Katherine Powers was wife to Thomas Powers, a Navy seaman during World War II. The couple had been married for one year before Thomas was drafted to serve in Europe. While serving, Thomas worked on the USS Merrimack picking up wounded and stranded…

William Peterson was born on May 1, 1924 and enlisted in the Navy for 3 years of active duty during WWII. He was stationed in New Guinea where he worked taking aerial photographs for making maps and also taking photographs of the civilian…

Gerald Page served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II as a ball turret gunner on a B-17. Page served from 1943 until 1946 and flew a total of 15 missions in the 15th Air Force, mostly over Germany and Austria.

John Pylman was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan November 29, 1924. After attending Calvin College for one year, he decided to enlist into the Air Force in June of 1943. John was sent to Miami Beach where he spent six weeks in basic training. After the…

Dave Pugh was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1961. Dave was in college during the aftermath of Vietnam, studying music and teaching. He enlisted into the military to be a part of the National Guard Band. He went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for…

Douglas Puffer was born in 1948 in Iowa City, Iowa. He grew up on a farm in Iowa, and after high school he attended a drafting and design school in Oklahoma where he met his wife and graduated from that in December 1968, and received his draft notice…

Richard Prosch was born in 1921 in Indiana and graduated from high school in 1939. He attended college in Ohio and signed up for the Navy shortly after Pearl Harbor was attacked. His appointment was deferred until his graduation in 1943. Richard…

Russel Prince enlisted in the Michigan National Guard in 1940 and served in the anti-tank company of the 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd (Red Arrow) Division until 1944, when he was sent back to the US to help train new recruits in Alabama, finally…

Richard Price was drafted into the Army in 1965. He trained as a vehicle mechanic at Fort Knox, and expected to go directly to Vietnam. Instead, he and several other men from his training company were sent to Korea to replace men who had been killed…

Julie Price was born on September 6, 1952 in Michigan. She had to get her parents' permission to join the Air Force after graduating from high school and then went through basic training in San Antonio Texas. After training Julie had to go through…

Robert Powers was born in Greenville, Michigan on January 25, 1924. After graduating high school, he attended college at Albion University before enlisting in the Air Force. Robert trained for about 13 months before he was sent to a base in Italy. …

Grace Harper was born in Iowa in 1923. She married Robert Powers in 1941. She and her husband had two children when he was drafted in 1944. Her husband was sent to Europe and was wounded in action and spent several months in the hospital before…

Gabriel Powell was born in Algoma, Michigan, in 1916. He grew up on a farm and worked as a carpenter until he enlisted into the military in 1941. He trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and was assigned to the engineer battalion of the 1st Armored…

Vern Pouch, born in Fruitport Michigan, enlisted in the Navy in 1944 at the age of seventeen. After training at Great Lakes and in Virginia, he joined the crew of a new LST and sailed with her from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, and then across the…

Cornelius Potts is a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945. While still in training, he was assigned to the 33rd Infantry Division's band. His unit was based near Seattle for some time, but eventually went to the…

James Potter was born in 1985 in Muskegon, Michigan. He joined the Army at age 17 before he graduated high school. He officially signed up on October 23rd, 2003 and was sent to Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri for basic training in Charlie Company 795.…

Gordon Potter enlisted into the Naval Reserve the summer of 1955. He trained in Great Lakes, Illinois and was assigned to Alameda Naval Air Station afterwards to do clerical work. His main job was managing fuel use for Bravo Allotment until he was…

Mr. Potter is from Grandville, Michigan. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in August, 2001, served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine. His highest rank was sergeant. He received his training in San Diego, where he was a squad leader. In Iraq, Mr.…

James Porter served in the US Navy during the final year of WWII, and then spent forty-one years working for Commonwealth Edison, in Illinois. While still in high school, he worked at the University of Chicago, cutting graphite used in the Manhattan…

Charles Pope was born on October 15, 1956 in the upper peninsula of Michigan. He enlisted in the Army when he was only 17 years and his parents had to sign a waiver because he was so young. Charles went though basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in…

James Pond was born in Santa Ana, California in 1925. He became very bored with school during the war and dropped out when he was 17 to enlist in the Navy. James went through boot camp in Idaho and then went to signal school in Chicago. After…

Arthur Polmanteer is a World War II veteran who served in the U.S. Army's 78th Division from January, 1944 to 1946. In this account, Polmanteer discusses his pre-enlistment, enlistment and basic training. His unit saw action in the Hurtgen Forest, in…

Francis Poll grew up in Michigan and was drafted into the Army in August 1941. He trained as an infantryman in Texas, and his unit was sent to Northern Ireland for additional training, and went to North Africa in early 1943. He participated in…

Howard Plattner was born in Sabetha Kansas in 1950 and served in the U.S. army during the Vietnam conflict. He was drafted into the Army in 1969 and sent to Fort Sam Houston to train as a medic. He was sent to Vietnam in 1970 and returned to the U.S.…