25 24 1541 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1fd73200505c4bdd77b2e3c9dbbaf8cc.mp4 c2842c3403649eafbda8521857623365 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e0a428b09f1baa96eaa92987f5cbe601.pdf a1d18c14282a1267c4de8419801bf7e6 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Jack Walbridge Length: 47:55 (00:30) Background Information      Jack graduated from Caledonia high school in 1942; he had played football and was a musician He then went to Grand Rapids Community College, taking liberal arts classes so that he could one day be a school band instructor Jack also joined the Army Specialized Training Program His father had been in WWI and had been awarded a Purple Heart Jack was called into service for the Army in May of 1943 (1:30) Basic Training  Jack went through basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas and it was not at all what he had expected  He really envied his father and wanted to be sure that he would also see a lot of combat  Jack volunteered to be in the paratrooper program and 1 week later was sent to Fort Benning in Georgia  It was in the middle of Summer and it was very hot  It was difficult training in the hot weather and much more rough than in Fort Riley  Many men were passing out from the heat while they were running and the instructors would just yell and kick at them (5:30) Overseas  Jack was sent to Fort Bragg in Alabama [North Carolina] and became part of the 13th Airborne Division  They spent time practicing in the jump field and bivouacking  He was then re-assigned to the 551st Parachute Battalion  They left in a huge convoy full of Navy transports, escorts, blimps, destroyers, and an aircraft carrier  They landed in Africa, but Jack had though they were going to Italy  They arrived in the Straights of Gibraltar at night and were immediately attacked by the Germans  There was a huge explosion on Jack’s ship and his leg was hurt  They disembarked in Oran and he was sent to a hospital for 10 days  Jack then boarded a British transport ship to another hospital in Sicily �  When he was feeling better he went through airborne school and took radio classes in Rome He was then sent to Northern Italy until the invasion in France (9:45) France  Jack was transferred on a ship to work with the 517th Regimental Combat Team  He was put on an outpost on his first night for guard duty in the French Alps  He said it got very spooky there at night because there were so many clouds that you could not see a thing  There were Germans patrolling every night and one night he heard something in the brush, so he pulled the pin from a grenade and was about to throw it when he realized it was only a rabbit  Jack could not just throw the grenade because then his position would be revealed  It was very difficult getting the pin back in and took him about an hour  It later began getting very cold in the Alps in the Fall and they were replaced with the 10th Mountain Unit (15:40) Winter Months  They left the Alps and headed North about 50 miles to a small town  They were all freezing with bleeding feet  They stayed in an old French barracks with only straw mattresses  While there they did not do much, just repetitive training and playing cards  Soon the Germans made a breakthrough in Northern France and they had to leave to go further North  Jack really liked all the French people and thought they were all very nice  They were right in the midst of heavy combat and everything was all very confusing  The Germans were very good soldiers, well supplied, with better and newer equipment and better food  The Americans did not have the proper Winter attire and were always freezing, sleeping in fox holes at night  It was safer to sleep in the woods because buildings were always being shelled  The men finally received new, warmer boots and thicker camouflage coats (21:45) Southern Alps  Jack worked as a scout and helped direct artillery once they had moved South  They were very short on ammunition and using artillery shells from WWI  The Germans always were bringing in new supplies, they had many ready ambulances and there were tons of mines surrounding their defensive positions  Germans were very good with artillery and catching any small movements in the woods �  The Americans were always moving along so quickly that their supply chain could not keep up with them Also the Americans were often short on food and stole food off dead Germans, who had much better food; fresh bread and butter and sardines (32:15) Northern France  They moved into Three Points [Trois Ponts] and were able to get the high ground and Germans were waiting at the bottom of the hill  The men dug fox holes for protection, but later over 57% of their team was killed or wounded  They needed replacements after the Battle of the Bulge and moved into Soissons to refit  They then went North and found more casualties, with abandoned American equipment all over the place  There were just truckloads carrying dead bodies away to be buried  Jack was sent out scouting again and located his old 551st Battalion, but it had been ambushed and the majority of them were dead  There was no place to walk because the area was filled with bodies, mines, and random junk (41:55) End of Service  Jack was able to go to Paris on R & R and he loved it and all the people there  He stayed there longer than he was supposed to and got demoted from sergeant to PFC  He later trained in Northern France with gliders and took communications classes  They were jumping in C-46s and C-47s; the Germans, British, and Russians had quit air assaults because they had lost too many men in their attempts  After the war Jack took 2 weeks and then began working for his father’s meat market � 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 WalbridgeJ Title A name given to the resource Walbridge, Jack (Interview outline and video), 2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Walbridge, Jack Description An account of the resource Jack Walbridge graduated from Caledonia High School in Michigan and in 1942 and then began taking courses at Grand Rapids Community College and also joined the Army Specialized Training Program. He was called up for service in May of 1943 and found basic training to be boring, so he volunteered to be a paratrooper. Jack went through paratrooper training at Fort Benning in Georgia and then later traveled in a very large convoy to Northern Africa. They made their way though Italy and France and Jack often worked as a scout. Jack was discharged shortly after the Battle of the Bulge and began working for his father's meat market in Michigan. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Michigan Military Preservation Society (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource 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 Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004-06-26 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> 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/3a3606237f3f5a4e8b5ea6496efabc96.mp4 6d04525568145668c012e61b9a0fa389 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b2faf147f0c280670b2588e8c65f3d6a.pdf 4d50ea1bc20709c3c02b004d98bdc48a PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Vietnam War Era Barry Waclawski 18:27 Introduction (00:31)    Barry was twenty years old when he joined the service. Before he enlisted, he was attending Aquinas College. After his second year, he thought it would be smart to enlist rather than waiting to be drafted. He enlisted in the United States Air Force. At the time, he was living in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Air Force (01:39)              Barry was sent to Lackland Air Force Base for basic training. He was appointed to be squad leader, and he spent a month there firing weapons, physical training, marching and other military duties. After basic training, he was then sent to Denver, Colorado for a year learning electronics. He enjoyed his time, especially because he was not carrying a gun and he was not in Vietnam. When he was later sent to Thailand, it was scary because he was on the flight line with live bombs and ammunition and many accidents and incidents occurred. (03:19) After Barry arrived in Denver in 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated and the whole base was put on lock down. He served overseas in Thailand and he first went to a base in Takhli for five months. Barry then returned to the United States and was stationed in North Carolina. He then returned to Thailand and went to Korat for another seven months. Barry got discharged early because the plane he was trained on, the F-105, was being phased out and they were going to retrain him on a new aircraft the F-114 or F-111, but since he only had six months and twenty five days time in service, he was given an early out because they required men to have seven months to attend the new training. (05:05) In 1965 and 1966 he saw two Bob Hope shows. He was discharged in San Francisco, California and the first thing he wanted was a real egg and some real white milk. In Thailand, they had a chow hall that served hot meals. Barry’s favorite meal was midnight breakfast. (07:38) While in the Air Force, Barry was a Fire Control Technician working on a bombing computer, sight system and radar for the F-105. With that experience, he went to work for Lear Siegler once he got home. He only stayed there for a month and then went to work at the telephone company and worked there for 33 years. Barry has never joined any veteran’s organizations. Barry only stays in contact with one man that he served with in the Air Force. �           While in country, they worked 10-12 hour days. They lived in a tent, and sat there until they received orders to report to the planes. To pass the time, they played checkers with bottle caps and they also played horseshoes. Barry was able to see a U-2 Spy Plane land and take off, which was a rare sight. (11:48) They celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving while there, but they were not quite the same as in the states. For Christmas, they got cards and gifts from home and a poor excuse for a Christmas tree in their hooch. Barry learned in the Air Force, that whatever your job is, do it right the first time because somebody’s life may be on the line. On the flight over, they flew in a C-130 from North Carolina to Oakland, then to Hawaii and Wake Island and then on to Japan. Every time they landed, they ate breakfast. (15:25) In Thailand, they would go into town at night to get a drink and everything was lit up like a Christmas tree. When he would go back the next day, he would see how impoverished the area was. One of the first things he saw when in country was a Singer Sewing Machine factory. Touring some of the little towns, he took many photographs of the people and the places. He often wondered why he was there and what he was doing. (17:32) Barry would not give up the experience for anything; they had a good time and were always pretty safe. � 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 WaclawskiB1523V Title A name given to the resource Waclawski, Barry (Interview outline and video), 2012 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Waclawski, Barry Description An account of the resource Barry enlisted in the United States Air Force after spending two years at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He decided to enlist rather than wait to be drafted into the infantry. He went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and later went to tech school to become a Fire Control Technician on an F-105. He served overseas in Thailand and spent two tours there during the Vietnam era, one for five months and another for seven. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Winkler, Chad (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-11-03 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> 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/e84978dd90adadd392aea245f443b3c9.mp4 7bf0afe74f6f10434cefed1e40571e71 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3635f8fadbeca70ee064c4b2c4e22320.pdf b3a27adfa0663a1ae3928953daff01a1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Ronald Sabin, Sr. Length: 23:39 (00:15) Background Information    Ronald was born in Wyoming, Michigan and later moved to Byron Center, where he graduated from high school in 1954 He was born in 1935 and had 6 other siblings The Korean War had broke out while he was in high school and Ronald enlisted in the Army with 2 other friends a few months after they had graduated (2:15) Training  Ronald was sent to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for basic training during the winter  It was a very “outback” place with mean sergeants that made training very rough  There was a lot of physical work and they had to sleep outside in tents in the snow; everyone had frost bite  Ronald was already in good shape and the physical training was not too bad on him  He went through basic training for 8 weeks and then was sent to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas for guided missile training  In Texas Ronald learned to pressure surface to surface missiles that were 40 feet long  They had a range of 100 miles and in training they were shooting for a 50 gallon drum that was 100 miles away (7:30) Instructing  After training much of Ronald’s division was sent to Germany while he remained in Texas  They had told him if he wanted to go to Germany he would have to sign on for an additional 3 months, but Ronald wanted to be done with the service  He became an instructor and helped train other men, going over movies and grading tests  Ronald had time off on weekends; it was a pretty open base once he became an instructor and he really enjoyed his time there  Ronald not regrets getting out of the service as fast as possible because they would have paid for additional school for him (14:35) Cold War  At the time no one really looked at the larger picture and realized that they were in the middle of the Cold War  After Ronald was finished with permanent duty, he was on call 24/7 for 12 years �  Ronald had been in Texas for about 2 years, and was then under the Wisconsin Reserves when he moved back to Michigan While in the service he learned a lot about responsibility and now feels that every young man should have a mandatory 2 years in the service (17:40) After Service  Ronald moved back to Michigan and began working on house construction  He then began doing repair work and also a bit of commercial work  Ronald started his own business where he began doing restorative work on buildings for insurance companies  His business did very well and later an employee of his bought it from him  Ronald is now working part time on repair work for Calvin College in Michigan, working as a trim carpenter � 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 SabinRSr Title A name given to the resource Sabin, Ronald Sr. (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sabin, Ronald Sr. Description An account of the resource Ronald Sabin, Sr. was born in Wyoming, Michigan in 1935 and graduated from high school in 1954. Ronald enlisted in the Army during the Korean War only a few months after he had graduated. He was sent to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri for basic training for 8 weeks and then to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas for guided missile training. After training in Texas, Ronald continued there working as an instructor and was there for a total of about 2 years. He then moved back to Michigan and was on call with the Wisconsin Reserves for another 12 years. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Veterans History Project (U.S.) Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-09-29 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> 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/cadbbfdaa0b5085211299ff4ed6fea63.mp4 ce64105221bb4b6b9e124e9beb47aafb https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4bfabfc570e8614b54c48a56ff550bcd.pdf b329fae4ed0734101ddb246fac5365cc PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Oral History Interview Transcript Edmond C. Szudzik Born: October 16, 1918 in Grand Rapids, MI WWII Veteran United States Army, 1941 to 1945 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd (Red Arrow) Division Transcribed: April 18, 2007 by Joan Raymer We moved to a farm by Wayland, MI., when I was nine years old. I worked on the farm where I milked the cows and raised chickens. 2:02 I was selected one day by my friends to serve. I got a letter one day. Uncle Sam wants you. 2:20 I joined the military because I was selected by my friends and neighbors. We went to Fort Custer where they gave us uniforms and shoes. They said, “man you got wide feet” and I said “yea that’s because I walk behind the plow”. They didn’t know if they had wide enough shoes for me, but they found some. I put them on and they had two five gallon pails of sand there and they said “pick them pails of sand up” and then 2:15 he put my feet in one of these machines with the pictures and they said “well, those fit pretty good”. I was at Fort Custer two weeks or so and the first morning they called us out and they said, “pick up them cigarette butts” and I 2:42 said, “I don’t smoke” and the Sergeant said, “pick em up.” The next day they put me on KP and boy I liked that. I worked in the kitchen and one of the cooks told me to go in the pantry and get that bag of potatoes. There was a 100 Lb. bag of Idaho potatoes and they were beautiful. He told me to peel them and he gave me two pots. 3:18 I asked him how many I should peel and he said “the whole bag”, so I peeled the whole bag and they cooked them for dinner. I liked that because I could go into the pantry and get milk or an apple or an orange. Whatever I wanted to eat. 3:51 I was there two weeks and then I was moved to Camp Livingston LA. Where we had basic training. They put me in the mortar squad and they showed us how to shoot and everything, but we didn’t do any shooting there with live ammunition. They gave me a 45 pistol to carry and 4:24 I was in that mortar squad when we went to Australia and then we went to New Guinea. When we got in the war, I was still in that. It worked real good but we ran out of ammunition and we went on maneuvers and made believe we were fighting, but we didn’t do any shooting. They took us to the rifle range to shoot. They gave us live ammunition and targets there. 5:22 They gave us a nice rifle. I would like to have one, I don’t go deer hunting, but it would be really nice for deer hunting. I think it was a lot better rifle than they got now. All the guys were new to me. Before I went they had a dinner for us in Allegan. Another guy and I sat together and ate together. 5:59 and we went to Kalamazoo together for our physicals. They turned him down because there was something wrong with his back. He was a truck driver and he had his own truck. He had sold his truck and he practically cried when they turned him down. I never saw him after that because I didn’t get his address and where he lived so I 1 �couldn’t write him a letter or anything. 6:32 I met a lot of nice guys and we had a good time there. One nice thing I remember is they used to come around with watermelon and sell them for .50 apiece for a great big watermelon. 7:03 We would buy one, there were five of us in the tent, and we would take it in the tent and take our knives and boy we would eat watermelon. It wasn’t cold, but it tasted good. We didn’t have much other training there. We went from boot camp to Massachusetts. They were going to send us to Asia or someplace. They changed their mind and put us on a train to San Francisco where we got on a boat and we went to Australia. 8:11 We were there for a while and they put us on another boat to New Guinea. There were some Japs in New Guinea already and some Australian solders were already there. 8:49 When we went over there we joined the Australian solders and they helped us a lot. All there was were the Australian solders, us, and the natives. You could tell the natives real easy. They really helped us a lot by carrying ammunition and grub for us. The really helped us. 9:31 There were beautiful coconut groves there. There were groves and trees with beautiful cocoanuts. I ate so much coconut there that I don’t care for it anymore. I ate coconut for breakfast and drank the milk out of the coconuts. We would ask the natives to get us a coconut and they would climb up that tree and they didn’t wear shoes. 10:11 They would go up the tree and knock the Coconuts down. They had big knives like machetes and they would bring it down and skin it for us. They were really good. We got along real good with the Australians and they taught us a lot about fighting. When we first met the enemy, I was next to two Australians and the first night that Ausie said to me 10:55 “I hear something” and I said, “I do too”. It was getting closer and closer so we both fired at the same time. It was darker than the ace of spades and you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. When daylight came I could touch the bayonet of the Jap. 11:21 We didn’t argue about who hit him and we didn’t go look either. I didn’t anyway. I don’t know if he was hit twice or what. It was in 1941. I think May 16, 1941. [1942] I didn’t throw anything away. A lot of the guys threw everything away when we went to New Guinea, but I kept the pup tent and the mess kit and spoon and fork. We did have a fork now that I think of it. 12:50 The first day we hit them; we went over a little river or creek that was about knee deep. We just got into a banana grove when the Japs started firing. I dug a hole. I was looking for a place where there was an opening in the banana leaves to put our mortar in when the lieutenant came by, his name was Johnson, he said “don’t put it in there when the planes come by they can see you, put it under a banana tree”. 13:39 In training they said to never put it under a tree because if the shell goes up and hits the least little thing it will go off. The lieutenant was going to court-martial me and the guy that was in the hole with me. He was a Corporal and I said “ok I’ll put it under the tree and I’ll show you how.” “You drop it and I’ll leave.” “I’ll write to your wife and tell her what happened to you”. He walked away and didn’t say a word. 14:08 I liked it there, it was warm. Some of the guys got blisters on their feet and they were taking it hard. I was used to warm weather on the farm. Like in the summer time doing the haying and everything. It didn’t bother me and I liked it. It rained everyday in New Guinea in the afternoon. We would take a shower in the rain. 14:56 Some of the guys it bothered. There were ticks that would get on you, get in your skin, and some of 2 �the guys would itch, but I had a little bottle of alcohol that I used. I would take a match and light it and hold it over the tick, then pinch that tick to get it out and rub the alcohol on my legs. I didn’t have any trouble at all. 15:47 I didn’t have much trouble at all. Once when I was walking and looking around, I found a little ripe pineapple growing so I picked it and cut it up. I don’t know how many guys came, but it was good and ripe and it sure tasted good. 16:24 Then we walked a little ways and there were papaya trees, so I picked some of them cut it open and took the seeds out and started eating it. One of the guys said ”boy you could live out in the jungle and live off the jungle.” He said, “how does that taste?” and I said, “do you want a taste?” Boy, I loved those things. 16:48 When we came back we went to Hawaii. I went four times and my wife went five times. We had a daughter and son in law living there. We went to the store one day and I was going to buy some of them papayas and my daughter said “don’t buy any of those, I’ll take you to a place”. There was an old house there and an old guy sitting there. He had a bunch of trees and he sold them 6 for a dollar. My daughter took us up there and I asked him if he had any papayas and he said “yea, I got seven of them for a dollar”. I took all of them. 17:35 They were good, but you couldn’t bring any back. They were inspected, but they were half rotten already by that time. There weren’t too many bananas in the groves in New Guinea. Once in a while we would find some. In that grove where we first hit the Japs, all that was left were the stalks. The leaves were all shattered. Our food was called C rations, but I called them dog biscuits. I broke my teeth on them things. They were harder than a rock. Then we had some canned stuff like hash and cans of meat that I said to the guys that it was horsemeat. 19:00 It was Australian stuff, but we ate it and got along. After we were in the war for I don’t know how many days, we went back to Australia to get replacements because we had lost so many guys. Well there were a couple of guys from Pennsylvania, Irishmen, and one guy Al McNally, he was a sergeant. They put me in a rifle platoon and he was my sergeant. When we went back to New Guinea he opened up a can of hash and said, “boy that’s dull, I wish I had some hot peppers.” I said “I’ll get you some hot peppers”, so I took my rifle and walked a little ways. Those peppers grew wild there and they were hot. 20:19 I tasted one and thought I was going to burn up so I spit it out. I picked a handful and I told him to wash them in his water because I wasn’t going to put them in my water, so he took a handful and rinsed them off, cut them up into his hash, and said “boy now this tastes good.” 20:34 Them things were hot. They were little bitty things. We got along real good with the replacements. Everybody got along real good. 21:18 I wrote a letter to my cousin here in Grand Rapids, he worked for a paper company and I wrote it on Australian toilet paper. It was like the paper we used to use here in Michigan to wrap meat in. We had instant coffee and I would wet my finger and put it on that toilet paper then I wrote the letter on it and said “boy things are rough over here, I tried this before I wrote the letter”. 21:46 I sent it to him and he showed it to everybody in his office. About a week later I got a package from Grand Rapids with toilet paper, writing paper, pens, ink and pencils. They would send packages quite often. Sometimes they would deliver them to the front line where we would open them and divide with the guys if it was something to eat. 22:30 3 �What I remember most is Lt. Johnson took some guys and they went out on patrol and when they came back he came by our hole and he said, “we lost Ray Evans’ and I said, “what happened to him?” and he said ”I don’t know, we lost him.” I think it was two or three days later at night he came back. I don’t know how he got by all the guys without getting shot, but he came to my hole where I was with this other guy, Frank Carlin. 23:47 When we were in Louisiana, we were in the same tent and he snored like the dickens. Even in New Guinea he snored like the dickens. Frank was snoring and I was up watching guard and this Ray Evans came by my hole. I don’t know how he got by the other guys without getting shot, but I had my pistol cocked and I could hear him coming closer and closer and Ray heard Frank snoring and he said “Ed” and I said “Ray.” I raised that pistol and I almost shot him. I cried and I shook. Boy that was a close thing and I would really feel bad if I had hit him. 24:55 I was hit twice. I was hit in the back. I said to this one guy from Kentucky “we better move” and he jumped in one foxhole and I jumped in another one. Then I got hit in the leg with shrapnel and he got hit in the stomach. The medic, Frank Jakubowski, he lives a block away from me now, he was our medic and he dug in my leg with a Boy Scout knife. He said “heck Ed, I can’t find nothing in there” so he put some stuff on there and a band-aid. Frank looked at the guy from Kentucky and started putting some stuff on and Kentucky said “Frank, you don’t have to put nothing on there, I’ll spit some of this tobacco juice on it.” 26:21 They used to send them some tobacco that looked like swamp grass. They would chew on that and spit that juice out. He spit some of that juice on it and it healed and was all right. They had rifle grenades, they would shoot them up in the air and hit a branch and they would explode. 27:01 One day when we were advancing, about a week before the marines came in there and they came by my hole. The Lt., or whoever he was, said ”I’ll show you guys how to get Japs out of here”, so they started yelling like the dickens and woke up the Japs. The Japs in them holes started shooting and the machine guns opened up and I don’t know how many of the marines were killed. 27:45 I don’t think there were any Japs killed. They left and we stayed for about a week or so and they said they were going to make a raid. I had a machine gun and this guy came by me and said ”help me out Ed, guard me.” I said “ok” and he took off, jumped in a hole with a Jap and started fighting with him. I aimed the machine gun to shoot the Jap, but I didn’t fire it because you couldn’t hold it that still. 28:46 If I had an M-1, I could have shot him. Then that Jap machine gun started firing, so I started firing at them and I put a 50 round drum through and then another 20 and then I put another 20 in and I shot about half that one out and the machine gun blistered and quit firing. My buddy was over in the trenches. We had dug trenches then, and he pulled me over and said “Ed, get down, they’re cutting the trees right above your head.” I didn’t even hear them bullets coming by so I moved over where he was and I could see that machine gun. There was a guy in the hole and he was frozen down there. He had a BAR and I had never fired one of them. I said, ” where’s the clip?” and he showed me and said “here’s a clip of armor piercing shells” and I said “put it in there.” So I stood up and I could see that machine gun. 30:16 They were still firing where I was before, so I took one shot at it and I figured if it was anything like our machine gun, I’ll fire right in the center of it. I don’t know what battle they called it. We were just fighting. 4 �I got malaria and I was in the hospital several times. 31:20 I was in New Guinea in the field hospital and in Australia. When I came home on furlough, I got malaria and I was in the hospital at Fort Custer eleven or twelve days. Everybody got it. You had to be pretty sick before you would go to the hospital. They gave us Atabrine tablets to take and a lot of guys it bothered them and they got yellow jaundice from them, they turned yellow. 32:35 They didn’t bother me and I kept taking them. Then they gave us some vitamin pills and I would take one of them. They were in brown bottles and they never stuck together from the heat. I would take one a day of them. One day I wondered what was in them so I bit into one and I spit it out. It tasted like a rotten egg. I thought “Holy Smokes.” 33:27 I couldn’t smell them, but the natives could. There was something about it. When we landed in New Guinea we were on a big boat and they put us on something they called a landing craft and the navy shelled the coastline there and the planes came over and dropped bombs. 34:12 When we hit shore the Japs, they must have got word and left. They were dug in there because they had what was like basements. They had coconut trees cut down and laid on top and all kinds of ground on top, but they were down there, but they were all gone. I looked in one there and there were bags of rice that they left. They couldn’t take the rice with them so the natives they were eating the rice. It was really nice rice too. 35:01 I didn’t take anything, but a lot of guys told me the Japs had a lot of gold teeth and that they were knocking their teeth out and taking the gold. I thought, “gee whiz Akers.” I didn’t take anything, but there rifles were nice and their swords, but I just took care of my gun. We slept in foxholes. A lot of guys said that when they dug a hole the water would come up, but I didn’t have any water in any of the holes I dug. 36:06 We never had water in our hole. We had patience; we just sat there and waited. Even now, I can sit and wait. My wife, she can’t sit and wait like that and I told her she would make a poor soldier. 