoslovakia -Father predicted that war was coming and Roy would have to fight in it -After Pearl Harbor, gas rationing went into effect -Family had a “B” sticker because his father owned a business -Meant they could get a little extra gas -National speed limit was set at 35mph in an effort to conserve gas -Young men enlisted or got drafted -Graduated in 1942 -Went to the Willow Run manufacturing complex (near Ypsilanti and Belleville, Michigan) -Turned away because he was draft age (00:05:10) Enlisting in the Army Air Corps -Enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet -Always interested in flight -Remembers the first time he flew was in a biplane at a fair -Went to Fort Custer, Michigan to take the mental and physical tests (00:06:54) Basic Training -On June 1, 1943 he reported for basic training at Sheppard Field, Texas -Took 12 weeks -Ran five miles every morning around the inside perimeter of base -Had a huge obstacle course -Climbed to the top then rappelled down in a parachute harness -Received gas mask training �-Went into a tent filled with tear gas, stated name and serial number, then put on mask -He did it successfully -Some men washed out -One man couldn't complete the obstacle course and got washed out -Reassigned as a cook in the mess hall (00?:10:47) College Training -Sent to College Training Detachment at Wittenberg University -Received navigation, math, and science courses and taught how to be an officer -Got ten hours of flight time in the Piper J-3 Cub -Flew with an instructor -He wasn't very good at flying that plane -Did that for three months (00?:11:58) Active Pre-Flight Training -Received Active Pre-Flight Training in San Antonio, Texas -Most likely at Lackland Air Force Base -Took courses on navigation, Morse code, engines and airframes -Had to decode 10-15 words per minute in the Morse code class -One man couldn't handle it and quit in the middle of the class (00:13:25) Primary Training Pt. 1 -Sent to Uvalde, Texas for Primary Training -Flew the Fairchild PT-19 -Got an instructor that swore at him whenever he made a mistake -Flew with a different, calmer instructor and did much better -Original instructor admitted that he was being too hard on Roy -His instructor taught him airplane acrobatics -Will never forget the first time he solo flew -Remembers singing at the top of his lungs (00:17:42) Basic Flight Training -Next portion of training was Basic Flight Training -Flew the BT-13 Valiant -Noisy and shaky airplane -Had a tendency to get into spins and wouldn't get out of spins -Cadets were ordered to bail out of the plane rather than try to get out of a spin -He was the first man in his squadron to solo fly the BT-13 -Had a fighter pilot for an instructor that showed him more flying tricks -Remembers solo flying the BT-13 the first time as well -On the last flight with his instructor they switched places -Roy got to critique the instructor for making mistakes (00:21:38) Downtime during Training -Didn't get off base because he was too busy with training -Busy with navigation courses, engine courses, and airframe courses -Remembers getting a half inch of snow and the base was shut down for the day (00:22:52) Multi-engine Advanced Training -Sent to Waco, Texas for further assignment -Some men got assigned for training on the B-25 Mitchell -He was selected for Multi-engine Advanced Training -Trained on the Cessna UC-78 -Did navigation training with another cadet or with an instructor -Flew cross country training missions at night �-On one of those flights the copilot didn't feel well, so Roy had to fly the whole way -Told to bail out or make an emergency landing if one of the engines cut out -Promised himself he would never bail out over the desert (00:26:24) Training Accidents -During Basic Flight Training one cadet was having trouble with touch and go landings -On one take off the cadet crashed and got decapitated -First fatality in his squadron -Two men died in Advanced Training doing touch and go landings -Lost radio contact with the plane and the two men came in for a landing -Hit a plane on the runway and both men died -Before graduating he had a dream about being in a mid-air collision -Had the same dream many years later, but bailed out in that version of the dream (00:30:19) Transition Training -Sent to Reno, Nevada for Transition Training in the C-46 -When he began Transition Training he was officially a pilot with the rank of 2nd lieutenant -Before going to Transition Training he received 30 days of leave -Went back to Hartford and reconnected with his high school sweetheart -They would eventually get married after the war -Only flew a total of 10 hours in the C-46 -Not enough training -The C-46 was the biggest, freight hauling aircraft at the time -Could fly fully loaded with only one engine -Great airplane, but it required sophisticated maintenance (00:32:50) Flying the C-47 -Had only ever been a passenger in the C-47 -He was the youngest pilot in his squadron when he went overseas -The older men took care of him and taught him extra flight skills -Eventually got into flying C-47s in Burma -The C-47 was easier to fly than the C-46 because the C-47 was a smaller plane -C-46 felt like flying a barn, but it was still a great plane if you flew it right (00:34:43) Deployment to China Burma India Theater -Gathered at St. Louis and told to collect their gear -Officially, they didn't know where they were going -Received hints that they were going to the China Burma India Theater (CBI Theater) -Went to Fort Totten, New York -Spent the night there -Went to the PX, bought a jungle knife, and sharpened it while drinking beer -Still has the knife -Next morning had to fall out at daybreak and he had a terrible hangover -Flew on a C-46 mail plane -Stopped in Bermuda to refuel -Stopped in the Azores to refuel -Stayed overnight in Casablanca, Morocco -Ordered to stay out of the native quarters -American servicemen disappeared and were never seen again -Remembers all of the white houses -Stopped in Libya -In Iran it was 100 degrees, so they stayed in the plane �(00:40:17) Arrival in India -Stopped in Karachi, India (now Karachi, Pakistan) -Stayed there for two or three weeks -Bought a pair of Karachi boots -Flew to Sookerating Field in Assam Valley, India -Started flying missions out of that field when he got established -Treated well by the men there, but not officiously -Shortly after arriving he was made officer of the day -Meant he wore his best uniform and carried a .45 caliber pistol -First time he cleaned his pistol it discharged without warning -Learned that it had a hair trigger and had to be handled with care (00:43:30) Flying Missions in India -First mission was a flight over “the Hump” (eastern end of the Himalayas) to Chengdu, China -Delivering fuel and picking up Chinese conscripts to be trained in India for the Chinese Army -Flew over uncharted territory -All of the conscripts got airsick -When they landed at Sookerating Field they delivered the conscripts to a Chinese sergeant -Flew countless missions out of India (00:46:39) Weather Conditions -Primary weather concern for flying over the Himalayas was the powerful west wind -If there wasn't wind, dense fog would roll in making it almost impossible to land -During one mission the fog rolled in and they ran low on gas -At the last minute an airfield told them they could land -Made the landing with only their instruments -Most dangerous weather concern was the severe thunderstorms over the Himalayas -50,000 to 60,000 feet in height -Flew through a storm once and experienced St. Elmo's Fire (00:51:05) Stationed in India -While stationed in India they lived in tents on an old tea plantation -Had Hindu waiters -Aware of the distinct cultural differences, especially concerning food and animals -Always felt bad that the Hindu waiters served the Americans beef stew -Went into the nearby town and got his picture taken -Ran into British soldiers -Stationed in India for three months (00:54:38) Stationed in Burma -Sent to Myitkyina Airfield, Burma -Liberated from Japanese occupation by Merrill's Marauders on May 17, 1944 -Remembers seeing a Japanese Betty (Mitsubishi G4M) bomber on the runway -Found the corpse of a Japanese soldier buried at the airfield -Had a squadron of P-47s that flew bombing runs against the retreating Japanese -Knew that the Japanese were retreating from the area -Arrived after Christmas 1944 -Stayed there until the war ended -Lived in British Army tents -Pretty good tents -Hired natives to build a hut for them -Never got to move into the hut though because the war ended -Continued to fly missions over the Himalayas �-Used water from the Irrawaddy River and purified it with chlorine -On one mission out of Burma he flew a colonel to a party in India -Stayed in the officers' quarters while the colonel went to the party -The next day the colonel was hungover and reeked of alcohol -Severe thunderstorm rolled in, but colonel insisted they take off anyway -Fortunately, they made it through the thunderstorm -Got back to Myitkyina and thick clouds meant planes had to wait to land -Colonel grew impatient and ordered Roy to radio the tower -Given clearance to land because of the colonel's rank -They got to land before everyone else -Bothered Roy that the colonel complained and got his way -Flew half the time during missions -One pilot flew to the destination, and he flew back to Burma -Had a friend that had delivered P-39s to the Soviet Union -Excellent pilot -Flew with him on one mission across the Himalayas -Made it to their destination and then had to take off in a rainstorm -Turned into an ice storm -Had intense turbulence and ice building up on the wings and propellers -Gradually increased their altitude to get out of the storm -Able to fly by moonlight -Got back to base, debriefed, and received two shots of medicinal whiskey -Worst flight he ever experienced (01:08:10) End of the War -Remembers dropping off cargo and picking up cargo on a routine mission -Saw an old friend from training -Didn't know it would be his last missions -Finally felt like he could handle the C-47 -Next day got sick and the flight surgeon grounded him for 30 days -In that time, the atomic bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered -Remembers hearing the news that Japan had surrendered -All of the men fired their guns into the air -Day after that command ordered the men to turn in their weapons -In September 1945 he was ordered to a hospital in Calcutta, India -Had to do sick call every day -Doctor determined that he had a fever and “allergies” -After 30 days he went to the commanding officer and requested a return to duty, or go home -Commander decided to let Roy go home (01?:11:00) Coming Home & End of Service -Went home on a hospital ship -Took 30 days to sail from India to the United States -Indian Ocean to Red Sea, through Suez Canal, across Mediterranean Sea -In the Straits of Gibraltar they ran into a bad storm and got issued lifebelts -Told that if they sank the lifebelts would be useless; they'd die in the water -The next morning he was the only man in the ship's mess hall -Everyone else was seasick -He never got seasick, or airsick -Landed at New York City -Saw the Statue of Liberty �-Greeted by the Salvation Army -Given doughnuts and real milk (as opposed to powdered milk) -Sent to a hospital in Indiana -Given 30 days of leave -Parents sent him to see a doctor in Hartford -Administered a shot of penicillin -Doctor had been a flight surgeon in North Africa with the Army Air Force -Became lifelong friends -Delivered Roy and Marion's children -A day or two later he felt much better -Marion eventually worked for the doctor as a nurse in the office -For years after the war Roy still had bouts of the illness -Most likely contracted malaria while in India or Burma -After the leave reported to Indiana with Marion -Stayed there for a week or two -Sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois to get discharged in early 1946 (01:17:41) Life after the War -Came home and felt lost being a civilian -Expected perfection coming home, and it wasn't -Married to Marion for 68 years -Got married in 1947 -Marion plead to the Air Force not to call up Roy for service during the Korean War -Got his commercial pilot's license -Flew around the Hartford area -Buzzed Marion's family's house while they were still dating -Eligible for the GI Bill, and Marion encouraged him to go to college -Went to college at Western Michigan University -Lived at WMU for his first semester -GI Bill paid for his bachelor's degree and part of his master's degree -Lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan then moved back to Hartford -Write a column for the Tri-City Record -Has done it for 30, or 35 years -Thought he would only do it for a year when he started writing the column -Wanted to be an engineer -Found out he was bad at math, and the engineering job market was saturated -Found out he was good at literature and the arts and enjoyed it -Became an English teacher -Taught drafting for a while, closest he got to engineering -In 1977 he decided his students ought to keep journals -He decided to keep his journals as well -Has completed 125 journals since 1977 -Taught at Pioneer High School, St. Joseph High School, Lake Michigan College, University of Michigan -Got his doctorate at the University of Michigan and at Yale -Teaching literature and preparing English teachers -Moved back to Hartford in 1982 and still lives there (01:28:54) Marion's Nurse Training Pt. 1 -When she was a little girl her cousin was a nurse -Decided she wanted to be a nurse �-Applied for South Bend, Indiana Nurse Program at St. Joseph Hospital -Parents paid for the tuition for the first year -Became a cadet nurse in September 1943 -Meant she was a government employee -Witnessed an autopsy -Within ten days four or five girls dropped out -Issued cadet uniforms and cadet pay -Paid $15 a month -Received six months of preliminary training -Cleaned IV tubes, cleaned bed pans, made beds, cleaned syringes -Pulled general duty on the medical floor -Prepared corpses for transfer to the morgue -After a year put on night duty -Did things the older nurses were afraid to do -Wanted to get into the Navy if she was going to get into the service -Father served in the Navy and didn't have to worry about going overseas (01:35:40) Nurse Schedule -Worked seven and a half days, then got a half day off -In the summers they didn't have classes -In the winter, days started at 7 AM, classes all day, studied, and pulled duty at night -Strict regulations -In her last year of training she had to wait to the end of the year to get leave -During that leave they reconnected and started dating again (01:39:47) Marion's Nurse Training Pt. 2 -In the nursing program for three years -Dealt with a rape case from the city of South Bend -A nursing supervisor couldn't handle it and walked out -Marion remarked that a supervisor shouldn't be in charge if they can't handle that -Got in trouble for that -Came out of the nursing program more mature and more responsible -Allowed to see USO Shows -Had to do switchboard duty for the hospital one night without any training -Fortunately they didn't get many calls that night -Learned not to look down on people, no matter what they were doing -Nurse training allowed her to get a career wherever she and Roy moved (01:47:32) Contact with Roy -Hadn't heard from him for a while when he went overseas -Roy's mother thought that he was missing in action -Marion knew that he wasn't MIA until the Army officially said he was MIA -At one point hadn't heard from Roy for weeks -All of a sudden started getting old letters from Roy -Eventually received word from Roy that he was okay -She sent him a picture when he was in Burma, for morale purposes (01:50:05) Getting Married -Completed nurse program in September 1946 -Decided to wait a year after she got out of nurses training -Wanted nursing experience before starting a family -Saved her money to prepare for starting a family � 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 DavisR1914V Title A name given to the resource Davis, Roy M. and Marion (Interview outline and video), 2016 Description An account of the resource Roy Davis was born in Hartford, Michigan in 1924. He grew up in Hartford and after graduating from high school in 1942 enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. He reported for duty on June 1, 1943 and began training at Sheppard Field, Texas. From there he went to Wittenberg University for College Training then went to San Antonio, Texas for Active Pre-Flight Training. He received flight training in Uvalde, Texas, and after graduating as a pilot and receiving his commission as a 2nd lieutenant he was assigned to Multi-engine Advanced Training. In Reno, Nevada he trained on the C-46 cargo plane. In late summer 1944 he deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater and was stationed at Sookerating Field in the Assam Valley of India, flying supply missions into China over the Himalayas. Three months later, after Christmas 1944, he was transferred to Myitkyina Airfield, Burma where he continued to fly supply missions until the war ended. He contracted a disease (most likely malaria) and stayed in Burma until he was transferred to Calcutta, India in September 1945 for 30 days in a hospital. In October 1945 he returned to the United States and arrived in November. He received 30 days of leave and was discharged in early 1946. Marion Davis grew up in Hartford, Michigan and in September 1943 enrolled as a cadet nurse at St. Jospeh Hospital in South Bend, Indiana. She received hands-on training on how to be a nurse and planned on joining the Navy after she completed her nursing program if the war was still going on. She completed her nursing program at St. Joseph Hospital in September 1946, and married Roy Davis in 1947. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Davis, Roy M. and Marion 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 Air Forces Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-01-04 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/13ca080b07f9a23353b17e95f888d3c8.mp4 318283492447363e16aaa29456b7886b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bcc7d354a8d64d1e6b47e6c577f91121.pdf 363e9558d3fceb188d94d3a166852cd3 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Robert Crans Vietnam War 1 hour 34 minutes 37 seconds (00:00:40) Early Life -Born in Hastings, Michigan on July 8, 1947 -Grew up in a single-parent home with his mother -Grew up in Hastings through middle school -Grandma ran a restaurant in Freeport, Michigan -Moved there with his mother to help run the restaurant -Attended Middleville High School -Graduated from there in July 1965 -There weren't a lot of jobs in the area -Uncle suggested that he look for work at Michigan State University -Went to MSU to apply for a job and got hired on the same day -Moved to East Lansing, Michigan and got an apartment so he was close to the school -It was a little different being a worker at the school and not a student -Worked at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center -Went to basketball games and concerts at MSU (00:03:05) Enlisting in the Navy Pt. 1 -In January 1966 he received a letter notifying him to report for a draft physical -Family had a military background -Relatives served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War -Uncle advised him to look into the Navy -Talked to a Navy recruiter and decided to enlist -Worked at Michigan State until late May 1966 -Went home for a week to say good bye to his family and friends -Reported for duty in June 1966 (00:04:5) Awareness of the Vietnam War Pt. 1 -Nightly news talked about the troop buildup in Vietnam -There wasn't public support like in World War II -Had friends avoid the draft and others friends that did military service (00:05:25) Enlisting in the Navy Pt. 2 -No matter where you were in the military you could be in danger -Had no problem with serving, but didn't want to be in the jungle -Enlisted for four years -No choice in training he wanted -That was determined by an aptitude test -There was a large pool of recruits in the Navy, so the Navy could be selective (00:07:04) Basic Training Pt. 1 -Sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training -Emphasis on being neat, timely, and working with a unit -Emphasizing that you were no longer an individual and other people depended on you -It was hot that summer in Illinois -Days were spent doing physical training or classroom work -Came out of basic training feeling more confident �-Lasted eight weeks -Got done in August 1966 -There was one training company totally comprised of men from Wisconsin -Rest of the men were from all over the country -Exposure to different people and different mindsets -Stark differences in mentality between the Northerners and Southerners -Navy instructors were career officers and in their late 30s or 40s -One officer called recruits into his office to tell them to work harder or face starting over (00�:11:00) Adjusting to the Navy -At his first duty station he was with completely new people and doing menial work -At his second duty station he adjusted better -At his last duty station he had experience and was comfortable (00:12:05) Basic Training Pt. 2 -Terrified he would make a mistake in basic training and have to start over or get kicked out -Uncertain whether he was really Navy material or not -Remembers some recruits that got recycled -They were made to do the same tasks over and over because they couldn't do them properly -He had to get into the mindset of being in a unit (00:14:49) Duty on the USS Lexington (CV-16) -Assigned to the aircraft carrier the USS Lexington (CV-16) -Operated out of Pensacola, Florida -Ship's main duty was to train naval aviators for service on aircraft carriers -Ship went to sea for a week so pilots could do day and night landing qualifications -Spent a week at Corpus Christi, Texas for jet pilots -Had pilots train with propeller-driven aircraft at Pensacola -The first time he was at sea he still felt the ship rocking back and forth -He was on the deck crew -Got lines off the ship to get underway -Spliced rope -Older officers on the deck crew trained him -They were good men, but they disciplined you if you did something wrong -Enjoyed working on the carrier because he felt he was learning practical things -Spent one week at sea, one week at Corpus Christi, and the rest of the time at Pensacola -He felt it was boring duty -Stationed on the USS Lexington from September 1966 to July 1967 (00:18:13) Downtime in Pensacola -Went into Pensacola on leave -Found it to be a pretty city -Had never seen the Gulf of Mexico before -New experience being in the South -Remembers it was 75 degrees on Christmas Day 1966 -Going into the city got boring after a while -There was a movie theater, a USO shop, and a place for sailors to sleep -Befriended the men he worked with on the ship, and they went into Pensacola together -Civilians in Pensacola treated the sailors pretty well -Understood the servicemen were an integral part of the local economy -As long as you weren't a troublemaker then the civilians didn't mind -Found it hard to meet girls in Pensacola because they weren't interested in sailors -Found them to be too transient �-Girls liked the pilots better (00:21:16) Awareness of the Vietnam War Pt. 2 -Didn't pay much attention to the Vietnam War -Focused more on keeping up with his family and being in the Navy (00:21:48) Getting Injured & Orders for Vietnam -Had an accident on the USS Lexington -Worked in a compartment two decks below the fo’c’sle -They were in the harbor at Corpus Christi -He put everything away, went up the stairs, and slipped on a puddle of oil -Which resulted in him slamming his jaw into the hatch on his way out -He was taken to the hospital in Corpus Christi because he broke his jaw -Had to have his jaw reset, wired shut, and he had to spend six weeks in the hospital -The ship no longer needed him so he was sent to Charleston, South Carolina -He thought he was going for a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea -Instead, he received orders for Vietnam -Shocking, but at the same time exciting (00:25:36) Assignment to the USS Robert H. McCard (DD-822) -Heard a petty officer on the USS Robert H. McCard (DD-822) needed laundry help -He volunteered for that because he didn't want to be on the deck crew again -Assigned to the destroyer, USS Robert H. McCard (DD-822) -Named after a Marine, Robert H. McCard who was a Medal of Honor recipient -Built at the end of World War II -It rolled 15 to 20 degrees when it went to sea -Had to delicately walk around the ship -336 men aboard the ship -Focused on antisubmarine warfare -Rockets, torpedoes, and primitive drones for detecting submarines -Converted to antisubmarine warfare after the Korean War -Very small quarters -Three high bunks with a footlocker for your possession -Cramped eating quarters -Had to quickly eat and move so other crewmen could eat -There was decent food on the ship -Baked its own bread and they had fresh food every week -Had movies in the mess hall at night (00:30:52) Duties on the USS Robert H. McCard (DD-822) -Washing machines on the ship could wash 150 pounds of laundry in one cycle -Weighed laundry bags to see how much laundry they could wash -Had to wash and press officers' uniforms -Did that for enlisted men's dress uniforms as a favor -Worked eight hour shifts in the laundry room -Three men worked in the laundry room, one at a time -Men working in the engine room needed to have their clothes washed separately -Worked on the night shift (11 PM to 7 AM) -Nobody was up and bothering him -Spent his time reading when he wasn't working -Wasn't difficult work -Had different work when they went to general quarters -Specific duty for an emergency or if the ship was under attack �-Worked in the aft aid station on a sound-powered telephone -If someone got hurt he would be the first to relay that information -Aid station was in the ship's barber shop (00:35:04) Deployment to Vietnam -Left the United States on November 1, 1967 -Sailed past Florida, through the Caribbean Sea, and to the Panama Canal -All of the ships lined up at the Panama Canal to go through the locks -It was very hot -Had to refuel on the Pacific Ocean side of the Panama Canal -Went to a huge warehouse that served as a bar -Sailed to San Diego, then on to Hawaii, to Guam, and then to Subic Bay, Philippines -Took a month to get to Subic Bay -Got off the ship at San Diego -Pretty city -Not very Navy friendly -There were a lot of interesting places to see -Visited the San Diego Zoo at Balboa Park -Spent three days there -Hawaii was a really different place -Friend was stationed in Pearl Harbor -Went and visited his friend -Had Thanksgiving Dinner 1967 together -Not allowed to get off the ship at Guam because it was a strategic base -Subic Bay served as hub for ships serving at Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam -Served as a place to get supplies -Base was near the city of Olongapo -It was a wild and different city -There were bars everywhere and entertainment for sailors and Marines -Decided that he was young and ought to take advantages of the opportunity -First time in a foreign country -Told not to leave the main street in Olongapo -Told not to expect protection from the local police -Told to avoid being alone in the city -Easy to get mugged (00:42:07) Yankee Station -Ship was sent to Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam -Nicknamed the “Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club” -There were two aircraft carriers -Jets flying into Vietnam for bombing missions -Destroyer provided two things: -Pilot recovery if a plane went down in the Gulf of Tonkin -Radar screen -Carriers used their radar to track their own planes -Destroyers watched for incoming enemy aircraft and ships -Spent 21 days on station their first time -Second time was during the Tet Offensive and the USS Pueblo Incident in January 1968 -The carriers had to provide air support to ground forces or go to North Korea -Stayed on station for 32 days -Incredibly tedious �-Had to rendezvous with ships to get refueled and resupplied -Got mail every three or four days to every two weeks -Helicopters from carriers brought mail to the destroyers -Needed to get ammunition resupplied -Helicopters took off casings and a ship brought in fresh ammunition -Provided gunfire support -Meant they supported troops near the demilitarized zone or south of the demilitarized zone -If US troops were under attack the ship sailed to within three miles of the shore to fire -North Vietnamese had the ability to return fire at American ships -Feared getting hit by NVA artillery and being forced overboard (00:50:52) Emergency Leave -Grandmother got very sick, so the Red Cross got Robert emergency leave -He was picked up by a helicopter and taken to an aircraft carrier -Flown to Subic Bay and spent the night there -Flew to Guam, then to Hawaii, then to San Francisco -Went from Chicago to Michigan -Got two weeks of leave -Ship went on gunfire support shortly after he left for emergency leave -Able to attend his grandmother's funeral (00:54:32) Public Opinion of Vietnam War -While he was home on emergency leave he got an idea of what civilians thought of the war -Went to a college party -People asked if he had killed anyone -Wide variety of opinions concerning the war -He noticed a lot of dissent concerning the war -Didn't want to argue with anyone about the war -After the Navy, when he was at college, he only associated with other veterans -Wanted to avoid tension or conflict (00:56:20) Temporary Duty -Sent to Charleston for temporary duty until the USS Robert H. McCard returned -Worked in the laundry room on a ship in Charleston -Pressed clothes all day and enjoyed that duty (00:57:22) Barber Duty on the USS Robert H. McCard -Rejoined the USS Robert H. McCard as a barber -Received two weeks of training -Did that until he left the ship -Very routine since the haircuts were basically all the same -Had a commodore as a regular customer -Had been in the Navy for a long time -Got to know each other fairly well -Had evenings off -Started at 8 AM and worked until 5 PM -Cut the hair of officers and enlisted men -Easy duty -Met and got to know everyone on the ship (01:00:41) Repairs & Shakedown Cruise -Had to go into dry dock for repairs -He helped in the laundry room while the ship got repairs -Once repairs were complete they went on a shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba �-Note: Shakedown cruise is done after a ship gets repairs, insuring repairs held up -Got to see some of the Caribbean islands (01:02:17) Operation Silver Tower -Participated in Operation Silver Tower in the north Atlantic Ocean -Using new radar that made them look like a merchant ship on a radar scope -They also put up lights to make the destroyer look more like a merchant ship -Job was to “infiltrate” the area of operations of other NATO ships -Command wanted to see how well the new radar worked -Sailed to Nova Scotia, to Greenland, then to the North Sea -Operated in the North Sea, undetected, before announcing who they really were -Interesting operation (01:04:25) Repairs in England -A hole formed in the hull so they sailed to Southampton, England for repairs -Spent three days in England -Got to go ashore in Southampton and visit London, twice -People in Southampton were very hospitable toward Americans -Americans were a novelty in London -Saw the Crown Jewels -Visited Piccadilly Circus -Saw the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace (01:05:58) Storm in the Atlantic Ocean -Left England and began sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to return to the United States -Ran into a major storm and had to sail south to avoid it -Wound up near the Azores off the coast of Africa -Ship listed 30 degrees in both directions -Had some leaking because of the force of the storm -Glad to get back to land -He had experienced a storm before when the ship participated in Operation Silver Tower -Sailed through a storm in the North Sea -Storm in the Atlantic was far more powerful though -He didn't get seasick in the storm, and most men didn't either, but a few did (01:08:25) Soviet Presence -Always aware that the Soviets monitored NATO operations -Didn't know the purpose of the operation, but knew they were happening -Some friends in the Baltic Sea told him they encountered Soviet submarines -The submarines didn't attack, but they did make their presence known -Conducted antisubmarine drills to prepare for the possibility of a Soviet attack -Chased around American submarines -Difficult because the American nuclear submarines were faster than the destroyer (01�:10:37) Assignment to the USS New (DD-818) -Returned to the United States and shortly thereafter got reassigned to a different ship -Different jobs became available to enlisted men -Opportunity came up for him to work in ship store records -Sent to Norfolk, Virginia to board the USS New (DD-818) as the ship serviceman clerk -Had to pass a school before joining the crew in that position -As the ship serviceman clerk he took care of three areas: -Accounted for money spent on the ship -Bought goods for the ship -Kept track of duty-free goods (cigarettes and alcohol mostly) �-Sailed down to the Caribbean Sea to pick up alcohol -Each sailor was allowed a gallon of alcohol -Some men didn't drink, but they took their ration anyway to give to other sailors -This led to some sailors having three gallons of alcohol as opposed to one -Cigarettes were only 10 cents a pack -Customs agents came aboard to keep track of how many cases of cigarettes the ship had -Came aboard before the ship left to note how many were on the ship -Came aboard after the ship returned to see how many cases had been sold -If the number they counted didn't match with Robert's ledger there would be problems -If they believed Robert had altered the numbers he could have faced jail time -Worked with an accountant that had worked for the Pillsbury Company -He was very helpful and kept very good records -For the sale of cigarettes it worked something like this: -They left port with a number of cases -Sailors would then buy the cases and Robert kept track of how many he sold -If he sold X number of cases, then Y number of cases needed to remain -Sailors were only allowed to buy duty-free cigarettes once they were at least three miles to sea (01:15:54) Places Visited -Got to go ashore in Hong Kong -Extraordinary city -Went to Tiger Balm Garden -Murals, sculptures, pagoda -There were tailors in the city that could make a good, but inexpensive suit in only 48 hours -Visited the British naval club -Traveled with friends whenever he could -Went to Tiger Balm Garden on his own, but was with a group of tourists -Visited Kaohsiung, Taiwan and went to the British naval club -Huge club with a bar and a casino -By traveling with the Navy he got to experience a lot of new things he otherwise wouldn't have -Went to Montego Bay, Jamaica -Went to the island of Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands -Spent a week there -Got to go aboard an American submarine -Cut hair for the men on the submarine and they all tipped him a $1 -He had never gotten tips before -Worked in the forward torpedo room -Got to eat dinner and have ice cream with the crew -Had to sign a document that said where he was if something happened to him -Got to go into the periscope room and watch as the sub submerged -All of the hotels on Saint Croix were privately owned -USO gave passes to servicemen so they could stay at the hotels and use the beaches -Remembers going from Christiansted to Frederiksted -On the way, he and his friends passed a place with a gathering of luxury cars -Decided to go in and see what was going on -Got some food from the buffet and a few drinks -One of the guests asked who he was -Simply responded that he worked for the government and was left alone (01:22:56) Treatment of Veterans -There were a lot of times when he didn't get respect as a Vietnam War veteran �-In his hometown he remembers the World War II veterans got respect -Had to wait 45 years for people to finally acknowledge and thank him for his service -Family always respected him for his service, but other people only tolerated that he was a veteran (01:24:27) End of Service -Didn't want to have to go to sea every six or nine months if he stayed in the Navy -Most of the jobs he'd had in the Navy weren't fit for shore duty -Didn't want to be in the Navy Reserve because he still would have had active duty obligations -Couldn't see himself making a career out of the Navy -President Nixon was starting to downsize the military in 1970 -This resulted in men being discharged 90 days earlier than originally planned -He was discharged at the end of February 1970 (01:26:23) Life after the Service -Planned on going to college, getting married, and leaving his service behind him -Met his first wife when he was home on leave -They got engaged when he was still in the Navy -Got married in 1971 -His son was born in 1972 -Wife was always proud of his service -Went to college to study business -Studied at Grand Rapids Junior College (now Community College) for one year -Transferred to Western Michigan University -Graduated from there in 1974 -Worked for Steketee's Department Store -Worked as the assistant buyer for men's ware -Became a sales manager -Worked in boy's ware -Had difficulty making money in that position though -Worked as a manager for a national clothing company -Problem with that job is it required a lot of travel -Got a job in customer service with a local cable company -Worked for them for 26 years -Got a job in inventory control -Worked that job for 20 years then retired (01:30:32) American Legion -Eventually decided to get involved with a veterans' organization -Apprehensive about joining a veterans' organization due to being a Vietnam War veteran -Filled out an application for the American Legion in 2008 -Visited different posts until he discovered Post #258 -Joined American Legion Post #258 in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Only for Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard veterans -Founded in 1922 by World War I veterans -They were sailors and Marines that had served with the French as artillery crews -Befriended some of the men at the post -Became the 2nd vice commander, then 1st vice commander, and finally the commander (01:33:43) Reflections on Servie -Service allowed him to believe in himself -Learned a lot about himself that he didn't know before he joined the Navy -Instilled in him a sense of awareness -Not only did he have responsibilities for himself, but for other people as well � 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 CransR1895V Title A name given to the resource Crans, Robert K (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Robert Crans was born in Hastings, Michigan on July 8, 1947. He enlisted in the Navy in early 1966 and reported for basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois in June 1966. He served with the deck crew on the USS Lexington (CV-16) in Pensacola, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas from September 1966 to July 1967. He served aboard the USS Robert H. McCard (DD-822) in the laundry room and in late 1967 was stationed off the coast of Vietnam at Yankee Station supporting the aircraft carriers there. He also served on that ship as a barber and participated in Operation Silver Tower, a NATO exercise involving early stealth technology in the North Sea. The final ship he served on was the USS New (DD-818) as the ship's serviceman clerk. Due to downsizing of the military he was discharged 90 days early in late February 1970. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Crans, Robert K. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-10-29 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a13f2534722dc1ec762c01b83dd6d78d.mp4 762486fd1e4ca41983bdf4e307113cb0 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4a11bf2cac54be1d7d68dac316c54663.pdf b8d7cd41e991bd2d8d6e0d2bb7bc61a5 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Raymond Corrigan World War II 49 minutes 16 seconds (00:00:45) Early Life -Born on June 15, 1924 in Newaygo, Michigan -Grew up in Newaygo -Spent some time in New York and Massachusetts between kindergarten and second grade -Father worked as a carpenter -Had eight brothers and four sisters (00:01:44) Start of War & Enlisting in the Navy -Heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor on the radio the day it happened -Knew about the fighting in Europe and Asia prior to America's entry into the war -When he was 17 years old he wanted to go to Canada to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force -Father forbade him from doing that -Two of his older brothers were already in the armed forces when Pearl Harbor happened -Prompted Raymond to enlist in the Navy when he was 17 years old (00:03:40) Basic Training -Sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois for basic training -Received only three weeks of basic training -Note: Normal basic training was at least six to eight weeks -First day of training he received uniforms, shoes, and other basic supplies -Second day of training was spent on introduction to the Navy -Third day of training he and the other recruits did drills on the drill field -Spent nine days of basic training doing kitchen patrol (peeling potatoes, washing dishes, etc.) (00:04:30) USS Cincinnati (CL-6) & Fire Control Division (Training and Service) -At the end of basic training he was sent to Norfolk, Virginia -Sailed from Norfolk to San Juan, Puerto Rico -From Puerto Rico he went to Trinidad where he joined the USS Cincinnati (CL-6), a light cruiser -Eventually served in the Fire Control Division on the Cincinnati -Controlled the aiming of the guns and the torpedoes on the ship -Ship had radar, but not sonar -Started to get Fire Control Division Training when he was on the ship -Had to take exams to qualify for Fire Control Division service -Received some Fire Control Training in Norfolk then returned to the Cincinnati for further training -Learned how to calculate the elevation of the cannons -Patrolled the south Atlantic Ocean looking for German ships and U-Boats -Went to Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean to help defend the Royal Air Force airstrip -Confronted a German ship near the island and forced the crew to abandon ship -Operated in the south Atlantic Ocean until September 1942 -Sailed to Brooklyn Naval Yard and he got 90 hours of leave -At this point his brothers were serving in the Pacific Theater -From Brooklyn Naval Yard they went back on patrol in the south Atlantic -Sailed around South America -Saw an abandoned German “pocket battleship” in Montevideo, Uruguay -Most likely the German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee �-Bought a Luger pistol in Montevideo taken from one of the German crewman -On September 23, 1942 they crossed the Equator -Technically experienced all four seasons in one day (00�:10:59) Brothers' Service -One brother served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Hornet -Raymond was in Fire Control School when the Hornet sank in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands -Brother was transferred to the USS Iowa (BB-61) -Brother served on Iowa when President Roosevelt went to Cairo and Tehran -Raymond finally caught up with his brother when Raymond was transferred to the Pacific Theater (00�:12:17) Food on the USS Cincinnati -Had coffee and beans for a lot of meals -Had spaghetti occasionally -There was a baker on board that made terrific bread -Officers ate better than the enlisted men (00:13:32) Officers, Enlisted Men, & Friendships -Enlisted men couldn't be friends with the officers -Officers treated the enlisted men well, though -Remembers one time when he was painting an upper part of the ship -An officer called his name and he responded with, “Yeah?” then corrected it to, “Yes, sir?” -Officer told him to get down -Painting the ship was not worth getting killed over -Enlisted men got along well with each other -Went ashore together in Brazil and Uruguay -Crewmen came from all over the United States and were good men -He was one of the younger members of the crew -Befriended a man from Grand Rapids, Michigan -Still friends as of 2016 (00:15:56) USS Cincinnati & Convoy Duty -Escorted convoys from North America to Belfast, Northern Ireland from March-July 1944 -Escorting ships bringing troops and supplies across for the invasion of Europe -There were still U-Boats operating in the north Atlantic Ocean -On one convoy mission he developed appendicitis -While he got the operation the Cincinnati started dropping depth charges -Crew claimed to have sunk three U-Boats -He felt bad for the U-Boat crewmen despite being the enemy -Sailed multiple convoy missions -Celebrated his promotion to Seaman 2nd Class in Belfast (00:19:07) Progress of the War Pt. 1 -No sense of whether the Allies were winning -No radio on the ship -Only news he got was when he went ashore -Knew that the Allies weren't doing well at the beginning of the war -Remembers escorting out the USS Juneau on its shakedown cruise in 1942 -Raymond wanted to transfer to the Juneau -Executive officer refused because he had a feeling the ship would be sunk -Accurate prediction because the Juneau sank in November 1942 -Remembers hearing about the deaths of the Five Sullivan Brothers -Changed protocol for family members serving at the same time �(00:21:23) Reassignment to Pacific Theater -Got reassigned for duty in the Pacific Theater in later 1944 -Remembers that there were some Japanese ships operating in the south Atlantic Ocean -In January 1945 he boarded his new ship in Seattle -Transferred to Washington in 1944 for Advanced Fire Control School -Completed that and got 11 days of leave -During that time he got married -Reported to San Diego because he had orders for the USS Cook Inlet (AVP-36) -While waiting to board the ship he met up with his brother, Tom -Tom served with the Navy at Guadalcanal and ferried Marines to shore during the battle -Orders for the Cook Inlet were canceled and he was sent to Bremerton, Washington to join a new ship -Ship wasn't ready to launch when he arrived -Had his wife come out to Washington and live with him for 30 days -Had Thanksgiving Dinner 1944 together aboard the ship (00:25:15) Deployment & Service in the Pacific Theater -Put to sea and one of the ship's guns misfired near Seattle -Caused by a technical problem which forced them to return to port for repairs -Raymond discovered the misfire was caused by a wiring mistake -Did a test fire and found that Raymond's fix solved the problem -He was promoted to Seaman 1st Class on the spot -Sailed to Guam and then to Saipan -Didn't stop at either island, just sailed near them -From Saipan sailed to Eniwetok -Saw battle damage and abandoned Japanese fortifications on Saipan -Eniwetok was just a big, sandy island -During an air raid alarm he gashed his head trying to get to his battle station -Later got yelled at for not getting to his battle station on time -Sailed to Ulithi -Gathering place for ships to safely refuel and resupply -USS Iowa pulled into Ulithi -Captain allowed him to go aboard the Iowa so he could see his brother -Went ashore at Ulithi and had a beer party -Sailed to Palau to bombard the island -Note: Most likely another island because Palau was liberated by November 1944 -Knocked out a Japanese radar station -American planes bombed the island with napalm -Three miles off the coast of the island -Never attacked by Japanese airplanes (00:32:26) End of the War -In Okinawa when the war ended on August 15, 1945 -Immediately told when word reached Okinawa that Japan surrendered -Heard about the war ending in Europe on May 8, 1945 -Preparing for the invasion of Japan in late summer 1945 -Told that the Japanese would fight to death with basic tools, if necessary -Pulled into Nagasaki in September 1945 after Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945 -Drove through the destroyed city in trucks -Nothing standing but melted steel girders -Dead animals and dead people everywhere -Saw some survivors from the surrounding area �-Didn't know about the dangers of radioactive fallout -The men were so glad to have the war over that they didn't think about the cost of victory (00:34:59) End of Service & Coming Home -Offered a promotion to chief if he reenlisted -Declined because he was ready to go home -In late September 1945 he went to Okinawa -Spent three weeks there -Contracted the flu -Last man from Michigan list to be sent home -Boarded the USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86), an escort aircraft carrier -Sailed from Okinawa to Manila to Guam and entered Pearl Harbor on October 18, 1945 -Pulled into San Diego, California on October 26, 1945 -Sent up to San Francisco and he took a train back to Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois -Still incredibly sick, but he managed to feign being well -Discharged there -Took a train to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Wife, sister, and brother-in-law greeted him at the train station -Spent the night in Grand Rapids then returned to Newaygo -For years after the war he heard the sound of alarm bells in his head (00:38:22) Reflections on Service -Felt sorry for the Japanese in Nagasaki, but at the same time he didn't -The nature of the war meant they were culpable for the actions of Japan -Felt that the war was a huge waste of human life -Hoped that World War II would have meant the end of war -Less than five years after the end of WWII, the Korean War began in June 1950 -Had two children when the Korean War began -Knew that there was a possibility, although slim, that he would have to go -Service taught him to be a good man and a good friend (00:40:19) Return Trips to Japan -Returned to Japan years after the war on a business trip -Explaining a machine from his company to Japanese workers -Went to Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Kure -A little nervous about meeting with Japanese people as an American -Got along well with the Japanese after a Japanese businessman broke the ice with a joke -Hiroshima was being rebuilt at the time, but there was still a lot of damage -Saw the preserved shadows of people burned onto walls from the bomb's heat -Went to Japan a second time on a second business trip -Brought his wife with him on the second trip -Visited Tokyo -Flew to Hiroshima -Saw Mt. Fuji -Ran into an American soldier who used to live in Newaygo -Friend of Don Corrigan, Raymond's younger brother -Spent a day in Hiroshima with his wife -Gave her an idea of what the war was like -More rebuilt during second trip -He tried to be friendly with the people in the city, and most were friendly in return (00:46:12) Life after War -He is 91 years old as of 2016 and retired at the age of 90 years old �-Had his own electrical trade -Taught his grandsons how to do electrical work -Did residential and some commercial electrical work (00:47:59) Falling Injury -He was on a Fire Control Tower about 90 feet above the water line -While climbing down he missed the first step and fell 30 feet -Fortunately, the only injury he sustained was to one of his heels � 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 CorriganR1893V Title A name given to the resource Corrigan, Raymond Keith (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Raymond Corrigan was born in Newaygo, Michigan on June 15, 1924. He enlisted in the Navy when he was 17 years old (sometime in 1942). He received basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois and was assigned to the USS Cincinnati (CL-6), a light cruiser. During his time aboard the Cincinnati he received training on the ship and stateside on how to aim and operate the ship's guns as well as went on patrols around the Caribbean Sea and near South America. In 1944 they escorted convoys to Belfast, Ireland in preparation for the Normandy Invasion. In late 1944 he was reassigned to a ship in the Pacific Theater, and in January 1945 they set sail. He was aboard that ship and participated in the pre-invasion bombardment of an island and assembled at Okinawa in preparation for the invasion of Japan. After the atomic bombing and subsequent surrender of Japan the ship pulled into Nagasaki where Raymond saw firsthand the destructive capability of the atom bomb. In late September 1945 he returned to Okinawa and by late October 1945 was back at Great Lakes Naval Station where he was discharged from the Navy. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Corrigan, Raymond Keith Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) WKTV (Wyoming, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-09-30 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0d3bc190fb0364a98e34d7ae969e5cfb.mp4 e6a74ffc2c530a3eee53105a6234c111 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1a6371fb060feedf3303f42573d1f3b3.pdf 0ae773cdcdd2f24232d685b7d31f2a1a PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project James Cooley Iraq War 43 minutes 39 seconds (00:00:24) Early Life -Born on March 6, 1986 -Grew up in Caledonia, Michigan -Involved in sports in high school (00:00:44) Enlisting in the Army Pt. 1 -Shortly after he turned 17 years old an Army recruiter called him about enlisting -This was in 2003 -Sister had joined the Army six months prior to him turning to 17 -Father served in the Air Force, grandfather in the Marines, and cousins also served in the Army -Patriotic duty, family history of service, and paid-for college encouraged him to enlist (00:01:44) Training -Took basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia in the summer before senior year of high school -Came back home and completed high school after taking basic training -Received Advanced Individual Training after graduating from high school -Completed his AIT and received a month of leave before deploying to Iraq -Basic training was a different experience, but a great experience -Learned how to shoot a rifle, throw grenades, and rappel down walls in basic training -Highly competitive atmosphere during basic training -Didn't know what to expect when he started basic training (00:03:15) First Deployment to Iraq Pt. 1 -On his first deployment to Iraq he worked in transportation -Drove trucks between bases delivering food, supplies, ammunition, and vehicles -Average daytime temperature was around 130o -Body armor and fatigues made it feel like 145o -Hard to breathe outside -A lot of the missions took place at night when the temperature was between 100o and 110o -Had to contend with dust storms and the rainy season -Found that the majority of Iraqis lived in mud huts with tin roofs -There was trash everywhere and civilians formed little villages in the garbage dumps -Made him more grateful to live in the United States -Civilians weren't hostile -Most appreciated the American presence -Insurgents coerced civilians into fighting the Americans -Threatened with their family being executed -Initial mission in Iraq was to depose Saddam Hussein and secure the Iraq/Afghanistan border -Didn't think about the politics of the mission -Just tried to do his job and do the most good as possible -Helped vaccinate Iraqis and provide them with better healthcare and better schools -At the time he was still angry about 9/11 and it was a huge motivator for him as an 18 year old -There was a lot of ambiguity when it came to combat in Iraq -In a convoy they had limited defenses if attacked by Insurgents -Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were a common threat to convoys �-Insurgents used hit-and-run style attacks with rifles and rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) -There were a lot of situations where they had to engage in combat despite not being infantry -Felt nervous on his first convoys, but he grew more confident -Trucks did not have armor on his first deployment -Lined the bottoms of the trucks with sandbags to give them protection against IEDs -If you were running 15 minutes early or 15 minutes late you might avoid an ambush -In that case the Insurgents hit the convoy before his or the one that came after his -Created a sense of invincibility at cheating death -Learned to accept the randomness of death -Easier to accept the prospect of your own death than the death of comrades -Made close friends and they became like brothers -Still friends with them -Has stood at their weddings, spends time with them, and closer than his civilian friends -Found a lot of his stress on his first deployment came from leadership problems -Being ordered to do something you wouldn't have to do if not given an order to do it (00:14:37) Coming Home Pt. 1 -Struggled more with coming home than the actual deployment -Brother was in the same unit as him which made the deployment easier (00:15:11) Deployments -First deployment lasted almost a year -Second deployment lasted nine months -Two years between deployments -On both deployments he went with his brother (00:15:45) Combat in Iraq -Didn't know who the enemy was in Iraq -Combat was similar to the Vietnam War -Had to abide by the Rules of Engagement -Not allowed to fire unless shot at by a combatant holding a