37:02 The first day, we weren’t in combat an hour when we lost one guy. He joined the army reserve and he was 17 years old when he got killed. The same day, my buddy from not Traverse City, but up north there, he got hit and he came by me. His jacket was torn and he was bleeding like a stuck hog. He said “Z I’ll see you in a month or two”, but he didn’t come back. I seen him after the war, when we got back. He was single when he went in and he was in Grand Rapids to get married. It was a girl from up home. Frank Carlin that I was in the foxhole with, he was best man. We all got along real well. 39:04 I wish all those guys were living and could come to our reunions. Most of them are gone. They always had scouts up front to figure out where the enemy was. Where the guys went I went and we done a lot of praying. We were glad that we survived another day. I was out of army when the war ended. I got a job in one day working at the A&P warehouse. I worked one day and the next day the war ended. They closed up the place and we all went home. The next payday, the guys that 41.16 worked there before got paid for that day, but I didn’t get paid. The superintendent said ”Ed I tried have them pay you for that day, but you haven’t been here very long.” He thought I was going to quit and he felt really bad. I thought he was going to take the money out of his own pocket and give it to me. 42:00 When I went to Wayland, my niece was working in the feed store; the owner came and shook my hand. He said, ”Ed you’re a hero.” He read in the paper where I got that machine gun and knocked out them Japs. When I went to the gas station, at that time you 5 �had to have stamps for gas, they wouldn’t take the stamps and some of the gas stations wouldn’t even take the money. They would fill the model A up and then my sister was driving that car while I was gone so I looked at the tires and there was more vulcanize on there than the original rubber. I went to the Standard station there where I always bought gas and asked him if he had any tires. He said “no, but I’m going to Grand Rapids and I’ll see if I can find you some.” I went everyplace, but I couldn’t find any. 43:24 Then the next day I went back to that place and asked if he had found any. He said, “ya, I found two, but I don’t have time to put them on for you. I said ”I can put them on and I said “Have you got tubes too?” and he said “ya”, so I bought them from him and took them home and put them on. 43:48 The captain woke me and this other guy up and we had to go to this place in New Guinea. It was Finschafen or something, I forgot, and we staid there overnight and they put us on a boat, one of those boats that carried supplies to New Guinea. All we had was the clothes on our back and the Merchant Marines gave us a blanket. 44:46 We slept in the hole on that blanket and they fed us on the way home. I can’t remember how many days it took us to come back. Then we hit Australia and docked there, me and this other guy from Kalamazoo, we were up on the deck and their were two beautiful girls standing there waving to us. They had on sweaters and had big “boobs”, but when we got down Off the boat they were gone. A sergeant came by in a little boat and he said ”come on guys, jump in here.” 45:50 Then we went by Alcatraz and the army had a camp there. They took us to that camp, examined us, gave us a shower and a shave, fed us and gave us more clothes and took us back to San Francisco. They gave us money for train fare to come home. 46:27 My brother in law came over and we went to Wayland to the A&P store. The same manager was still there and I said ”Marian”. He shook hands with me and almost pulled me over the counter. I said “you got any beer?” and he said “ya”, I just got some” and I said, “I gotta have a little party”. “I wan’ a have some beer.” He said, “how many cases do you want?” and I said, “how many cases can I get?” So I think he gave me four cases of beer. 47:26 My dad was glad too because he hadn’t had any in a long time because you couldn’t buy any beer. It was like rationed. 6 � 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 SzudzikE Title A name given to the resource Szudzik, Edmund C. (Interview transcript and video), 2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Szudzik, Edmund C. Description An account of the resource Edmund Szudzik was a draftee who joined the 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd (Red Arrow) Division while it was training at Camp Livingston, Louisiana, in 1941. His unit was sent first to the East Coast, and then recrossed the country bound for Australia and New Guinea. His account includes colorful stories of training camp and of conditions in Australia and New Guinea, including vivid discriptions of jungle combat. His interview is featured in the documentary Nightmare in New Guinea produced by Grand Valley State University. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sharp, Emily (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2005-11-03 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> 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/f539abe9376fe9b9795d503d2363865d.mp4 7ef93bf11f9c29a76bc76bb57b4bbac2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d81938f2bce4e703df71d3f77492a0b0.pdf 7c71adfdf392e28e336de1132296cba1 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Interviewee: Adrian Sytsma Length of Interview: 00:53:05 Background:  Born in 1923 at home, delivered by his grandmother.  His father would move the family to a nice neighborhood, where they would live until he entered the service.  He father was a cement finisher. He worked for a contractor, building homes in the 1920’s. (00:55)  Eventually, he would be out of a job as construction was not around much anymore.  He ended up working for Thomas Dairy. 3 of his uncles had started it in 1910. His father worked there until he retired.  He attended Baxter Christian School, only a couple of blocks from his house. (1:40)  After that, his father told him that he had to attend a Christian high school, so he went to Grand Rapids Christian for one year.  After that he would attend Tech High School. His two brother-in-laws would come together against his father to make him understand that there he would learn the trade.  He wanted to become a die maker, so his father let him go.  Half a day was spent at regular classes, and the other was spent in the shop.  In 1941, when the news of Pearl Harbor came, he was at church. When he got out to his car, he had heard on the radio what had happened. He was shocked. (2:50)  Other than that, he did not pay much attention to the war in Europe.  At the time he was working as a die maker apprentice, so he was hoping to get a deferment.  Unfortunately, he did not have enough time in as an apprentice, so he had to give it up.  Also at the time, he was dating a gal, and things were pretty serious, so he did not enlist, but instead just waited to be drafted.  He would receive his draft notice in the fall of 1942, get his physical, and he was inducted in 1943. (4:25)  He was inducted at Fort Custer, Michigan.  After he had received all of his shots, he would take a train down to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he would take his basic training. Training (5:00)   That base was specifically used for the Army Air Corps training. His tests would offer him a position in machinist school, which he chose because it went along with the work he had hoped to be doing through his life. �                      The difference between mechanics school and machinist school is that in the second you just learn how to operate machines, while mechanics school repaired the engines in the planes. It was rough. The discipline there was brutal. He though that criminals on the streets should be put through basic, just to learn discipline. (7:10) They had physical training every day for an hour. They would also have to get up during the night to march or run. Although he was in Florida in January, he says the days were really warm, and the nights were cold. When he left Fort Custer, he and the others left in wool clothes. For the five days on the train, none of them were allowed to shower or change. So when they got there they were all hot and stinky. Although some people have a hard time adjusting, he just kept his head down and did what he was told. Most of them were from the Detroit area, though he knew 3 or 4 from the Grand Rapids area. Basic training would last 6 weeks. After that he would be sent off to take more tests, where they found his mechanical skills were quite well. He would be sent to Amarillo, Texas, to learn the operation of B-17’s. (10:10) It was mostly trying to get familiar with the operation of the airplane. There were also regular classes, where they had a textbook on the B-17’s and the instructors were civilians. He would be there for about two and a half months. When he got there, he felt a lot freer than when he was in basic. At night, after classes, he and some buddies would get passes to go into Amarillo. They all had curfew at 11pm. It was not so exciting there. He and his girlfriend loved to roller skate, but the rink there was not very good. Once he was finished with his time there, he graduated, but did not receive a diploma, along with some of the other men there. Eventually, they would learn that they were being sent on special orders to a school in Seattle, Washington, to learn about the B-29 school there. (12:30) He was there about 6 months. When he got there, they had a model they studied. During his time there, he saw a B-29 once. It was a monster, much bigger than the B-17. The instructor said that the main learning part of their time there would be working by experience, not out of a book. After his time there, he went to radio operator school for 3 weeks in Denver, Colorado. (14:30) After that, he had furlough, and went home for a week. When he got back, he was sent to Clovis, New Mexico. It was a distribution center for the armed forces. He spent about 6 weeks there. He was then sent to Sioux City, Iowa with other men. There, each of them would take 8hr. shifts on duty, to be on duty 24 hours a day. (15:00) �                      They did that for about 2 weeks, but then the colonel that he served under told them that he had to let them go. He had wanted them to be there in case a B-29 landed, that way there would be someone there who was familiar with the plane. From there he was sent to Salina, Kansas. There he would work with soldiers from the Pacific working on B-24’s. It was there that he really learned the operation of an airplane. (16:20) Seattle was by far a more interesting place than Amarillo. It was where the B-29 was being produced. There was a nice big roller rink, where he would go skating and he found a nice church to go to while he was there. He wrote to his girlfriend every day. Going back to Kansas, as far as he is concerned, any hands on experience was better than book experience. He felt that the instructors in Washington did not know much more than they did about the planes. But here they actually got to work on the planes. The guys that he worked with knew what they were doing, as that was their job. So they taught him everything he knows about mechanical work on airplanes. After that training experience, he went to McCook, Nebraska. (19:25) There he would observe other soldiers during flight training. Some of them had to fly as far as Jamaica and back. All had to have some sort of practice flying over water. He was assigned to one plane, and he and the crew were in charge of taking care of that plane, mostly making repairs. While he was there, one big thing he had to deal with was the low oil pressure in the plane. You could not fix that, but instead had to rebuild the whole engine. He also remembers one night the radio mechanics had ran a jeep into the propeller of a plane engine. No one was hurt, but it was a real sad incident and they jeep was busted up pretty good. He would finish up there around the end of 1945. (22:00) He and a buddy got a Class A pass and took a train to Chicago, and took another train to Grand Rapids. He got home Saturday afternoon, and they had to leave Monday morning. They ended up being late, but there did not seem to be any repercussions. They did that about once a month. For the few weeks while he was in radio school, he did not learn anything. He hated it there, so he was happy to leave. During his many travels to different bases across America, he had paid much more attention to the war. He did not think that it would be over before it was his turn to serve. He was really surprised when rumors started floating around in August that the US had dropped a bomb on Japan that essentially took care of the war. He heard about that while he was in Guam. (25:50) He had left for Guam in April, 1945. He had been assigned to a plane to maintain, and from that day on, it was their responsibility to take care of it. One of the planes there had a gunner station, for someone to get into and shoot. Most of them though were quite advanced and had what they called scanners, which was a machine where you pushed a button and it fired the gun. (27:10) �      He would get on a train from McCook that took him to Wichita, Kansas. There he got a new B-29, as they were manufactured there as well. From there they flew to Guam. Some of the other ground personnel would have to go by boat. There were six guys who actually flew over there. He had flown before that, getting some experience in before being sent over. They flew from Kansas to San Pedro, California. They stayed there Saturday night and Sunday. At midnight, they left for Hawaii. Some of them slept on the plane. They stayed in Hawaii for a day and left at 8am the next morning, headed for Kwajalein. It was an island just for refueling planes. It had a runway a mile long in it; just enough room for a B-29. They stayed the night there and the next morning they headed for Guam Guam (31:25)                 When they landed, the people there had just finished resurfacing the runway. It was really nice. It was just a thick jungle between the taxi strip and the barracks. They had cleared a path through the jungle so they could get to the barracks. He was part of the 331st Bomb Group, 357th Bomb Squadron. Within the squadron, there were 9 aircraft. At the time, there were still some Japanese soldiers hiding on the island, living in caves. (34:00) He had an experience there one time, where he was headed to the chow hall when they saw a couple of guys dressed in American uniform, but they looked like Japanese. He guesses that someone had said something because it wasn’t long before soldiers were there picking these two guys up. Every Sunday, 2 or 3 of the guys would go to the south side of the island, to a small city, to attend church there. That was a good day for them, even though they had to put time in that day as well. There was another guy who went there as well, who would bring them down in his jeep and bring them back when church was done. They had good food, and a big mess hall. The cooks there were good and they did a fine job of keeping them well fed. Every once a month, there would be a dance in the mess hall. It would be at this time that girls from the local villages could mingle with the soldiers. They also had movies available for the soldiers. The planes were flying pretty regularly. (37:10) He knew what was going on, and pilots always kept a log book. Planes always took off at 5 PM, and have a Navy plane check to see that all the planes got up well and would land again. Each afternoon, the planes would be lined up, bumper to bumper, to get ready to take off. There were about 27 of them. They would be gone until 7 the next morning. In case of emergency, they would land in places like Okinawa or Iwo Jima. �                     One of the tactics that they used against the anti-aircraft was to sling tinfoil out of the aircraft. They never lost a single plane. He was there at the time when the war ended. (40:00) It was sometime in August when rumors started floating around that the US had dropped a bomb on Japan. When all of the planes were getting ready to go, the commander came out and waved his arms to cut the engines. They waited and waited, but nothing happened. So they all come to the conclusion that the bomb had effectively ended the war. But 20 minutes later, they had to start their engines and to continue on their mission for the night. He remembered hearing that the war was over. It was wonderful news, but they kept flying. They did this in order to get the number of hours needed in order to get their flight pay. (41:40) They would take old parachutes and make a rack with chutes that held things like candy, food and other supplies and drop it in Japan. Even though the end of the war was in August, he would remain in Guam until March. He would maintain planes, because they still flew them to get their pay. Each plane had to have an inspection. So, instead of keeping the planes landed for 3 or 4 days at a time, what they would do is work on engine 1 the first night, and the plane would fly the next day; work on engine 2 the next night, and the plane would fly the next day, etc. until all four engines were finished. (44:10) Working on these engines was really difficult. You hardly had any knuckles left. During this time, people had started going home. With the point system they had, the more points you had, the earlier you could go home. Because he was relatively new, he was one of the last ones to go home. (46:30) They flew a lot of the planes back, but some of the equipment was left behind. While they had served there, the US would keep sending them extra planes to replace the ones that they had, but they didn’t need them because theirs had never gotten that badly damaged. So there were a lot of extra planes there. He had maybe a week’s notice before he knew he was going home. He was eventually sent to Saipan and from there, he would take a transport ship back to the US. It was packed. (48:40) It was his first ship that he was on. It was not a pleasant trip. There were too many guys on there. The compartments were very small and there was not a lot of room between the men and their personal belongings. No one liked it. There were a couple of days when the ship was rocking back and forth. Sharks would follow the ship home, eating the garbage that was dumped by the crew. The trip took two weeks. He landed in California. Post Duty (50:25)   When he got to California, he did not stay there very long. He would be discharge in Chanute Field, near Chicago. He got home in April 1946. �   He loved working outdoors, so he went to the airport in Grand Rapids and he had inquired about a job. But they had no openings. They offered a position in Denver, but he did not want to leave, he had just been gone for the past 3 years. So he went back to Keeler Brass and worked there for 46 years. He worked as a die maker. Looking back at his time in the military, he felt he learned was that he had a lot to be thankful for. � 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 SytsmaA0808V Title A name given to the resource Sytsma, Adrian (Interview outline and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sytsma, Adrian Description An account of the resource Adrian Sytsma grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was drafted into the Army in 1943. Because he already had some technical training and work experience, he was assigned to the Army Air Corps to be a mechanic. After initially training on B-17s, he eventually was retrained for B-29s, and finally sent to Guam in April, 1945. He serviced aircraft conducting missions to Okinawa and Japan in the last months of the war, and remained on Guam until March, 1946. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army Air Corps World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-11-09 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> 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/d0d30f890b7b0046c2523a333bb50f39.mp4 0ffa456dcbe3920a1ab9edd69d8b484c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/93bb01ca2ccfebaf0aeed53acd8b9f8e.pdf a87c9340f45287713a5f9a52d4e52288 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Charlie Swendsen World War II Total Time: 56:30 Guided Tour of the USS Silversides (00:00) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (00:00) Explanation of the deck gun, noted that it was initially 3 inches but then it changed. (02:15) Insignia on the side of the vessel. (03:30) Explanation of torpedo loading. (04:45) Describes the procedures for the lavatory. (06:00) Notes more of the torpedo procedure. (08:45) Highlights the experience of being depth charged. Recalls an experience of being depth charged for several hours on different occasions. (11:19) He remembers being just of the coast of China when the war ended. He was on the USS Haddock at the time. They took the ship to Staten Island, New York to be decommissioned. (14:10) Describes the process of aiming and firing the torpedoes. (17:25) They used to put together a message after the attack and then they would enjoy whiskey afterwards with the skipper, Burlingame. He tried to join the Navy, but the draft board would not let him initially. However he ran into a man who told him to talk to a newspaper editor who was a Navy officer who was able to get him relieved from the draft board to join the Navy. (23:36) Shows the mess hall on the ship. (24:11) Shows some of the quarters for the men on the ship. (25:10) Explains some of the aspects of the control room. This was where he worked when he was on the ship. He also explains several of the different procedures that took place in the engine room. (32:55) Shifts were 8 hours on, 8 hours off. (35:05) Shows one of the hatches to get out of the submarine. (36:10) On one occasion, there was an appendectomy performed on the ship, which was a very rare occurrence. They were depth charged right after the operation. (40:05) Mess hall tour. Explains some of the different meals that were served. Smoking was allowed in the submarine except for when the boat was in a combat situation. (46:05) Shows the bunk where he slept when he was on the submarine. (51:00) Explains the different effects of seasickness. Explains one instance where he became seasick and was given a dill pickle to eat by the cook, which made him feel better. (54:35) He explains the sonic targeting capabilities of some of the torpedoes they used. � 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 SwendsenC Title A name given to the resource Swendsen, Charles (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Swendsen, Charles Description An account of the resource Charles Swendsen served on the USS Silversides and the USS Haddock during World War II. In this interview, he gives a guided tour of the Silversides, which serves as a museum in Muskegon, Michigan. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Montagna, Douglas (Interviewer) Great Lakes Naval Memorial & Museum (Muskegon, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource 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 Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-06-04 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> 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/f42014801d8635e1aeaba91d7a98c7c8.mp4 29a085703ca03d14fead71530161f3d3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a6ff2eda0c0c5382e60623b24a0aca1b.pdf e67e013e249534c38e18c143d8a88c41 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Thomas Swanson (01:11:13) (00:36) Background Information • Born at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids on February 26, 1958 • (1:00-1:40) He was a quiet and shy boy, who was picked on by his older brothers • (2:10) His father worked at a GM diesel plant • (2:25-2:44) Comes from a big family, 8 boys and 4 girls • (2:54-3:37) Mom grew up on a farm in White Cloud. She met his father at a square dance. They dated and later got married. • (4:20-5:22) Thomas favorite childhood games were the war games • (6:50-8:31) when to grade school at Saint John Vianney on Clyde Park. Attended this school from the 3rd grade until the 6th grade. • (9:22-12:21) His grandfather (his dad’s father) worked at a magic shop on Division. He was also part of the magicians union and was in the lumberjack league. His mother’s father was a farmer. His dad father would die when Thomas was in the 6th grade. • (12:27) School information o (12:27-14:41) when to high school at Catholic Central High ƒ Freshman year took 3rd place at the state championship for wresting ƒ Played defensive w o (14:50-15:38) Junior year worked at [W.T] Grant ƒ worked here for a year and a half ƒ his title was stock boy o (15:50-16:33) He was in the play “Guys and Dolls” sophomore year. He was an extra. Also took 6 years of art in high school o (17:03-17:30) Graduation was held at the Civic Center. His school graduated with West Catholic o (19:05-20:18) After graduation took the summer to try to find a job. Worked for his uncle for a short while. The job did not last because his car was not dependable. (21:44) Enlistment/ Training • (21:44-22:15) Joined the military in Grand Rapids on the NE side. He was put through Detroit and then out. He joined the Air Force. • (22:21-23:29) He decided to go the Air Force because basic training was only 6 weeks. o Flown to Detroit for the major physical o Swore In here o From Detroit to San Antonio, Texas for basic training ƒ (25:29-26:24) Got up at five in the morning ƒ Had breakfast, then headed to the P.T field �ƒ First couple of weeks was physical training, testing, and shot and immunization ƒ Later was physical marching training and discipline (28:25) Active Duty/ Family Life • (28:25-30:18) Received word on what he was going to be. He was an instrumentation mechanic. o When to Denver Colorado for training o Was at technical training school for a year o Here is where he met his wife • (32:17- 34:20) Met his wife at the military base. Met her through a friend. The couple would get married while in Denver. • (34:30-38:47) Received orders for his permanent duty station. He was a detachment out of New Mexico… to Yuma improvement ground southern section o While here gather info by testing structures to see how they could withstand a blast. • (38:49-40:28) Got his good conduct metal working with Kurtz o Helped him with the invention of the time of arrival detector • (40:38) He lived off base, him and his wife bought a house. • (41:32-44:20) The duo had their 1st child in Arizona. It was a girl they named Lianne. o His wife almost lost her life during the delivery. She was bedridden for eight months. (45:04)Work History • (45:04-49:58) He finished his service in 1980 and went back to Michigan. He started looking for a job, worked at Laser Alignment for 3 years. • Laid off from Laser Alignment and soon after got another job at C&D Electronics. o Worked here for 3 years also • (49:28-49:58) Later worked at Smith and Anderson which is a 2way radio company. • (51:03-52:10) Just before he left the service his wife was pregnant with John Tom, born in the 80’s. There was no problem with his birth. • (52:19-53:40) Worked at the 2way radio company for 2 years. Quit this job because they kept promising tools which he never received. Plus the job was not going anywhere. • (53:46-55:15) Worked at Diamond Maintenance doing janitorial work • (55:20-56:09) Worked for an employment company processing metals • (56:10-57:33) Kennedale Furniture Company o moved from the glue department to the sanding department • (57:34-59:46) Circuit shop o worked in car stereo department o worked here for 12 years • (59:47-1:01:17) restaurant work o his dream job �• • • (1:01:25-1:03:30) while working for the circuit shop, he was divorced. The divorce came in the year 1990. (1:05:07-1:06:14) Worked at Gathering Place on Cascade. o Started as a dishwasher worked his way up to a prep cook basically becoming an all-purpose worker. o Here until 2001 (1:08:55) Came to the Home for Veterans in February and loves 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 SwansonT Title A name given to the resource Swanson, Thomas A. (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Swanson, Thomas A. Description An account of the resource Thomas Swanson served in the U.S. Air Force between 1976 and 1980. He trained in Denver, Colorado, as an instrumentation mechanic, and worked on the testing grounds at Yuma, Arizona. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer) Collins, Carol (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-04-02 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> 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/327343a0c254a9e6fb103235b5d73fbf.m4v 01f82c7cb25426ff922cd2126307da97 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5b9acb382687d81377dad260d6e2d76b.pdf 651c4efc27e084693756fea09b685cfc PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Richard Swanson Length: 1:00:42 (00:15) Background Information       Richard was born in Lucas County, Iowa on January 1, 1930 and grew up on a farm His father was a preacher and they later moved to a larger town when Richard was 10 He graduated from high school in 1948 and was sent to Korea in 1951 WWII had started when he was 12 years old and he often listed to the news of the war on the radio; he thought it was fascinating Richard had worked as a cab driver after he graduated from high school and then later worked for Maytag He received his draft notice just a few days after he had gotten married and was able to get a 30 day deferment (3:50) Training  Richard went through training in Arkansas, which was very fast paced and only lasted for 6 weeks  They spent a lot of time bivouacking; it was in November of 1951 and very cold  Richard had 30 days on furlough and was then sent to Seattle  He was going to serve as a replacement, but really did not know where he was going to be sent (5:30) Japan  Richard was sent to Japan on the United States’ second largest transport ship and it was completely jam packed  He felt lucky because he had KP, so he never had to work on deck  Many of the men were sick for the whole trip, which lasted 13 days  They landed in Japan and then Richard was assigned to go to Osaka for chemical, biological, and radioactive warfare training (CBR)  He only trained in CBR for one week and was then assigned to the 176th Artillery Unit  He felt that the training was kind of a joke and that just 1 week in CBR did not make him feel very confident about what kind of action to take in the event of an attack  Richard began working with armored field artillery, which used self-propelled guns (14:25) Combat  Richard was often sent out on patrol at 2 or 3 in the morning to check on wires  The Chinese and Koreans were very good at shooting bazookas, but did not work well with artillery �   They were supporting a South Korean infantry division The men often had to go out to pick up enemy shells and their morale was really affected when they found American names on the shells US companies were selling arms to their enemies [or more likely the Chinese were using American munitions captured from the Chinese Nationalists or from the Americans during their earlier retreat in Korea] (22:00) Leaving Korea  Richard’s unit did not take too many casualties; they were well armed with superior weapons  A few days after Richard was sent back to the states his unit was heavily attacked and many men died  Richard had spent 1 year and 4 months in Korea (26:30) Civilian Populations  Richard received 5 days R & R in Tokyo where he spent most of his time eating and seeing movies  They did not have much contact with the Koreans except for the outfit they were working with  While in Korea, Richard felt that they were there to help save the South Koreans  He did not really feel like they were there to fight the Cold War or stop the spread of communism (32:29) Living Conditions  The men stayed in barracks in the mountains that were surrounded by sand bags  In the winter the temperature would get to negative 20 degrees, but it was so windy it felt like negative 60 degrees  Then in the summer it would get very hot and Richard then worked on water patrol  There were many mountains and rivers throughout the countryside (36:35) Comparing Armies  The Americans had some problems with the South Koreans because they sometimes tried to take their telephone lines to use for themselves  The Chinese made their soldiers and the Koreans work very hard and dig holes through the mountains for hiding  Many of the Chinese soldiers were all drugged up on morphine and did not fight well  The Chinese did not care about their soldiers or whether they died because they had so many  The Americans fought with pistols, machine guns, 105 howitzers, and bazookas �  The Chinese had hunting rifles for those in the front lines, but the men behind then only had pitch forks and Billy clubs The men often joked that the Chinese had only gotten into the war to help lower their population (41:55) Working in Korea  Richard drove trucks to the 38th Parallel to help haul supplies and ammunition  The North Korean terrain was filled with hills, mountains, rivers and very rocky  They did not see many civilians from North Korea, except for only a few rice farmers  The men ate c-rations, but also had cooks in their outfit and usually ate hot meals  Many men were being rotated out of the unit and being sent back to the states, but it seemed like they were all there longer than they were supposed to be  Each replacement was trained differently depending on their title (50:20) End of Service  After leaving Korea, Richard took a ship to San Francisco and then a train to Nebraska to visit some relatives  He then went home on furlough and was later sent to Camp Carlson in Colorado to be discharged  Richard got divorced shortly after returning from the service and later met his second wife  They moved to Michigan after about 10 years and Richard began working for Gordon Food Service in Grand Rapids  Richard later got a job working for USPS and continued there until he retired  His time in service gave him a different perspective on life, being able to see firsthand how others lived in the world � 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 SwansonR Title A name given to the resource Swanson, Richard (Interview outline and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Swanson, Richard Description An account of the resource Richard Swanson was born in Lucas County, Iowa, in 1930 and graduated from high school in 1948. He received his draft notice in 1951, just days after he had gotten married. Richard went through training in Arkansas for only 6 weeks and was then sent to Japan to work with the 176th Artillery Unit. Richard spent 16 months fighting on the front line in Korea and worked to support a South Korean unit. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2010-01-06 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> 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/fc6b0452967009f64c04fe3ed58725e1.mp4 582a7c67d8f471547df314c11efd3b2f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5f90db515943303f5c1843a02c2260c5.pdf c5f74f89a6104123285a6412feaff38f PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Harold Sundberg (56:40) Background information (1:10)        Born April 14th 1926 in Red Wing, Minnesota. (1:10) Red Wing had a population of about 10,000 when he resided there. It was a small factory town. (2:12) The town had a lot of small factories including a tannery, a flour mill, and shoe factories. (2:42) The location is very scenic on the banks of the Mississippi River. (Mark Twain Country.)(3:53) He graduated from high school in 1944.(5:30) After graduation he enlisted in the Navy. (5:58) His brother-in-law was a carrier pilot in the Navy and his father was in the Navy during World War I. (5:43) Basic training over view (6:00)      He attended boot camp at Great Lakes, Naval Base in Illinois. (6:18) He also hoped to play football for the Navy, but he was placed in training for electronics and worked on radars. (6:23) He was sent to The Great Lakes training school that was housed in a high school in Chicago. (7:22) The navy took the high school to use for education and training. While Harold trained there, he also lived at the high school. (7:30) After completing his education he was sent to Monterey, California. (7:50) Training at Great Lakes Navel Base (approx 1944) (8:20)        He resided at Great Lakes Naval Base for approx. 1 month. (8:34) He made lasting friendships in basic. (8:45) Basic included a lot of physical training. (10:35) Approx. 100 men stayed in a barracks at Great Lakes Naval Base. (12:08) He found the physical training tolerable due to his athleticism and his sports in high school. (12:30) When arriving at the base, he recalled feeling like just a number “one among hundreds”(13:45) There was a catholic church near the base that invited some of the soldiers for a dinner and also invited girls. (14:00) Electronic School (14:35)  Hirsch High School was vacated by the school district. Then the Navy took it for training. There the men lived, showered, slept, ate, and studied. (14:40) �        Here he learned the fundamentals of electronic work. The courses included a lot of arithmetic and geometry. (15:00) He stayed at the high school for 1 month before being sent to California. (15:20) He lived in Monterey, California. He had access to a polo field were the men did their training.(15:56) While there, the men mostly studied. They had classes in the morning as well as at night. The courses were cram courses under the EDDY program. (16:20) There were women in the navy but not in his training outfit. The women in the navy were known as WAVES. (16:55) While in Monterey, California he continued his education with electronics. (17:26) He stayed in Monterey for 90 days in late 1944 and early 1945.(17:30) He enjoyed his stay at Monterey. (18:37) (18:50                 Next he was sent to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas. (19:00) Here he studied electronics (19:10) He was here during VJ day on August 15th 1945. He and his fellow sailors did celebrate. (19:20) He stayed at Corpus Christi for 6 months in 1945. (20:46) He attempted to go to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. He was ultimately accepted into the academy. (21:16) While en route to Annapolis he visited his sister. She said that she had known a lot of Annapolis graduates and you are not one of them. (21:55) His sister’s son ended up being a Corporal in the U.S. Marines. (23:51) Because of his sister's advice he turned down the opportunity to attend Annapolis. (24:24) After turning down his invitation he was placed in Maryland for a brief period. (26:00) He was then put into the Navel Air base on the Patuxent River in Maryland. He remembers this Base being very large. (26:29) Here he was sent to the electronic test. (26:45) While here, he was an ATM 3 an aviation technician’s mate, 3rd class. (27:27) While testing the radio signal on a bomber he had to tell the pilot to fly in a flat circle. The pilot was irritated when being told how to fly his plane however the copilot liked his loyalty to the orders. The copilot turned out to be Alan Shepherd. (29:38) While looking for a hotel he considered one called the Roosevelt. When he checked in he found that there were 75 WAVES staying at the hotel. (33:30) While in Maryland he was very close to Washington D.C. and he enjoyed sightseeing. (35:30) He was in Patuxent for approx 1 year until he returned to Red Wing, Minnesota.(35:50) Discharge and post war life (36:00)     After leaving Patuxent he attended the University of Minnesota on veteran’s benefits. Here he pursued communications in radio and television. (36:03) He spent 30 years in radio and television. (36:36) He was discharged after graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1950. (40:12) He then decided to travel Europe alone. (40:40) �           When he arrived in Europe he lived in France with a fraternity brother. (42:20) While in France he met another touring American who would later become his wife. (43:49) His wife passed away in 2000. She had Alzheimer’s disease. (44:36) His 2 sons visit him regularly at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. (45:10) One son lives in Kentwood the other in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (45:44) He worked as an early morning news man for WMBD and eventually became the general manager. (47:15) After WMBD he was later employed by a Grand Rapids, Michigan broadcast company. (49:00) He was then offered to go work at a Kansas City Radio station, KMBC. (50:38) He later worked at KUZ in Wichita Falls Texas after KMBC in Kansas City. (54:54) One of his sons moved with them there and received a degree from Midwestern State in Texas. (55:12) He did not join any Veterans organizations after his service. (55:38) � 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 SundbergH1246V Title A name given to the resource Sundberg, Harold (Interview outline and video), 2011 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sundberg, Harold Description An account of the resource Harold Sundberg, born April 14th 1926 in Red Wing, Minnesota, served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1950 during the end of World War II and the early part of the Korean War. During this time Harold spent much of his service studying electronics and radar at Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois, Monterey California, and Patuxent River, Maryland. Though he never saw combat, this training was used to further Harold's career in radio and television. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Erichsen, Wallace (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2011-07-18 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> 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/bce96c2927951f2e57c5c443439605ab.mp4 a7567187732718e6f7da3ffa89f94a6e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/59b9350a9fc7c12ae020f7eb6156bf18.pdf bbf05d04b8f299902ed682a3d5852b3a PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Tad Such (00:26:00) (00:05) Introduction • Born April 5th, 1961. • Remembers having a good childhood. • He grew up in Grand Haven, Michigan, very close to the lake. • His father was an elementary principle. • He played sports throughout middle school. • Fell in with the wrong crowd during high school and did not have a good high school experience. However, his family was very loving and supportive. • He did manage to graduate from high school. (10:20) Enlistment • Enlisted in the Air Force. • His mom and he went to Muskegon, Michigan. • Had his physical and sworn in Detroit, Michigan. • Went to Lackland Air Base in San Antonio, Texas. • Remembers unloading from the bus and having to line up and learning that you must do something as a group, not as an individual in the military. • Received haircuts and uniforms on the second day of training. • The men were housed in dormitories. • Was taught integrity and honesty while becoming a part of the military. • He was able to go home for Christmas after his basic training. (17:00) Holman Air Force Base • Was told he would be running as a heavy equipment operator. • Knows most of the history of his base. • He loved his time on the base in New Mexico. • The men would rent cars and camp or go to town for football games when on leave on the weekends. • He was part of a group of 13 men who had to learn the heavy equipment. • He took a job at a golf course. The course was on the flight line for the incoming planes. • He changed a 9 hole course to an 18 hole course while working their. • He was able to see the space shuttle come in from space. He had to clear a runway for the shuttle to land; it took 29 hours of straight working. • The men were invited to watch the shuttle land very close. • The runway he constructed was made of compacted sand. It was 3.5 miles long. (26:00) Discharge • He learned how to be a man while he was in the service. • He flew back home commercially when he was finished. �• • • • • • At one point while still on the base, they received about an inch of snow. There were a lot of accidents on the side of the road. No one could drive in the snow because they were not used to it. Worked for the Army corps of Engineers cutting grass once he returned home. Married a woman from his home town and had a daughter. Alcoholism is prevalent in his family. He became separated from his wife, and then went into recovery from his alcoholism. He worked at a transition facility once he recovered. � 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 SuchT Title A name given to the resource Such, Tad (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Such, Tad Description An account of the resource Tad Such served in the US Air Force between 1980 and 1983. He was stationed at Holman Air Force Base in New Mexico, where he worked as a heavy equipment operator. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer) Collins, Carol (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Air Force Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-04-16 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> 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/e6a111d63bf1a65fe41ac097c6160e58.m4v af6a736dc25f93b4b90c4eeeec24d2a3 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e86d7a6f3a97e69feb362a9410272d1a.pdf aaa40ca5589becb3d6f2a49fd503e292 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Robert Succop World War II Total Time: 48:28 Childhood and Pre-Enlistment (00:20)       Born August 6, 1920 in Petoskey, Michigan Father was a Lutheran minister His family moved to Big Rapids, Michigan and then to Grand Rapids, Michigan after his father died. He attended Central High School in Grand Rapids (02:10) He attended Michigan State College for 1 year, and then in the summer of 1941 he decided to work and try college when he felt more able. (02:50) He decided to enlist after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. He was told when he was there that they army was interested in teachers, so he enrolled and ended up in Chicago, Illinois the following month. Training (03:40)  He did some teaching in Chicago about the basics of electricity  (04:05) He then transferred into the Army as a T4 and was sent to Fort Monmouth, NJ where he took some training.  (05:50) He took Officer Candidate School while he was in Chicago, Illinois  (09:46) He chose the Army because of the Navy’s requirement that they [not?] take married men, otherwise he may have joined the Navy.  (10:47) He found it easier to train than to be trained. He also thinks that the training was inadequate, in that they were trained for combat, but not for the environment they were placed in.  (12:13) He spent most of his training in New Jersey. Active Duty (12:44)     In early 1943, they were sent to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvana and then to New Guinea and then to Hollandia [still in New Guinea] , Biak, the Philippines, and then home. (13:45) He was in the 989th Signal Company. They were in radio teams that used FM radio to communicate weather bulletins. Because of this, they were attached to the 5th Air Force. He was a First Lieutenant attached to one of the relay terminals. (16:55) They were able to do some experimental communications, including sending multiple teletyped messages at once. (17:28) FM had greater value because of the lack of distortion, which is why they were experimenting with it. �          (18:15) They were attacked by bombers on several occasions, but never saw ground combat. (19:55) Their unit had some problems with Dengue Fever. (21:15) They were attached to a MASH unit for mess. (23:25) His wife wrote every day and he tried to write her every day, however communication was difficult. For instance, he heard from his mother that his wife’s appendectomy went well before he knew she was even having one. (24:50) He remembers the food being ok. They had many of the normal things he had at home. (27:50) They had a First Sergeant from Tennessee who was experienced at making moonshine, so they were able to make some of that. They did also have beer, but he remembers it being absolutely terrible. (29:45) They were able to do a lot of fishing to supplement some of the meals. (32:03) They moved northward, and the need for their job was eliminated, so he transferred out of the 989th and to a division on Cebu Island in the Philippines, where they were preparing for an assault on Japan. They were told at the time to expect 100-110% casualties in the assault. (35:30) They did not get much leave in the South Pacific, however they did get to play some softball and they were able to see some USO shows. (40:55) He remembers he first day that he got orders to go home. He recalls becoming very frightened that he would not make it home after he got to the end, but he did make it home safely. He made it to Chicago, where he met his wife at the train station. Post Service (45:02)   He wanted to stay in the Army, he his wife did not want him to, so as a compromise he joined the Reserves. He eventually worked for MichBell in Jackson, 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 SuccopR Title A name given to the resource Succop, Robert (Interview outline and video), 2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Succop, Robert Description An account of the resource Robert Succop was born in Petoskey, Michigan and served in the Army during World War II. He joined the Army after Pearl Harbor, and worked for a short time in Chicago, Illinois teaching basic electricity before he was transferred to the 989th Company of the Signal Corps. He worked in New Guinea on FM radio weather reports, as well as the Philippines in preparation for an invasion of Japan. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Fritz, David (Interviewer) Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004-12-06 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> 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/15be1c759a1e2c06ac15c7c6d5b4162f.mp4 64512c9b790b032b30e8765b0bc3278c https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/14ba1cf469ddd548073c5a12ab63bf4a.pdf ae7ff124aa27b684d5ad7bbee95f8a65 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Notes Length: 53:15 Carl J. Strom WWII Veteran United States Army; July 1942 to May 1945 Company B, 141st Regiment of 36th Infantry Division *Strom’s wife, Eleanor Strom, was an active member of this interview as well **The following 9:53 focuses on maps, pictures, and medals (0:00) Medals • Regimental Pin • Purple Heart – Strom was hit 3 times • Bronze Star • European Campaign Medal – 3 stars showing that he served in 3 of his units 5 campaigns • European Victory Medal • Dog Tags – those from when enlisted and those from when an officer (1:18) Maps • September 9, 1943 • 1st American troops land in Europe • Sequence of battles: o Cassino (Italy) o Took Rome o Pulled out and went for some more training o Invasion of Southern France (Aug. 1944) o Montélimar, France o Lyon, France o Vesoul, France – got hit o Unit went on through Kitzbuhel, Germany o Italy (2:53) Pictures of the landing in Southern France • Strom was front man in landing craft; he was Company Executive Officer • Everything blown apart • US Navy did a good job destroying enemy advantage • As seen in the picture, there was a German 88 mm gun that would have destroyed Strom’s company had it not been destroyed by the Navy (4:15) Combat • 24 hours a day • Didn’t stop; NOT weather dependent • At Battle of Cassino (Italy) it was raining and snowing; sat in foxholes soaking wet much of the time �o Government paid an extra $16.87 per month for their trouble (5:50) Battle at Cassino • January 17 until late February o Much of time spent in the mountains o Mules couldn’t even get up the mountains o Supply priority: ƒ Ammunition ƒ Water ƒ Food (6:57) Army papers and photo album • Company B, 141st Regiment, 36th Infantry Division • 175 men in Company but went through almost 500 men (replacements) o 90 killed or MIA, the rest wounded th • 36 Division set record for most number of consecutive days in combat than any other outfit in the Army (9:53) Enlistment and training • Volunteered for the Army o Started as a private then went to officers school and became 2nd Lieutenant • Assigned to the 35th Division in Alabama • Sent overseas in 36th Infantry Division which was a Texas National Guard Unit in Italy, January 1, 1944 (11:04) Eleanor introduces self • Married Strom in 1941 after Pearl Harbor • Came with him to many training camps • When shipped overseas, stayed with mother in MI because had a new baby • Worked for Bell Telephone Company (11:46) Crossing the Rapido in Cassino, Italy • Assigned to Company B, Strom was in command of 3rd Platoon • January 20, 1944 • Rapido river o Fast moving, in flood stage • Ordered to cross river night of January 20 • Germans were on the west side • US on the east side • Germans had cleared out all trees so that there was no place for the US troops to hide • Strom picked to lead first platoon across river • Germans had built the Gustav Line, a coordinated defense line equipped with bunkers, minefields, barbed wire, machine guns, etc. • Moved out at 8 pm • 10 ft. plywood boats were used by troops for crossing • With an engineer who was supposed to direct 3rd platoon a clear path to the other side of the river • Strom looked backward for a minute and 2 German shells came into the boat �• All men of the 3rd Platoon, except for Strom and his runner, were killed or wounded by those 2 shells • Crossed to other side at 4 am o Once across, hid in shell hoes and ditches o One soldier of peeked out from hiding spot and was immediately shot between the eyes and killed by Germans • When started, 145 men and 5 officers • When ended, Strom, 1 other officer, and 14 men were left • Moved up into mountains behind the abbey at Cassino • Strom became Company Commander of 40 men • Sat on “Snake’s Head Ridge” for 1 week • Pulled out; Strom and 5 men left • Took new position; replacements built army back up to 20 men • Pulled out of line o Most men in mountains were lost to “Trench Foot” • Training period and received replacements (19:43) Invasion of Anzio Beachhead • Started day after Strom and Company crossed river • Had been stalemated until late May 1944 • Strom and Division put on ships to Anzio Beachhead o May 24th broke through German lines • Few days later, took Rome on June 4, 1944 • Went through Italy then relieved by another Division • Sent back to Salerno Beachhead (26:08) Training for Southern France Invasion • After Rome, given 1 week leave in Rome (only time Strom had leave during service) (22:16) Correspondence home • Eleanor sent letters everyday • Strom sent v-mail when had chance • Wrote often o Sometimes would go a week or 2 without receiving a letter and then suddenly receive 6 at once • Eleanor and mother would keep track of where Strom’s unit was • Government provided v-mail for soldiers which was that soldiers could send mail for free • Eleanor had to pay for postage (23:58) Commander positions • Flipped back and forth • Sometime Strom would be commander but then a replacement group would come in and someone with more seniority would become commander • But then during fighting, Strom would often become a commander again due to necessity (26:20) Invasion of Southern France �• More or less an easy victory because the troops came across were German conscripts from Poland o Conscripts were given choice: fight for us or die now o Often, conscripts would opt for the “fight for us” option • Same thing happened in Rome but with Russian Mongolian troops who had been conscripted by the Germans (28:17) Training camps from Eleanor’s perspective • Boot camp o She went to Georgia to be with husband o Stayed with another Army wife o Lived in a trailer in somebody’s backyard for 3 months o Then drove Arkansas with another Army wife to be with Strom o Went to Alabama; Strom rented home for wife and the wife of another commander o Strom went overseas and she returned to MI (31:31) Rapido River (Cassino) • After crossed, ordered to take Company C • Red Cross was going to be coming through, wanted Germans and Allies to call a temporary truce so that bodies and wounded could be picked up • Strom went down to the river’s edge with his sergeant that spoke and wrote German and met with German captain – Adam Dieraf – who was there with a sergeant who spoke and wrote English • Agreed on a 6 hour truce for picking up the bodies and the wounded • Strom was sent back to Company B • The German sergeant and American Sergeant exchanged addresses and were in communication after the war • 1989 Strom and his wife met with Captain Adam Dieraf and the German sergeant on a trip back to Europe o Remain close friends o They were good men who were just doing their duty, just like Strom was doing his job (35:52) France • Made an attack on an area in France • Occupied a house for the night • Strom was exhausted; no sleep the past 3 or 4 days because a Commander you get little sleep • Strom fell asleep; 2 hours later the phone line rings and gets orders to go to the town where Company A was, 10-15 miles away; took Strom’s Company 45 minutes to wake him up o They slapped him, made him stand up, poured water on him, etc. and he still didn’t wake up! • When finally got on telephone it was 2 am. Strom was told that trucks were on the way to pick him and his Company up; was told that Company A was under attack o Most harrowing drive Strom has ever been; he and one other person were in a jeep being followed by the big 2 ½ trucks carrying his troops �• Made into town and guard said that nothing was wrong • Example of how independent each Company functioned from one another (40:12) War in Iraq • unbelievable that can watch the fighting live (41:33) Serving • Enjoyed it • Was given an offer to stay in the Army but wife didn’t want to do that so decided not to (43:18) Rapido crossing in Cassino (continued) • The reason why the 141st and 143rd Division were nearly wiped out was because of faulty planning • Division Commander Gen. Fred Walker did not want to make crossing o A few days before the crossing, Strom went up on the mountains and looked down at the river where they were to cross. o Saw that it would be rough, knew that Germans had had 1 month to prepare for attack and that this was not going to be a good situation (44:33) Leaky boats at Rapido crossing • Pitch dark outside • More shelling • Wooden boats fully loaded down with ammunition and such • Instantly sank; river current was 10 mph and was quite deep • 12 or so men in the Company drowned • Engineers built a footbridge across out of ropes with planks across them (46:10) Description of the experience • Dramatic and deadly yet didn’t actually seem quite that bad • Proud of what did, if asked to do it again, he and most other veterans would serve again (47:58) Bombing at the Abbey at Monte Cassino • Abbey built in 450 AD by St. Benedict o Started the Catholic order of the Benedictine monks • Beautiful Abbey o Modeled after St. Peter’s Cathedral o Visited there several times since the war • Strom met Abbot, who was 1 of 7 monks in Abbey when bombed • Idea was that the monks could watch the US troops from its windows • Bombing of the Abbey killed 200 civilians • The ruins, however, made a better hiding place for German troops and their machine guns • At Cassino, troops from 14 nations were fighting against the Germans: American, Polish, French, Italian, English, Indian, Moroccan, New Zealanders, Australian, Brazilian, etc. � 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 StromC2 Title A name given to the resource Strom, Carl J. (Interview outline and video), 2006 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Strom, Carl J. Strom, Eleanor Description An account of the resource Carl J. Strom served in the United States Army in France and Italy during WW II from July 1942 to May 1945. In this interview, Strom and his wife, Eleanor, talk about their wartime experiences. Eleanor discusses life as an Army wife and how she followed her husband from boot camp to boot camp. Strom was a member Company B, 141st Regiment, 36th Infantry Division and lead the first platoon of soldiers across the Rapido River at the Battle at Cassino. He and one other soldier were the only people to survive from their Platoon's crossing. Strom's account of the Battle at Cassino is told in great detail. Strom shares stories of leaky boats, the bombing of the Abby, and intense casualties. He also discusses his Division's invasion of Southern France and an unlikely friendship between himself and a German Captain. Strom integrated maps, photographs, and his medals into the video interview. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Shaw, Kaitlyn (Interviewer) Dornoff, Andrew (Interviewer) Forest Hills Eastern High School (Ada, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Army spouses Military spouses Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2006-05-29 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> 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/b158bcca4300bb80974895c12fe0ae0b.mp4 3d3e5144f121bc249b6a83b61b3b5ff2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/74700e6f485e7eebadede13ae9fc9314.pdf 69a1f9ce1c795123e8f6e6dda062b226 PDF Text Text ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW Carl Strom Born: 1921 Resides: Grand Rapids, Michigan Interviewed by: Frank Boring Transcribed by: Joan Raymer, September 4, 2008 Interviewer: “ Carl, let’s begin with the basics. If you could just say your name, where you were born and when you were born.” My name is Carl Strom and I was born right here in Grand Rapids in 1921. Interviewer: “What was your early schooling like?” Basic traditional city elementary education and then I went into high school in the seventh grade and graduated from Central High School here in Grand Rapids. Interviewer: “What was family life like? What was your father doing?” My father was in the oil business at the time and was drilling oil wells and for a period of time there during the depression, things were very tight and we had a hard time making it, but finally he got lucky and then the family prospered from there on. Interviewer: “Now tell us a little bit more about your father’s background in terms of—he eventually influenced you in your future career so, tell us a little bit more about his—previous to this time.” Well, dad was raised on a farm in northern Michigan, up in the Central Lake/Bellaire area, and he came to Grand Rapids in about 1910—1908, and met my mother, married her and he went to work for the GR&I, Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad and at the same time he joined the National Guard in Grand Rapids here. 1:45 He eventually was promoted to a 2nd Lieutenant and then he went with the guard to Waco, Texas and to 1 �the boarder area. This was the time of the Poncho Villa thing, although the 32nd division of the National Guard was not involved with Poncho Villa, they were down there and they went through their training down there and he was appointed the division bayonet instructor. 2:25 He went to a special school and then came back and taught bayonet fighting to the division and then he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and in 1916 they came back to Michigan and they went to the Upper Peninsula for the copper mine strikes, he was involved in that, and then they came back to Grand Rapids and eventually were shipped over to France. 2:55 Interviewer: “This is World War 1.” World War 1, yes 1917, 1918 is when they arrived in France. Interviewer: “It should also be noted that he was part of the, we want to call it for this area, the “Red Arrow Division.” Yes, the 32nd was the “Red Arrow Division”. The earned the nick-name “Red Arrow Division” in France because the German’s showed this on all of their maps that they captured, the red arrow where 32nd division had broken through the German lines. 3:29 Dad was a company commander there, his best buddy, Carl Johnson, was a reporter for the Grand Rapids, Herald, I believe at the time, and was a 2nd Lieutenant under my dad. My dad was company commander of “M Company”. 3:52 Carl Johnson was killed and he was the first officer in his regiment killed and when I was born in 1921, he named me after Carl Johnson. Dad went on to win the “Distinguished Service Cross” and got a personal commendation from General Pershing and became Battalion Commander of the battalion from Grand Rapids and came home with them. 4:20 Interviewer: So, when you finished up with high school, where did you go from 2 �there?” From high school I went, well basically, I went to college at Grand Rapids Junior College. I was studying petroleum engineering and the war broke out and my future wife and I decided that we would go ahead and get married and then I would go ahead—that I would enlist. 4:50 Interviewer: “Let’s go back for just a moment, when did you first hear about Pearl Harbor?” We were driving home from Detroit with my mother and we heard it on the car radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed and we took the opportunity at that time, my wife and I decided we would not wait, we would go ahead and get married and basically start two wars at once. 5:16 Interviewer: “So, were you drafted? Did you enlist? What happened?” I went down to the draft board and volunteered and I was placed in a V12 volunteer classification, which meant I was not drafted really, then about three weeks later I received notice to come down and to report. 5:46 Interviewer: “So, what was the process after that? You got married.” We got married and I took about a three-month hiatus and then I went down and volunteered. Interviewer: “I guess I am a little confused in terms of how that works. You volunteered initially, then you got married, then you were able to take three months off?” No, we got married and took some time off and then I went down in July, I already had my draft notice and volunteered, then three weeks later they called me and said,” We 3 �need you”. 6:29 Interviewer: “Now, what options did you have? Air Force, Marine, of course there is no Air Force, there was the Army Air Corps, but what were your choices?” At that time quite a group of us were shipped to Fort Custer—Camp Custer, and the group that I was with, which was quite a large group from all over the state of Michigan, we were informed that we would be assigned to the air force ground crew, which is not what I wanted. Interviewer: “This was actually the Army Air Corps?” Yes, at the time, the Army Air Corps. Interviewer: “And what was your reaction and what did you do about it?” Well, during my schooling, I had four years of ROTC and was raised to Cadet Captain, I had four summers of citizen military training camp at Camp Custer and I always wanted to be in the infantry. And therefore, I called my father who had influence in Grand Rapids and in Lansing, and told him that I wanted infantry and they were putting me in the Air Corps. and the next morning I got a call to come to headquarters at camp Custer and a colonel there said, “I understand you want to be in the infantry”? And I said, “yes sir”. And he said, “OK, you’re in the infantry”. 7:57 It was that simple. Interviewer: “You made a comment earlier about how when you first told me that, I thought he was going to say, “Are you a lunatic”? Wanting to go in the infantry instead of the Air Corps. So now lets go into—you’re formally in the infantry, what was the first step? You went to basic training I take it?” Well, they shipped us from—the ones of us who were going to the infantry—they shipped us by train, it took a thirty hour trip in old railroad cars, with no beds or anything, 4 �down to Macon, Georgia where we were met by trucks and taken to Camp Wheeler, Georgia, which was a basic training center and there were about ten thousand troops there training. I was assigned to a company there and we had a thirteen-week basic training course. 8:59 Interviewer: “This is what you would picture—barracks, chow line?” Yes, we had the barracks, we had the chow line and we had the sergeants who were on our cases and trained us—kept on our cases. Interviewer: “It’s interesting, now here you are from Michigan, I’m assuming you never traveled outside of Michigan before this time, you’re now in the Deep South and these drill instructors were experienced, of course, southerners, tell us a little bit about your experience with that.” They were southern boys, they were regular army men who really knew what they were doing and they were very good and they could make you believe when they told you something. 9:45 I had traveled outside the state of Michigan before so, I was familiar with some other areas, but the group that we had, that was in the company I was in , they were from all over the United States, but an awful lot of them were from New York and a lot of them were from the Kentucky and Tennessee hills, and we had quite a mixture of individuals , in fact we had a Greek boy there who was newly over from Greece and didn’t speak English and somehow or other the army had an interpreter who stayed right with our platoon and stayed with this boy and taught him English. 10:30 There were a couple of fellows in the barracks who couldn’t read or write and one of them bunked right next to me and I would read his letters for him and write his letters for him, but basic training, we learned first of all, how to drill, the manual of arms, and we started 5 �doing things like hikes and of course this was summer in Georgia and it was hot. We had 100 degree days and towards the middle of the training we started doing the twenty-five mile hikes with a full pack and a rifle and the packs weighed about forty or fifty pounds. We had boys who would fall out and couldn’t make it and had to be driven back, but eventually they came around and learned to do it. We received training in just about everything, first aid, rifle, how to fire a rifle, machine guns, mortars, we did a lot of target practice, bayonet fighting, of course regular drill—a little bit of everything. 11:52 Interviewer: “Now, did your experience in ROTC have an effect in terms of how you were doing things there?” Yes, and as a matter of fact, when they found out I had ROTC and knew the manual of arms, knew how to drill, etc., my platoon Sergeant would call me out to demonstrate to the rest of the platoon how to do it. 12:18 Interviewer: “But you still remained at the same rank as everybody else?” I was still just a Buck Private and paid fifty dollars a month. Interviewer: So, you got through basic, and where did you go next?” I completed my thirteen weeks of basic training—I had put in at the time I arrived there, you were allowed to do this and in fact you were asked if you wanted to do it, I had put in that I wanted to go to officers candidate school--I wanted to be an officer. 12:50 So, at the end of basic training, they assigned me to non-commissioned officers school at—it was a six week course there at Camp Wheeler and there we learned how to handle a squad and a platoon and the various responsibilities of a non-commissioned officer. At the end of this time I was promoted to corporal and sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for officers candidate school. 13:29 6 �Interviewer: “Just so we get a picture of this—some of this, I take it, is classroom environment?” Yes, a lot of classroom things, hygiene, first aid, military rules and regulations, and indeed it was a large amount of varied type of education. Interviewer: “ You know this is going to sound like a stupid question, but why would you be learning hygiene?” You go out there in the field and you’re all by yourself and you gotta take care of your self the best you can. I can remember one time writing home to my wife saying, please— this was when I was in Italy, “please send me a wash rag”, and things like this. You were so happy to be able to get soap now and then and things like that. 14:26 Interviewer: “I take that this was also to make sure that your men you were working with were keeping up with their hygiene?” That is correct, yes. You had to look out for your people. Interviewer: “So, once you completed that course—along the line here, I guess—I realize it is very difficult because it was a lot of years ago, but America’s at war so, you’re not out there doing this just because you want to be an officer, you know that at some point in time you’re going to be going into a conflict somewhere. While you were going through this schooling, was that at the back of your mind or at the forefront of your mind or were you just trying to concentrate on getting your studies completed and learning the best you can?” No, I recognized that I was going to have to go into combat and in fact, I expected it, and so, I was looking forward to learning as much as I could from what we were being taught to try to do the best possible job when eventually they did ship me out. 15:31 7 �Interviewer: “Was there a sense, you had mentioned earlier that in the barracks for example, there were people from all over the country, New York and Tennessee, etc., was there a sense that you were all Americans? That this was all an American conflict, or were there certain amount of states teasing amongst each other that you’re from this state or that state?” 15:50 There were, there were some cliques that formed, fellows from different states together or different specific areas together and these people tended to hang out together. I had a group that I was basically hanging out with. They were basically fellows who like myself had some military training from the standpoint of ROTC etc., so we had a common interest. 16:22 Interviewer: “It makes sense that you would congregate with people you felt comfortable with or sounded like you, but in terms of the overall general feeling of— I guess today you would call it patriotism and you would then too, but was there a sense that you were in this together?” Oh, very much so, very much so, and most of these fellows, although most of them had been drafted, they had no resentment to being in the service and quite a number of them had gone down and volunteered, we had a lot of volunteers too, and this was a time when as at the beginning of World War I, when America first got in, young men were flocking to the recruiting stations and joining up. They were ready to fight, they wanted to get into this thing and they wanted to do this for their country and it’s still true today with the fellow in Iraq. 17:28 Interviewer: “Now, from there where did you go?” From Camp Wheeler I went to Fort Benning Georgia, to officers’ candidate school and 8 �there we had a very rigorous six-week course in all types of military combat training and leadership. The motto of Fort Benning was—or officer candidate school was, “follow me”, and we were trained and it was drummed into us, we were the leader and we were to take the men, we were supposed to show the men where to go and what to do, and it was a very, very rigorous training. 18:23 Interviewer: “What do you mean by rigorous?” We would be up first thing in the morning and we would be out in the field running and doing all types of things. I remember one time when we were working with machine guns and I had a water cooled machine gun that I had to carry and I forget—I don’t know how far we went, but we went a long distance with it and that was heavy, and they same way we would haul ammunition. We were doing much of the same things the men would be doing, but we were doing it with the idea of appreciating what we were doing, but then of course we would get to that position with a machine gun and he had to set the machine gun up, we had to set our plots, we had to pick our fields of fire and we had to know why those fields of fire were picked and we were critiqued on all of these things we did. It was a very rigorous course and a lot of fellows did not make it. A lot of the fellows were dropped from the course. 19:32 Interviewer: “In the Air Corps, they called it washed out, is that the same thing?” The same thing, washed out, yes. Interviewer: “The thing that’s curious to me, and I think it’s fascinating, is that it’s drilled into you that this is what your men are up against. Now that you’re an officer it doesn’t mean that you sit back and drink champagne and have a cigar, you’re going to actually be there in the mud with them.” 9 �Absolutely, you were there like the motto was, “follow me”. 19:59 Interviewer: “So, once you completed this rigorous training, what was the next step in your journey?” Completing my OCS course, as a brand new 2nd Lieutenant, I was given a ten-day leave home. It was the first leave home and I arrived home and spent ten days here with my wife and our new baby. Interviewer: “Carl for give me—brand new Lieutenant coming home to your wife and your band new baby, that had to be an amazing moment in your life.” And I arrived home on our first wedding anniversary. It was really a thrilling day. Interviewer: “Now your parents were there I take it, your father?” My dad and mother were at the train station to meet me and my uncle was there. Interviewer: “And the bars were on?” The bars were on, yes. I was a brand new 2nd Lieutenant you know. Interviewer: “I don’t know how expressive your father was, but he must have been proud at that moment?” 20:58 He was very proud, but he was somewhat subdued and quiet too because he’d been through World War I and he’d seen officers killed you know, along with the men and he knew what I was going into, but he was happy that I had chosen the infantry, because that was his love. Interviewer: “Well, we won’t go into detail, but I can just see on your face that it must have been an amazingly proud moment, to get off that train and there is everybody meeting you and so, once you completed your R&R so to speak, where did you go from there?” 10 �Then I was shipped to or assigned to Camp Robinson, Arkansas, which was the basic infantry replacement-training center and these were all men who had completed basic training, but now they were being formed into squads and units which would eventually be assigned to divisions and here the new non-com’s, who had completed NCO school and the new officers, the new 2nd Lieutenants, were placed in command of squads and of platoons and we were working then in that capacity. 22:30 And again, we went through quite rigorous training with the units breaking us up into units, ok, this is your company and this is your platoon and your job is to go out here with this platoon and do this or that. 22:46 Interviewer: “So, the theory is over with and this is actual practice. This is working with real soldiers?” This is working with real soldiers, men who have had training, their all trained and they are all trained in basic, they know how to make their beds and so forth. Interviewer: “Now once again, did you feel like your ROTC training, your background, was a help in terms of your ability to take on that task compared, say to other Lieutenants in your similar capacity?” Well yes, I think the very fact that I had the background in that gave me some depth that perhaps the others did not have. 23:25 Interviewer: “Was there a sense of bonding with these men since you were responsible for them? Potentially, although you didn’t know it at the time, that you would be going into combat with these people, you were training for it to be like that. Was there a—what was the sense of responsibility? Tell us a little bit about that.” 11 �You were strangers, you were all strangers, but soon you began to know each other and began to know the personalities and you began to figure our—OK, this individual he has this attitude, he has this potential, and he’s a man I can rely on , this individual over here, we have to watch him a little more carefully and perhaps give him a little more training and get him shaped up. 24:21 Interviewer: “Once again, were these guys from all over the country?” They were from all over the country, yes. Interviewer: “You know that’s a part that I think is difficult to get across to the current generations, is that you’re thrown together with these people from all over, different accents and different ways they look and all that and you have to somehow as an officer mold that into a functioning unit. Did you feel that you were successful in doing that, in terms of your particular group?” I believe so. Yes, I believe so. The men came around for the most part, very good. You would have that occasional individual who didn’t seem to want to fit in, but for the most part there was no problem with that. 25:12 Interviewer: “Give us some idea of the scope of numbers of men training at that time, at this particular time, are we looking at a thousand people, ten thousand people?” As I said, at Camp Wheeler we had ten thousand people there and at Fort Benning our classes were two hundred in size, in fact more than 200, possibly 250 because we eventually graduated about 200 from each class and several, a number of them had washed out as such. At BRITC, Camp Robinson, I don’t know exactly how many were there, but there were several thousand troops there. 26:00 12 �Interviewer: “I think it’s important that people realize just the huge scope of men in training and just the activities and there’s just people everywhere. So, once you’ve completed that, you went on into—where did you go next?” Well, on completion of your BRITC training, the men and the officers were assigned to divisions. Infantry divisions and they went to wherever they were assigned. I was assigned to the 35th Infantry Division at Camp Rucker, Alabama. Interviewer: “What is a division in terms of numbers?” A division is about 17,000 men and it consisted of three regiments, each regiment consisted of three battalions, and each battalion consisted of four companies and each company consisted of four platoons. 27:07 Interviewer: “So, you were in charge of a platoon?” When I first joined—yes, when I arrived at the 35th division, I was assigned a platoon and we had a surplus of officers so, they assigned two brand new 2nd Lieutenants to each platoon and there was another Lieutenant and I who had charge of this one platoon. And we would take turns handling the platoon and doing things with it. 27:39 Interviewer: “So, what came next? I understand that you were transferred at that point?” I was there –I was with the 35th division for about two months and then the surplus officers were shipped out and I was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland for assignment for overseas and at that time I was informed that I would be sent to the European theater. It actually wasn’t the European theater; it was the African theater at that time. 28:08 Interviewer: “When you heard this, what was your reaction? You could have gone to the Pacific or you could have gone to Europe, was there any sense of, “I would 13 �rather be here or I would rather be there”, or did you just—“ I was happy with that. I felt that I would rather be in Europe than in the South Pacific. I’d had a little—we’d had a little more information at that time about the fighting in the Pacific and I guess the idea of being in that jungle heat and swamps etc., didn’t appeal to me as much as fighting on dry land so to speak. Interviewer: “So, then you go to the desert.” I go to the desert, right. 28:57 Interviewer: “So, let’s get an impression of—how did you get there and what happened when you arrived?” Well, after about two weeks at Fort Meade, I was ordered to report to Camp Patrick Henry, and was sent there by train, which was the pre-departure camp for overseas shipment. Once we were on Camp Patrick Henry, we were quarantined, we were not allowed out of the camp and after we were there about a week, we were trucked to the port and I boarded a liberty ship for shipment overseas. 29:42 Interviewer: “Now, for those who don’t know what a liberty ship is, this is a troop transport?” A troop transport, yes and I don’t know how many men it held, but there were quite a number of them and we sailed out of Newport News harbor there and got out in the Atlantic and we were going by quite a number of other ships and a couple of destroyers and there was an aircraft carrier that came along too and we finally—we left the shore there and had a ten day trip over to Oran, North Africa. 30:23 Interviewer: “Were you aware of the submarines and the potential danger?” Yes, in fact we had a couple of submarine scares. At one point one of the destroyers 14 �dropped a couple of the depth charges and we zigzagged quite a lot, but we arrived in Oran without any problems. 30:53 Interviewer: “Now, you are an American, you grew-up in Michigan, you did a little bit of traveling, but arriving in Africa had to be a real wake-up, what was that impression?” Well, it was very interesting; of course I have always loved to travel. It has always been my ambition to really be able to travel sometime, and Oran was a total shock. It was totally different from anything. The Souks, the Arabian people, the Arabian people and their costumes, their dress, their particular style of dress, the style of houses and buildings there, it was quite different there and to me very interesting. And I think most of the men really enjoyed seeing it. 31:54 We were sent to Camp Canastel, which was just outside of Oran and we had one section which was for officers only. Ninety percent of us were brand new 2nd Lieutenants and we were in perametal tents, and from there we went out on various field problems, compass problems, and at one time I went to—the group I was with was sent out into the desert to a British commando training center and we were there for a week and they put us through the ropes there. We learned things that we never learned in the states such as Judo and more fighting and self defense and dealing with difficult situations, some of them funny, some of them not so funny, and we had live ammunition firing over us, we would be in a dry creek bed, which was a “wadi”, and I still remember the British Sergeant saying, “Into the wadi”. It’s still a joke with us, the fellow that were there. 33:25 We had quite an intensive training session there. At other times we were sent on compass problems out into the desert. We would have a two and a half ton truck and were told, first follow this compass reading and then this one and you 15 �had to arrive back at a certain point as a result of accurately following that compass program. 33:52 Interviewer: “This is really getting close to the real thing, the war, you got to be aware—you’ve been through trainings, you’ve been through schools, you’ve been through all kinds of—but being out in the desert of North Africa, and especially now you’re dealing with the British who have already been in the war for many, many years, was there more of a deeper sense before that “this is it”, this is coming up real close?” We had that feeling, hey things are looking up—looking more serious that way and we had so much training by that time that we were imbued with the idea that it would not be long and we would be facing the real thing. 34:35 Interviewer: “You know one of the things that’s been so impressive to me, in terms of interviewing vets, is that by and large the ones that were trained very well, in other parts of the war they weren’t trained as well, there has to be some sense of confidence because of the training you had, that even though you’re going into danger that you’re at least somewhat prepared for it?” Oh yes, you feel much more confident because you had the training in weapons and the different ways of using them and of course camouflage and how to protect yourself so, you had that confidence that you wouldn’t have had without the training, at least you had an idea of what to do. 35:23 Interviewer: “Now you’re in North Africa, did you think at that time that you would be fighting in North Africa, or did you already know where you were going from there?” 16 �No, we knew we were not going to fight in North Africa because the fighting there, by that time, was ninety percent done. In fact I think the Germans were out of there. They were getting ready; in fact they had already made their landing in Sicily so, the Seventh Army. Interviewer: “This brings up something interesting, and please help yourself to the water if you need it. This brings up an interesting question, how did you get your news?” Well, we had bulletins that were posted and we had, I don’t remember in North Africa, but in the states we had camp newspapers and we had the regular newspapers because we would be able to go into town on leave and get the newspapers and magazines. There’s plenty of information there. 36:21 Interviewer. “What about radio?” Yes, we had the radio too. Interviewer: “Was that the Armed Forces Radio?” No, we had just the regular news stations. Interviewer: “In English?” In English, ya, well in North Africa we didn’t have the English and I don’t remember any radios in North Africa, but I know we did have them in Italy. There were radios in English, but we didn’t get much of them because we were not in a position to have that kind of equipment with us. 37:00 Interviewer: “You weren’t sitting around the fireplace. Ok, so now you went on then from here and is this when you got into the mountain training?” From North Africa they sent us by ship, it was a British ship, to Naples, Italy, and in 17 �Naples we were placed in a replacement depot that was at racetrack and many, many men will remember the racetrack and the officers were quartered in pup tents with two of us to a tent. We waited there for assignment to one of the units that was fighting in the— fighting there in Italy. 37:48 Interviewer: “You know, I think it is interesting to note that if the military today went into an area, they would build buildings and have everything all set up, but here you are living in pup tents at a racetrack in Naples, Italy.” Well, it’s much the same right now as it was then. True, in the situation like we have in Iraq now and Afghanistan, basically they have buildings that they can use. However, I don’t know, but I would suggest that in Afghanistan especially, that there are a lot of instances where the guys are living in pup tents. 38:28 Interviewer: “So, as a Lieutenant, I would imagine you were privy to at least some of the information of where you were going next so, what happened in Naples?” We had no idea where we were going. All we know was there were four American divisions there and we would probably be assigned to one of them, but we would go into Naples regularly, almost every day we would go into Naples—Red Cross, write letters and have a Coke and this type of thing, but no, we had no idea where we were going to go, except that we were going to one of the infantry divisions. 39:11 Interviewer: “Did you have a map of the area that told you where the Germans were and where we were or anything like that?” No, at that time no, we had nothing. We didn’t receive any of that until we were assigned to a unit. 18 �Interviewer: “So, what happened next? You were assigned to the?” There were four infantry divisions there, American infantry divisions, the third, the 34th, the 36th, and the 45th. And these divisions had been in combat, some of them like the 36th and the 45th since early September of 1943, now this was December of 1943. January 1st, I was assigned to the 36th Infantry Division and there were several truckloads of us brand new 2nd Lieutenants who were shipped up to the 36th division and I thought, “Oh, this is great, I’m finally getting assigned to a unit, I’m done with the schooling etc”. 40:16 So, we got to the division and they said, “All right all you 2nd Lieutenants you’re going to spend a week at mountain combat training school so, were back in school again, and we had a week of very intensive mountain combat training, which was totally different from anything we had been through before because we had been in the desert and we had been in the southern part of the United States where everything was flat, and now all of a sudden, it was sometimes straight up. 40:52 Interviewer: “So, this is rope climbing, this is hammering?” We didn’t do any rope climbing, the Rangers did some of that in the 10th Mountain Division later on, but no, we were just basically “hoof it”. Interviewer: “Ok, the terrain, I take it, was rough with trails as opposed to—“ Yes, it was—in Italy it was basically, you take a mountain and on the other side of the mountain there was a river, you go down the mountain and you take the river and then you had to take the mountain that was on the other side of that, and Italy is mountains from the toe up to the Po River, and we were being trained in how to set up our defenses, how to attack in a totally different type of terrain all together. It was vital that we receive this training before we joined the unit. 42:00 19 �Interviewer: “So, upon completion of that training, what happened next?” Ten we were assigned to out companies and I was assigned to Company B of the 141st Infantry Regiment and was given command of the third platoon of that company. Interviewer: “ What was it comprised of? Did you have a Sergeant? Did you have experienced people or inexperienced people?” I had a Sergeant and I had three squad leaders that were experienced in combat. They had been—some of them had been through combat since September 8, 1943, which was when the first American troops, the 36th Division, landed on the continent of Europe. 42:42 And the Corporals too, who were assistant squad leaders, they were all combat experienced men, but I would say fifty percent of my platoon or better, were brand new replacements. Now, this was a unit at that time that was fairly green for the simple reason that they had just been pulled out of combat the day after Christmas, December 26, 1943 and now it’s January 10th of 1944 and we’ve got all these new officers and men, none of whom had been in combat, that we had to quick get into, get them organized and get them acquainted with each other before we went into combat, actual combat. 43:42 Interviewer: “What did you tell this group of experienced men? Here you are in charge of them, but you’re very inexperienced in terms of combat, what did you say?” I met with my non-commissioned officers, my Sergeants and my Corporals, immediately after being assigned to my platoon and I told them, “Look, you fellas have been through it, you know what to expect, you have the experience, I do not and I want you to feel free to tell me anytime you think I’m wrong and to make any suggestions, let me know. I’ve 20 �got to learn just like the rest of these brand new men here”. Then I introduced myself to the platoon and explained that I was again, “As green as any of you here and I’m going to have to learn and we have to do the job together as such”. 44:39 Interviewer: “So, where did you go from here? Were you now planning to go into combat?” After a couple of days, we moved up behind a position, a mountain called Mount Trocchio. Now, this faced the Rapido River, the Rapido River was part of the German Gustav Line in Italy there, which ran from the Adriatic Sea over to the Mediterranean and it was probably the finest defensive position that you could ever have. Now, we had in front of us the river and then beyond that, the mountains and the British 8th Army was on our right and we were the American 5th Army, and the plan was for the 36th Division to cross the river in front of a large valley, which led up to Rome, called the Liri Valley and we were to cross the river and to break through the German lines, the Gustav Line and push on up to Rome. 45:46 The British, a day or two before, made a crossing of the river down by the coast of the Mediterranean there and they had pushed ahead two, three, four or five miles before they were stopped by the Germans. The next plan was for the 36th division to push across the Rapido River, but even though I was a brand new 2nd Lieutenant, we were all 2nd Lieutenants, we went upon the—towards the crest of Mount Trocchio and we looked down and we said right away, “Well, this is going to be a very tough row to hoe”, because the Germans had all the advantage. They had about three months to dig in and you could hear the jack hammers on the other side of the river going at night in the mountains there digging defensive positions there in the mountains for their machine guns, there mortars and their artillery. 46:56 Our patrols had been out 21 �and we could see—we determined right away that they had cleared all of the vegetation on both sides of the river for several hundred yards on each side and it sloped down on each side so, you couldn’t see exactly what was going on. Those fields were all mined, on the opposite side of the river their was barbed wire and mines and then behind that where the Germans were entrenched, they had their machine gun positions all coordinated so they could give cross fire defensive fire, plus this was January—winter and in winter it rains more than it snows in Italy. The Rapido River was at flood stage, the ground on both sides of the river was very soggy and you couldn’t get any wheeled vehicles down there so, it was up to the man with the rifle to do the job. 48:08 Interviewer. “I take it was very cold?” It was quite cold; it was basically in the thirties and forties. Interviewer: “And you had, you did have---“ We had our winter uniforms. We didn’t have any special clothing. We didn’t have those nice combat boots, waterproof combat boots, we had our regular combat boots and we didn’t have the parkas or any of that type of thing that later on they used. 48:44 Interviewer: “When did you first get into battle then?” Well, on the 20th of January we were scheduled to make an attack across the river and I’ve never been lucky at cards and our company was selected to be the lead company for the battalion for the attack across the river and so, we cut cards to see which platoon would be the lead platoon and like I said, I’m not lucky at cards and my platoon was the lead platoon. The night of January 19th we moved out of the area where we were bivouacked, on the back side of the mountain, and we went out and we had these large wooden boats that would hold about 10-12 men, and we had to go and they were dumped 22 �up—they were placed up behind the spur of the mountain and we went out and we picked those up and then an engineer guide led—my platoon was the first platoon of course so, I was up front with an engineer guide who was going to take us down to the river. 50:08 We were going down a sunken road, it was one of these positions the Germans had pretargeted and so, they could automatically set their artillery at a certain position and it would automatically drop shells in there. 50:30 I was about 200 yards ahead of my platoon and I turned around and I looked back to see if I could see them and how they were coming along and just about that time, just at that time two shells came in and landed where my platoon was. My platoon was—my entire platoon was killed or wounded, ninety percent wounded I think. The company commander was killed, the company executive officer was wounded, and another officer was wounded. 51:15 At this stage that left three brand new 2nd Lieutenants, who had never been in combat, in charge of the company. We went ahead down after we got things straightened out, we headed down with the other platoons, got down to the riverbank; we started to make the crossing of the river. Well, we found out then that some of the other boats had holes in them from the shelling and we would load a boat with men and we loaded a couple of them, and the boats would be sunk. We had quite a number of men who drowned because they were fully loaded with ammunition and rifles and their equipment. 52:00 Finally about 4:00 in the morning the engineers came down and they got a little bridge across for us and we were able to cross and move up toward the Germans. Interviewer: “Was there any fire power going on at this time, or was it quiet?” The Germans were throwing in some artillery and some mortars. They detected that we were out there. They didn’t know how big the operation was and as a matter of fact, 23 �talking with one of the German officers later, they thought it was just a patrol type, a reinforced patrol type operation where you might send out as much as a platoon. Interviewer: “So, they weren’t throwing everything at you, they didn’t realize that it was a bigger operation?” 52:56 No, they didn’t realize how big it was. It wasn’t until daylight when they realized the second--the third battalion had crossed on our right and so the two battalions were across. Interviewer: “What happens when you have injuries like that? Do the medics come in and start taking care of them?” Our aid men took care of as many as they could and in fact, we pressed other fellows into—other men into service with stretchers etc. They cleared the wounded and the dead out and then the other officers reorganized out platoons and went ahead and I went back kind of in reserve with my runner. Interviewer: “What’s a runner?” Well, he’s a fellow that sticks close to me and when I’ve got a message I have to get back to the company commander or someone, then I send him back with that message. 53:56 Interviewer: “So, you didn’t have a radio man with you?” We had our radios, but they didn’t work. We had the SCR 40’s I think they are, and they were totally useless. Interviewer: “So, after 4:00 AM, what happens?” We moved across the river and the other two platoons moved up toward the German positions. Then daylight came and about that time then the Germans really saw us there and they started pouring everything in. Heavy artillery, mortars, machine gun fire, we couldn’t stick our heads up. Most of us were in ditches or foxholes, not foxholes, ditches 24 �or shell holes, we weren’t able to dig foxholes—we couldn’t be out where we could be seen. 54:48 Interviewer: “So, you were pinned down basically?” We were pinned down and of course from the mountains on each side the Germans could see us and see just what we were doing and in time, when they saw any movement, they would call artillery fire in on us. And it was all muddy, I was in water up to my waist, so were the rest of the men. In one particular incident, my runner was about thirty feet ahead of me in a shell hole and we had a couple shells come in real close to us and after it quieted down I hear him cussing away and I said, “What’s the matter? Are you hurt?” and he said, “No, I just got my rifle all cleaned and now the suckers got it all muddy for me again.” 55:42 Interviewer: “Give us an idea of the sound. You got shells coming in, you got big guns, what are you hearing?” You’re hearing these shells come in, you’re hearing—they were also firing the “Screaming Mimis” you know, “nebelwerfers”, which was a six barrel rocket type thing, they were firing those, and you would hear these shells come in and the shell would hit and it was real heavy stuff and the ground would just shake like jelly and all you could do was just hunker down as best you could and pray that you would come out of it ok. 56:22 Interviewer: “So, what happened next? What was—they’re shelling you, they’re shelling you, what happened? We kept losing men, we had several men killed by artillery, one of the men—I saw him get a bullet hole between the eyes, I had a machine gun bullet bounce off my helmet and 25 �finally about when it started to get dark, I moved out and I took a check of who we had there and we had very few left. 57:00 During the day, during the middle of the afternoon, several of our men who were up close to a house that was our first objective, and closer to the German machine guns etc. They finally decided they couldn’t do anything there so, they got up and they surrendered and I could understand that because they were really catching it up there and they were really receiving the shell fire so, although you hate to see men surrender, I didn’t blame them any because if they had just stayed there they would just suffer more casualties. After it started to get dark, then I took a check around and found out how many I had left and we took our wounded and fortunately most of the bridge was still in and we were able to move back across the bridge and when we got across the bridge then I took the basic—what was left of the company back to where we had left from and reported to battalion headquarters there. There was one other officer and myself and fourteen men. 58:18 Interviewer: “So, what did they say to you?” Well, they understood and they concurred with me that I had done the right thing and there was nothing that I could do on that side of the river with that few men and that had been my logic—“hey I can at least hold a defensive position on our side of the river”, but I couldn’t do anything effectively on the other side. 58:52 Interviewer: “So, what was the decision to do next?” We went into—the division pulled back after a couple of days. The following day the other battalion, the second battalion, made the attack across, not where we had attacked, but over to our right. And then they fought there for a couple of days and they got in further, they were able to push in further than we were and after a couple of days, 26 �gradually men were coming back, they had to swim the river etc., but they were losing so many men that finally they were pulled back too. Now, army headquarters had ordered that our 142nd Regiment was to now attack across the same place, but after our General Wilber, our General Walker conferred with them, they finally determined there was no way they could get across there and succeed 59:57 so, they called off that attack and they had the 34th Division make an attempt over to our right. Interviewer: “Where did you got next?” We were bases in front of this Mount Trocchio, which was a long narrow mountain, and in a defensive line and we were there for about two weeks, strictly in a defensive position and we had no casualties, we had no attacks and the Germans weren’t about to come across the river and so, we just sat there in a defensive position and then after a couple of weeks we were pulled out and the 34th had made a successful crossing north of us, up river from us, and we were up close to the Abbey, the famous Benedictine Abbey at Cassino and we were sent , after a couple of week, sent over to relieve them. 1:07 Now, in the meantime, we received quite a number of our people back, ones with slight wounds and some who had just said, “Hey this is no good”, and we received a few replacements, including a couple of brand new 2nd Lieutenants. And, we moved over towards the Abbey at Monte Cassino and moved around behind it and went up on top of the mountain there and relieved part of the 34th Division, our battalion relieved the 34th Division. 1:48 Interviewer: “So, the Abbey was already held by Americans?” No, it was not, the Abbey was still—it was not a strong point—the Germans didn’t need the Abbey, the better place was down on the side of the hill dug in someplace. The Abbey, you could see, you could see somebody in the window and you could shoot them 27 �or send an artillery shell. So, the Abby was not a good defensive position and the Germans realized that they were better off and really control things from where they were on the side of the mountain. 2:19 Interviewer: “So, what was your next assignment? What were you supposed to do?” I was of course at this time... I was the company commander, I was still a 2nd Lieutenant, but company commander and we built the company back up to about forty men. When we crossed the river we had about one hundred and seventy five men. We built the company back up to forty men and we went up onto an area behind the Abbey called Snake’s Head Ridge and there with my company, we relieved a company of the 34th Division which had twelve men commanded by a PFC and we were up there trying to drive the Germans off the end of it so we could get down closer to the Abbey and get over to the Liri Valley. 3:16 Interviewer: “Now was the opposition once again heavy guns and mortars and machine guns?” There were mortars and machine guns. The unit we were facing at the river was a Panzer Grenadier Regiment, the unit we were facing assisted Panzers, and they weren’t Panzers, but the unit that was up on the mountain, they were paratroopers, and they were probably the finest German troops you could find. We faced them and they were well dug in and we just could not make any progress there. 3:56 We had a weather problem up there, it was now the first of February and it was around thirty degrees, thirty to thirty five degrees, and it would snow and it would rain, it was just wet, cold and damp and we were having a lot of problems with the men with trench foot. You couldn’t get your feet dry 28 �and the net result was that soon they would get all red and they would start to hurt and men could hardly walk. The net result was—again, I lost an awful lot of men, several of them killed or wounded, but most of them from trench foot. 4:43 I was called to battalion headquarters there , which was up on the mountain with us there, and our of a battalion of about seven hundred normally, we had seventy men and six officers and we were ordered to attack, make an attack the following morning on the Abbey and the battalion commander told me, he said, “You’ll have the left flank, how many men have you got there?” and I said, “I have five men”, and when we pulled off there were five men and myself, six men altogether out of the company and we’re pulled over to the right, our right, to take a defensive position. 5:34 We were there in that position about two weeks I ‘d say and in the meantime, while in that position, several men came back to the company and then we were relieved by the 88th Infantry Division and we were pulled back and given a big steak dinner and then went into perimetal tents and were there for a week, we were off for several weeks recuperating and building the company back up and getting trained again you know and getting used to each other. 6:19 Interviewer: “By building up you’re talking about new recruits coming in or?” Recruits were coming in, men were coming back from the hospital with slight wounds, almost any man that had spent any time over there ended up with two, three, or four purple hearts. They would get wounded and they would go back in, they would go back to the hospital and get fixed up then come back to the unit. We had a number of incidences where the men said, “I want to go back to my unit.” Much the same as it is in Iraq today. 6:55 Interviewer: “Now, you got hurt. Was the soon after what we are talking about?” 29 �Yes, I got hurt. At the Rapido there, when those shells hit, I got a piece of shrapnel in my left eye, but it was a small piece and nothing was done until after I got home here to the states. Later on, after we took Rome, we were up north of Rome there fighting and I got another piece of—I got another wound above my eye and I received a purple heart for that. 7:31 Interviewer: “Let’s get through the Italy—this part, the Abbey part before we get to Rome. What was the eventual outcome of that battle?” The eventual outcome of that was, several units, New Zealanders, British, South Africans, I think there were fourteen different units from different nations that were fighting there. The French, the French were very good and it took them until May 24th to eventually cross the river and break out. In the meantime of course, Anzio beachhead was going on, Anzio beachhead was planned for two days after we crossed the Rapido. We crossed on the 20th and the Anzio beach landing was made on January 22nd. Well, they were stalemated there too and after we rested and recuperated and got built up again to full strength, we were shipped—towards the middle—towards the end of May, we were shipped up to Anzio beachhead and we went into the attack out of there and we captured the town of Velletri and then moved on and took Rome. 8:57 At that same time the big push was made across the Rapido River. They brought most of the 8th Army over from the Adriatic side so they had basically, two full armies there to attack across the river. Interviewer: “Now, this is actual what you would picture, infantry fighting? Taking a town with guns?” That’s right, you had to up these hills and go into these towns and bring them out with a 30 �bayonet, you—it wasn’t, your air force had done all it could, the ships had brought you to where you could get there, the artillery had fired all of its rounds of ammunition, but rather done its job, but it’s still up to the guy with the rifle to go in and take the piece of territory. 9:50 Interviewer: “Is this—this is house to house?” In some instances it was house to house. We had very little of that where we were in Italy because they were small towns. In Cassino it was house-to-house fighting and our 34th Division did some fighting in there, but the British did most of the house-to-house fighting there. Cassino had been bombed to where it was just rubble, the entire town was wiped out and they had been able to--the Germans had been able to then fortify those positions. The same way with the Abbey—we finally bombed that and then the Germans moved in there because it then presented a very good defensive position and it finally took the Polish troops at the end of May, to take the Abbey and they lost a lot of men taking the Abbey. 10:44 Interviewer: “Now, in terms of your own experience though, you mentioned the name of one town before Rome, what was that?” Velletri. Interviewer: “What was that battle like?” Velletri was situated behind a small range of mountains that was immediately in front of Rome. The Germans had that well positioned and we had to take that town and those hills before we could get to Rome. We went up and we attacked there and we had quite a number of casualties, but we finally took the town and also, one of our regiments found an unguarded spot on the mountain and they went over on the other side. In essence, they 31 �got behind the German lines and that broke the German defense and so, we moved up and moved into Rome. 11:39 Rome was not defended, the Germans fortunately had not— had decided not to defend it. Interviewer: “This has got to be an amazing moment for you, I just can’t even imagine it completely, but try to give us an idea of what it felt like to march into Rome.” It was great, we were going in in columns of twos of course and I was the assistant company commander at that time—company exec, and we marched into Rome in a column of two with our rifles slung on our shoulders etc. and the crowds, crowds on each side of the road cheering us and one lady came out and she gave me a glass of milk and it was the first glass of milk I’d had since I left the states—it tasted so good. 12:35 We moved straight through Rome. It probably took us—I don’t know how many hours, but we marched completely through Rome, we walked and when we got through Rome the Germans were pulling back so fast that we were ordered—we would run ten minutes and then we would walk ten minutes, we’d run ten minutes and then we would walk ten minutes, then we would pull off into a field and fall down. We would spend maybe ten or fifteen minutes resting there and then we would go on. We did that for maybe three or four hours trying to catch up with the Germans and we were exhausted of course when we finally stopped. 13:22 The following day they brought up two and a half ton trucks and we loaded on the trucks and we moved up the coastal highway to a place called Orbitello and here we ran into a German road block and were held up by them for some time. They were dug in with the 88 and they had their machine guns and everything was perfectly positioned. 32 �Interviewer: “88 is the heavy artillery?” Actually, 88 is their anti-aircraft gun. A very high-powered gun and better than anything we had at that time. And so, they were holding us up with that—they hit our battalion headquarters and burned up a couple of our jeeps and finally we made the attack on the position and we captured it. 14:30 Interviewer: “They gave up?” They pulled out—they realized that—ok, their delaying action, it had lasted as long as they wanted, it was a couple of days, and so then they just pulled out and our men went in a took the place. At that time we had about fifty men. At that same time, as the company exec, I was in the rear area there and a bunch of two and a half ton trucks came up with replacements and I guess everything comes in a circle because at Fort Custer, at Camp Custer, they had initially assigned me to the air force ground crew—air corps ground crew, these men were all air corps ground crew. They didn’t need as many anymore so; they were given rifles and sent to the infantry. So it comes in full circle. 15:27 Interviewer. “So, what happened next?” Then we moved up and proceeded north towards Pisa and we were fairly close to Pisa and we swung off to the right. We were going to go over towards Siena and finally we took a town there after some casualties. We ran into a roadblock type thing and we pulled into this town and then we were relieved by another unit and we went back and everyone had a weeks leave in Rome. Half the company went on leave first and then the other half of the company went on leave. 16:20 Then the company was moved-Interviewer: “Leave in Rome—do you think I’m going to let you get away with that? What was that like?” 33 �Oh, that was great, they had the restaurants you know and real food, movies and we went to the Vatican. I happened to be there one afternoon when the Pope was holding audience for the servicemen from different units and so, it was Pius the IX [XII], and I went into his special room there and I stood in the back because I’m not Catholic and let the Catholic fellows get up to the front and he addressed us in very good English and gave us his blessing etc. 17:11 So, I had a chance to see the Pope and hear the Pope. Interviewer: “Was there a sense at this point that you are winning the war?” Yes, in fact we thought after we took Rome, “this should be smooth sailing now”, but that was not true in Italy because then they went across the Arno River to Florence and Pisa and across the Arno River in the Apennines and the Germans had built another defensive line there similar to the Gustav Line and it wasn’t until, this was in July, and it wasn’t until the following April that they broke out of that line. 18:04 Interviewer: “What about you though, where were you going?” We were—our unit was placed on ships and sent back to Salerno beachhead and there we trained, of course we got an awful lot of new replacements including four new 2nd Lieutenants, and we trained then again for combat as a unit to be cohesive and also trained for the landing in southern France. 18:42 We would go out—we would get on the LST’s and we would go over into the little LCI’s and go ashore and they told us at the time the area where we landed was very similar to the area where we were going to land in southern France. Interviewer: “Carl you’ve seen things that—there is this continuous training, even during battle time you are sent off now, to train for another type of landing.” Yes, yes, we would receive, even when we were up by Cassino there and behind the lines 34 �there at Cassino, we were constantly training. 19:28 Interviewer: “I find that fascinating because in my studies and what not, there had to be at the highest levels a realization that we, even though they are battle experienced, we can’t just throw them in. If they are going into this type of battle, we have to train them for that kind of battle. That’s fascinating.” I remember one time there, back of the lines, just south of Cassino, we were back there in a place we called the “apple orchard”, and the order came down for me to prepare a night problem attack up a mountain and I had to lay the whole thing out and direct my company, I was company commander at the time and I had to direct my company on how I wanted them to attack, where I wanted this platoon to go, what I wanted them to do, where I wanted to set my mortars, machine guns etc. 20:28 This had to be because at that time I was company commander , not officially, but because I had been there the longest, and I had a couple of brand new 2nd Lieutenants and I also had quite a number of replacements and you had to keep doing this to train them to work together, and we would have these problems and set them up. I have some of my notebooks at home there and when I look at them, it told to set up this kind of a problem etc. 21:07 We had to constantly be training because you go into a battle--ok, you’re unit changed and you would get some new people in and you really had to start over again. Interviewer: “You’re training then to invade France, is that exactly what happened? Were you part of that invasion force into France?” Well, the middle of August, about the tenth of August, we moved up to Naples and we boarded ships for the invasion of southern France. And I believe that was “Operation Anvil”, and we were then—we had been attached to the Fifth Army in Italy and now we 35 �were attached to the Seventh Army and we made the—on August 15th, we made the invasion of southern France and we were all prepared for the type of casualties you would have etc., but it was relatively speaking, “a cake walk”. We pulled in--our battalion was the extreme right of the whole operation. We pulled into a small bay that the Germans had fortifications on each side of and the could have just wiped us out as we came in with those little boats, but the navy had rocket ships there and while we were circling in our landing craft, the navy was sending these rockets off and it was just out of this world, they just kept going and going and when we got to shore we found out that all the German positions were just rubble, in fact I have a picture showing afterwards and it shows a German 88MM gun, which would have been pointing right to the rear of our craft as we came in, but that was knocked out. 23:11 We went ashore with our company and we had a new company commander, a Captain, we didn’t run into much opposition— we went around behind the position and captured about twenty Germans in a fortified position that were happy to give up. These were second line troops, a lot of them were Polish conscripts and they didn’t want to fight for the Germans and their officers had pulled out and their non-coms had pulled out and so immediately they give up and then we pushed on to what was our right, to the east along the coast, and we were almost to Cannes and then our company pulled out along with another company and we were sent on a special task force up to a town called Colliann [Castellane?] where a paratrooper unit had landed and supposedly were trapped by the Germans there. Well, we got up there and fortunately the paratroopers weren’t there and we didn’t know where they were. We don’t know where they ended up, but the Germans were still there in town. We had quite a fire fight and we were there and we got into house to house fighting type and we 36 �took most of the Germans prisoner, we killed a few, but we took most of them prisoner. 24:53 Interviewer: “Were they prisoner as in they just walked out from the rubble with their hands up or how did they--?” Oh, yes, yes, in one place there I was going along and there were some bushes ahead of me and I had a carbine and I had my carbine pointed and all of sudden here came two German troops again, I think they were polish boys, they had their hands up and big smiles on their faces you know, they were so glad to see me you know, and pal and this type of stuff. They were so happy to be prisoners of war. We were starting to run into quite a bit of that there in France, but in the end, we weren’t fighting the real elite German troops. They were up in the north, up by Bastogne and Lorraine and the Moselle River Valley, in that area. 25:46 Interviewer: “So what happens next? You go through this, you’ve taken this town.” We were reassigned or taken back and joined the division. We were chasing the Germans and it was very hard to keep up with them because they were moving so fast and we were moving rapidly, we used every bit of transportation we could get to try to move up to catch them. In fact at one point the battalion commander said, “Look, now there’s going to be a bunch of supply trucks, two and a half ton trucks, coming along here. Take your company and stop these trucks and get as many men as you can on the trucks and send them north, and we’ll catch them up at the other end there”. And I did that until I had all the men on the trucks heading north and then with my jeep we proceeded on north. 26:41 Up there we went over to the right and a lot has been written 37 �about the battle of Montélimar and we were ordered to take a large hill along the highway there, the highway up alongside the Rhone River, and so, we took the hill and drive the Germans off it and then we received an order to pull back down off the hill and we got down off the hill and a Major came up and said, “what are you doing down here, you’re supposed to be on that hill?” We said, “we received orders to pull back down”, and he said, “you got to be up there”, and in the meantime the Germans moved back in to their positions, in the foxholes etc. So, we had to attack and take it a second time. 27:43 Interviewer: “So, after that was taken, what happened?” Then we began to chase again, following the Germans up central France there along the Rhone river to the right between the Rhone river and Switzerland and one morning we took the town of Vesoul and this was my last action, we took the town, moved through, moved into a position where we had run into another road block similar to the Urbitello thing. Interviewer: “Carl, you were not getting the same level of casualties that you were earlier on?” No, in that area we weren’t getting as many, we lost a few people there at Montélimar and we lost a couple people on the way up to Vesoul, we lost a couple of people in Vesoul and beyond Vesoul, and there I was down to—I was the only officer with the company, but again I only had about fifty men. This was an ironic thing because we ran into this roadblock and just at that time a brand new 2nd Lieutenant was reported to me so, he was my only other officer now, and I said, “I want to do a flanking movement and I want you to take this platoon and make a flanking movement on the German position”. Well, he moved out with the platoon and he got around there and while he was around 38 �there, a sniper hit me. So, here was this poor guy, his first day in combat, kind of like me at the Rapido River, his first day in combat and all of a sudden he’s company commander and I’ve often wished I could talk to him, I never talked to him after that, but it was his. They sent me back to an evacuation, kind of a MASH type unit, and the battalion commander, he had just been up visiting with me and checking on what I was doing etc., and he’s left and I got back to this MASH unit and there was a whole line of stretchers with people laying on them and on the end were three or four empty stretchers and this aid man said, “Ok, you lay down on this stretcher”, and when I started to lay down the guy on the next stretcher sat up and said, “Strom, what are you doing here?” And I said, “look, the same thing as you apparently”, and it was my buddy from Company A, who was the A company Commander. He said, “the battalion’s in good shape” and right next to him was the battalion commander. Here were two of the four company commanders and the battalion commander all wounded at once. 30:58 Interviewer: “Where were you hit?” I was hit in the right shoulder. It was a sniper, I was being too bold, I had been in combat too long and I was not taking the precautions that I should have. I stood up and I was looking at the position and telling one of my Sergeants what I wanted him to do with his platoon and he nailed me right here, but if he had been six to eight inches to the right I’d of had it. That happened an awful lot that you would be in combat so long and you would survive and you would forget the precautions that you should take. I should not have been standing up there that way doing that. 31:45 Interviewer: “So, fear is healthy in war huh?” Yes, that’s very true. Fear is a healthy thing. 39 �Interviewer: “Was this a clean shoot? Did it go right through?” Yes, went in the front—came out the back. Fractured the humerus up here and everything, but they were able to take care of that OK. Interviewer: “So, you’re laying there on the stretcher and around you is devastation I take it, there is just a lot blood etc?” Frankly, it was quiet and none of the guys were moaning or anything. They were taking them from the far end and picking them up and taking them in and I don’t think I was there a half an hour and they came in and picked me up. They knocked me out and took care of everything and when I finally came to, they had me sitting at a table and they were putting a body cast on me and had my arm in an airplane splint and I was there for a week at the hospital back there. From the MASH unit they moved me back to a field hospital and then they flew me to Naples and I was in the 300th General Hospital in Naples and after I was there about a month, they put me on a hospital ship and sent me back home. 33:08 That was—I think I landed in the states in October and I went to Cambridge, Ohio to Fletcher General Hospital and I was there until January or February. 33:35 My wife was able to join me there, we had an apartment and I had to go back to the hospital everyday for therapy and then I was brought back to Fort Custer and I was discharged. Interviewer: “How lucky we are that that sniper missed what he was shooting for and just got a little bit of your shoulder there.” Yes, more so for the simple reason—a couple of my close friends weren’t as lucky, one in particular was a very good company commander and he bought it in France and he’d been with his company all the way through. 34:20 40 �Interviewer: “I think on of the most amazing things about the conversation we’ve just had is you have several references to becoming company commander and then you got an assistant because the casualty rate was so high that it is hard to fathom that—just how devastating these battles were.” We went through men like water and they were mostly 18,19,20 year old kids and thank god for them because they are the ones who can and did the job and they are the ones who are doing it in Iraq today and they have the stamina for it, they don’t have the ingrained fear that someone older might have and of course they don’t have the families usually, which is better too. 35:19 Interviewer: “Just to wind up, I wanted to ask you—your experience, not just in WWII, but your military experience, do you feel that it had a major influence on the person you became?” Yes, very definitely, I didn’t realize until after I had been home a few years. I didn’t know what I wanted to do and I knew when I came home I didn’t want to be a petroleum engineer so, I had to kind of feel my way and I tried several different fields and finally it hit me that I had gotten into the right thing. I got into personnel work, handling people and I was very successful with that with major manufacturing companies and ended up as director of industrial relations for one until I finally left there. 36:14 Interviewer: “Well, on behalf of myself and the people who enjoy our freedoms today, in a large part because of you and so many other people risking their lives, I know it is difficult to talk about some of these, but I want to thank you personally for everything you’ve done because I wouldn’t be here without people like you and my dad and the generation that Brokaw called “The Greatest Generation”. 41 �Well, that is true and I’ve thought about that often too, if something had happened to me, my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren wouldn’t have been here either. We only did what we had to do. Interviewer: “Carl, thank you for doing it.” 36:55 : : : 42 �43 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context StromC Title A name given to the resource Strom, Carl J. (Interview transcript and video), 2004 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Strom, Carl Description An account of the resource Carl J. Strom is a WWII Veteran who served in the United States Army in France and Italy from July 1942 to May 1945. Strom was a platoon leader in ompany B, 141st Regiment, 36th Infantry Division and fought at the Rapido River crossing, Monte Cassino, the landing in southern France, and the campaign into northeastern France and Germany. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Boring, Frank (Interviewer) Michigan Military Preservation Society (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2004-06-26 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> 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/957b50095121c199549955baef2761de.mp4 123c2ef0125975c5afb54362ab5f9e35 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/86a50423e30cdbb8f03a71c8c617a2ba.pdf a8ed17d1e91f7c410b0fcf81c0e8b638 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: World War II Name of Interviewee: Wesley Strehlau Length of interview (0:10:13) (00:00) Background Served in World War II in the U.S. Navy as a second class water tender. (00:05) Born December 14, 1926 in Detroit, MI. (00:31) Had one brother and five sisters. He was the second oldest. Describes what it was like to grow up with a big family during the Depression. (00:45) Enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday because he didn’t want to be drafted into the army. Served on minority crews for about three years. (01:46) Chose the Navy because he wanted a good place to eat, sleep, and learn. (02:16)( 02:28) Service in the United States Learned how to operate and repair machinery. Thought it was very beneficial. (02:28) Went to boot camp after first joining the Navy. Then he went to eight weeks of special training. (03:16) Boarded the U.S.S Laffey and in Seattle, Washington. The ship had been hit before by seven kamikazes and four bombs and was in the Seattle shipyard for repairs at the time. (03:23) Worked on the ship during the day. At night, he joined the Union and repaired other ships in the shipyard. (03:43) Took shakedown crews to San Diego, CA where they went on air craft duty. (04:22) (04:39) Service in the Pacific Hit another ship while leaving the harbor to leave for Pearl Harbor. One man on the other ship was killed and their ship had to return for further repairs. (04:39) After the ship had been repaired, they departed to begin their service in the Pacific as the war was ending (05:03) Didn’t entertain themselves because they were always on guard duty. These responsibilities included monitoring the boilers. (05:14) Kept in touch with family through letters. Was able to have leave and go home to visit. (06:19) During his three years of service, they went from port to port to Australia. (06:47) Participated in atomic bomb tests in 1946. (07:04) Brought the ship back to the United States in 1947 where it was decommissioned and put in the reserve fleet. From the reserve fleet, the ship was brought back into usage for the Vietnam and Korean Wars. (07:50) Was discharged at this time. (08:34) (08:40) Post Service �Returned to his job as an apprentice draftsman for four years after being discharged. (08:40) Still stays in touch with the men he served with and attends reunions regularly. (09:11) Recalls that it wasn’t difficult to adjust to regular life. Upon discharged he gave himself one day off and then worked until retirement. (09:30) � 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 StrehlauW Title A name given to the resource Strehlau, Wesley K. (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Strehlau, Wesley K. Description An account of the resource Wesley Strehlau was born on December 14, 1926 in Detroit, MI. He served in World War II in the U.S. Navy as a second class water tender. During his three years of service, his responsibilities included operating and repairing machinery. He traveled from port to port to Australia where he participated in atomic bomb tests. He was discharged in 1947 and returned to work as an apprentice draftsman. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ward, Ciera (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Navy Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-05-31 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> 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/af4609a73b6175f83de9b904d5a3aa1f.mp4 5ddc12f23f87c26652e00638a27fbff2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fb88994b7df056b343654334768581d2.pdf f983a8d6f26990c303d6ed2883c5d9d2 PDF Text Text Leonard Straayer (53:17) (00:08) Background Information • Leonard was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 30, 1918 • Leonard was the 14th and youngest child in his family • His father was a painter and a paper hanger • Len had 3 brothers that served in WWI • He graduated from Creston High School in 1936 • After high school he worked at a furniture factory and a phone company • Len was drafted on April 24, 1941 (4:25) Training • He trained for one year and expected to be discharged • In December of 1941 Len was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia where he heard about Pearl Harbor • Right after he was drafted he was sent to Camp Livingston, Louisiana • Len was assigned to the Service Company in the 126th infantry regiment as a truck driver • More than half of his company were draftees • He remembers the dry red clay, marching and gas mask drills at Camp Livingston • Len spent about 8 weeks in basic training and then was assigned a truck • He was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for 3 months and then moved to Oakland, California for 3 weeks (13:19) Deployment • From Oakland Len boarded the SS Lurline • It took them 21 days to get to Australia; there wasn’t much fresh water and he did not get sea sick • They landed in Adelaide, south Australia • Len then moved to Camp Cable outside of Brisbane �(20:15) New Guinea • He took a liberty ship to Port Moresby, New Guinea • They hauled the E company as far as they could up the Owen Stanley Range • Then they loaded K rations from their trucks onto plane • Len didn’t really know what was going on in the rest of New Guinea • He was asked to fix some trucks because one of the mechanics was killed and received a rating for it • Then Len was moved to the Mechanics Company, which was rare because draftees weren’t supposed to get promotions (27:18) Replacements • Len went back to Camp Cable for rest and to get reinforcements • He was one of the many who got malaria • They went back to New Guinea and went to Milne Bay, Morotai and Saidor • There were lots of bombings from Japanese planes at night • On one occasion he had 5 of his 10 tires blown out by a bomb • He saw some Japanese POWs that were pretty beat up (37:50) Philippines • They landed at Leyte, Philippines • The 7th Calvary were the first to go in and they were 2nd • It rained most of the time • Len was only there for 25 days and his orders came through because he had enough points to go home (40:31) Back to the US • He missed his ship back to the US and had to go back on the SS Lurline the next day • Len got back in February and was sent to Miami, Florida for R & R �• He was then sent to a camp in Illinois and then to Fort Custer, Michigan to be a guard for German POWs • He drove back and forth from Fort Custer to a camp in Coloma delivering food and supplies • They also had to finger print thousands of Germans and send them all over the US (47:11) Discharge • Len got married about a month after his discharge • He tried to go back to work at Western Electric, but they said the only work they had was in Missouri or Alaska • So Len went back to work at the furniture company he had worked at and became a partner • The company then got into doing office dividers and really increased in size • Len retired from the company at 60 years old � 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 StraayerL Title A name given to the resource Straayer, Leonard (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Straayer, Leonard Description An account of the resource Leonard Straayer was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on March 30, 1918. He was drafted in 1941, shortly after graduating from high school. Leonard was assigned to a service company in the 126th infantry and drove trucks. He was first sent to South Australia and then to New Guinea. In New Guinea he helped haul the E company up the Owen Stanley Range and loaded k rations on to planes to be air dropped. Then he was moved up to a mechanics company and went to places such as Milne Bay, Morotai and Saidor. Leo was then sent to the Philippines, but only spent 25 days there and was sent home because he had enough points. He spent the rest of his time helping out with German POWs at Fort Custer, Michigan. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-09-17 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> 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/2a587ad7de6de59140462c0d026cbea8.mp4 7ab442181df26008b0b0694b4a9e0be5 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/aef0057db93a90e196f96f529795709e.pdf eb075fb7820746cff3aba1f9b5be2979 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Ron Story (00:46:19) (00:35) Background Information • Ron was born in Lowell, Michigan • He went to school there and graduated in 1950 • During school Ron worked as a mechanic • He received his Associates Degree in business from Davenport College • In September of 1952 Ron was drafted into the Army • He had expected to be drafted, but was fortunate to be sent to Europe rather than Korea (2:35) Basic Training • This consisted of difficult long hours • It was hard, physical work with calisthenics, obstacle courses, rifle training, military history, and military discipline • There were all types of people from all over put into one unit • The trainers were all very mean, but that was their job • They had to go out on hikes into the middle of no where, hauling all their supplies • They would hike for miles and then sleep in tents • They had to carry 40-pound packs with their M-1 rifles, walking about 8 miles up hill for three days (7:10) Friends in the Service • Ron made a lot of friends and still keeps in contact with many of them (7:50) Europe • Ron was stationed in France because Europe still needed occupation forces and assistance in containing the Soviets • They felt that war would break out again any day • Ron worked in a fort that was still reinforced from World War Two • He had trained for clerical work in Fort Riley, Kansas • Ron worked with really old typewriters, and kept track of Army personnel records (12:35) Activities • Ron worked near a medical training and also a cook training area • He helped keep track of lots of medical records and was able to eat really well • Ron spent a lot of time reading, especially Time Magazine • He generally had the weekends off and would travel on a train to Paris • During time on leave, Ron traveled all over Europe to Spain, Italy, Britain, Germany, Holland, Denmark, and Switzerland �(16:55) Paris • The city was very modern with lots of clubs and very nice art galleries • There was wonderful and historical architecture • Italy was his favorite place to travel, visiting Rome, Pompeii, Cyprus, Venice… • He felt that traveling so much by himself really helped him mature (20:20) The Trip Across America • Ron was officially processed for the Army in Fort Custer, Battle Creek, MI • He then went to Fort Riley, Kansas on a train for basic training • He had a short time on leave to visit his family • Ron then went to Camp Kilmer in NJ for short while and then headed to Manhattan • They then boarded a troop ship for Europe • They crossed the English Channel and went to Germany • Ron was offered a position either in Germany or France and he picked France • He was stationed in La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast (26:00) Living Quarters in France • Many of the other men had lots of family problems they had to deal with • At home, some of them had children and a wife • There were problems with sick children and dying relatives • There were many people in the living quarters that were hard to live with • Ron sent many letters home to his family and received about three letters back a week (29:40) The End of Ron’s Service: September 1954 • Ron was kept in the Reserves for another 6 years • He began working for Berger Chevrolet • He then worked for a bank in Lowell for three years • Ron transferred to a bank in Ionia until he retired (31:10) Lessons from the Army • Ron learned to deal with all types of people • He became more compassionate and considerate of others • Ron saw many people that could not handle their military experience and they turned to alcohol instead • He had lots of time to think about his future and set goals • The GI Bill really helped improve US Education, the economy, and the standard of living • The GI Bill helped pay for Ron’s education at Michigan State University ������� 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 StoryR Title A name given to the resource Story, Ronald D. (Interview outline, video, and papers), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Story, Ronald D. Description An account of the resource Ron Story was born in Lowell, Michigan and graduated from high school in 1950. Ron was drafted into the Army in 1952 and feels that he was very fortunate that he was sent to Europe rather than Korea. Ron was stationed in La Rochelle, France on the Atlantic Coast. He noted that they were concerned about possible Soviet attack. He traveled extensively in Europe, returned to the US in 1954, and served for six years in the reserves. Photographs appended to interview outline. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McNaughton, Jane (interviewer) Lowell Area Historical Museum (Lowell, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-05-31 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> 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/fc8ec496fb9b3ff253117cc22926f5f5.mp4 0e0340dd7f48038d414ea35729a4045d https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/29eb7d57c02df84797d90e48fe65d360.pdf 23eb6c855160b932d3623e8542c98825 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Edward Stolt (00:37:24) (:07) Early Life • (:07) Born Jan 13, 1919, in Bayshore near Charlevoix, Michigan. • (:24) His father was a farmer, and a barn builder. • (:45) In 1929 they moved to Lansing for two years. While he lived in Lansing, his mother died. Next they moved in with his uncle for a few years, and later back to Bayshore. • (1:01) His father lost the farm, which he had inherited from his father. • (1:21) He did not finish high school, only went to the 8th grade. • (1:38) He moved in with his mother’s brother, and then he moved to Petoskey, and then he joined the Army. • (1:55) He worked on farms until he joined the Army. • (2:07) He knew he would likely be drafted eventually, he figured he might as well join. Draftees were in for three years, and enlistees only for a year, or so he was told at the time. (2:44) Enlisted/Domestic Service • (2:46) He went to Oklahoma City for training, in an artillery school. • (2:57) The trip to Oklahoma was his first lengthy trip. He went by train, and it took a few days. He doesn’t recall getting off at any point. • (3:33) Fort Sill at that time was just tents and wooden floors. They used bedrolls instead of cots. • (3:52) He started out driving trucks, and later went into communications. He used a telephone, not a radio. He learned how to ready the equipment quickly. • (4:30) He did Basic training as well, which was not especially difficult. • (4:48) The drill sergeants were all right. He was at Fort Sill for thirteen weeks. • (5:06) Next he went to Fort Leonard Wood, in Missouri. He was at Leonard Wood when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He started out in communications, but one of the higher up officials had someone else in mind for that position and he was transferred. • (5:45) He began driving a jeep for the colonel. By this point he was in a battalion, the 949th Field Artillery Battalion. • (6:53) The colonel was about thirty-five. He was an experienced Army man, and had been in the service for many years, but he was not in WWI. • (7:29) He was assigned to reconnaissance, to help find the enemy’s position. • (7:56) When Pearl Harbor was attacked; he was celebrating with friends in Lebanon, Missouri. His training continued unchanged after the attack. • (8:38) Most of the men went out drinking on their leaves. He usually didn’t go with them since he was not much of a drinker. Sometimes the men went to the movies as well. • (9;11) He didn’t see the USO very much while he was in the States. �• (9:20) He was at Leonard Wood for about three years. He worked for the colonel for most of this time. After Leonard Wood, his unit was sent to California, and they were nearly sure they would be sent to the Pacific. Instead, they were sent to North Carolina and deployed to Europe. (9:53) Deployment • (9:53) First, they went to England. He doesn’t recall which port they set out of, but it was in New York. He went on the Queen Elizabeth, and it was very crowded with thirteen thousand men on the ship. • (10:49) He crossed in early summer 1944, after D-Day. They arrived at Normand on June 22nd. They were a detached outfit of the 3rd Army. • (11:28) He was in England for about six weeks to two months. They camped in the countryside, but he doesn’t recall where. He was in England during D-Day, they were not kept informed of any developments at the time. • (`12:24) At the time it was hard it to imagine the way that Omaha Beach would look. They landed two weeks after D-Day, and saw wreckage of German equipment. They did not see as much American wreckage, as it had mostly been cleared away. • (13:22) They landed in a small landing craft, and stayed put for a few days. His unit was sent out shortly after. • (14:44) Combat usually started out slow, and sped up towards the later parts. He was in the lead convoy with the colonel, and sometimes helped with reconnaissance. • (14:38) Once they got very close to the Germans, and were cut off for about two days. They called for reinforcements once they were able, using the large radio in the back of the jeep. They had been cut off somewhere in France, but he does not recall where. • (16:13) The land in Normandy was mostly farms and farmhouses. The farms were closer together, and closer to the houses than in America. They also had hedgerows to mark boundaries, and Germans frequently hid in them. • (16:56) The colonel decided where to put the guns. • (17:23) The French were friendly, but mostly kept to themselves. • (18:20) A few times in Normandy they had larger battles, and shot more shells than usual. The Germans usually hid in the woods, which was not a very good idea since it increased the chances of shrapnel injuries from the trees. • (19:13) They were twice strafed and shot at by a plane, and once by a tank’s 88 while on reconnaissance. They were only bombed by the Germans once, and during the night. • (20:27) He crossed Northern France in the summer, and they did not have much trouble. Some of them men were nervous, but he wasn’t, and he is not quite sure why. The Germans were retreating quickly by this time, and they had a hard time finding them. • (21:07) Until the Battle of the Bulge, it was rare for them to see Germans in France by this point. • (21:36) Later on, he was called to lead four gunners. The unit had to be split since it was not possible to bring the entire unit. He is unsure why he was chosen. �• (22:22) His unit stayed in the area for awhile before the Bulge, they were trying to find the Germans. • (22:57) The weather just before the Bulge was good weather, but it rained during it. They used empty houses, or barns to sleep and camp in. • (23:37) He spent one night in a foxhole. He had been spending the night in the truck, but a German plane showed up, and his friends woke him up to come into the foxhole. He stayed in the foxhole the entire night. • (24:24) It was best to wait for the enemy to shoot, instead of shooting early. Shooting early could betray one’s position. He did not go into Belgium. • (25:02) They reached Germany sometime around October. He later got a medal for the liberation of France. He was in Germany prior to the Bulge. He crossed the Rhine, but does not recall where. • (26:28) He went on liberty in Paris once. Paris was mostly intact as it had not been bombed. He went to the local bars, and went sightseeing. He was the Eiffel Tower, and a cathedral. He spent his nights in hotels. • (27:30) He was in Normandy when the Germans surrendered. His outfit stayed in Europe for a few months after that. They spent most of the time visiting with people, and generally doing what they pleased. • (28:19) His outfit essentially stayed together during the entire war. The colonel successfully opposed the transfer of a few of his men into the infantry. He didn’t want to deal with rookie recruits, and his men had been together for three years. • (29:00) They had a “Bed Check Charlie,” an enemy plane that swept over their general area trying to get them to betray their position by firing at it. An outfit close to them, about half a mile away, shot at the plane one night. The next morning, half the unit had been wiped out. • (29:49) He once saw Patton going down the street, but no more than that. • (30:05) He saw the USO a few times while in Europe, but doesn’t remember specifically. • (30:20) One of his friends was a mechanic, and trained at a different base. He kept correspondence with the man after the war. The two of them married two sisters. His friend passed away about ten years ago. • (31:12) He befriended many men in his unit as well. They only lost four or five men during the war, which was very lucky. • (31:30) Some of the men were from the National Guard in Detroit. His friend was from Elvian, Michigan. And a few of the men were from Grand Rapids. The rest were from all over the country. (32:01) Post-War • (32:01) There were one thousand, two hundred people on the ship on the way back home. It was a much smaller ship. • (32:27) He didn’t get seasick on the way back, but he was “landsick” for a few days when he got home, after being accustomed to the ship. • (32:53) For about two months, he didn’t work and collected unemployment. Then he worked for an equipment company, and helped make car parts. He once made a pickle trough as well. • (33:22) Later, he worked as a carpenter. He started out building homes, btu later �moved to commercial carpentry. (33:52) Life Lessons, and Amusing Anecdotes • (33:52) While in the Army he learned to “keep his mouth shut,” and to follow orders, even if he thought the orders were a bad idea. He didn’t learn all that much else. • (34:56) When he and the colonel were cut off from the head of the infantry, it was pitch black. The Sergeant Major saw a shape in the dark and shot it twice. In the morning they found out it was the musette bag, and it was half-emptied. • (35:29) When he was sent off with four gunners, the Germans surrended before he arrived. The men joked that the Germans realized that “Ed was coming, so they gave up.” • (35:49) Most of the things he found funny after the war were not funny at the time. • (36:10) He wasn’t nervous, but many of the men were. • (26:42) He saw many things that “stay with you,” and which he could not explain adequately to civilians. He tried once or twice, but gave up. He talked with veterans about it frequently. • (37:24) Part of the reason that he wasn’t nervous may have been that he became a fatalist after Normandy. He was so sure about his death in the field, that it no longer worried him. � 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 StoltE Title A name given to the resource Stolt, Edward (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Stolt, Edward Description An account of the resource Edward Stolt was born Jan 13, 1919, in Bayshore, Michigan. His family moved around frequently. He did not finish school, and stopped at the eighth grade. He worked on farms until he joined the Army. He was at Fort Leonard Wood for three years before being deployed to Europe. He served primarily in France and Germany. He served in the 949th Field Artillery Battalion, driving a jeep for the Colonel, assisting with communications, and reconnaissance. He arrived two weeks after D-Day, and was involved the in the campaigns in Normandy, northeastern France and Germany. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Byron Area Historic Museum (Byron Center, Mich.) BCTV Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-08-26 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> 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/a78ec3351eb40e46046ccdfcdf22360d.mp4 50959e73338d8f6c05bda2df8514dfdc https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f721bdb90e0855ad829e04c17796a9e4.pdf 67385e713b419bcf20a39cd10c723aec PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Peggy Stolk Length of Interview: 23:54 (00:09) JS: We‟re talking today with Mrs. Peggy Stolk of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The interviewer is James Smither or Grand Valley State University. Mrs. Stolk, can you start by telling us a little bit of your own background. For instance, where were you born? PS: I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and we lived here until I was about four years, and then we moved to Bay City. JS: And why did you go there? PS: Because my dad got a job there. JS: What kind of work was he doing at that point? PS: He was…furniture, he was in the furniture business. And I started school there, and we lived there until I was about 9 or 10, and then we moved back to Grand Rapids. And then I went to West Leonard school, through the sixth grade. And then I went to Harrison Park through the ninth grade. And then I went to Union and I graduated from there. JS: Okay. And what year did you graduate from high school? PS: 1942. (01:07) JS: Now you‟re growing up in kind of the depression era there in the „30s. How well or poorly was your family doing at that point? PS: Well, my family didn‟t suffer at all through the Depression. My dad had a job the whole time and we had it good. JS: Did he have a skilled enough job, or whatever he was doing, designing or whatever, that it paid decently… PS: Yeah. JS: He could do pretty well. Did you have a car in those days? PS: Yeah. We had a car. �(01:43) JS: Now as it got to be 1939 and 1940 and ‟41, so before America is in the war, were you paying much attention at all to what was going on in the world? PS: No. JS: Did you know there was a war in Europe or anything like that? PS: No. I didn‟t pay any attention to it until Pearl Harbor. (laughs) JS: Okay. What were you paying attention to, as you were there in high school? PS: I don‟t know. Just anything that was going on. JS: I don‟t know. What did people do for entertainment at that point? PS: Movies, mostly. JS: Movies. Radio? Listen to that much? PS: Yeah, the radio. JS: Okay. Now, do you remember hearing about Pearl Harbor, where you were, how that happened? (02:23) PS: My brother came home on a Sunday afternoon and he said the Japs burned, bombed Pearl Harbor. We thought he was lying. So we put the radio on. Well, we sit by the radio the rest of the day. JS: Now, let‟s see, you had a brother. Was he older or younger than you? PS: He was older. I had three brothers and two sisters. JS: And then did the brothers go into the service? PS: One brother. My oldest brother went in. He volunteered. And he went to, he was in, he landed in England three days after D-Day. So… JS: And were the other ones younger, or…? PS: Well, one of them was dead by then. And the other one was younger. And he was married with kids, so he didn‟t have to go. (03:19) �JS: Okay. Now, did you know, or were a lot of the boys that were your friends, did they run off and enlist right after Pearl Harbor? Or did they get drafted? Or… PS: Some of them enlisted, because they were only out of high school. And some of them died in the service. So… JS: Now, as the war went on, how did that kind of effect daily life back here, in Michigan? How did you…in what different ways did you know there was a war on? PS: Well, rationing was one thing. And, I don‟t know…I didn‟t pay too much attention to it. JS: Well, the rationing. What kind of stuff was being rationed? PS: Oh, sugar. Coffee. Cigarettes. We didn‟t smoke so it didn‟t bother us. And gasoline. We didn‟t have a car at that time, so it didn‟t bother us. (04:15) JS: You had a car before though, right? PS: Yeah. JS: So what happened to that? PS: Well, my dad left when I was about 11 years old. He took off and left our family. So it was my mother and my sister and I that…during the…well, it was before the war that he left. I was eleven years old. JS: So how did your family support itself at that point? PS: Well, my mother worked for the WPA and then, she did housework. JS: What kind of work was she doing for the WPA? PS: She used to make flags. (laughs) (04:50) JS: Okay. So that part of growing up must have been a little bit more of an adventure. PS: Yeah. We had hard times then, after my dad left. JS: So how did you get around? Did you just have to walk everywhere? PS: Bus. Or walking. JS: Now, what did you do once you graduated from high school? �PS: Well, when I was in high school, I worked for the NYA. It was started by Roosevelt. JS: And what was the NYA? PS: National Youth Administration. And it was for underprivileged kids. And we had, made $21 a month. And when I was in school, I had to watch a room while it was lunch hour. Or, if there was activities after school or at night, I‟d have to sit and watch coats. Or serve at banquets. And then when I graduated in February, they divided the school year in two at that time, and then I went and worked for the police station. (06:08) JS: What did you do for them? PS: I, first I started out filing and then I ended up typing driver‟s licenses. And I could have stayed there, had I taken…it went civil service, but I don‟t know why I didn‟t, cause it was hard getting a job once I was out of school. JS: How long did you stay at the police department? PS: I could only work there until I graduated, which would have been in June. JS: And then, for whatever reason, you didn‟t go and take the civil service exam, was that part of what you‟d have to do? PS: Yeah. Yeah. JS: And then where did you go after that? PS: Well, then I worked for Collier Publishing. Made $13 a week. I had to post customer‟s payments. And then I worked there a couple of years. And then I went to Colonial Bakery and there, I did office work. (07:06) JS: Okay. Now, as you were working in these different places, the police station, the publishing house, the bakery, and so forth, were there a lot of women working in those places, and doing some things that maybe men had done before? PS: No. They were mostly ladies. But when I worked at Colonial, I worked there quite a few years, and I got a telegram on Sunday night that my then boyfriend was coming home, after being in the service for four years, so I thought I‟ll call my boss up and tell him I‟m not coming in tomorrow. So I called him, and he said “whose going to do your work, if you‟re not at work?” And I said, well, whoever would do it if I was sick. And he said, well, if you don‟t come in tomorrow, you don‟t have a job. So I said, well, I quit. So, then I went and worked at Seedman/Seedman, typing tax returns, yeah. Or audits. And I worked there until I got…while I worked there, I got married and I worked there until I had my first baby. �(08:27) JS: Let‟s back up again, sort of to the war years there. One of the things that you‟d mentioned before the interview was that you‟d go with a group of girls, and so forth, to dances down at Fort Custer, down in Battle Creek. Now, tell us a little bit about that. How did that come about? PS: Well, my girlfriend, she went and she said, would you like to go. And I liked to dance and I said sure. And we went one Saturday night a month, by bus. And there were a whole bunch of girls that would do it. JS: And how old were most of the girls who were doing this? PS: Oh, in their early twenties. JS: So it wasn‟t like high school kids or things like that? PS: No. I was out of school. JS: Okay. And, so you‟d go down there by bus. Do you have any idea how long it took to get down there? PS: No. JS: So I expect at least a couple of hours if things were good, at that point. It‟s not that close to Grand Rapids. Well, how were things set up at Fort Custer? What did it look like? (09:31) PS: I think it was USO sponsored. Well, you could get soft drinks and stuff. But you couldn‟t go out of the building once you got there. You had to stay in the building. We danced. Had a lot of fun. JS: Right. Well, let‟s see. How did they keep you in the building? PS: They must have been checking, cause they told us we couldn‟t go out once we got there. JS: But you didn‟t see military police standing around, or anything like that? PS: No. No. JS: Now, did they have chaperones for this, older people who were looking out? PS: Yeah. Yeah. They had chaperones. JS: And then, for the music, did they have live bands there? Or just records? PS: I think it was records. �(10:18) JS: How big were these dances? How many people do you think were at them? PS: Oh, there were quite a few girls that went. A whole busload. JS: Were there girls coming in from other places. PS: No. They were all from Grand Rapids. Cause we didn‟t stop any place, so…” JS: Well, you are at Fort Custer, so that could draw on a fairly large area of places. Now, the men that were there. Were they sort of there once and then they‟d be gone the next time you came? PS: No. I saw that one fella there for as long as I went, cause he wanted to come to Grand Rapids to visit me, and I thought, oh…I don‟t know. And so…then I got engaged, so I didn‟t go anymore. (11:05) JS: Now, where did you meet Mike? PS: Well, I met him through his sister. His sister was my girlfriend in high school. So I met him through her. And we went together a year and a half, and then he was drafted. And he didn‟t come home for a furlough for, oh, I think it was fourteen, sixteen months. So… JS: So, you had to do something else for entertainment. PS: Yeah. Well, I used to meet my girlfriend downtown. We‟d meet every Monday, met her and we‟d have something to eat, and we‟d try on clothes. We didn‟t buy nothing but we tried them on. (laughs) And then I‟d meet girlfriends and go to the movies on Saturday nights. (12:01) JS: Were there not a whole lot of young men left in town at that point? PS: Well, there was that weather school that was here. That was in the Pantlind. And every day when I went to work, I‟d see these guys marching down Monroe. So… but that was about the only guys that were around, were those. And guys that were 4F. Or married. JS: Okay. Now do you remember things about…I guess, the government made an effort to rally people behind the cause and to get them to do different things and so forth. There were a lot of different ways they were trying to give you messages and tell you to support the guys and that sort of thing. What sort of things do you remember? I mean, obviously there was the USO stuff that you got involved in, that was cause your girlfriend brought you in. What other kinds of things were you being encouraged to do, or…how were you supposed to be supporting the war effort at home? (13:01) �PS: I don‟t know. I didn‟t do nothing. Some of my friends did socks, darned socks, but I didn‟t do any. JS: Did you buy war bonds, or things like that? PS: Oh, yeah. I bought war bonds. JS: And how did that work? I mean, did you have money taken out of your paycheck, or…” PS: Yeah. So much every week. JS: Now, was that something that pretty much everybody did, as far as you could tell? PS: No, not everybody did that. JS: But you made a decision that that was something you wanted to do, then? PS: Yeah. And to save money. JS: So it was practical on that level, too. All right. So were there people going around collecting scrap of different kinds? You know, metal and paper, that kind of thing, that you noticed particularly? PS: No. No. (14:00) JS: Was there anything going on here in Grand Rapids that you noticed, for civil defense, that sort of thing? PS: Yeah. They did have civil defense. And every once in a while, they would have bomb black outs. You‟d have to practice that. JS: And what did that mean, on a practical level? PS: Just that you‟d have to turn all your lights off. I remember that it looked kind of eerie. But other than that, I don‟t remember much of what was going on. JS: But even that was something that was a occasional drill, rather than something you had to do every night? Now, were things kind of weird, or confused, right after Pearl Harbor? Was there a lot of speculation about what we might have to do, or… PS: Well, everybody was worried then, they thought, oh boy. What‟s coming next, you know. Are they coming here? So… (15:04) �JS: So you said you weren‟t paying a whole lot of attention necessarily to what was going on in the war and stuff. Did things change once Mike got shipped overseas? PS: Yeah. Then I watched the news. And you‟d have to go to the movies to see the news reels. And I‟d read the paper. So. JS: Now, do you remember how the paper covered the war? What kinds of things showed up there? PS: Well, if somebody…the boys killed in the war, it‟d be weeks later before they‟d know about it. Their picture would be in the paper. And a write-up. But now-a-days, you‟d have it right on television. JS: That‟s right. Now, when Mike went overseas…was Mike writing to you on a regular basis? PS: Oh, yeah. JS: And was he doing that when he was gone, before you got engaged, or… PS: No. Cause he lived right…not too far from me. No, he started writing, and he was gone a long time. (16:09) JS: Um hmm. How regularly did he write, especially once they shipped him out? PS: Practically every day, but sometimes you wouldn‟t get a letter for weeks. Then you‟d get a bunch of them. So. Then you‟d wonder if something happened. JS: Did you try to follow or keep track of where he was, as best you could? PS: Well, you couldn‟t, because he wasn‟t allowed to write it. JS: He didn‟t have some kind of way of sending a code or whatever? PS: We didn‟t think about it. JS: Cause a lot of guys, when they were in the States, at least, might be able to tip off where they were. It wasn‟t to hard. Like, I‟m near Grandma‟s or something like that. But, yeah, once they got over to Europe, they did their best to cover it up. They were postmarked “New York” or something like that. PS: Yeah. They were all censored. (17:00) JS: So did you get censored letters? �PS: Pardon? JS: Did you get censored letters? Did Mike write things and then… PS: Yeah. Well, not very often but once in a while there‟d be something cut out. So then you got those v-mails. JS: The v-mails, the little photographed versions of letters. (17:26) JS: So now as the war went on and it became one year into the next, and that kind of thing, do you think people‟s view changed, or expectations changed, as it went on? PS: No, I don‟t think so. It lasted so long. JS: Did you worry that it might not ever actually end? PS: (laughs) Yeah. Then, when they dropped that bomb, that was the start of the end, so. JS: Now do you remember hearing about that, or reading about that when it happened? PS: Oh, yeah. That was big news. JS: And in the news stories, I mean this was still a little bit before the actual Japanese surrender, were they speculating that this would sort of finish off the Japanese, or just saying, hey. We got a big bomb. (18:12) PS: I don‟t remember. JS: Cause we look back at it now, we always connect the two. And they certainly made a lot of noise about it at the time. But so we like to ask, hey what do you remember about that time. But quickly enough after that, you actually have the Japanese surrender. And it‟s finally over. Now, how long did it take for life to return to something like normal back here? PS: Oh, boy. I don‟t know. A while. JS: And what were there…when the guys came back, did they have trouble finding jobs that you noticed, or… PS: Yeah. Some of them did. JS: And were there women being moved out of their jobs? Or, did you now women who did? PS: There were a lot of women in the factories at that time. I don‟t know. I didn‟t pay that much attention to it. �(19:10) JS: Now, how long did rationing go on? PS: Well, after the war, I think it was still on for a little while. But it doesn‟t seem like gasoline was rationed after the war. Although it was hard to get a car. JS: It took a while. They had to start making new ones again. PS: Yeah. And then I remember they couldn‟t get tires. JS: And that was also something that was rationed, too. You couldn‟t get those. PS: Nylons, during the war. Ad I remember once being in a store and ladies were crying because they couldn‟t get flannel, for diapers for babies. JS: so what would they use for diapers, if they couldn‟t get flannel? PS: I don‟t know. Cause…I can still see those ladies crying, cause they couldn‟t get flannel. (20:04) JS: But you didn‟t have kids until after the war, so you at least avoided that one. PS: No. That didn‟t bother me. JS: Are there other things that kind of stand out in your mind at all, about kind of what it was like, or what people were doing, or things that went on during the war that you saw or heard about, that you didn‟t get later on? PS: I remember I saved my money, I was going to go with some girlfriends to Chicago to see Frank Sinatra. And my brother told my mother, not to let us go. Not to let me go. JS: And how old were you at that time? PS: Oh, I was working so I was out of school. JS: You were still living at home at that point? PS: Oh, yeah. He said, no, don‟t let her go. So my mom said, no, I couldn‟t go. JS: Okay. Did he ever explain that one? PS: Oh, he was always after us. We couldn‟t do this, and we couldn‟t do that. And my mother would listen to him, so. JS: Now was he an older brother? �PS: He was eighteen years older than me. (21:11) JS: So did he kind of fill in in the family, once your father left? PS: Yeah. Because when he went into the service, my mother got an allotment from him, so. He always watched over us. JS: Yeah. He had to take on that job. Just make sure you stayed out of trouble. PS: And he gave us, my sister and I, each got fifty cents a week, spending money. Which was quite a bit in those days. JS: I don‟t know, what could you get, what might a teenager want in those days? PS: I saved mine. But my sister spent hers and wanted to spend mine too. (laughter) JS: Okay. Anything else from that time that sort of sticks out in your head when you think back to that time? PS: No. JS: (addresses someone else in room) Do you remember anything else? Unknown speaker: Just about your wedding, you said it was hard to find dresses… PS: Oh, yeah. When we got married, you couldn‟t find dresses for bridesmaids. Bridesmaids had different kinds of dresses on, cause you couldn‟t find two of them alike. (22:23) JS: When did you get married? PS: We got married…he came home in November and we got married in June. JS: June of ‟46, then. PS: June, 1946. JS: So that‟s going to be one area where things are in shorter supply then they were before. Unknown speaker: And wasn‟t it hard to get a wedding cake… PS: Oh, yeah. (break in video) JS: There was something about the wedding cake? �Unknown speaker: Yeah. You couldn‟t get butter or flour. PS: We had to supply our own sugar for the wedding cake, so. That was hard to get at that time. Even after the war. JS: So why would you have to…did you have the cake made by a bakery, or just have an individual… PS: Well, we had a reception at the Pantlind Hotel and they must have wanted the sugar. JS: So the Pantlind Hotel, the nicest hotel in downtown Grand Rapids, they can‟t get sugar? Okay, then. That‟s kind of an odd things to kind of have stand out. I‟m sure the Amway people wouldn‟t let that happen. (laughs) Okay I think we‟ve pretty well covered it there… (23:47) JS: I want to thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. We‟ve gotten some things here that a lot of people later on will not have known or thought about, so…thank you very much. (23:54) � 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 StolkP Title A name given to the resource Stolk, Peggy (Interview transcript and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Stolk, Peggy Description An account of the resource Peggy Stolk was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and grew up during the Depression. Her family never ran into any major problems during that time, but afterwards her father left her mother with six children to raise on her own. Peggy worked during high school and during the war, while she was waiting for her boyfriend to come home. She said that most of the young men were gone at the time and she spent a lot of time hanging out with girlfriends. She wrote her boyfriend everyday while he was fighting in Europe and they finally got married in 1946. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Civilian World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Women Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-02-28 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> 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/94c0172723c225250bbd22642033c5dd.mp4 9aec586c8aeb7745c8a7826a96beed29 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/03bf7d8bb747837a8d426a1fcd26902e.pdf 93b59f7454c91957bd4c4d724ba6fc2b PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview World War II Mike Stolk (1:05:47) (:22)Early Life • (:22) He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1920. He went to Union High school in Grand Rapids. • (:29) His father owned a business, making semi-trailers. He built trucks of all sizes, including the 35-foot trucks. Mike worked at the business until he joined the service. Originally his father had a shop on Leonard Street making various types of clamps for the furniture industry. One day, a milkman asked him to make some parts for his milk truck. His father decided to change his business into making trailers. They moved the shop to Front Avenue. • (2:16) At the time, he hated history and flunked it in high school. His mother warned him not to buy a used car, or a new suit because he would soon be drafted but he didn’t listen. He did not heed his mother’s warnings. (3:19) Enlistment/Training • (3:06) He was drafted; he received a 1-A card in the mail. He took the physical at the armory in Grand Rapids, and thought he would fail it. He passed it “with flying colors.” • (3:30) He was sent to Fort Custer, in Battle Creek, Michigan for the “official physical.” The men were put in a line with two medics and inoculated speedily. Some of the men were so concerned about the needles that they fainted. • (4:17) Next he was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for Basic Training. He was put in the Field Artillery Replacement Training Center. It was an artillery school set up before the war even really began. • (4:56) In civilian life, he had been on a horse once, and fell off it. They used horses at Fort Sill frequently, mostly to transport the guns. Some of the men were afraid of the horses since they were such large animals. The horses were used to pull equipment. • (5:22) The horses didn’t really bother him that much, once the sergeant told him how to handle them. Some of the other men tried to bribe the horses into good behavior with apples they saved from breakfast. The ploy did not help. • (6:07) Walking with the horses wasn’t so bad, nor was trotting. Galloping was the major problem, mostly because the helmets they wore would hit them in the face from the movement. Many of them had cut noses after awhile. They used old helmets, and old equipment generally. Most of it came from WWI, and had to be cleaned off and otherwise repaired. • (7:15) He missed his girlfriend more than anything else. • (7:33) He continued basic training at Fort Sill. Mostly he learned marching, which some of the men had problems with because they didn’t know the difference between left and right. They had a hard time with rear-marching, and oblique marching. �• (8:19) He had a pass while in New York on his way to being shipped overseas, and went to the Empire State Building. Soldiers were generally well-liked, and he the elevator operator showed him the interior the building’s superstructure. He wanted to see the top, but was not allowed since it was restricted at the time. He was given a rain check, which he still has as a souvenir. From time to time he thinks about cashing it in, but isn’t sure if it would be honored. • (9:25) He had athlete’s foot very badly for a while, and annoyed his bunkmates by rubbing his feet together and shaking the bed. (10:23) Deployed/England • (10:23) On the ship, he saw the S.S. America sign one night. He was not supposed to be on that part of the ship, and did not return to it. • (11:02) From then on, on the ship, he stayed in his bunk being sick and eating saltine crackers. Fortunately the sergeant was also horribly seasick and did not give many orders. • (11:28) The ship was in a convoy, which was escorted by the Navy. One night, he smoked a cigarette, which was not a good idea at night. The smell, and the glow could alert the enemy. He was very lucky to only do it once. • (12:30) One of his friends went into the woods while in Europe and came back with eight surrendered Germans, and he got a Luger—his first pistol. • (13:23) They landed in England, and set up the equipment. He had to tighten the screws on the trucks after assembling them. They went to Wales to train and testfire the guns. • (14:25) They had landed in Liverpool, which was a nice town. They slept in Quonset huts. The officers stayed in some local homes. • (14:46) They ate large quantities of orange marmalade, which attracted hornets. One of the men accidentally ate a hornet and was stung on the tongue. • (15:03) The officers ate better than the men. Many of the officers had English girlfriends, even the married ones. • (15:55) He was twenty-one at this time, they had men of all ages. One of the men was about forty, and he was in the radio section. They all thought that he was old at the time. That man nearly died from exhaust fumes at one point. Later he got very drunk when his older brother sent him whiskey in a can of grapefruit juice. • (17:00) The base was somewhere in the English countryside. He went to London on furlough, after the war. He wanted to go to the Netherlands, since he had family there, but he was not allowed to since the Netherlands were very impoverished at the time. He had been pen pals with Ott, a Dutch boy until he came back after the war and was unable to “sponsor” him, and they ended their friendship. His sister sponsored a cousin of theirs once. The cousin, Neil, got a job at a tool and die and bought a big Buick. • (19:02) He was in England until 1944. He did not see the German bombings of England. He also didn’t see much of other American outfits. (31:36) Active Duty in Continental Europe • (19:39) His unit was sent to France June 12th. It rained horribly their first night, and the next day was sunny. �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (20:02) They were sent over the Channel with black soldiers. The men were very scared. The first day in France they found a dead German, who they initially thought was black because he had changed color in the sun. (20:51) The Americans often collected souvenirs. (21:00) France was very hot and dusty. They landed at Utah Beach, probably. After landing, they killed many of the German horses and the French ate some of them. While in France, he ate horse and found it to be tough, but otherwise good. (22:12) They were in a truck convoy. He was constantly afraid of being shelled when they stopped, especially at intersections or high ground or open country. He was the driver of the truck. (22:34) One night, while he was on guard he could hear shells at night. The first man they lost was the colonel, when his jeep went over a mine. The drivers kept sandbags in their jeeps to try to absorb the shock from mines, but the bags in that jeep had been removed after getting wet and freezing. The colonel might have survived if the sandbags had been in place. He was killed at night, and the next morning he was found, with his wallet and watch missing, probably stolen by his own men. (24:25) They had 105’s, they had been trained on the French 75. (25:02) His unit was frequently in action, but he was free once the surveying was finished. After awhile his superiors noticed this, and put him on artillery observation during combat. He saw dead men frequently, and it was very disturbing, especially when they had had photographs of their family on their person. (26:19) He stayed with the infantrymen, who were staying in a captured German log cabin. One of the men very casually put his gun on the top of the shack. (27:09) They usually were out for a day at a time. They usually stayed in the area for a few days. (27:28) The Americans frequently used church steeples to see the land better. As a result, the churches were favorite targets of the Germans. The captain and the corporal were killed in a church because of a German shell. The corporal had been in C battery with him. (28:13) His battalion was usually in Patton’s Army. (28:59) His unit did not stay in Normandy very long, they were soon in Belgium. They moved frequently while in Normandy. (29:30) Once, after dinner, a corporal came in to camp and a shell nearly hit him. He was unharmed, but very badly scared. Enemy mortars often came down near street intersections, and military policemen were often hurt. The military policemen directed traffic since they didn’t trust the signs as the Germans frequently changed them. Being a medic was also dangerous; the Germans did not respect the rules of war and shot them. (31:00) Some of the men made a makeshift fire with their pup tents underneath an unfinished building. They made a fire and nearly died from the fumes. (31:30) His group stayed together for about two or three years. (31:52) He got into Belgium later. He thought France was very “dirty,” and easily perceived the difference between the Belgians and the French. He spoke �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • German, after taking classes in high school, which helped. He helped patch over relations with a German family called Miller once when a corporal tried to seduce their daughter and accidentally set their curtains on fire. The corporal was demoted to private afterward, and assigned to “hard labor,” which at the time was KP duty. Mike talked to the family, and was given a basket of eggs, and a handmade Nazi flag as thanks. (34:50) The war moved quickly. They were at one point pulled off to help supply Patton’s Army. Sometimes the truck drivers ran out of gas. (35:31) He went to town daily to get supplies. Later in life, he travelled the same route with his wife and showed her where he had waved at a French woman each day. (36:09) The usual quartermaster did not supply them since they were away. One day, a cat got into the supplies and ate a substantial amount of raw beef. (36:49) The war continued to accelerate, and they went into Paris soon. (37:14) One of his friends, Rose, traded a carton of cigarettes to a Frenchman for a bottle of wine. When he opened it, it was full of water. He saved up his cigarette boxes for the rest of the war and traded a carton full of cardboard to a Frenchmen for a bottle of wine. (38:11) His unit was soon pulled out of the reserve, and officers were periodically sent to the front. (38:40) The officers stayed in houses, and sometimes they evacuated people to use their houses. One woman got angry with them and broke all her wine bottles. (39:15) He spoke German very well, and also spoke Dutch at home because his grandfather did not speak English. He was able to read signs in Belgium, which were in Flemish. He was glad to see Europe. (39:49) They met the Russians in Czechoslovakia. He “captured” a German Air Corps wristwatch, but later he found out it was a fraud when he tried to sell it. (40:46) The worst part of the war for him was in the Hurtgen Forest. It was dreadfully cold, and they were outdoors twenty-four hours a day. They stayed there for some time. Some of the men had never seen snow before. They pulled snow down off a tree onto Cavassa as a prank. (41:27) They were in Hurtgen Forest from the fall through the winter. (41:44) He spent some time in a pillbox, and felt very safe with the eight-foot thick walls. He stayed in the room where the food was kept, and his sleeping bag had just enough room. They took the headlights off a truck for a light source. He took a souvenir by taking the manufacturer’s plaque off of the door. (44:28) During this period they came across the German prisoners. He felt sorry for them a little. (45:22) They got lots of supplies from the men in the field. He usually traded his chocolate rations for his friends’ cigarettes rations, since his friends did not smoke. They sometimes traded cigarettes with civilians for eggs, and used a gas stove to fry eggs. He took an ammunition box to use to store his stationery. (46:41) At night, they drove with the windshields down to prevent glare. That made it even colder. �• • • • • • • • • • • • • • (47:30 They crossed the Rhine at some point. The engineers had to build a bridge over the huge river, which was dangerous because of enemy fire. They commandeered a fire truck to wash their trucks with water from the Rhine. He came back to the area later with his wife, and they saw a hotel that he had seen in the war. (49:41) If he had to live in Europe, he would live in Germany. He did not hate the Germans, it was the Nazis who were the problem. (50:17) They met a German woman who told them she hated the Nazis, and had never saluted them. They didn’t believe her and went through her things and found a picture of her saluting, so he “liberated” her radio and gave it to a Czech man. (50:32) They built two log cabins in the Hurtgen forest, and had to be careful not to take trees from any one area, which would make them obvious to the Germans aerial reconnaissance. They also used the wood from the ammunition crates. They built bunks and the roof out of pine-wood and lived relatively comfortably. (52:25) In fall it was rainy, and messy. The trucks got stuck in the mud, and they had to move them back and forth all night to prevent them freezing in the mud. While doing this one night, he broke the drive shaft on the truck. (53:03) The forest was very, very cold. He felt that the people could sense that he spoke German sometimes. The Germans would ask them how long they would say, and he never told them. He played Dutch songs on a piano. (53:52) He got a bottle of schnapps from a man. Once they got into Czechoslovakia, and they learned quickly not to pursue the girls. One of the troops killed a rabbit, and a local woman made sauerkraut for dinner. She fixed his buttons with horsehair thread. (55:07) They came across a factory that had liquid soap. He later gave it to a woman as a kind of rent payment and she was ecstatic. They stayed at a spa later as well. (55:48) They ordered items through the stock exchange. He ordered shampoo and gave it away to a local girl, Annelisa. He liked the German children because they spoke slower. She said “my mumma says you’re an angel.” She was raised a Nazi because her father was a Capitan in the German Army. (56:38) He got some items from a German woman, Klaus Frisch’s mother. He had many nice experiences in Europe. (57:04) The Russians didn’t speak very good German. They didn’t interact with the Russians very much, and spent most of the time with the Czech civilians. The Czechs didn’t like the Russians, and kept asking them when they would fight the Russians. (58:07) They ended up in Kanitze later. They met a young girl who wrote him letters in German. He continued to get letters once back in the States in 1946. “They were nice people.” (59:15) Next the trucks were put in a motor pool. They had limousines they had commandeered. Many of the men took cars and didn’t know how to care for the German cars and ruined them. (1:00:05) The trucks had to be gathered. The Army of Occupation needed the vehicles. �• (1:00:34) The rations came in round, tin cans that could ruin the truck tires. Flat tires were very bad. • (1:01:11) He often wondered later how he survived the winter. (1:01:41) Return to the States • (1:01:41) He came back to the States in November. He had earned enough points, in part because of his service and in part because of his time spent I the service. The camps were named after cigarette companies. • (1:02:40) They were told they would be sent home on a certain day, but then something would come up. • (1:03:10) They landed in New York on Armistice Day. The tugboats all whistled at them. The Red Cross handed out doughnuts. He didn’t call home because of the long lines for the telephone. He told himself the entire war he would kiss the ground, but decided not to after seeing a man get sick from drinking. • (1:04:21) His brother was from Pennsylvania and wrote him to get any dental work he needed before leaving the service. He married in1946. • (1:05:05) He worked at the Post Office, delivering mail on the West Side of Grand Rapids. His brother-in-law lived in the area so he visited them on his route. He later worked at a plating company plating car parts and making racks. He did not like the job. He earned a dollar an hour as a carpenter, and so did Peggy, at the time it was a lot of money. • (1:06:33) He made about twenty dollars an hour when he retired. He thinks the military taught him to appreciate life more, and to be more empathetic. He thinks he “has been blessed.” They had four children, two boys, and two girls. � 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 StolkM Title A name given to the resource Stolk, Mike (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Stolk, Mike Description An account of the resource Mike Stolk was born in 1920, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was drafted in 1942, and trained at Fort Sill as an artillerist. His main job was to site guns and check their ranges. His unit went to England in 1942 and served in France, Belgium, Germany and Czechoslovakia. He discusses his experiences in the Hurtgen Forest, and occupation duty in Germany and Czechoslovakia. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-11-12 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> 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/fdffb20f51759fe0ab221f422f06aa9d.mp4 2e6a25c7042b51ef31476f89aeeaec30 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/abd5da143b558e012af39ce3f4879e17.pdf a251d94d2ee4182445119741b970d56e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Dwight William Stevens (1:11:34) (1:08) Before the service • Farm boy • Could milk 8 cows an hour • Worked with brother who was 17 years older • Dad left the family • Went to rural Star City school through 8th grade • Went to Lake City High School • Graduated high school 1929 (4:20) Memories of WWI • Around 7 years old • Rationing of sugar, butter, etc. • Sugar rationing started at 2 pounds per week, then went to 1 pound per month • His older brother was prepared to go to war but it ended before he was sent over (5:54) Impact WWI on the community members • Many people from the community went off to war • Daniel Spice, Leonard and Richard James – wounded • Someone said to Stevens: “You’ll have a chance to serve in a war, everybody does.” • Stevens was 6 or 7 years old (6:58) Grade school • 1 room school house • 1 teacher for 40 kids • When WWI ended, the saw mill in Jennings whistled continually through the morning (10:02) Grocery store • Star City about 1.5-2 miles away • It was a meeting place for the community • Mom took horse and buggy to the store • If went to the store in Lake City, it was 12 miles away. o Would put horse in livery barn and pay for oats/food/water o Stevens would stay at the livery barn and talk to people while mom went shopping (12:06) First car • When car on highway, horses would rear up; horses got scarred • Only rich people had cars; the Stevens family had a horse and buggy • (13:03) One-room school house • Neat because could learn from the older kids since it was a 1st – 8th grade school • Star City was a pretty good school • Some teachers were good, some were bad �o As a second grader, witness a 7th grader get whipped by the teacher with a big stick o Next morning the 7th grader’s mom came and talked to the teacher (15:07) High school • Nearest high school was Lake City, 12 miles away • Got job for room and board in Lake City • Played football, baseball, and basketball • Graduated 1929 (16:58) College and the stock market crash • Fall 1929 Stevens was starting at Michigan State o Cost $600; good agriculture school • Remembers learning about the crash from the newspapers • Got a job selling magazines to earn tuition • Moved to Central Michigan University because was cheaper; only $300 • Took 2 years off and taught school for $55 a month; then went back to school • Sold magazines door to door in Detroit during summer o “True Romance” and “Pictorial Review” o Sold about 10 copies per day • Superintendent of White Cloud wanted Stevens as a teacher • One day the principal got fired and Stevens became principal of White Cloud (for 6 years) (26:51) Pearl Harbor • Had a job in Saginaw o Became principal at Webber school K-8 (held that position for 20 years) (28:00) Why he joined the Navy • Because teacher, deferred from draft • But, friend had a party and Stevens was invited • Went to the party and saw his friend wearing his Navy uniform • Stevens thought the uniform looked pretty good! o Asked: “Where’d you get it?” • So went to Detroit and volunteered for the service o Fort Schuyler, NY for a couple of weeks o Harvard for 3-4 months o Sent to Pacific as a Lieutenant Junior Commander [junior grade?] ƒ Ended up as a Lieutenant Commander (30:07) New Guinea and Australia • Land based there [New Guinea] for a few weeks • Hell hole • Always wet with either rain or sweat • Then went to Brisbane, Australia • Bumped into General MacArthur (32:08) Commander Aircraft 7th Fleet • Spent a year with Fleet o At Harvard, Stevens took communications • Did work with messages – encoding and decoding �• • • • • Get reports about the whereabouts of Japanese supply ships Would encode messages to bomb ships, etc. Stopped at various points in New Guinea Ladies of New Guinea would come and trade souvenirs for sweatshirts or t-shirts Cigarettes were a popular trade but Stevens didn’t trade them because he liked to smoke them • Did not run across members of the Red Arrow Division (36:16) Philippines • Tacloban o Nice town • Manila o Talked to natives o Got an apartment ƒ 2 bedrooms, 1 bath for $50 per month o Lived there about a year (40:18) Suicide bombers • Japanese suicide bombers would come in as a flock and crash into ships • 1 time, Stevens ship was hit o Shook the ship o A little bit of damage o Ship shot anti-aircraft guns (42:07) Japanese Prisoner • A prisoner was brought to the ship • Guard had a carbine rife and said, “Don’t move or I will kill you.” • Someone shouted, “Just shoot him already.” • Some people felt that all Japanese people should be killed • Stevens believed that “everybody is human, this prisoner is just like me” (42:58) Dive bombers • Stevens was in 4 invasions • Never got hit badly but saw other ships get hit; terrible • During the first bombing, captain announced that they were being bombed by the Japanese • Stevens and 11 other guys were assigned to the first aid room on the ship o Stevens had a cigarette in hand but couldn’t hold it because scared His Jewish friend was saying over and over, “We’ve got to have faith” while his Catholic friend was doing the rosary. • Didn’t get hit • Suicide bomber missed ship (45:50) Filipino people • Lovely people • Many men would get married; Stevens was already married (46:50) VJ- Day • In the Philippines • Lots of celebrations! • The question on everybody’s mind was: “When are we going home?” �o Sent home 3-4 months afterward (48:31) Panama Canal • After got home, went back to Saginaw but didn’t have his position opened • Went back to Great Lakes o Signed up for Separation Control ƒ 8 hours/day, good wages ƒ Signed up for 2 years o Assigned to Panama Canal; wife came o Nice place o Ships would come into the canal zone ƒ The ship’s officer would trade in secret Pacific publications for the secret Atlantic publication or vice versa o Stevens was an issuing officer o Big vault where would keep the publications • Went back to Saginaw, was principal at Webber school for another 20 years • Retired from Webber, worked at private Northwood University for 5 years (53:18) Masons • Joined the Masons in 1937 • Lots of Masons in the Navy o AMING (American Masons in New Guinea) Square Club o People of the Army, Navy, etc. would go to these meetings o Usually about 50 people in attendance • Went to lodges in Manila, Panama, Costa Rica (57:42) Overall experience in the Navy • The war itself was horrible but a lot of good from serving • Didn’t resent being in the service; got to see the country and meet a lot of nice people • Used to get together in Chicago with the gang from the Pacific o Used to be about 50 guys, then went down to 6 guys, and now there are only 2 left…Stevens and one other man (59:25) Masonry • Proud • Never went “through the chairs” and regrets that • But saw a lot of different lodges • His father and 2 brothers were all a part of the Masons (1:03:25) More about magazine sales • 1936 in White Cloud; as a teacher, no pay during the summer • Sold magazines for 7 summers o Went to Portland, Kansas City, Cleveland, Wyoming • Afterward, became an inspector at a factory in Saginaw � 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 StevensD Title A name given to the resource Stevens, Dwight (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Stevens, Dwight W. Description An account of the resource Dwight Stevens spent time in the Navy in the Pacific during WW II working on decoding Japanese messages. He served in the Philippines and witnessed Kamikaze attacks on Allied ships. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer) Collins, Carol (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-07-24 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> 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/cd25ed3ad566d090db5eb3a5cf9da6b5.mp4 0eb27956609d14eb55bbfbff5798a0c9 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/95ed0d4ddcd53add43a04cab87976a36.pdf 62f81202fa0065c9cedb2b8c67d67b55 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project William Sterzick (00:24:11:26) Early Life, Neighbors • (00:39:14)he grew up in Ellicott, MI • (00:46:06)he went to Merriman Elementary School: "a marvelous place to go," it had one room, everyone was from the neighborhood, there were no strangers, the school was built well and comfortable, with a “nice playground” • (01:31:00)the Sterzicks had a neighbor family, the Blockers, who had several boys and a girl; his cousin Adrian lived across the road • (02:02:18)he attended Merriman through the eighth grade • (02:11:27)as an adolescent, the Blocker boys were his friends • (02:29:14)what they did “for fun” in middle and high school: "mostly softball" and some “neighborhood activities maybe once in a while” • (02:56:01)he thinks of Leroy Blocker as a mentor regarding art: “he was a master" with printing and drawing • (03:54:22)favorite memories from high school: baseball and dances War Starts, Sterzick Is Drafted, Training • 04:50:02when the Korean War broke out: "nothing unusual" [was going on or happened] in his town • (05:00:04)he was drafted into the army • (05:08:27)training at Camp Chaffee, near Fort Smith in Arkansas o they lived in wooden barracks o the training area would be "out in wild country," "several miles" from the barracks • (06:24:29)on the first day of training they went out to shoot thirty-caliber machine guns, which were mounted about thirty inches off the ground; they had to crawl about a hundred yards, from one end of the field to the other, beneath the fire: "you were all right as long as you kept your head down" • (08:01:24)he trained for two months, and then went home for a week or two • (08:19:17)he then spent a few days at Camp Kilmer in New Jersey; from there, he was able to experience New York City for the first time, seeing "all the sights" On To Germany • (19:36:44)at this point he was sent to Germany; they landed first at Bremerhaven in the north, then went by train to a town in the south, the name of which he could not remember, then back northward to Nuremburg • (09:18:19)he never saw combat, even though his training at Camp Chaffee was in artillery • (09:55:01)“of all things” in Nuremberg, he was put to work into a big, modern, comfortable hospital that had been built by Adolf Hitler; Sterzick was basically an �orderly, he worked with patients, and sometimes did house cleaning • (11:02:08)he lived at the hospital, in a big room shared with four other men; "we all had a window" • (11:31:03)Nuremberg: one of his favorite places, a thousand years old • bombed heavily during WWII, the “biggest bombing” happened on the second of February in 1944 or 45: “you could hear the bombs sixty miles away” ***Sterzick must have heard about this from someone else, since he himself was not in Nuremburg during WWII.*** � the city was "colorful," with a castle on the "highest part of the city, and it “originally had a moat” • (13:03:27)halfway up the hill toward the castle was the home of the artist Albrecht Durer, best known for “The "Praying Hands" • (13:37:04)he had "a lot of weekend passes": he went to Paris, Brussels, Waterloo, "places like that" • (14:07:00)there were always things to do in Nuremberg, like going to carnivals— he thinks it was "easier to win over there" than at carnivals in the United States • (15:18:02)he saw Eddie Fisher in concert: Sterzick met a friend, Tom Hudson, from Cedar Springs [MI] and they went to Heidelburg to see a show by Eddie Fisher • (15:52:24)their chaplain and the chapel services were "the center of their lives"; the chaplain, Captain Quick, was "special" • (16:23:23)the nurses he worked with had interesting personalities o two of the nurses visited Israel one time and brought back a King James Bible with an olivewood cover which they gave to Sterzick, who forgot to bring it to the interview o he visited Fort Riley in Kansas, in October of 1954, where some of the nurses he had worked with in Germany had been transferred to Sterzick Meets His Lifelong Partner • (18:27:10)how he met his wife: they worked together at the same hospital I Nuremberg, she is German and was a nurse • she had been living "just inside" of Czechoslovakia, in the Germanic Sudetenland; in 1944, she moved to Nuremberg, where she became a nurse, finally winding up in the American hospital • (20:24:02)Sterzick worked in different areas of the hospital, and his “final position” was on the fourth floor, where they had the wives and children of the soldiers; he worked with his future wife on the fourth floor • (21:30:08)he served in Germany for seventeen months Back To The US • (21:42:06)he was "delighted" to come home; he returned to the US in March of 1953; he went back to Germany in December to get married • (22:31:21)he "got a truck driving job" because that was what he did before he went into the army; he "drove truck" for a year • (23:10:24)then he got a job at an oil company in Alto that handled underground �• • propane storage, and he worked there for eight and a half years; he then went back to driving trucks (23:35:13)the military has not influenced Sterzick in any particular way that he knows of, but it left him with lots of memories: of basic training, the places and people he met (24:11:26)he has not been back to Germany since his marriage ***At this point in the interview, Sterzick displayed a number of pictures and souvenirs, which were filmed and appear on the DVD, and that concluded the interview.*** � 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 SterzickW Title A name given to the resource Sterzick, William J. (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sterzick, William J. Description An account of the resource William Sterzick served in the US Army during the Korean War, but never saw combat. Stationed in Nuremberg, Germany, he met his future wife while working as an orderly in a hospital. He discusses life in Germany at the time and the condition of the city after World War II. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ritenburgh, Jamie (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-06-05 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> 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/7afe184df0e3d37a6b297a1b69b38f62.mp4 47c11ee3403f0af36721c012ed8dcc76 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/73542f4dd410760466f6d3a067d496ec.pdf b61177a40fc1d641009825cb41c82c0c PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: Korean War Name of Interviewee: Amos Sterzick Jr. Length of interview (0:46:24) (00:06) Background Born in [Delton, MI (00:32) Had two brothers and one sister. One brother was drafted into the army. (00:46) Father owned a trucking business that hauled oats, grain, and corn to farmers, which required manual labor, not machinery. Worked for his father as soon as he was able. (01:06) Lived without electricity or running water, but had a radio. (02:14) Enjoyed ice skating, hockey, hide and seek, and eating grapes at the neighbor’s vineyard with friends. (03:13) Family was one of the first to enjoy electricity and a telephone. (03:54) Lived on 40 acres and had a muck field for growing onions. (04:45) Attended a country school called the Merriman School. Sometimes took a cart and horse to school, otherwise walked. Describes his experience in school. (05:21) Learned about the United States’ declaration of war on Japan on the radio on a Sunday at 8:00 am. He was only 10 years old at the time. (39:53) Describes his understanding of World War II. (40:50) Decided to go to Grand Rapids, MI with his friend to enlist in the Air Force to avoid being drafted into the army. (07:03) (07:35) Basic Training Left for Grand Rapids, MI on a Saturday in January, was sent to Detroit, MI on Sunday, and then to San Antonio, TX for basic training. (07:46) Decided to join the Air Force because he had always loved airplanes as a kid. (08:10) Because the Korean War was still in full swing, basic training was very condensed. Describes what it was like. (08:58) Enjoyed watching the women in the service doing calisthenics. (09:40) Pulled a [KP] one day and was assigned to guard duty once. Explains why he didn’t enjoy it. (09:56) Spent about six weeks in basic training. (10:38) Was then sent to Wichita Falls, TX for Aircraft and Engine Mechanics School. (10:50) Went to Akoya, MI to a F-86 fighter base. Only stayed there for about 30 days before being sent overseas. (10:57) Spent some time in San Francisco before leaving overseas. Describes his experience there. (11:35) (12:37) Service Overseas While boarding the ship, one of his friends got red-lined and didn’t end up going with him. (12:37) �Arrived in Yokohama, Japan. (13:05) Traveled by train through southern Japan to [Shiya], where he spent two and a half years. (13:35) Describes his experience with the Japanese lifestyle. Got along very well with the Japanese citizens. (13:54) Met a Japanese mechanic named Nakahati who was a World War II fighter pilot who shot down five Flying Tigers, but was shot down over Tokyo by a P-51 towards the end of the war. (15:08) Took a few leaves while he was there in order to travel across Japan. Describes some of his experiences in Nagasaki and other places throughout Japan. (16:04) Duties included aircraft and engine repairs and replacement. Also flew flying boxcars to drop paratroopers and deliver trucks and cannons by parachute. (22:01) Saw a lot of things and enjoyed the people. Didn’t get to know many Korean or Vietnamese people; mostly Japanese. Recalls that some of their customs were very different, but the people were very easy to get along with. (24:35) Describes some of the different customs that he encountered in Japan, the Philippines, and Guam. (26:18) (23:40) Returning Home Traveled to San Francisco by boat, which took eleven days. Enjoyed the boat ride and didn’t get seasick. (23:40) Returned home before leaving to Lake Charles, LA to be discharged. (27:37) Describes dealing with the weather in the barracks. (27:54) Everyone was offered to leave a week early if they bought a plane ticket. Bought the plane ticket with six other men from Grand Rapids, MI, cashed it in, and took a train home instead. (28:36) Would’ve stayed in the service, but no one was making any money at the time. (29:14) Had intended to go into the make farm business. Didn’t work there long because there wasn’t any money in it. (29:27) Worked in the selling business, instead. Recruited college students in Hancock, MI for eight years. Later recruited college students for a medical school from Minneapolis, MN and later recruited for a data processing school in Grand Rapids, MI. (30:12) Got married in Michigan to a girl he met in Okura. They had one son together. (32:29) Loved his time in the Air Force. If he had been able to make more money, he would’ve stayed and made a career out of it. (35:26) Expresses his love for the United States. (39:09) Today, he enjoys hunting, fishing, gardening, and landscaping. (39:21) Describes how warfare has changed since World War II. (44:14) � 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 SterzickA Title A name given to the resource Sterzick, Amos E. (Interview outline and video), 2009 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sterzick, Amos E. Description An account of the resource Amos Sterzick Jr. grew up in western Michigan with his sister and two brothers. On a whim, he decided to leave for Grand Rapids, MI with his friend to enlist in the Air Force in order to avoid being drafted into the army. Most of his service was spent in Japan, but he also went to Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines, and Guam. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Gunneson-Poling, Ruth (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Air Force Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2009-05-20 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> 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/64a5808328cd5a28602645c889f6e5cf.mp4 7f1419497c1475f010f3b51b1c1d2ee7 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f939aff2c98bb15563702240d198f624.pdf a9d59e860fc6ab09600da2caf2d9029e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Willard Steffens (00:59:14) (00:15) Background Information • Willard was born on June 21, 1935 • He worked for a while after graduating high school, but he did not like it and they did not pay enough money • He enlisted in the Air Force the August after graduation because he did not want to be drafted (2:00) Training • Boot camp was scary and adventurous • He traveled from Traverse City to Detroit and then to Niagara Falls • They were busy all day long with physical activities (4:00) The Korean War • Willard traveled to French Morocco • He arrived in Casablanca on a ship and flew to an air base • It took them 9 days to arrive in Morocco from the US • On many of the walls in Morocco it read “Yankee go home,” which scared him • He was a switch board operator • They left Morocco in 1956 and the French left shortly after that (14:50) Entertainment • They were able to go to church at least two times a month • He wrote many letters to his family • The men went to bars, played poker, worked with photography, listened to music, and took language classes • Willard attempted to learn French, but he did not have enough time • There was an USO show about every other month (21:20) Showing of Photographs • Willard traveled to Michigan, New York, Washington DC, French Morocco, New Jersey, and Nebraska • Some of the Northerners he worked with were racist • Pictures of the chapel, drill halls, swimming pools, uniforms, etc… � 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 SteffensW Title A name given to the resource Steffens, Willard T. (Interview outline and video), 2006 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Steffens, Willard Description An account of the resource Willard Steffens was born in Leland, Michigan in 1935 and enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1954. Willard worked as a switch board operator in French Morocco after the Korean War and stayed there until 1956. He comments on living and working conditions there and on tensions with the local population. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Steffens, Tiffany (Interviewer) Timmerman, Austin (Interviewer) Michigan Military Preservation Society (Grand Rapids, Mich.) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Air Force Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2006-04-14 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> 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/46dcbe73717c57129920606e05707633.mp4 d07a129ab88e4b16f4a0ea7a6e2b617e https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c3cd881b62004c636c291be1eb1ec81e.pdf 04e34621603673eed0533520f7cc9bdd PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project George “Cal” Steele (01:00:08) (00:10) Background Information • • • • • • Born on the East side of Detroit, MI in 1925 George went to Cass technical high school He was drafted into the Navy and that somewhat upset his family George served in the Navy from 1943-1946 George was sent to Great Lakes training school in Chicago He was sent off to training so quickly that his mom had to walk down the aisle during graduation to pick up his diploma (1:50) Current News Before the Draft • • George had been in the theater when he heard the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor; but he was not worried about it at the time George had not ever expected to be drafted when he was younger (3:15) His Father • • • • • • His father worked for Nash Kelvinator in Finkle He was in charge of manufacturing a part that they used to cool refrigerators His father was able to keep his job through the Depression Transportation was much more cheap in East Detroit His father made him work and would never just give him anything George raked yards all summer long to save enough money to buy a radio (5:10) Technical School • George received aviation mechanical training and auto mechanical training • He was taught drafting, calculus, and math • George never went to college (7:30) Family Members in the Navy • He did not want to join the Marine Corps and he had family already in the Navy • His uncle was a cook in the Navy and his grandfather had been in the Navy near Australia (8:40) The News of Pearl Harbor �• George remembered hearing that lots of ships had been sunk and thousands of men were dead or missing • After that he began to pay more attention to news regarding the war and started his own scrapbook (9:15) Drafted in 1943 • George later expected that he would be drafted, and all his friends had been drafted as well • He lost two good friends in Okinawa • His parents were proud when he was drafted, but they were also worried • None of the men thought that they would be killed, they always thought that the other guy would get hurt • George felt that the draft was a necessary action (12:30) Societal Changes Due to the War • Prices were rising and many products were completely sold out once the government began rationing (13:15) Great Lakes training camp, Chicago • George had to sleep in a room with hundreds of others and they all snored so it was difficult to sleep • He went to church when possible, though they usually had to still work on Sundays • He learned to tie sailor knots, recognize aircraft in black rooms, certain diving techniques, anti-drowning activities • Training helped when they were debarking in Guam and had to carry one hundred pound packs on their backs • He went to school in Oklahoma and learned some math and technical training • They learned about ship engines and how they operate • He learned to help keep pilots in the air at B-school • Once he almost got court-martialed because he accidently left the oil cap off of plane ready for takeoff; the pilot could have died • Before going overseas, he traveled to Florida, California, and Oklahoma • He spent about 3-4 months training and in school (23:00) Guam 1944 • His title in the Navy was aviation Machinist, 3rd class • He spent a lot of time in the machine shop making parts for Navy ships and aircraft • He would have to inspect an entire plain to determine its flight capability and whether or not it was safe for takeoff • He worked with the F-3, F-4, F-6, F-4U; which were all fighter plains �• George spent most of his time in Guam (24:15) The People of Guam • Guam was a war-torn society • There were pieces of plains and bodies everywhere • The Japanese had camped out in the caves • There were still 10,000 Japanese hiding in the hills when they arrived • Lots eventually surrendered, but some hid for 10-12 years after the war had ended • The Japanese came over at night and stole supplies • The Guam natives were nice and happy to see the Americans (27:05) The Voyage to Guam • It was the first long sea voyage he had ever been on • They went from San Francisco to Hawaii with 6,000 troops on a converted luxury liner • Everyone got sick except the girls because they were able to eat more food • George slept on the floor in sick bay for three days (31:20) Communications with the States • George wrote letters, but they probably took a long time to reach anyone • He received letters and boxes with presents in them • On the military radio station they heard news of the progress in Europe • Many of the men he was with wanted to attack the Russians when they were done in the Pacific • The Marines were in Guam to support the Navy. They were non-combatants; their job was more mechanical • The USO came over to play music, but they did not like it, so they never came again (34:25) The First Night in Guam • They immediately started digging trenches for air raids and got their sleeping quarters ready • They slept in nets so they would not get malaria • George woke up twice in the middle of the night to the sound of air sirens • They were scary at first, but he learned to ignore them and hope that the plains were striking somewhere else • There were some restricted areas in Guam where he was not allowed • He was assigned to shore patrol at the end of his service (37:10) The Water Tower • This was the first time George was ever really frightened �• • • • He climbed a fifty foot high tower on an eight-inch wide ladder because some other men had asked to help them and bring up a fire hose It was very easy to climb up the ladder and there was a beautiful view It was very hard to maneuver from the top of the tower back to the ladder George collapsed when he got back to the ground (40:00) The Bombing of Japan • At the time no one realized how bad or strong the bombs were • He just remembered that it brought the war to an end • Everyone knew that they would be going home soon (40:45) Life After the Service • His father had always told him to persevere and would never help him with anything • The Navy was the same; it taught him to take care of himself and to be responsible • George left Guam in 1946 • It was hard to get used to civilian life back in America because it all seemed so boring • Society seemed the same after the war had ended (45:00) His Career • George opened up his own garage for repairing cars; he worked twelve hours a day for a long time and finally got mono • He also sold storm windows • He then became a draftsman at an architect firm • He helped design the GM technical center • He continued to work in drafting and engineering and with an Army multi-fuel engine • George retired in 1984 and then was an engineering consultant for two more years (50:30) Volunteer Work • He has volunteered for Hospice, International Aid, the MSU Extension • In 2004 he was named the volunteer of the year and awarded for achievement and chosen to welcome in President Bush for a visit to Grand Rapids • George believes that the secret to life is to smile when times are bad and to give to others in need • There will be a George Steele award coming out in January and awarded every year for outstanding volunteers in mentoring (54:10) Looking Back at the War • The war was very sad • Presently people avoid thinking about Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan �• • Much of the nation does not care at all, they do not support their troops, they have poor attitudes and there are no more role models George feels sorry for the men in service right now (56:40) World War Two Movies • It should be mandatory in high school for everyone to watch Saving Private Ryan • Band of Brothers is also good (57:45) Reinstatement of the Draft • They should reinstate the draft; it would help kids mature and take the pressure off of 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 SteeleG Title A name given to the resource Steele, George (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Steele, George Description An account of the resource George Steele was drafted into the Navy in 1943. He had previously gone to a technical high school and was able to continue such aviation and mechanical training while in the Navy. George spent most of his service in Guam after the Japanese invasion. He was there for about two years while the Navy was giving technical support to the Marines. After his time in the service George became a draftsman at an architecture firm. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Navy World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-10-30 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> 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