weapon and shooting at them -Hesitated to shoot at the enemy -Afraid of accidentally killing a civilian and being sent to jail -Just wanted to defend his convoy and go home alive -Insurgents hid among civilians (00:18:20) Coming Home Pt. 2 -Spent a total of 18 months in Iraq for both deployments -Friends from high school had gone to college, so he had no friends around when he came home -Veteran friends lived all over the country, so it was difficult to connect with them -When in Iraq someone was always ready to do something no matter the time -Civilian friends were busy with their own lives and couldn't meet up at any time (00:19:45) Enlisting in the Army Pt. 2 -Parents were scared, but supported him -Mother signed the paperwork allowing him to enlist as a 17 year old (00:20:10) Second Deployment to Iraq -On his second deployment he was a Detainee Payroll Manager -Gave him experience with computers and he had an associate's degree -Allowed him to get practical job experience for a civilian job -Some men were able to bring skills home while others were not so fortunate (00:22:24) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Pt. 1 -Had mild post traumatic stress disorder -Optimistic personality helped him cope with the PTSD �-Had trouble with heavy drinking every night when he came home -Unhealthy part of his life -Counts himself lucky for overcoming his PTSD -On average, 22 veterans commit suicide every day -Has met veterans struggling with more PTSD (00:23:40) Reenlisting -As of 2015 he is trying to reenlist as an officer -Service related injuries might prohibit from reenlisting though (00:24:00) Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Pt. 2 -Moved in with a friend and they had deep conversations about the war and his service -Helped him cope with his PTSD by having those conversations -Speaks at colleges about his time in the Army and in Iraq -Also helps him by talking about his experiences (00:24:53) Changes in the 2000s -Had Myspace, AOL Instant Messenger, email, and letters to communicate with home -Now, soldiers have a wider variety of ways of keeping in touch with family and friends -Realizes that a lot of younger people don't remember the September 11th Attacks (00:25:47) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Learned to take a situation and make it positive -You chose to make the situation positive or negative -A lot of learning opportunities in Iraq -Learning how to control emotions -Learning to make important decisions as a young man -Grew up quickly (00:27:10) First Deployment to Iraq Pt. 2 -Iraq is roughly the size of California -Moved supplies from base to base all over the country -Longest mission was 17 hours of travel without any breaks -Southern Iraq is mostly desert while northern Iraq is more mountainous -Rainy season caused more problems in the north than in the south -Water and oil on the roads made travel hazardous -Difficult driving at night because of sleep deprivation -Caused accidents -Given free Red Bull to help the soldiers stay awake -Had only a few engagements with enemy forces -Convoys were intimidating which kept away enemy forces -Had .50 caliber machine guns and Mark 19 automatic grenade launchers -Truck itself was imposing -At the time they were trying to help look for the sniper al-Zarqawi -Pulled some guard tower duty at bases -Insurgents tried to use drive-by attacks to hit bases -Guard towers lined the roads and each guard tower had a radio in it -Allowed guards to report an enemy vehicle and intercept it down the line -Insurgents were unorganized thugs and untrained civilian conscripts -At first, he feared Iraqi children coming up to him -Learned they weren't a threat and usually just wanted candy from a soldier -Had to be cautious though -Insurgents used women, disabled people, and children as suicide bombers �(00:32:40) Opinion of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria -Feels that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is an abomination -Funded by the sex slave trade -Carries out brutal executions -Could have been snubbed quickly had the U.S. stayed in Iraq -Iraqi government wasn't stable enough to hold off ISIS -U.S. leaving created a power vacuum for ISIS to occupy -Will probably have to send in ground troops to Iraq, again -ISIS will probably not just go away and the longer they exist, the more resilient they'll become (00:34:16) Advice to Future Soldiers -Before you join, pick a job that will give you experience in the civilian workplace -Try to do something that you'll enjoy in the Army, and enjoy as a civilian - Stay positive -In the Army you can gain rank relatively quickly -If you want to go to college first, join the Reserve Officers' Training Corps -Will allow you to enter the Army with the rank of 2nd lieutenant -Have more leadership responsibilities and have more influence -Army needs more officers with experience and good leadership abilities -As experienced officers leave they're being replaced with incompetent officers (00:36:43) Iraqi Civilians -Civilians wanted to help, but were afraid of retaliation from Insurgents -Tried to give soldiers tips whenever possible -A lot of civilians just wanted to live their lives (00:38:15) First Deployment to Iraq Pt. 3 -During the first couple weeks he had trouble staying calm -There were still unsecured cities in 2004/2005 -When he returned to Iraq in 2008/2009 those cities had been secured -At least once a week Insurgents tried to attack bases -Infiltrators, mortar attacks, rocket attacks, or drive-by attacks -Got desensitized to it -Remembers one soldier watching a war movie on his laptop in the middle of the night in the barracks -Quickly instituted a headphone rule at night after that -Slept outside when they were at other bases -No light pollution allowed him to see every star in the sky -Better than sleeping in dirty transit barracks -Slept on the top of the engine compartment to keep warm -Days started with checking the trucks -Made sure the tires and engines were in working order and if they needed any maintenance -Kept the trucks ready to go at a moment's notice -If he had no other duties or no mission to go on then the rest of the day was his (00:42:23) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Doesn't regret joining the Army -Great for him at that point in his life � 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 CooleyJ1820V Title A name given to the resource Cooley, James Peter (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource James Cooley was born on March 6, 1986 and grew up in Caledonia, Michigan. In 2003 he enlisted in the Army. He received basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia and after that Advanced Individual Training. He deployed to Iraq and served with a transportation unit, moving food, ammunition, supplies, and vehicles to bases around the country. He also helped with the distribution of humanitarian aid to Iraqi civilians. After nearly a year he returned to the United States and spent two years in the United States. He redeployed to Iraq and worked as a Detainee Payroll Manager. His first tour was in 2004-2005 and his second tour was in 2008-2009. His enlistment ended after his second tour, but as of 2015 he is trying to reenlist as an officer. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cooley, James Peter Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Vansuilichem, Michael (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Iraq War, 2003-2011--Personal narratives, American United States. National Guard Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-21 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c93a7175bcbfca7c6c02f983a29c342b.mp4 e0056c23aebeeb82bea88737067b8134 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6f2d9702cae3f1fa324d54fac55be7cb.pdf 5fd54e33924b9c37c10d9f709b416796 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran's History Project Marine Corps Ken Clisso Total Time (00:38:25) Introduction (00:00:10)  Ken Clisso was born May 27th, 1959; he served in the United States Marine Corps from 1982 til 1989 and achieved the rank of Sergeant of the Guard (00:00:21)  Ken went to University of Texas for two years then graduated from Kansas State University (00:01:14)  He had a few friends and neighbors that had been in the Marine Corps; financial reasons pushed him towards the Marine Corps as well- he joined the Marine Corps at the age of 23 (00:02:14) ◦ Ken had multiple family members enter the Marine Corps as well as other branches of service (00:02:47) ◦ The Chief of Detectives in his local police department, Roger Larue, had the biggest impact on why Ken joined the military as he lived across the street from him (00:04:06) ◦ His parents were upset that he decided to choose the military and didn't want him to go in (00:04:57) ▪ Ken entered boot camp on August 18th, 1982 and finished around the 15th of November later that year (00:06:24) ▪ The training consisted of first aid, hand to hand combat, pushups, physical training, swim qualification and equipment training as well (00:07:45) ▪ Ken got to come home for about a week after boot camp and went to Camp Pendleton in California for six weeks of infantry training (00:10:07)  Within six weeks Ken went from PFC to Lance Corporal meritoriously (00:11:35)  He ended up going to Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert in California after Camp Pendleton (00:13:00)  Ken went to San Diego for a month and a half for water safety survival instructor training (00:14:27) ◦ The WWII battleship Iowa was being recommissioned and Marines were on board for nuclear security; Ken was hand selected for having done well while in the Marine Corps (00:18:44) ◦ Ken and a few others went through the recommissioning of the Iowa in Pascagoula, Mississippi around April of 1984 (00:19:29) ◦ He got to be involved with a recommissioning ceremony along with George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush (00:20:03) ▪ The first deployment of the Iowa was to the Gulf of Mexico (00:20:55) ▪ The main job was to cruise around the world and show the flag Ken mentions (00:22:00) ▪ Ken mentions all of the places all around the world he has been up until this point in the interview (00:24:16)  Ken said he was pretty well crushed when they got an opportunity to tour the beaches of Normandy (00:26:30)  In the fall of 1984, Ken mentions an instance where four marines were gun downed while in San Salvador, El Salvador; the Iowa was on the � pacific side of Panama- six of the men on the Iowa including Ken were loaded up to stand guard at the embassy (00:31:54) He never imagined he would have to be a part of something like that but mentions that was part of their duty if it ever came up (00:33:11) ◦ To keep in touch, Ken wrote letters to his family while in boot camp (00:33:33) ◦ While overseas, he mainly wrote letters as calling was too expensive (00:34:46) ◦ Sometimes you could go up to three or four weeks without receiving mail but sometimes he would receive up to 25 letters or so at once (00:37:52) � 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 ClissoK1628V Title A name given to the resource Clisso, Kenneth (Interview outline and video), 2014 Description An account of the resource Ken Clisso was born May 27th, 1959 and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1982 until 1989 and achieved the rank of Sergeant of the Guard. After graduating from Kansas State University Ken joined the Marine Corps for financial reasons and he had a close neighbor who used to serve as well. Ken finished boot camp around the 15th of November of 1982. He went to Camp Pendleton for infantry training and ended up at Twentynine Palms in the Mojave Desert in California afterwards. He was commissioned to the WWII battleship Iowa. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Clisso, Kenneth Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Watson, Liam (Interviewer) 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. Marine Corps Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-05-18 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/18f28924511d121fe894d2706e4a669d.mp4 e18ce37c0d04f9ca6e4011569249caae https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/42fa83b4249037a7282ae3c510cd570c.pdf 4b80717860cdbe278126bad57e024cbc PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Dennis Churchill Vietnam War 1 hour 20 minutes 16 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born in 1946 in Benton Harbor, Michigan -Grew up in Spinks Corner near Benton Harbor -Attended Benton Harbor High School -Graduated in 1965 -Father was a mechanic -Served in World War II -Part of the 100th Bombardment Group ("The Bloody 100th") of the 8th Air Force -Worked at a community zoo and helped his father repair cars and farm vehicles (00:02:16) Awareness of the Vietnam War -Knew a draft was coming because of the Vietnam War -Talked to his father about the service and whether he should enlist or wait for the draft -Father felt that Dennis had better opportunities in the Navy or Air Force -Didn't know anything about what was going on in Vietnam -Hadn't paid much attention to it (00:03:24) Enlisting in the Air Force -Zoo closed for the season on Labor Day 1965 -Dennis talked to an Air Force recruiter, Navy recruiter, and Army recruiter -Air Force guaranteed him a position where he could work on aircraft -Enlisted in the Air Force in late September or October 1965 (00:04:07) Basic Training -Left for basic training on November 9, 1965 -Sent to Lackland Air Force Base, Texas in San Antonio, Texas -Even in November it was still hot -Shaved his head before going to basic training, so he could be prepared -Drill instructor noticed and told him that they would cut his hair even shorter -Learned how to march -Taught how to be responsible for your own security and base security -Stayed in dorms and only let in people that knew the password -Password changed daily -Remembers his drill instructor coming to the dorm and asking to be let in -Didn't know the password though, so he kept him out as per orders -Learned about the Air Force's mission -Learned about the ranks in the Air Force -Taught military etiquette for enlisted men and officers -Don't refer to sergeants and other non-commissioned officers as "sir" -Only refer to officers as sir (2nd lieutenant and higher) -A lot of physical training -Weighed 223 pounds when he started training and at the end he weighed 190 pounds -Basic training lasted five weeks -Because he was the heaviest man in his flight, he was made the chow runner -Meant he ran to the mess hall ahead of his flight before every meal �-Alerted the mess hall staff that his flight was coming for a meal -Had only six to ten minutes to eat each meal -Pulled kitchen patrol (KP) duty -He cleaned pots and pans, which was considered the worst job -Peeled potatoes with a short paring knife -Learned to take orders and be disciplined -In retrospect it was probably more difficult than he thought at the time -Had had a lot of freedom as a civilian, and absolutely none as an airman -Adapted to it okay (00:14:10) Technical School -From basic training he went to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas -Learned about the mechanical aspects of aircraft -Specifically 5 Level Maintenance-turboprop aircraft -He was a 3 Level after technical school, but could rise to 5 Level -Relatively easy -Still had strict guidelines -Had fatigues you wore to school and fatigues you wore for inspection -Ironed your own shirts and pants -Trained by a retired aircraft mechanic -Learned a lot from him -Easier for Dennis than for other men -Able to finish his class work before he left school for the day -Had inspections in the afternoons, twice a week -Kept everything as unused as possible to make inspections as successful as possible -Meant walking on one side of the hall, using one toilet, one urinal, etc. -Cleaned everything by hand and with a toothbrush -Made sure everything was polished -Found the process to be trivial at the time -Learned that it was about being disciplined and following orders without question -Two men got sent to the brig during technical school because they refused to follow orders -Completed technical school in late March or early April 1966 (00:22:48) Stationed at Forbes Air Force Base Pt. 1 -At the end of technical school he received 15 days of leave -Reported to Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kansas -Had C-130s -Dennis worked on those -Had RB-47s (reconnaissance variant of the B-47 Stratojet) -Progressed to 5 Level Maintenance in October (or November) 1967 while at Forbes (00:24:21) Progress of Vietnam War -Remembers men discussing the Vietnam War at his technical school -Remembers one man training to be a lineman -Told Dennis that he (the prospective lineman) would only survive 3 months in Vietnam -Came as a reality check after feeling invincible and almost immortal -Never knew what happened to that man -Didn't fear getting sent to Vietnam -Still had plenty of training to do (00:27:46) Evacuations in the Dominican Republic -Helped at San Isidro Air Base during political unrest in the Dominican Republic -Evacuating people and cargo �-Stationed there for three weeks -One week before he got there, two motorcyclists drove through the base -Gunned down four or five people -Worst living conditions he ever experienced -Had to lock up planes at night -Had to deal with massive, tropical spiders -Loaded aircraft with personnel and cargo and continued to work while planes made runs -Remembers evacuating out of the base with a mix of civilians and soldiers (00:31:42) Stationed at Forbes Air Force Base Pt. 2 -Got involved with the motorcycle club at Forbes Air Force Base -Became the president of the club -Received a safety commendation for improving safety conditions in his area on base (00:31:57) Stationed in England -Did temporary duty (TDY) in England -Felt it was a good experience to be in a country so far removed from the United States -Exposure to an older culture -Flew there in a C-130 -Noisy, but it didn't bother him -Flying across the Atlantic Ocean in a transport plane was interesting -Looked everywhere on the plane to see if it had been taken care of well -Flew from Kansas to Goose Bay, Labrador to Greenland to the Azores to England -Stationed at RAF Mildenhall, England -Helped with paratrooper training exercises in West Germany -Stationed in England from December 1966 to January 1967 -The English people liked American servicemen spending their money -Got to visit London and see #10 Downing Street -Not aware of any anti-war or anti-American sentiments (00:37:02) Stationed in Taiwan -Returned to Forbes Air Force Base and received orders for Taiwan -Realized Taiwan wasn't very far from Vietnam -Given 20 days of leave -Went home and his parents threw him a big party -In retrospect, he believes they didn't think they would ever see him again -Flew from Benton Harbor to Chicago then to Seattle -Given a ticket in Seattle to fly to Tokyo then to Taipei, Taiwan then to Taichung, Taiwan -Stationed at Ching Chuan Kang (CCK) Air Base near Taichung -He was assigned to the tire shop -Disappointing assignment, but worked with good men -He was part of the field maintenance squadron at the base -Had an electronics shop, avionics shop, hydraulics shop -Did general maintenance for aircraft on the base -70% of the personnel and aircraft was American, the other 30% was Nationalist Chinese -Had hospitals -Supply personnel -C-130s -Nationalist Chinese fighter planes -Planes at CCK supported operations in Vietnam -Bringing troops and cargo to bases and outposts in Vietnam -His duty was to repair aircraft tires, or put new tires on the aircraft at the base �(00:44:30) Stationed in Vietnam Pt. 1 -Assigned to Tuy Hoa Air Base in Vietnam -Worked on aircraft sent from bases in the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, etc. -Worked in the tire shop there as well -Stationed in Tuy Hoa in the summer of 1968 for 30 days -Stationed in Tuy Hoa in the fall and winter of 1968 and going into January 1969 -Total days for that stint was 60 days -Assigned to Cam Ranh Bay for 90 days -Tuy Hoa was 75-100 miles north of Cam Ranh Bay -Flew to the Americans bases in Vietnam -Saw some primitive bases essentially in the middle of enemy territory -C-130s couldn't stay on the ground long because they drew too much enemy fire -Remembers being shot at while in a C-130 unloading cargo -Flew to Da Nang, Nha Trang, An Khe, and Pleiku -Took fire on those supply runs -Mostly mortars and small arms fire -On one supply run a mortar hit an engine -Came as a rude awakening -Took fire at Tuy Hoa on a regular basis -Had bunkers close to their living quarters -On his first night there the North Vietnamese mortared the base -Everybody got out of their bunks and ran for the nearest bunker -At Cam Ranh Bay he and a few other men watched as gunships bombarded a nearby hill -Watched as tracer rounds from the guns raked the North Vietnamese emplacements -While at Cam Ranh Bay he was on the recovery crew -Not a bad job -Helped unload planes -Sobering to handle the body bags -Realized that body bags took priority for transport -Learned to view the body bags as cargo, not dead soldiers -Helped maintain an emotional distance -Usually, body bags weighed around 150 pounds -Sometimes they only weighed 25 pounds -Knew that it was only an arm, or a leg that was recovered -Learned to be suspicious of all Vietnamese people, especially ones that worked on the base -Told to watch Vietnamese civilians for any sabotage or intelligence gathering activities -Remembers watching an old man counting his steps to measure the runway (00:59:56) Downtime in Taiwan Pt. 1 -After every temporary duty in Vietnam he received time off -Went to bars in Taichung -Bought a motorcycle in Taiwan and shipped back to the United States in parts (01:00:50) Stationed in Vietnam Pt. 2 -The first time he went to Vietnam he was selected to go -Wrote his parents telling them he was being sent to Vietnam for a little bit -His mother had the local newspaper run an article on his service in Vietnam -Volunteered to go back to Vietnam, twice -Got paid “hazardous duty pay” and didn't have any taxes taken out of his paycheck -Out of his fifteen months at Taiwan, nine of those months were spent in Vietnam �(01:02:46) Downtime in Taiwan Pt. 2 -Didn't leave the island for leave or R&R -Did visit Sun Moon Lake -Scenic resort area in Taiwan (01:03:25) End of Service & Coming Home -Received an early discharge -89 days earlier than expected -Boarded a plane in Taipei and flew to Japan then on to McChord Air Force Base, Washington -Discharged from the Air Force at McChord -Remembers seeing protestors outside of McChord Air Force Base -Didn't know what they were protesting -Learned that younger sister was part of the anti-war movement -Told his parents he was in the United States -Caught a flight from Washington to Chicago -Took off at 10 PM and landed in Chicago around 3 or 4 AM -Stewardess sat next to him for part of the flight and talked to him -Told him that there were hostile anti-war protestors and to expect confrontations -When he landed at Chicago's O'Hare Airport there were anti-war protestors -Possibly Hare Krishna followers -Saying anti-war slogans at him -Ignored their insults and protests -Parents picked him up at the airport and brought him back to Benton Harbor (01:11:16) Life after the War -Tried to blend in with society -Friends talked about the war in a negative light -He agreed that too many people were dying because of the war -Wasn't sure how he felt about the war's mission -Always felt that his friends seemed displeased that he had served in Vietnam -Went to work for the Whirlpool Corporation near Benton Harbor in September 1969 -Coworker made negative remarks to him about Vietnam and his service in Vietnam -Gravitated toward coworkers that were veterans -Had trouble adjusting to the flexibility of civilian life -Still wants things to be in order -Had been offered $7,000 to reenlist in the Air Force, but declined -Wanted to get back to Michigan and his family -Met his wife in October, or November 1969 -Got married in 1970 -Considered reenlisting for the money and the benefits -Wife supported his decision if he decided to reenlist (01:17:46) Reflections on Service -More disciplined -Wants things to be orderly -Respects and views military personnel and veterans in a different way -Know what they went through, and go through being in the military -Part of a long family tradition of military service -Son served in the Air Force for 20 years -Relatives served in the Civil War, World War I, and his father in World War II -Believes there is more respect now for veterans and is happy about that � 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 ChurchillD1026V Title A name given to the resource Churchill, Dennis Ray (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Dennis Churchill was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 1946. He enlisted in the Air Force in late September, or early October 1965 after graduating from high school in that same year. He received basic training in November 1965 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas and mechanical training at the Technical School at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. He was stationed at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas and did temporary duty assignments at San Isidro Air Base, Dominican Republic and at RAF Mildenhall, England. He was reassigned to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base near Taichung, Taiwan and while there served multiple temporary duties in Vietnam. While in Vietnam he was stationed at Tuy Hoa Air Base and Cam Ranh Bay and made supply runs to the major American bases in the country. After his time in Vietnam and being stationed in Taiwan he received an early discharge from the Air Force, and was discharged at McChord Air Force Base, Washington in 1969. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Churchill, Dennis Ray 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. Air Force Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-12-08 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/01d14694ff786c699b2c046cb44ab322.mp4 b46dfaa53d1a67f4202d1d4d2f5b7526 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/baf1f1f80b5d52425024ae74deaad8cf.pdf b47c911c1a9375155342192d8cec3274 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Hoyt Christensen World War II 42 minutes 14 seconds (00:00:10) Early Life -Born on May 14, 1926 just south of Greenville, Michigan in Montcalm County -Father was a farmer -Mother worked in a silk mill in Belding, Michigan -Father continued to farm during the Great Depression -Mother quit her job to raise the children -Father grew corn, wheat, hay, and oats as his crops -Finished the seventh grade -After completing the seventh grade got a job working on a nearby farm -Went to work at a dairy farm and managed it when he was fifteen years old (00:02:21) Start of the War -Had the radio on when he and the rest of the family heard the news about Pearl Harbor -The start of the war didn’t affect the community immediately -Knew of some neighbors that enlisted in the military shortly after the war began -Hadn’t followed the war in Europe prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor -Thought that the war would be over before he would be old enough to have to fight in it (00:03:19) Getting Drafted and Basic Training -Went to the draft board in May 1944 just days before his eighteenth birthday -Reported to Detroit for his Army physical in August 1944 -Started basic training in November 1944 -Reported to Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas for basic training -Got there by way of troop train -Very slow train ride -Would stop in towns to get food -Camp was located close to Little Rock, Arkansas -Basic training was relatively tough -Training lasted about six weeks -He did better in basic training than some of the men that came from cities did -He had more experience with grueling physical labor due to working on a farm -Discipline and following orders were the main emphasis during basic training -Didn’t have a hard time adjusting to that -Training also consisted of physical training and firearms training -Some of the older men didn’t handle physical training well -Didn’t do well with marksmanship training -Didn’t want to do well with rifle training so that he wouldn’t have to be an infantryman -Army still gave him the designation of being an expert marksman (00:07:28) Deployment to the Pacific Theatre -Sent to Fort Ord, California to wait for deployment -Only spent a week there at the most �-Left California on a troop ship on Friday April 13, 1945 -Voyage took thirty seven days -Travelled with a convoy onboard a Liberty Ship -Didn’t run into any storms during the voyage -A lot of men got seasick -He never got seasick, just lost his appetite for a few days (00:09:23) New Guinea -Landed at Maffin Bay, New Guinea and was sent to the replacement depot there -Got assigned to the 31st Infantry Division -From there went to the islands of Halmahera and Morotai -Encountered limited fighting on those islands -Followed the older more experienced soldiers -Physical conditions on the islands were not good -Had to use local water sources -Usually didn’t have water purification or anti-malaria tablets -Japanese resistance wasn’t too heavy on those islands -His unit’s goal was to mop up the remaining Japanese soldiers that were there (00:12:51) Mindanao, Philippines -After New Guinea they were sent to aid in the liberation of the Philippines -Made an amphibious landing at Davao on Mindanao -Didn’t encounter much resistance on the beach -Japanese had been pushed inland -Worked their way up the length of the Mindanao River searching for the Japanese -Experienced mountainous and swampy terrain -Doesn’t ever recall seeing snakes while on Mindanao -Theorizes that that may have been due to the fighting on the islands -Saw a lot of the native Filipinos while on Mindanao -Lived in bamboos huts -Lived off the land and whatever they could steal or scavenge from the U.S. troops -Employed the natives to be used to carry materials -Got stationed at the Del Monte Pineapple Plantation -Stayed there until the end of the war -While stationed there contracted malaria and dengue fever -Ran a high fever and had terrible joint pains -Basically had to wait for it to pass -Both diseases lasted about two weeks (00:18:15) Encounters with the Japanese Pt. 1 -Some of the Japanese were well defended in built up fortifications on Mindanao -Some of the Japanese were hidden and dug in in the swamp -Japanese snipers used the trees to their advantage and hid out in them -Encountered a few banzai attacks at night -Basically the Japanese would fix bayonets and charge the American position -Usually knew they were coming, but got surprised by one, one night -Used his helmet to cover and suppress the blast of a concussion grenade -Uninjured except for a sore butt from sitting on the helmet during detonation -Only ever took one Japanese prisoner on Mindanao during the course of encountering them �-Had to go up into the mountains when the war ended to tell the Japanese they lost -Only one Japanese soldier believed them and surrendered -The rest were abandoned or attempted to be burned out with flamethrowers -Never encountered a fully-fledged post-war Japanese insurgency (00:22:40) End of the War Pt. 1 -The 31st Infantry Division was sent home after the war ended -He was transferred to an ordinance unit -Made shop foreman on the automotive section of that unit on Mindanao -Had mechanical knowledge and was a sergeant which allowed him to have the position (00:23:47) Relationship with the Filipinos -Filipinos would take whatever they could carry -Didn’t steal from the shop though -Usually they would raid salvage areas for anything that might be of use to them (00:24:51) Downtime on the Philippines -Army supplied them with movies to watch while on Mindanao -Doesn’t ever recall the USO coming to entertain them -Soldiers would play cards and play baseball games -Beer was made available to them by the Army -Discipline was not an issue during the war -After the war soldiers would go into nearby towns and get drunk -Usually led to disciplinary issues that the Army had to resolve (00:26:46) Background of Other Soldiers -Served with men from a variety of different backgrounds in K Company -Large spread of ages (18-50 years old), regions, educational backgrounds -The 31st Infantry Division was a combination of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama National Guard -Led to him serving alongside a lot of rural southern men (00:27:39) Leyte, Philippines -After the war ended, in 1946 he was attached to an Army Engineers outfit on Leyte -Mission was to build roads and infrastructure for the Filipinos -Drove a fuel truck -Provided fuel for the machines that were being used for construction -More Americans were on Leyte than on Mindanao -American soldiers got into trouble with Filipino women pretty frequently -Stayed with the engineering unit for about two months (00:29:48) End of the War Pt. 2 -He left the Philippines on October 17, 1946 -Most Americans had already been withdrawn from the Philippines -There still was a Japanese presence on Leyte -A fair amount of survivors had surrendered to American forces -Japanese were kept in POW camps, but mostly allowed to keep to themselves -Once defeated the Japanese were civil, honest, and friendly to Americans -He trusted the Japanese POWs more than the local Filipinos (00:32:54) Encounters with the Japanese Pt. 2 -At a place called Coogan’s Woods K Company lost about forty percent of their troops -Happened during the surprise banzai attack -The other losses they incurred were from random, sporadic encounters �-Most of the combat encounters happened while they were on patrol in the field -Towards the end of the war the Japanese soldiers he ran into were either very old or very young (00:34:33) Coming Home -Got told one day to pack his bags and report to the airfield -Told that a plane was waiting to take him to Manila -Waited three days and no plane came for him -Returned to base and was told there was a ship waiting in Manila to take him home -Given the option to wait for a plane or take the ship -Decided to take the ship so he wouldn’t have to wait for a plane -Ultimately regretted that decision -Voyage home took seventeen days -En route they ran into a typhoon -Had to stay below decks for about three days -Landed in San Francisco and spent a night there -Took a troop train back to Chicago -Given ten days of leave -Reported back to Fort Sheridan and was discharged from the Army there (00:38:30) Life after the War -Got a job driving trucks -Couldn’t handle driving the long distances to Texas and Florida -Put in an application at the State Hospital -Got a job there and worked there for twenty eight years -Eventually got placed in charge of a ward in the Department of Mental Health -Was able to work his way up and eventually got to a position of authority (00:40:21) Reflections on Service -Had trouble with alcohol when he first got out of the Army -If he had to do it again he would still do it -Glad to be part of a family legacy of veterans -Believes that his military experience did prepare him for the rest of his adult life -No specifics but is sure that it played a part in teaching him how to function as an adult � 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 ChristensenH1599V Title A name given to the resource Christensen, Hoyt (Interview outline and video), 2014 Description An account of the resource Hoyt Christensen was born in 1926 in Greenville, Michigan. Prior to his service he left school after the seventh grade and worked on a farm and later at the age of fifteen managed a dairy farm until he was drafted at the age of eighteen in the summer of 1944. In November 1944 he attended basic training at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, Arkansas. On April 13, 1945 he was sent to New Guinea and was assigned to the 31st Infantry Division. He aided with clearing out the remaining Japanese forces on the islands of Halmahera and Morotai. After that operation his unit was sent to aid in the liberation of the Philippines. His unit landed at Davao on the island of Mindanao where they encountered fierce Japanese resistance. He was stationed on Mindanao until the end of the war and afterwards he was reassigned to an ordinance unit and then on to the island of Leyte where he joined an engineering unit where he drove a fuel truck. On October 17, 1946 he was sent home and was discharged from the Army at Fort Sheridan, Illinois. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Christensen, Hoyt 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 Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-06-10 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b96b697630424f9dd4a58a306609d3c6.mp4 bf33f91d6ccedfd32e703947e702af94 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/179d07437f4a3b435f085c52c72fd465.pdf b1662da5037402ef5051d9afc9d41e24 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran's History Project Vietnam War Timothy Castora Total Time (00:15: Introduction (00:00:20)  Timothy was born on July 3rd, 1949 and served in the Marine Corps in the Vietnam War (00:00:35)  Timothy was born in Highland Park, Michigan (00:00:54)  His oldest brother served in the Air Force (00:01:24) ◦ Timothy was drafted into the services; he says that the Marine Corps Boot Camp was one of the most humbling experiences one can go through (00:01:41) ◦ He mentions that you had to keep your mouth shut during boot camp and do what you were told or else you would pay the consequences (00:02:21) ◦ Other than some time off on Sunday mornings, Timothy mentions that they trained non-stop all throughout the day (00:03:30) ◦ Some men were punished by doing squat-thrusts until they puked or you ran with your rifle (00:03:55) Vietnam (00:04:20)  Timothy landed in Da Nang, Vietnam; from there he was assigned as a radio operator to the 1st Shore Party Battalion 5th Marines (00:04:45)  He directed helicopters on what to do from re-supply to ammo drops and other things as well (00:05:15) ◦ Timothy says that you made friends while you were there but the relationships weren't that deep because you never knew what would happen (00:07:05) ◦ Overall the combat experience was a very emotional thing to go through and is something that you're not prepared for ever (00:07:52) ▪ Timothy was always writing letters to his friends and family and mentions the military would let them write for free (00:08:42) ▪ He went to Australia and Hawaii on his two leaves and mentions there was only a few places to choose from (00:09:47)  Timothy was at home wondering why the United States wasted around 58,000 lives when the war had ended (00:10:42) Back Home (00:10:42)  Timothy mentions his senses were on the highest alert and he was on a sensory overload when he first came home (00:11:02)  Him and a former military buddy were going bowling and hid under the car after the ran over a milk crate thinking it was some destructive weapon (00:11:46) ◦ He mentions that the vets during Vietnam were not treated like those of today- as they were not treated that well at all (00:12:38) ◦ Timothy tried to get back to work as quickly as he could to adjust to civilian life; he wanted to get back into a routine and decided to go back to school (00:13:46) �◦ The biggest lesson Timothy learned was to love the people that love you the most; he mentions he never appreciated his parents until then (00:14:31) � 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 CastoraT1560V Title A name given to the resource Castora, Timothy (Interview outline and video), 2014 Description An account of the resource Timothy Castora was born on July 3rd, 1949 in Highland Park, Michigan. He was drafted into the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He served as a radio operator to the 1st Shore Party Battalion 5th Marines. He directed helicopters on supply drops, ammo drops and medevac services. Timothy came back to the United States wondering why they went to war in the first place and ultimately learned to love those who love you the most from his time in the service. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Castora, Timothy Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hagan, Sarah (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Marine Corps Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-05-10 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0e5656df33a09c1160b1d464f9647b4e.mp4 a78ac31bd1752efd39ed298cbb2cd99e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/57a021fdb9b63e7004c807c8b549e82b.pdf b1d51254f14789901b763c42ebcc562f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Sam Bush World War II 1 hour 2 minutes 13 seconds (00:00:13) Early Life -Born April 10th, 1925 near Mt. Pleasant Michigan. -Grew up on a farm. -The family bought the farm land and was paying interest. -Father got a job at a sugar company when he was 16. -Left him in charge of the farm. -155 acres. -Graduated high school from St. Louis, Michigan. -Graduated in 1943. -Turned 18 before graduating. -Enlisted in the Navy V5 program on April 1st 1943. -During high school a history teacher was instrumental to following the War. -Learned about the lend-lease program -Heard about the Pearl Harbor attack on the car radio after church. -Did not know where Pearl Harbor was at the time. -WWII gave them a “geography lesson”. -Knew that it was likely he would be drafted. -A neighbor across the road was in the Army. -The V5 program was the Navy air corps. (00:05:00) Navy Flight Training -At that time the Navy had new planes, and so they were slowing down on demand for pilots. -No expectation of a college education for pilot training program. -Told that within 18 months they would be flying. -Graduated from high school on June 3rd, 1943. -Went to Dartmouth College on July 1st, 1943 for the V12 program. -The Navy was attempting to slow down the program. -Didn’t know what to do with new recruits yet. -They received a year’s worth of college education in eight months. -21 college credits worth (with a physics lab). -He realized he could hold his own in a college setting. -Because of that and the GI bill he eventually received his college education. -Notes that he was fortunate to have that opportunity because he is white. -Black recruits would not have been as fortunate. -Dartmouth education is completed and the Navy still isn’t sure what to do with them. -They (Bush and the other new recruits) are sent to an airport ferry station in Lynchburg Virginia. -Planes that were made in Long Island were flown to this airport then ferried across the country. �-Fighter planes, bombers, etc. -It was called “tarmac” duty” -Duties: got the planes started and warmed up, help parking the planes, drove firefighting vehicle in event of a fire. -At that time the employees and pilots were all men. -Spring of 1944 at the time working in Lynchburg, VA. -For a short time they were stationed at the yard in Long Island (00:10:00) -Sent to a boot camp in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn to clean up the barracks. -Encountered the boxer Jack Dempsey there. -After a few weeks they were sent to a polytechnic institute for flight prep. -Met their physical training officer, Johnny Vaught, the noted University of Mississippi football player and football coach. -Thought very highly of him. -At the institute during June of 1944. -Duration of stay lasted about three months. -Prep training consisted of: -Calisthenics for two hours each morning. -Playing sports for two hours, a different sport each week. -Following the training they had a month of home leave. -Despite the fact that he recently passed a prior physical, he was given another physical and told his vision was too far off to stay on as a pilot. -It is suspected that this was their way of cutting back on pilots in training. -He heard from someone that the Merchant Marines were looking for recruits. (00:15:00) Radio School and the Merchant Marines -On the way home he stopped in Detroit to enlist with the Merchant Marines. -They called him a month later. -Heard about the Merchant Marines need for members via radio ads. -Their Officer, Harry Manning, was once the navigator for Amelia Earhart. -Received their basic training. -Basic marching, physical activity, learning who to salute etc. -Chose to take trainings in areas that he had trouble with back at Dartmouth. -Took physics training, as well as radio school training. -Boot camp was at Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. -Radio school was taken at Hoffman Island. -It is a man-made island off the coast of Staten Island. -At that time nets were strung between the various islands to prevent enemy ships from entering. -Nets had to be lowered for ally ships. -Hoffman Island is where immigrants were sent to recoup from their illnesses before entering the country. (00:20:00) -During a week of home leave he went to a friend’s party and met his future wife. -Radio school: learned how to use the radio, how to do repairs, checking batteries in case the generator died, how to repair typewriters, etc. -Coded messages were in numbers. �-Weather messages were in English. -Initially the training program was intended to be nine months long. -However for time constraints it was compacted to five months. -Given time every weekend to go into town to New York City. (00:25:00) -Regrets never stopping to see musical Oklahoma while it was playing in the City. -Finished the training around the 2nd week of July 1945. -Roosevelt claimed intentions to give Merchant Marines war veteran status. -That didn’t happen until 40 years later. -After returning from home leave he was sent to the West Coast. -Shipped out after three days. -He was a radio officer. -Boarded the liberty ship the Heber M. Creel. -The ship was carrying lumber cargo. -While they were crossing the Pacific the bombs were dropped on Japan. -They were somewhere north of the Marshall Islands. -They docked at the Philippines in Samar. -Orders were to unload cargo and prepare for the invasion of Japan. (00:30:00) the Philippines and the Pacific -Now that the War was declared to be over they were in limbo in Manila, Philippines. -Decisions about what to do next wavered. -He took on a more authoritative role. -Their goal changed to act as a troop ship. -They worked to ferry Philippinos to their home islands. -Stopped at 17 various locations in the Philippines. -29 different stops. -Locals were happy to socialize with the Americans. -They were transporting their families, and had money to trade. (00:35:00) -Manila was in ruins. -Locals lived quite poorly in huts. -Scraps that fell through floor fed the livestock. -The hotel was intact. -He was present in 1946 when the Philippines gained their independence. -General McArthur was within viewing distance nearby. -A local movie theater was intact, so they went to the movies. -Merchant Marines are strict with a one year enlistment. -However because of their Army orders they were now enlisted 13 months. (00:40:00) -He was acting as the Junior Radio Officer. -Upon leaving they encountered a category 4 typhoon. -Weather report updates every two hours. -Not much sleep. -Only cold cut sandwiches and coffee. -Captain would trade away some of the supplies for certain things. �-The ship was moving about 10~11 knots. -Had to eat live and onions so much that he refuses to eat it again. -The trip back to the US took 30 days. -At one point the ship ran aground because of a miscommunication. -No real damage to the ship. -Background of the crew was varied. -The man that took care of the cabins was a black man. -Chief Engineer was an old man in his 60s. -First and Second Engineer were younger but too old for military service. (00:45:00) -Captain was a retired “three-striper”. -Second Mate was a professional seaman. -First Mate was from Iowa. -The Purser was Harvard educated. -The crew were average blue collar type Americans. -Didn’t lose power in the Typhoon. -“The ship is as good as her crew”. (00:50:00) -Refusing to change course into the wind was the downfall of another ship. -Admiral Halsey -Returned to the US in August 1946. -Docked in San Francisco, California. -Extremely foggy weather. -He was offered another offer to work for a ship headed to Hawaii. -He refused. Wished to return home after being gone so long. -During his time with the Merchant Marines they stopped at Midway. -One of the crew had appendicitis. -American submarines were looming close by. (00:55:00) -In one situation he facilitated radio communication between two other ships. -Helping to find a Dr. for a different vessel. Life After the Military -Went to Alma College nearby. -They also had the V12 program so it was familiar to them. -For his military training he received a year and a half of college credits. -Finished his degree at Alma College. -Because he was in the Navy he was offered the GI Bill. -However people in the Merchant Marine did not receive the GI Bill. -While in the Philippines he contracted an infection in his ear. -Became a medical issue later. -Merchant Marines records were destroyed in 1972. -Graduated college in January. -There were no jobs available for banking. -Took a job at a bank eventually. -However their policy was to start with janitorial work. �(01:00:00) -At this time he was married and had a child. -Started working there the last day of January, 1949. -Eventually retired 37 years later, to the day. -That bank has now become Chemical Bank. � 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 BushA1902V Title A name given to the resource Bush, Alfred L "Sam" (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Sam Bush was born in 1925 near Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. In 1943, at Dartmouth College, he undertook the Navy’s air corps V12 training program. Initially he spent time in Lynchburg, VA as well as Sheepshead Bay, NY working tarmac duty. In 1944 he was attending flight prep when the military screened him out with a physical exam. Instead he decided to join the Merchant Marines. He undertook basic training at Sheepshead Bay, radio school on Hoffman Island, and physics training. By July 1945 he completed his trainings and became a Junior Radio Officer aboard the Heber M. Creel Liberty Ship. Shortly after the bombing of Japan, they docked in Samar, the Philippines, where they unloaded cargo and transported locals as a troop ship. After enduring a typhoon he returned to the US in August 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Bush, Alfred L. 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. Navy Merchant marine--United States Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-12-01 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a3eaa3aeec405ae6eaca669263421a30.mp4 b182f2533df733a36d687287205e021c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/67605952c9aca8dfb67c80fc334d86eb.pdf cd2a9a81305c04fcc67d757c1fdaab8b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Richard Boland Length of interview: (26:04) (00:20) Early Life      Richard was born on August 2, 1933 in St. Louis, Missouri His father was an attorney and his mother was a stay at home parent o Richard had one brother Before joining the service, he worked in construction and other small jobs during the summer Richard’s brother served in the Korean War in an artillery unit o He received the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star When he was 21, he received a commission at the ROTC of Notre Dame University ( he graduated in 1955) o He chose to join the Air force because he wanted to fly as well as serve his country o Even if he decided not to join the military, he feels that he would have been drafted anyway (3:40) Military Life (1955-1958)        Richard’s training lasted for about a year and a half. At the end of the training, he was fit to fly the F-86 Sabre In the beginning, he was sent to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for basic training. o This training lasted for 6 weeks and had nothing to do with flying In January, 1956, Richard was sent to Bartow Air Base in Florida for flight training o This training lasted for 6 months o After that, he went to Greenville, Mississippi for jet training. During this 6 month training period, they flew the P-33 o Next, he went to Perrin Air Force Base in Sherman, Texas. Here he was trained on the F-86 o Finally, he received advanced weapons training at Panama City, Florida (7:00) Adjusting to life in the military was easy because he was enthusiastic about meeting new people and changing his life A lot of his instructors had flown missions during the Korean War and had a lot to offer in terms of experience Richard had very little experience flying prior to joining the military Tensions with Russia were high when he was in the military �         o It made men nervous knowing that nuclear was a possibility When he was in the service, Richard had a wife and two children o They were able to move with him wherever he went (12:35) Because of his academic background, Richard had a second duty as a financial officer When they flew training missions, each man was alone in the aircraft; however, they flew in formations of up to four aircraft o Ground units would use radar to guide them to a particular target His was a part of the 15th Fighter Interceptor Squadron o The duty of the squadron was to protect their assigned Strategic Air Command base (SAC) in the event of an attack o During this time, the B-47 bomber was being replaced with the B-52 Two of Richard’s close friends in his squadron were killed in Vietnam In their free time, the men in Richard’s squadron played a lot of cards and golf Three days out of the week, the squadron was on alert. This required them to be ready to go airborne in less than five minutes o On one particular occasion, Richard was told that there was an object in the air that was six miles wide and eight miles long. This startled Richard but it ended up being a glitch on the radar (9:12) When Richard got out of the service, he was a 1st lieutenant. After two years in the reserves, he achieved the rank of captain One of the most prominent memories he has if of a time when one of the squadron’s head officers took them to a base in New Mexico o On the way back from the base, they flew in a tight formation 500 feet in the air at a speed of 400mph (20:55) Later Life       When he was out of the service, Richard continued his schooling o He got his master’s degree in accounting from St. Louis University o After he spent ten years in public accounting, Richard went to work for Steelcase where he spent 30 years He got out of the service in 1958 o Since he didn’t see combat, he didn’t have any trouble adjusting to civilian life Richard lost contact with his comrades after 1960 (23:00) He likes the idea of requiring all young men and women serve two years in the military His early adult life taught him to be honest with himself and others Richard’s brother fought in Korea and was wounded in action (camera turns to show his commendations) � 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 BolandR1823V Title A name given to the resource Boland, Richard D (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Richard Boland was born on August 2, 1933 in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Norte Dame University and took part in the ROTC. Upon his graduation in 1955, he joined the United States Air Force and was placed in the 15th Fighter Interceptor Squadron as an F-86 pilot. His squadron was tasked with protecting various Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases throughout the United States. After leaving the air force in 1958, Richard got his master’s degree in accounting from St. Louis University and worked for Steelcase for 30 years. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boland, Richard D. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Irons, Jacob (Interviewer) 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. Air Force Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-22 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2f5c86699b8da2e2bf7b56d976a449a1.mp4 199a08d1e87fd83e7f9f91c0549435bb https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/046f9d4a770c6b9dfaf2772809d393b4.pdf 4f2f58ab28c33b1962860437da1e1b6b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Raymond Boisvenue Vietnam War 47 minutes 17 seconds (00:00:21) Early Life -Born in Trenton, Michigan on December 3, 1945 -Small town -Attended a Catholic school for elementary school and went to a public school for high school -Attended Eastern Michigan University -Majored in accounting -Loved accounting after taking a bookkeeping class in high school -Father was from Quebec, Canada -Mother was from Ohio -Had three brothers and one sister -Father worked as a supervisor at The Detroit Edison Company (now DTE Energy) -Mother stayed at home and took care of him and his siblings -Played baseball with friends and ran track & cross country in high school -Ran in college for a year or two, but quit to focus on work and studies (00:03:15) Getting Drafted & the Vietnam War -Got drafted after he graduated from college -Worked for a year and a half before receiving his draft notice -Drafted in 1968 -Vietnam War had been going on for a while when he got drafted -Heard about antiwar sentiments -Had mixed feelings about the war -Went to Detroit for his draft physical -Considered going to Canada, but decided against it (00:04:30) Coming Home Pt. 1 -Coming home from Vietnam wasn't too bad -Left San Francisco early in the morning to fly back to Detroit -Able to avoid protestors -Nobody expressed any negatives sentiments about the war toward him (00:05:50) Basic Training -Received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky -He was 22 years old while most of the recruits were 18 or 19 years old -Assigned to be a training platoon leader -Did physical training -Had to do a mile run in ten minutes -He had no problem with that -Remembers that he had to help a 300 pound recruit do the run -If that recruit didn't pass, then Raymond didn't pass -If they didn't pass they would have to try until they did (00:07:50) Advanced Infantry Training -Received advanced infantry training in Louisiana -Note: Most likely at Fort Polk -Didn't think that he was fit for combat �(00:08:22) Service in Vietnam Pt. 1 -His degree in accounting helped him get a good job in Vietnam -Had many acquaintances and got along well with the men in his unit -Part of the 9th Infantry Division operating in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam -Originally supposed to go on patrols with the infantry -At the last minute he was offered chance to do administrative work -Handled paperwork for enlisted men in the division (00:09:49) Living Conditions in Vietnam Pt. 1 -Food wasn't too bad -Similar to school lunches -Visited an Air Force base in Vietnam -It was like being in the United States -Had tennis courts, swimming pools, and a large PX (post-exchange: general store) -Couldn't stay too long and didn't want to anyway (00:10:52) Service in Vietnam Pt. 2 -Stationed at Dong Tam -Engineers were building up the base and establishing defenses -Base served as the 9th Infantry Division headquarters -Worked together like a team -Everyone had a duty and did it -Nobody slacked off -His unit performed well in Vietnam -Got eight hours of sleep each night -Had entertainment available to them (00:12:34) Enemy Contact Pt. 1 -North Vietnamese (or Viet Cong) hit the base with rockets every three nights -By the time the second rocket hit everyone would get into bunkers -Didn't know if it would be in the morning, during the day, or at night -Had to be on edge at all times to be prepared for enemy attacks (00:13:42) Service in Vietnam Pt. 3 -Mekong Delta was hot and rainy during the monsoon season -Didn't worry about being wet, because as soon as it stopped the heat would dry their clothes (00:14:32) Arrival in Vietnam -Landed at a base close to Saigon -Note: Most likely Bien Hoa Air Base -Incoming soldiers got off the plane and were replaced with soldiers returning to the United States -Airliner took off as soon as all of the soldiers were on board -Went from Saigon to where he had been assigned -Preferred working wherever administrative duty was available -Sent to a canopy tent to wait for his assignment -Remembers the first foreign creature he saw was a fly (00:16:57) Service in Vietnam Pt. 4 -Dong Tam was close to the city of Tan An in the Mekong Delta -Tour began in late 1968 -Seven or eight men worked in the administrative building -He assigned men to various units within the 9th Infantry Division -Administrative duties consisted of promotions, early discharge, and supply management (00:18:12) Enemy Contact Pt. 2 -Enemy was always around �-Got his haircuts from a Vietnamese barber -One day they found his body outside of the perimeter -He had been shot dead with other Viet Cong militants trying to enter base -People of all ages fought for the Viet Cong (00:18:56) Downtime in Vietnam Pt. 1 -Ran with a major who was an Olympic athlete -Ran on a daily basis -Did foot races with other soldiers -Major always beat him and the other men -Remembers racing against some Vietnamese men -Running five miles from the base to the city -Safe since the major ran with them -Army made sure the area was secure -Protected by helicopters -Vietnamese cheated because they weren't in good enough shape to run against Americans (00:22:32) Enemy Contact Pt. 3 -Rocket attacks were the most intense experience he had in Vietnam -Remembers working near a helipad and there was a rocket attack -He couldn't find cover in a bunker, so he had to hide under nearby metal -Pulled guard duty some nights -Stayed close to the guard hut, but didn't stay in it -Felt like the hut was too much of a target (00:23:43) Downtime in Vietnam Pt. 2 -Stayed busy to keep his mind off of home -A girl from college wrote to him -Served as a morale boost -Race was the most fun he had while he was in Vietnam (00:25:13) Service in Vietnam Pt. 5 -Enjoyed his duty assigning soldiers to certain units in the 9th Infantry Division -Assigned them based on their skills -Didn't like replacing men that had been wounded in action, or killed in action -Worst experience was when Reservists from Hawaii were deployed to Vietnam -None of them had combat experience, or training, but had to be assigned to combat units -High mortality rate amongst these men (00:27:05) Friends in the Army -Major was a good man -Other officers respected the enlisted men -Officers didn't want to be saluted -Nobody paid much attention to rank (00:27:46) Division Dog -Had a dog at Dong Tam -Stray dog had shown up at the base with an injured leg -There was a veterinarian in the division that set the dog's leg -One soldier managed to get the dog awarded a Purple Heart -Served as a morale boost for the men (00:29:37) Enemy Contact Pt. 4 -He arrived later in 1968 after the Tet Offensive in January of that year -Enemy activity had decreased since their ranks had been depleted by the Tet Offensive �(00:30:06) Coming Home Pt. 2 -Various components of the division were being called out of Vietnam -Eventually, the whole division returned to the United States -Handed over control of the base to the South Vietnamese -Sent to a base south of Saigon -Spent a few months there -Muddier -Had a K-9 unit stationed there (00:31:27) Living Conditions in Vietnam -Lived in a two-story housing unit -Long and rectangular -Remembers a mortar hit the housing unit next to his -Fortunately, no one was inside, so nobody got hurt -Had he been in his barracks the mortar may have killed him or at least injured him (00:32:30) Contact with Friends after the War -Tried to reach out to one friend he served with in Vietnam -Friend didn't want to be in touch with anyone he served with -Trying to put the war behind him -One soldier contacted Raymond to thank him for his assignment -Probably saved the man's life (00:33:28) Reflections on Vietnam War -Over 58,000 Americans were killed in the Vietnam War as compared to nearly 4,500 in the Iraq War -Doesn't diminish losses in Iraq, but gives perspective on the two wars in terms of losses (00:33:54) Progress of Vietnam War -Never saw any Vietnamese prisoners of war during his time in Vietnam -Never heard any news about the war -If they heard news, it was usually the same stories over and over -Most newsworthy thing he remembers wasn't connected to the war at all -It was the Detroit Tigers playing in, and winning the 1968 World Series (00:34:57) R&R -Visited Hawaii on R&R -Spent a week in Hawaii -Spent R&R with the girl he wrote -Second date they ever had was in Hawaii -By the end of R&R they were both broke -When he went to Hawaii he had been in all 50 states (00:37:10) Vietnamese Civilians -Treated civilians with suspicion -Civilians were friendly, but the troops always kept an eye on them (00:37:39) Food in Vietnam -Always ate Army food -Had hot meals pretty much during his entire time in Vietnam -Only ate rations once when they were under attack and they weren't that bad (00:38:12) USO Shows -Only saw the Bob Hope Show once -Only stayed a little while because he was too far back and couldn't see the show (00:38:54) Contact with Home -Primary contact with home was with the girl he wrote -Wrote her every day, and she wrote him every day �(00:39:23) Coming Home Pt. 3 -Happy he made it to the end of his tour -Got delayed for two days -Took 24 hours all toll to get back to San Francisco and get out processed -Flew back to Detroit -Went 48 hours without sleep when he came home, but he didn't care -Happy to be home and was running on adrenaline (00:40:24) Rank & Commendations -Achieved the rank of Specialist 5 (similar pay grade to sergeant) -Awarded the Vietnam Service Medal -Received a commendation for helping move the 9th Infantry Division back to the United States (00:40:53) Life after the War -Went to Grand Rapids, Michigan where his girlfriend lived -Stayed at his future brother-in-law's house -Eventually moved in with his future in-laws -Got an accounting job with Seidman & Seidman -Extended his tour in Vietnam by two months -Meant that when he got back to the United States he had less than six months of his enlistment -Allowed him to get discharged as soon as he got back to the United States -Had originally met his wife in college when they worked together at the library -He didn't want to seriously date anyone in college because he knew he'd get drafted -Dated for two or three months, got engaged, and six months later they got married -Had four children and eight grandchildren -Lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the nearby suburb of Kentwood, Michigan -Worked with the Franciscans -Part of the Historical Society -Ironic because he wasn't good at history in school -Did that for 20 years -Served on the local draft board for 20 years -Wanted to make sure the right people got drafted if necessary -Defensive capacity after the Vietnam War ended -Note: Draft ended in 1973, but 18 year old men still have to register for the draft -Took up reading and enjoys telling stories about the saints with the Franciscans (00:46:39) Reflections on Service -Taught him that there are different cultures in the world -Cultures are formed based on outside factors and different contexts -Americans need to be aware of these cultures and respect them � 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 BoisvenueR1838V Title A name given to the resource Boisvenue, Raymond L (Interview outline and video), 2015 Description An account of the resource Raymond Boisvenue was born in Trenton, Michigan on December 3, 1945. He was drafted in 1968 and received basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and advanced infantry training in Louisiana (most likely at Fort Polk). He was deployed to Vietnam in late 1968 where he served at the 9th Infantry Division headquarters at Dong Tam processing paperwork for the division. He was transferred to a base south of Saigon and completed his tour there. Due to extending his tour by two months he was able to be discharged as soon as he landed in San Francisco. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Boisvenue, Raymond L. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Southerton, Erica (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 Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-05-22 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3075dfa92f97774a35c76c6eac8cb134.mp4 46adaeaca83a2c595780736b171e2279 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e476d8884f13e9f1dfd5f69b44a2a17c.pdf 604dc92bbf7b25f489cdda8718670b05 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Marvin Besteman Cold War (1950s) 40 minutes 44 seconds (00:00:11) Early Life -Born on June 29, 1934 in Grand Rapids, Michigan -Grew up on the southwest side of Grand Rapids -Family worked in the produce business -Went to the University of Michigan Law School for a few months (00:00:49) Getting Drafted Pt. 1 -Got drafted on November 8, 1956 -Didn't consider enlisting in the Army -Planned on going to college then working in the family produce business (00:01:18) Korean War -Paid a lot of attention to the Korean War -Had always been interested in military history -Had friends that were drafted during the Korean War (00:01:50) Getting Drafted Pt. 2 -Left law school which negated his student deferment -30 days later he received his draft notice -Reported to Grand Rapids then went to Detroit for his initial processing -Sent to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for further processing -Remembers it was a basic facility that used coal furnaces for heating -Issued a uniform there (00:02:57) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Carson, Colorado for basic training -It was an old base with old buildings -Built in 1942 -Base's construction was completed in January 1942 -Base had just started being active again -Learned how to take orders -Went on long marches -Learned all the basics of being a soldier -What to do, when to do it, and what not to do -Adjusted well to being a soldier -Good learning experience -Wishes he had done two years of college first though -Would have been more mature being older and more educated -Most of the men were not college educated -Only a few men were college graduates -Took various tests -Learned how to use weapons -Basic training lasted eight weeks -Did a week long bivouac in the Colorado wilderness -Contracted pneumonia at the end of it �(00:06:57) Instructing at Fort Carson -His company went to South Korea for occupation duty -He stayed at Fort Carson to recover from pneumonia -Stayed at Fort Carson to help train new recruits (00:07:38) Advanced Infantry Training -Did eight weeks of advanced infantry training at Fort Carson, Colorado -More complicated training and more focused on theory -Worked with more advanced and higher caliber weapons -Learned how to lead soldiers in battle -Trained by tough, old soldiers -World War II and Korean War veterans -Expected you to follow orders -Did a good job as trainers -The orders never seemed logical at the time, but in retrospect they made sense (00:09:16) Company Clerk at Fort Carson -Stayed in Fort Carson, Colorado at the end of advanced infantry training -Asked if he wanted to be the company clerk at Fort Carson and he accepted -He took care of the administrative duties in the company -Where men went, kept track of leaves, morning reports, AWOL soldiers -Kept the company in order and running properly -Most challenging part was learning how to type up paperwork -Stationed there for two months -Got engaged -Planned on getting married and staying in Colorado for duration of enlistment (00�:11:09) Stationed at Patton Barracks -Received orders for Europe -Became the Chief Clerk of Headquarters (HQ) Company of United States Army Europe -Keeping track of personnel for the Army in Europe -He was only a private first class -Interesting and wonderful work -Stationed at Patton Barracks in Heidelberg, West Germany -Got to do some travel in Europe -Used typewriters and paperwork to keep track of personnel, not computers -He used poker chips as a sorting system to keep track of soldiers on duty, on leave, or sick -Hundreds of poker chips -Kept tracks of all of the officers in Europe and the enlisted men in the HQ Company -Reported to the master sergeant of HQ Company -Old soldier (had been in the Army since 1935) and he was tough -Taught Marvin a lot -After the master sergeant he reported to the captain -He controlled passes and rations for everyone -He did favors for the men that showed him respect -Helped him later in the business world -There were always limits as to what he could do, or would do -Some things he could do, but wouldn't do on moral grounds -Helped officers and enlisted men with family problems -Became a sort of unofficial counselor to the men -Enlisted men rotated out a lot, but officers stayed in to develop their careers -Learned how to deal with commissioned officers �-Great learning experience -Understood the chain of command and that he needed to show respect to officers -Had to subtly stand up to officers that were trying to get things done that he couldn't do -He couldn't order them around, but he could influence them in a positive way (00:20:30) Reflections on Service -Taught him how to handle people -Glad he got to serve in the Army -Believes everyone ought to do some kind of service in the military (00:21:13) Cold War -It was very tenuous every day because of the presence of the Soviet Union -Didn't know if (or when) the Soviets would launch a nuclear strike on West Germany -Trained every day to be ready for that possibility -No doubt that there was a Cold War -Heidelberg was the headquarters for the United States Army in Europe -Meant that it was a prime target for a nuclear strike -Lived every day knowing that the city could be bombed (00:23:18) Living in West Germany -After a few months his wife came to West Germany -Lived with a German family in Sandhausen -Town was seven kilometers away from Patton Barracks -Wife worked as a nurse in the Army -She outranked him since she was a commissioned officer -Learning experience -Newly wed in a shared house in a foreign country -The German family was great -The German father of the house had served in the German Army in WWII -Captured 30 days before the end of the war in Europe -Told Marvin about the other side of the war -German son spoke perfect English -German father spoke some English -German mother of the house spoke no English -Even with the language barrier they learned how to communicate with each other -Kept in touch with each other for years after Marvin and his wife left Germany (00:26:22) German Civilians -Some of the Germans showed their dislike, if not hatred, for Americans -They were almost all German teenaged boys that felt this way -German girls liked the American soldiers, so they dated the Americans, not Germans -Someone kept letting the air out of the tires of the family car in Sandhausen -Eventually caught the young German boy in the act of doing that -German father of the house smacked him around a bit for that -Never happened again -The animosity was not politically charged (like neo-Nazis or communists), just personal -Adult Germans didn't appear to feel any animosity toward the American soldiers -Celebrated holidays together and went to community dinners -Germans were hard-working and industrious people -Led to West Germany recovering quickly after WWII -At the house in Sandhausen the family used their backyard as a vegetable garden -Reminded him of the Dutch work ethic that he had grown up with �(00:30:42) War Damage in Europe -Heidelburg was not bombed during the Second World War -Saw remnants of war damage in other parts of West Germany -In 1957 and 1958 there was still a tremendous amount of damage in Italy -Italians approached the war damage in a different way than the Germans -More leisurely (00:32:13) Wife's Army Service -Wife enjoyed her service -Wife worked in the labor and delivery ward of the American hospital in Heidelburg -Hospital was open to Americans and Germans, so she delivered American and German babies -On top of having a higher rank she also made more money than he did (00:32:48) End of Service & Coming Home -Army talked to him for months about reenlisting and becoming a commissioned officer -Wanted to reenlist as a captain, not as a 2nd lieutenant -The Army agreed to that -He tried to push for the rank of captain, or major, but the Army refused -Wife got pregnant near the end of their time in Germany -He decided that he needed to get out of the Army -Wife returned to the United States -Prior to leaving Germany he got appendicitis -Made it home two weeks before his first child's birth (00:35:12) Life after Service -Started to look for a job -Got an opportunity to work for a bank -Interested in going back to college so he could become a teacher -Enjoyed working in banking -Kept getting promoted and decided to stay in banking rather than go back to college -Started off at Michigan National Bank and worked there for 13 years -Ran Southeast National Bank in Florida -Took over a banking operation in New York for 10 years -Moved back to Michigan and ran Sparta State Bank in Sparta, Michigan for 12 years -Retired from there when he was 62 years old -Did some banking work in Washington DC on a committee for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Interview stops at 00:38:28 � 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 BestemanM0096V Title A name given to the resource Besteman, Marvin J (Interview outline and video), 2010 Description An account of the resource Marvin Besteman was born on June 29, 1934 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On November 8, 1956 he received his draft notice. After being processed in Detroit and at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri he went to Fort Carson, Colorado for basic training. He stayed at Fort Carson to help train recruits then received advanced infantry training there. He stayed at Fort Carson for two months as a company clerk then received orders for Europe. He was stationed at Patton Barracks in Heidelberg, West Germany as the Chief Clerk of Headquarters Company of United States Army Europe and his wife joined him there as an Army nurse at the hospital in Heidelberg. In 1958 he left Germany and then was discharged from the Army. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Besteman, Marvin 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 Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-05-06 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/698fe24b725688a16847343815a96263.mp4 abfc3f08739edaf798cf761591e31929 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/886aa2b623ea2f5a2c6a624433894a04.pdf b2f8e27cc549f5c7c9e559bfb8de7550 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project Norman Beachum World War II 1 hour 34 minutes 36 seconds (00:00:15) Early Life -Born on March 7, 1927 in Union City, Tennessee -Lived in Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee until he was 11 years old -Father worked as a guide at Reelfoot Lake -Had employment during the Great Depression, but it was limited -Moved to Evansville, Indiana -Lived there for three months -Moved to Missouri -Moved to Alton, Illinois -Lived there for six months -Returned to Missouri -Did farm work in Missouri -Father worked as the caretaker of a wealthy man in Evansville -Father did railroad work in Illinois -He was an only child -Had one sister, but she died as a baby -In 1942 the family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Briefly attended Union High School -Moved to Muskegon, Michigan when he was 15 or 16 years old (00:04:10) Enlisting in the Navy -Enlisted in the Navy on March 7, 1944 when he turned 17 years old -Youngest that he was allowed to enlist -Father got drafted when he was 37 years old -Enlisted a few days before his father had to report for duty -Father spent the rest of the war working on bases around the United States -Not healthy enough for overseas duty -Sworn in on March 14, 1944 with 500 other recruits in Detroit (00:06:36) Basic Training -Shortly after being sworn in he and the other recruits were assembled in the street -Marched to the train station -Remembers an old couple running a newspaper stand at the train station -Pulled Norman aside and gave him a lot of magazines, comics, and candy bars -All of the cattle cars with bunks were full -He walked down to the Pullman cars and found an empty berth -Got to ride all the way to Spokane, Washington with his own room -Took three days to go from Detroit to Spokane, Washington by way of the Great Northern Route -Took two train engines to get them across the Rocky Mountains -Went from Spokane, Washington back to Farragut Naval Training Station, Idaho -Felt basic training would be an adventure -Lasted 14 weeks -Consisted of marching and following orders -Had a chief petty officer as his training company's commander �-Didn't have any trouble with adjusting to the discipline -Remembers a boxing competition being held -The intended boxer had to drop out, so he was selected to compete -A former professional wrestler in his training company gave him some pointers -After the boxing competition they went to the rifle range -There were 144 men in the training company and only a handful of the Blue Jacket Manuals -The men that shot the best would get their own Blue Jacket Manual -Thumbs were so swollen that someone else had to load his rifle for him -Even with swollen thumbs he shot well enough to win a Blue Jacket Manual -Won the boxing match -Had a lot of trouble with marching -On graduation day his officers had him sit out during the parade because he couldn't keep step -Didn't get into any trouble due to his inability to march (00:14:15) Assignment to USS Cumberland Sound (AV-17) Pt. 1 -Sent to the Navy base in Bremerton, Washington -Missed seeing the famous actress Henry Fonda by only a day -From Bremerton went to Tacoma, Washington -The ship he was scheduled to board was almost ready -Ship was commissioned on August 21, 1944 -He joined the USS Cumberland Sound (AV-17) - “AV” meant “aviation vessel” -Seaplane tender for seaplane pilots -Meant that the seaplane pilots would go out on missions then return to ship at night -His job was to stand watches, do work details, and chip paint because of the salt water -There was a complement of 1,077 men -Had boats to bring the seaplane crews from the ship out to their aircraft -Shakedown cruise was along the West Coast -Sailed down to San Diego where welders came aboard to do minor repairs (00:20:15) Voyage to Hawaii Pt. 1 -Will never forget when the ship departed from San Francisco bound for Hawaii -Believed that he would be one of the casualties of the Pacific Theater -Loved being in the open ocean -Remembers 20 foot swells -When the ship dropped it felt like being weightless -When the ship rose again it felt like you weighed three times your normal weight -When they pulled out of San Francisco he was standing in the chow line -As soon as he got his food he threw up -Only time he got seasick during his time in the Navy (00:23:50) Assignment to USS Cumberland Sound (AV-17) Pt. 2 -Stopped in Long Beach, California -Had liberty in San Diego -Unimpressed by the city -Found it to be dirty and dusty (00:25:46) Voyage to Hawaii Pt. 2 -Sailed from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor -Note: Set sail on October 28, 1944 -Great voyage from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor -The 1st Class Petty Officer he served under was a great man -Career sailor with 20 or 30 years in the Navy �-When they got to Pearl Harbor he gave 50 cents to Norman so he could go ashore on leave (00:27:30) Antiaircraft Ground School -Once the ship arrived at Pearl Harbor Norman was sent to an Antiaircraft Ground School on Oahu -Will never forget driving through the pineapple fields on his way to the base -Enjoyed the school -Woke up to music every morning -Informal -Received a lot of gunnery training -Worked with 20mm antiaircraft guns -Trained with .50 caliber machine guns -Worked on a 40mm gun on the Cumberland Sound before being transferred to the 20mm gun -Shot at tow targets -Tow targets were large, cloth targets towed by aircraft so gunnery crews could train -Every third round was a tracer -Enjoyed that part of training (00:30:10) Visiting Hilo, Hawaii -Went to Hilo, Hawaii for a day of liberty -Virtually nothing to do there except go into the bar and get a drink -Technically, he wasn't old enough to drink, but the Navy didn't mind -Believed that if he was old enough to serve he was old enough to drink -Provided that he didn't get drunk (00:32:25) Stationed at Ulithi Pt. 1 -Anchored in front of the wreck of the USS Arizona before they were underway -Not working with seaplanes on missions at the time -Liberation of the Philippines had begun -Sailed from Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok on December 1 -Note: Stayed at Eniwetok from December 13, 1944 to January 1, 1945 -From Eniwetok sailed to Kwajalein, then to Saipan, then to Guam -Arrived at Ulithi on January 12, 1945 -Could see other islands on the horizon that were 14 miles away -Fleet gathered at Ulithi three times while they anchored there -Could see nothing but ships as far as the eye could see -Anchored off the islet of Mogmog -Three or four acres by a half acre in size -Remembers the fleet building up for the continued liberation of the Philippines -Supposed to be part of it, but his ship's involvement was canceled at the last minute -Briefed on what to expect going into the Philippines -Afraid thinking about going into combat, but disappointed when it didn't happen -Wanted to be part of the force going to help liberate the Philippines -Stayed at Ulithi after the fleet departed for the Philippines -Tendered 36 seaplanes (00:39:47) Downtime at Sea -There was nowhere really to go on Ulithi -Remembers going with a group of men to gather seashells around Mogmog -A shark swam over to the group of men -While the rest of the men ran, he charged at the shark and drove it away -Remembers at Kwajalein a sailor bouncing unexploded shells off of other unexploded shells -Still has no idea what possessed that sailor to do that -One friend wanted to swim from Kwajalein back to the ship �-Mile and a half of swimming -Followed through with the idea and made it back to the ship unharmed -Wasn't much to do to pass the time -Didn't have much free time anyway -Remembers being so tired from sleep deprivation that he almost passed out (00:44:15) Work on the USS Cumberland Sound -Feels that workers like the welders had to do the most work on the ship -Noticed that officers and other men in charge rarely, if ever, got their hands dirty with work (00:45:17) Progress of War in the Pacific -Supposed to take part in the invasion of Iwo Jima, but those orders were canceled -Supposed to take part in the invasion of Okinawa, but those orders were also canceled -By the summer of 1945 the Japanese air force had been virtually wiped out -Had an aircraft carrier anchored next to them while at Eniwetok -Note: USS Cumberland Sound returned to Eniwetok on June 24 -One night, at twilight, a kamikaze hit the carrier -Saw flames leaping into the sky and ordinance exploding from the heat -A second kamikaze hit the airstrip at Parry Island to no effect (00:47:53) End of the War -Sailed up to Okinawa near the end of the war -Note: Ship pulled into Okinawa on August 18, 1945 three days after Japan's surrender -Remembers men discussing the atomic bombs -Sitting topside with a group of men when they received word of Japan's surrender -The other men believed that the end of WWII meant the end of all future conflicts -Norman was unconvinced and believed the U.S. and USSR would be at odds (00:50:38) Occupation Duty in Japan -Sailed up to Japan and arrived at Tokyo Bay on August 28, 1945 -A small Japanese boat guided them into Tokyo Bay along with American minesweepers -Had to make sure Tokyo Bay was clear of mines before the rest of the fleet arrived -Pulled guard duty at night -Feared Japanese extremists would try to attack the ship -The Japanese civilians in Yokosuka and Yokohama were happy that the war was over -Sick of the war and the bombing raids -Went ashore and engaged in some debauchery -Saw a Japanese Imperial Marine still in his uniform -Glared at Norman and his friends -Glad he was with level headed, mature men that decided to avoid confrontation -Remembers a sailor from his ship kicked over a glassware stand just to do it (00:56:43) Assignment to USS Gardiners Bay (AVP-39) Pt. 1 -Transferred to the USS Gardiners Bay (AVP-39) -AVP is a U.S. naval hull code for “patrol seaplane tender” or “small seaplane tender” -Sailed to Nagoya, Japan -Not allowed to go into the city -One, small bar the men were allowed to go to -Went to Hong Kong -Stayed there quite a while -Sailed to Shanghai on January 29, 1946 -Sailed through a typhoon near Formosa (Taiwan) -Had to patrol the ship during the storm -Almost capsized �-Small ship of only 83 men -Note: Ship's company was 215 men, but still much smaller than the Cumberland Sound (01:01:05) Stationed at Ulithi Pt. 2 -In Ulithi the fleet was building up for the continued invasion of the Philippines -He was standing on the deck of the Cumberland Sound -Remembers watching as a Polynesian crew rowed its simple canoe out to a burial ground -Forbidden for U.S. servicemen to go to the burial ground -Struck by the contrast of seeing the primitive boat and the massive, industrialized armada -Wishes he could have captured the moment on film -Image that will never leave his mind because it was so poignant (01:04:30) Assignment to USS Gardiners Bay (AVP-39) Pt. 2 -Went ashore in Hong Kong on the Chinese New Year -It was still a British colony at the time -Wishes that he tried authentic Chinese food instead of British food -Sent up to Shanghai -Sailed through the aforementioned typhoon, but there was no damage done to the ship -Saw the Whangpoo (Huangpu) River -Had to go from his ship to the USS Pine Island to go ashore -Visited the Army-Navy Club -Remembers he and two other men ordering a case of beer and steak & eggs -He only had two beers and the other men drank the rest (01:07:43) Coming Home & End of Service -Returned to Hong Kong and boarded a troopship bound for the United States -Set sail for the U.S. in April 1946 -Stopped at Okinawa and Pearl Harbor on their way back to the United States -Took a couple months to get back to America -Ship was carrying Chinese immigrants moving to the United States -Landed at Treasure Island in San Francisco -Given three days of leave -Returned to Treasure Island and boarded a train bound for Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois -Volunteered for mess duty on the train ride -Got his own bunk in a Pullman car and got to shower daily because he handled food -Remembers seeing wheat growing in Kansas and it was the best sight he'd seen in a while -Discharged on May 23, 1946 (01:11:28) Life after the War Pt. 1 -Went on a date with a girl in June 1946 -On July 25, 1946 they got married -Had nine children -Lost one baby girl -Jobs were available after the war, but as production caught up with demand, the jobs dwindled -Got a job at a foundry as a maintenance man -Worked all week -Worked there for 27 years before he retired -Dusty, dirty, noisy, and hot work -Feels fortunate that none of his five sons had to serve in the Vietnam War (01:15:48) Reflections on Service Pt. 1 -Enjoyed the Navy and considered reenlisting -In a way, the Navy provided him with the money necessary to buy his first home -Played a craps game in Tokyo Bay and won $1700 �-Wired it home and saved it -Used $1000 for his wedding and honeymoon -Used the remaining $700 on a down payment for his first home (01:21:20) Life after the War Pt. 2 -Sold his first house and bought two acres of land and built a house -Moved into the house when it was unfinished, something he'd never do again (01:22:42) Reflections on Service Pt. 2 -Navy provided him with opportunities he would not have had otherwise -For example, made it through the 8th grade as a civilian -After the war took a test at Muskegon Community College -Considered to have the equivalence of a high school education -Could have gone to engineering school on the GI Bill, but needed to work (01:25:00) Life after the War Pt. 3 -Did plumbing work for a while -Went on to work as an electrician until the company went out of business -Worked in a machine shop in Grand Haven, Michigan -Had to look for another job because it didn't provide health insurance -His work experience allowed him to get the job as a multipurpose maintenance man at the foundry (01:28:40) Spirit of Grand Rapids/Talons Out Honor Flight -Went on the May 16, 2015 Spirit of Grand Rapids/Talons Out Honor Flight to Washington DC -Chance to honor and thank veterans for their service -Specifically veterans of WWII and the Korean War -His youngest son went with him, so he got to spend the entire day with his son -Saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -Had a close friend killed during the liberation of the Philippines -Stood up out of his wheelchair to honor his friend and all the other men that died -Ran into his granddaughter (who lives in Washington DC) -Impressed by the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Korean War Memorial -First time he ever saw the World War Two Memorial or the Air Force Memorial -Flew back to Grand Rapids, Michigan -He and the other veterans were brought to East Kentwood High School -Greeted by thousands of citizens thanking them for their service -Saw a little girl holding a sign that said “FREEDOM” -Really drove home why the Honor Flight was done and what the war was about � 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 BeachumN1918V Title A name given to the resource Beachum, Norman L (Interview outline and video), 2011 Description An account of the resource Norman Beachum was born in Union City, Tennessee on March 7, 1927. After moving around the country his family settled in Muskegon, Michigan and on his 17th birthday he enlisted in the Navy (March 7, 1944). He took basic training at Farragut Naval Training Station, Idaho and after 14 weeks went to Tacoma, Washington where he joined the USS Cumberland Sound (AV-17), a seaplane tender. They went to sea on October 28, 1944 and sailed to Pearl Harbor where he received antiaircraft training. The ship sailed to Eniwetok, then Kwajalein, then Saipan, then Guam before reaching Ulithi on January 12, 1945. He was stationed at Ulithi until the ship returned to Eniwetok on June 24, 1945. After the war he was aboard the Cumberland Sound during occupation duty in Japan then joined the USS Gardiners Bay (AVP-39), a small seaplane tender. He sailed around Japan and China for the remainder of 1945 and into 1946. In early spring 1946 he boarded a troopship in Hong Kong and returned to the United States. He was discharged from the Navy at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois on May 23, 1946. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Beachum, Norman L. 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. Navy Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource eng Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-02-08 Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives