1030 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d385e068b7f7fb99f00b865b1cda11be.mp4 1e2fefac9a17f04dc24649e15b7d680a https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b62bb349e29dbdfff95c15a0c42bf635.pdf 156dcecf33557a290849e6ad968c6006 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Kosovo War Fidel Angel Vega Length of interview (00:41:01) (00:00:14) Introduction & Civilian Life  Fidel was born in the Bronx, New York on June 30, 1973 (00:00:32)  His father worked in silk-screening, while his mother was a stay at home mom (00:00:41)  Fidel worked numerous jobs before enlisting in the army (00:01:03) o Tinting windows on cars o In auto-parts stores o Worked as a plumber  Enlisted because his cousin approached him about joining and he was dissatisfied with his plumbing job (00:01:25)  Wanted to join the Air force but the recruiter wasn’t available, so he decided to join the Army that day instead (00:02:19)  He was able to choose his job entering the army and he chose 12 bravo combat engineer (00:02:40) (03:35:00) Training  Basic training was not a shock for him because family members who had served prepared him for the experience (00:04:00)  His AIT (Advanced Individual Training) was combined with basic training into OSUT (One Station Unit Training) (00:04:57) o He had the same barracks and the same drill sergeants at the same location in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri o He adapted rather quickly to military life  After finishing OSUT he was assigned to the Bravo company, 326th Engineer Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky (00:05:47) o When he arrived, Fidel had to go through air assault training o He was required to train climbing ropes and rappelling from them as if off from a helicopter o He was able to climb a rope in 15 seconds, the limit being 30 seconds as he remembers it  He was asked to if he wanted to be the company’s platoon driver with a week or two of arriving, an offer he accepted (00:07:19)  Fidel remembers the men hazing a new lieutenant by walking passed him in a drawn out line, obliging the lieutenant to individually salute roughly thirty different men (00:08:10)  Air Assault School was one or two weeks long and helped him get over his fear of heights (00:10:00) (00:10:45) Active Service  After two years with the 101st he received orders to go to 82nd Engineer Battalion Bamberg, Germany (00:10:45) o He was assigned as the unit armorer, which he did for two years o Fidel’s job mostly required him to repair small arms weapons � After completing armorer school, Fidel’s unit was sent to Kosovo (00:12:33) o He was at one point tasked out to be a body guard for the battalion commander, a lieutenant colonel o During this mission he spent time in the cities of Kosovo where he interacted with Russian soldiers  Fidel arrived in Kosovo during December or January (00:15:38) o Fidel remembers a patrol where it was so cold that the hoses to their camelbak canteens froze, prompting them to return back indoors  The average day in Kosovo for Fidel entailed waking up, doing PT, having breakfast, and performing guard duty in the arms room (00:17:00) o They didn’t initially have an arms room, they had a C hut that acted as a barracks and arms room o The firearms needed to be guarded at all times, especially because the sea hut was only a wooden structure and the weapons were not entirely secure there  Fidel remembers a military police unit that was attacked by locals who threw rocks at the men while they were on patrol in the city of Pristina (00:18:30)  Fidel recalls that the primary job of the combat engineers in Kosovo was to plow the roads (00:19:30) o If they came across mines or IEDs they marked them and called a bomb disposal unit to dispose of them  There were not any NATO soldiers at his post in Kosovo, Camp Bondsteel, but there were some soldiers from Spain and Portugal (00:20:15)  While in Kosovo, the only time Fidel and the men went out, it was on a mission, as opposed to Germany where the men had free time on Saturday and Sunday (00:20:48) (00:21:50) Service in Germany  Fidel met some of his best friends through his unit in Germany, including his wife who was a paralegal (00:22:40) o Her MOS was 71D o He met her in August 2001, two months before his enlistment was up  Fidel recalls how he and a friend bought a broken down Volkswagen, which they repaired and drove around Germany during their leisure time (00:23:57)  It was difficult to keep in touch with family while in Kosovo, but in Germany it was relatively easy using phone cards or cell phones to call home (00:25:30)  He remembers some protests in Germany and the men were briefed where not to go because of them (00:26:18) (00:27:02) 9/11  Fidel was still in the Army when the World Trade Center Towers were attacked on September 11, 2001 (00:27:10) o He was walking into the med unit to collect his medical records when he saw several people standing around a television there o Fidel thought the other men were watching a movie and when one of them, a friend, told him it that the WTC towers had been hit, he thought they were joking around o He went back to the barracks to find out if it was true and was shocked to find his friend was telling the truth  On base, he remembers there being confusion, a lot of the men were nervous, some were �ready to go to war (00:28:17) o As he was about to leave the Army, Fidel remembers thinking that he may not be able to go home o He remembers a female soldier whose mother worked at the towers, but was sick that day and did not go to work o Fidel recalls another soldier whose cousin worked at the towers but was stuck in traffic when the towers were attacked (00:30:56) Return to Civilian life  Although he wanted to leave the army, Fidel found it difficult leaving just after 9/11 because he was unable to communicate with his friends, some of them serving in Iraq and Afghanistan (00:31:00)  Fidel found it somewhat difficult to adjust to civilian life, as his training left him always on the alert, aware of his surroundings and sometimes made him wary of others (00:32:50)  He still keeps in contact with some of the men he served with, especially through social media (00:33:40)  Fidel currently works for a company that has a defense contract with the Department of Defense and he works at the Army Reserve Center in Walker, MI (00:34:30)  After leaving the army, Fidel started a family with his wife and began working his current job as a security guard at the Army Reserve Center (00:35:09)  From his experiences in the Army, Fidel feels that sometimes war is necessary and also sometimes regrets leaving the Army when he did (00:36:17)  If there was anything he could have changed, Fidel would have chosen a different MOS, as his job as a combat engineer did not prepare him for any civilian careers as some army jobs do (00:39:17) � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27_VegaF1711V Title A name given to the resource Vega, Fidel (Interview outline and video), 2014 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2014-11-24 Description An account of the resource Fidel Angel Vega was born on June 30, 1973 in the Bronx, New York. During his adult life, Fidel worked a number of unsatisfying jobs that led him to enlist in the Army. In the army, Fidel served first as a combat engineer in the 326th Engineer Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division. Fidel was later transferred to the 82nd Engineer Battalion with whom he saw service in Germany as well as in Kosovo as a part of the peace keeping mission there following the Kosovo War. Leaving the army in October of 2001, Fidel's last month in the service was shaped by the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Vega, Fidel Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Vega, Nikki (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Moving Image Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6947c221911969200c44ea6a1e307117.mp4 471d88e1fb1d2b37ac2786ee32328275 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/94e630aadab9eb3f6579e7bad07f8a2d.pdf 6d7247e77e53a87bf3152496ca272647 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Francisco Vega Part 1 (59:46) “We are talking today with Francisco Vega of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The interviewer is James Smither of Grand Valley State University. Mr. Vega, can you begin by telling us just a little bit about your personal background, for instance, where and when were you born?” I was born in San Antonio, Texas on February 28, 1922. Before we start talking I would like to give you the title of what I am going to be talking about and that will be, “Snafu”, July 4th 2008 and “Snafu” simply means, “Situation normal, all fouled up”, and you will see from the very beginning of my lifetime in the service that there were a number of experiences that fall into that category. 00:56 “Can you tell me a little bit about your family? What did your parents do?” My father was the regional manager for the National Life Insurance Company in San Antonio; he had a large territory there. He also had his own business before that; a supermarket, and he had businesses in Mexico. My mother’s family was from Mexico and I had two uncles there, uncle Landino and uncle Francisco, he plays a part in my talking with you about this. They were in the wholesale food business and they owned orchards. They owned a very large piece of land and they were professionals. 1:41 Out of the six of us in my family, I am the oldest of the six. All of us have had our own businesses. Here in Grand Rapids I had my-- the youngest of the boys, Larry, he’s been in the business for forty-two years in financing, a family budget service. Anyway, we do work for ourselves with the thinking that if you work for yourself you create jobs for other people and all that. “How long had your father’s family been in Texas?” 1 �My father’s family was in Texas since Texas was part of Mexico. On my mother’s side, again is a tradition tied closely to service to country and community, and she is a descendent of General Santaro Topia, my mother’s name was Sarlospa Topia Vega and she is a great granddaughter of this general Topia who was a governor and military commander of Puebla during the battle of Cinco de Mayo on May 5, 1862. 2:38 His father, General Antonio Topia, joined in the cry for independence when they started the fight for independence from Mexico in September 16, 1810, so we grew up with a written history seeing all these items as part of our family, but never trying to reach that height or trying to imitate anyone. It was just there and I still have the two original letters as part of my legacy. One from the president Benito Juarez of Mexico to my ancestor and one from General Ignacia Zaragoza, who was in charge of the battle on them. 3:18 “In addition to having all that in family history too, your mother had some education too didn’t she?” Yes, as a teacher in a teachers college, Normal College in Saltillo. “Let’s see now, you were born in 1921, when did you finish high school?” In 1940. “What kind of high school did you go to?” I went to Central Catholic High School, it’s a military school—private—It is interesting that you asked me that question now because that was the first time, it was 1938 when I started there, that I could use my own name. All the time, and I have the records, that I was in elementary school in San Antonio, junior high school, for junior high school I was at Washington Irving, still I graduated from there by the name of Mike. They wouldn’t let me use my own name and this was all part of what you—the redevelopment of our country, some of the racism and discrimination. 4:19 It never bothered me because I thought, they don’t know what they’re 2 �doing, but if they want to call me Mike, fine. It wasn’t until I started Central that—I talked to my father and I said, “Dad, this business of Mike has to go”, and he said, “You understand why it happened”, and I said, “Sure”, but when we registered and were paying, it was—you paid, it was not public, I used Francisco after that. 4:45 ‘What proportion of the students at your high school were Mexican American rather than Anglos? Were you kind of unusual there?” Possibly when I was there maybe five or ten percent. “OK, so there were some, but it was still a little bit unusual at that point?” Yes, it required money and that limited a lot of people, just like today. You go to the universities, sometimes you go to a junior college, which gives you more affordability financially, or if you want to go to Harvard, Yale, Columbia or the U of M, you need the money for that. 5:28 “Right, now, what did you do after you finished high school? What did you do next?” Well, I had a scholarship to a business college because of my typing speed and it didn’t take long before jobs were coming in and being offered to people there at the college and so I took a job as a typist for an industrial company, AB Frain Company, and you would type invoices and that again gave me a lot of experience. This is what I did all day long and the invoices were on a roll and being fed into this typewriter. Then you had a comptometer, which is a paperless calculator and so, we would figure out four and a half dozen at twelve dollars a dozen. You multiplied it and put it in the statement or invoice. 6:22 I stayed with that until I went in the service, until December 7th 1941. “On December 7, 1941, how did you learn about the Pearl Harbor attack?” 3 �Every Sunday I would go out hunting, every Sunday morning at dawn with a friend of mine named George Cabina and we would hunt for rabbits just south of San Antonio. It was all country, it was no houses around and we always used .22 rifles and again we had been in military school and we had rifle range so we were familiar with guns. We would shoot the rabbits, clean them, come back and give them to some of the neighbors. Again we were very strong in the depression, not too different from what we’re going through now in our country, but then we went to mass at noon. 7:24 Having gotten up that early, I would come back and go back to bed and this is December 7th. So, I remember that my father came and said, now keep in mind— there is no television, no computers, just radio, and he comes in and said, “Would you get up Pancho, this is some news coming”, and he spoke English, and he said, “They’re talking about Japan”, and I said, “Dad, I’ll get up after while, we don’t have to, I don’t have to get up to go to mass at noon until 11:30 or 11:00”. Well, he came back again and after a while he said, “They’re talking about pearls”, and he said, “There’s a lot of excitement on that ant they’re just giving pieces of information”. So, finally I got up and of course we never heard of Pearl Harbor, we had not heard a number of things that were happening at that time and I would say within two hours, I had this call from my mother’s older brother, more or less a senior member of the family from Monterey, and he said, “You heard the news?” and I said, “Yes, uncle”, and he said, “Your country is being attacked, don’t wait to be called, offer your services”. 8:37 Again, that volunteering service to your country. This is Sunday, and Monday morning I went out—I went to the coast guard, I went to the infantry, which we have—in San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Kelly Field, Randolph Field, the military installations around, I went to every branch of the service, the Marines, the Merchant Marines, all of them and the one thing they were telling me at that time was, “We are not taking Mexicans at this time”. 9:03 Again this is—it did not surprise 4 �me too much because I would not—I always felt—I know who I am, so I don’t know what their problem is and here we are being attacked and this is the answer you are getting. I tried every branch of the service and now I did come back and said, “Dad, I did apply and I’m sure they will be calling me”, I think he knew that I was not telling the truth and this came out after I came out of the service, not before. But, I tried again and the same thing was on Tuesday so, I did register. I did not want—I did want to have a serial number of 1 because that meant that I had volunteered. 9:47 Number 3 meant that you were drafted. Nothing wrong with it except that being in military school, we all talked about being prepared to serve. So, with that I came across a newspaper, a full page ad, it was in the San Antonio Express and the San Antonio Light, that’s the name of the newspapers, that if you enlisted, if you had military service and you enlisted now you could remain within the Eighth Service Command, which was the San Antonio region, for the duration of the war. In fact that’s they way you were going in, being called for the duration of the war, not twelve months or anything. So, I went in and I signed up—there was one other person that went in at the same time and his name was Lica Lopez and he signed up, well he stayed in that region the entire war, in the Quartermaster Corps. I went in and the next thing I know I’m at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. I’m there a couple of days and I’m taken over to Dodd Field, which is part of Fort Sam Houston, one of oldest air fields in the country, next to the one, I think in Ohio. 10:52 There I am introduced to two sergeants in the regular army and they said, “We understand that you have experience so, you need to get over here and we need to test you on compliance”, and I said, “Fine”. There were a bunch of other soldiers; it was a close order drill, four by squads, and two by squads at that time. So, with that he said, “Get packed, you’re going to Kelly” so, I went to Kelly Field and I arrived there and he said—oh, while I was still at Fort Sam Houston, I was only 5 �there about four or five days, but I also had to do some work there and I remember this first sergeant, who I saw again after I came out of the service, and he was a typical first sergeant that you expect to see—big pot belly, a big guy and a big voice that didn’t need any assistance to be heard, and he called me and he said, “Now you go over to that little building over there, it was no bigger than a one stall garage, and he said, “You’ll find some brown bags in there, fill them up with one pound of what’s in those barrels”. 12:03 So, that’s what I was doing and it was Saltpeter so, Saltpeter in those bags was taken and mixed in with the food, with the mashed potatoes, and that was to keep the sex drive down in the soldiers. I did not know this when I first started hearing about it even before I left Fort Sam Houston and it got to be kind of a joke, and they said, ‘Where did you end up?” And I said, “In that shack over there filling one pound bags”, and they said, “Did you get into it yourself?” And I said, “No, they told me what it was about”, but that was part of the army life at that time. 12:42 Well, from there I went to Kelly Field and I arrived there with this other fellow and the first sergeant comes out and he said, “Now you’re in the air corps”, there was no air force at the time, and he said, “You are a squadron leader, each one of you” and he said, I think, “You have 20 men and they’re coming in”, when he said, “coming in”, the draft was on, a nationwide draft, and it means that they were arriving in trains, entire trains and you’re talking to people who don’t want to be there. So, with that he said, “There’s a train coming in”, and he told me to go meet them and he said, “You have four people here now that have been with us two weeks and each one is your flight leader, platoon sergeant”. 13:36 So, I talked to them and they just kept telling me, “We don’t want to be here” , and I said, “Well, I’m in charge and you’re going to do it the air corps way or you’ll do it my way”. I learned this from ROTC and they didn’t know what I was talking about right away, but they knew it was business now. So, with that, I divided 200 people arriving into fifty 6 �each and each one would get these guys. We were in charge of taking these new recruits to get shots, haircuts, their clothing, teach tem how to march, take them out on the rifle range, and a couple of incidents, and this is why the word I use “snafu”, you start seeing mix up. 14:25 We did not have enough rifles and we were using two by fours in some cases to demonstrate how to march and carry a rifle. There was a grenade range there at Kelly and it was simply an area that was surrounded by some sandbags and on one side was like a deep pit, a ravine, and you had four grenades and so, they gave me the four grenades and they said, “Do you know how to use them?” I said, “Well, yes, you pull the pin and get rid of it”, and so with that I took the four squad leaders and showed them how to do it—you have the guys watch you—we only had one grenade, and then you throw it over. Well, one of the guys got sick and I took his place so, I’m standing there, like we are here, and I said, “the rest of you just watch and you’re not going to do this now, here’s the grenade, you pull the pin like this and you drop it”, and I gave it to the fellow and I said, “Now you do the same thing like that”. 15:29 As I’m talking, the next thing I hear from him is “Like this sarge?” and he’s pulled the pin, and we’re standing and the last thing I wanted to do was get him excited or anything and he sensed right away that something was very wrong and I grabbed his hand and he wouldn’t open it so, I kneed him pretty badly, I must have raised him off the ground a good eight inches and I got it and threw it and it exploded. 15:58 then I went, that afternoon when I got through, I went to the headquarters and I talked to the first sergeant and I said, “Sergeant, I have to report, we had a problem at the grenade range” and he’s joking and he said, “with one grenade?” “Yeah, with one grenade”. He said, “What happened?” Well, here comes the colonel from the office when he heard me saying we had a problem and he said, “Why did you have a grenade?” And I said, “Well, I was given four of them” and he turns to the first sergeant and said, “That was supposed to been stopped two weeks 7 �ago, no more grenades.” 16:28 That was another thing, the word just did not get down quick enough. On the shots—you would just hear moans at night from all these guys that were getting these shots and some day you can see my record of them for that time for yellow jaundice, for yellow fever, for a number of them, but what they would do was they would take all these soldiers and they had just a jacket, I was trying to think of the name of it, it was OD work clothes and they would tie it around their waist and we would be marching, going to this building and when we got close to the building it went down like a funnel and as you got inside this corridor on either side were small windows and there were medics there I guess, I don’t think they were doctors, but these guys would go in with their hands on their hips like this and as they went by, they would get a shot in one arm and a shot in the other arm. 17:26 By the time they got to the end of the hall, some of them were in pretty bad shape from the pain and swelling. The regular army guys would be standing outside and they would start joking to these guys and say, ”Aw, don’t worry about it, when you get to the end look out for the square needle” and the guys, some of them would pass out. It was bad enough they were going through all of this, but these are the experiences that I said are totally unexpected, some of them you can laugh at. 18:05 From there I did go and finish my training of all these guys. We had a kitchen, we had a—it was a village and we were between Kelly Field and at Kelly Field they also had the enlisted men’s barracks, it was called and English name, Buckingham Palace. They told us to look at it and it was of course very fancy that you had telephone booths with an easy chair and they told us right away, “That’s not for you” so, they took us to this place where you had cots and drill grounds and that. 18:43 From there—we had people there from all walks of life. There was one fellow from Wisconsin and he asked me, “Do you know a printing shop here in San Antonio where I can get something printed?” I said, “Sure, I have an uncle that’s in that” so, I gave him the address and he sent 8 �somebody out because we couldn’t get off base, but he was very resourceful and he had a sideways cross, now they were taking everybody, there was no discrimination in that. Well, he had some cards printed and he sent them all to Milwaukee and saying, “Your son is in service, remember him in your prayers and don’t forget to send him a little gift”, and he was getting mail back of everything you could imagine on this so, he was getting candy, he was getting clothes, he was getting gloves, money and he just kept it up as long as I knew him and he was in there. 19:45 These are developments of what was going on when they were bringing in the civilian part, because this was civilian army. “How long were you doing that drill instructor work?” From October until January of 1943. This is about; I think it was January of 1943 when I arrived at Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the JAG School. Interviewer: “Tell us how you wound up going there.” By working, we couldn’t get off the base and I think you had to wait two or three months before we could get off, but on Sunday—my record of typing was recorded and I remember that this officer came in, I think it was the officer of the day, and called my name and said, “We need some help at headquarters”, and they wouldn’t ask you, you were told. 20:42 I said, “What is it about?” He said, “Well, you can type”, and this is what was used. So, as I’m typing, here comes this, it was like a Western Union teletype with all the information of schools that were available and as I was looking at them and I asked the officer of the day, “Is this available for anyone?” and he said, “Yes, did you see something you like?” I said, “Well, not yet”, I went to a military institute and I didn’t want military. I wanted a different experience. Pretty soon here come the Adjutant General and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and I had never been there, but I asked him I said, “ Is that one available?” And he said, “Do you want to go there?” And I said, 9 �“Yes” and he said, “Go pack, you leave in the morning”. So, I left by bus and I went to Baton Rouge and arrived there at night and they put us into the stadium, it was a very big stadium and I remember we were just beginning to fall asleep, it was getting dark and we heard this growl, a tremendous growl right outside the windows, at least it felt that way, and we started to wonder what the heck was going on , if it was a joke or something. 22:00 It was a growl and it just didn’t—it continued crying out so, we find out it’s a Bengal Tiger which is the mascot of LSU. I was there and we went through quite a bit of training and I received my first promotion from there, PFC. “What kind of training were you getting?” Army regulations. We went through everything that’s covered by it and it was there that I first found out what provisional meant when it is assigned to a unit. When a designation is attached to a unit it means that group is expendable. You’re going in there and chances are you are going to die and you can be replaced by anyone regardless of rank on that so, It’s very important for the higher echelons in command to know that they don’t have to look for another sergeant to replace a sergeant, they can put in a warrant officer, they can put in anyone they want to get the job done. 23:03 I finished there in January, I think it was a two or three month deal on that and upon graduation form that they assigned me to Altus, Oklahoma and I was called in, with my bags and everything, and they said, “Well, you’re leaving on the train and here are your tickets”. No, on the bus and he said, “Here are your tickets and ten dollars” and he said, “You’ll get the rest of your money and everything when you arrive”. Altus, I didn’t know where Altus was, but it is across Texas and that is a long way. So, I get to Altus again about late afternoon and I couldn’t find—I didn’t have a place to stay. They didn’t tell me where to report or anything and I had to wait until the next day to leave by train to Altus from Wichita Falls, Texas so, I went to a 10 �military policeman and I told him I had these orders that said I as supposed to be in Altus and he said, “The train doesn’t leave until tomorrow”, and he said, “Have you been to Altus before?” I said, “No”, and he said, “You are going to want to get out of there as soon as you can, if you can, if you can stay on the train, just stay on the train.” He was familiar with it and he said, “If you need a place to stay, you can stay in jail here with us” so, I slept that night in the jail. The next morning they take me to the station and there’s a coal burning engine and one car attached to it and that car is divided in half with a curtain and It’s passengers and freight and the back of that car is open and doesn’t have a door and this is wintertime. 24:53 So, I’m the only passenger— we get on that and start going and it didn’t take long before the smoke and everything starts getting inside and is just swirling inside and the cold. Finally we arrive at Altus and all that is there is like a four-stall garage and no one is there. It’s raining and there’s mud all over the place, but then a guy comes over from the engine, they didn’t have anybody else on that car, and he says, “This is where you get off”. There’s a ladder to walk on from the train to this garage, which is very close, it’s about ten or twelve feet away from the rail line, but nothing else, it’s allopen and mud. 25:42 So, I got out and waited there and finally a Jeep came up and I got on there to go to the Altus air base. As we started getting there, I could see all these barracks, one story, not two story, but they’re tied down with cable, cable goes over the roof of it and is anchored down in the ground. I guess that gives you a clue that there was a lot of wind out there. The outfit I joined there was UC 78 planes made of canvas, all silver, they had twin engines and were used for training navigators. 26:11 I would say that within a week—one of the things, there was “Lonesome George” that use to be on television, I don’t know if you remember him from early television. He played the guitar and had a kind of deadpan face. Well, he was stationed there, he was an officer in training there and the only reason I remember is because I 11 �would hear him play the guitar once in a while on that. One of the days that we woke up, we had quite a storm and the next day we went out there and there were just shreds, all these planes had been cut to shreds by hail. There were just pieces of it. 26:56 “Now what kind of work were you doing on that base?” Well, being a—administration—in other word I had gone to school and I was in headquarters again. And I usually ended up in headquarters because of that, which meant they put me at the center of information. While I was there, I received two promotions, Corporal and then Sergeant, but on the air base they sent a group of mechanics who repaired all the planes and some of them, they just tore them down and put new canvas on them. Then there was another opportunity to go to school, except I had to give up rank, which meant I had to give-up money. So, I went to that, it was to engineering school at Oklahoma A&M, today’s Oklahoma State. Engineering, I really was not looking forward to it, engineering was not exactly my best grades in school, but I signed up for it, actually I took anything to get out of Altus by then. 28:01 I was there at Oklahoma A&M and pretty soon they expanded the program, the person in charge of that, his brother was in charge of the water works in San Antonio and he had seen my records and one time he said “Hi” to me. One time when I was in the office there in the headquarters, he said, “Do you want to leave Oklahoma?” And I said, “Where to?” He said, “We’re opening up an expanded branch of this in Peoria, Illinois, at Bradley University, at that time it was Bradley Polytechnic Institute, so I said, “Sure, what’s the change?” He said, “No, it’s engineering and it will be accelerated”. Again, I signed up for that and I was in charge of the group. We arrived in Peoria at the railroad station. We were the first soldiers there since World War 1, so the whole town was out waiting to give us a welcome. 28:54 they have a brewery there, a beer and I forget the name of it, maybe Pabst Blue Ribbon, the other one is Hiram Walker whiskey and of 12 �course they were greeting us with bottles of each all up and down the street. We were on the streetcar coming out and the bands were playing and of course this was a surprise to us, we didn’t expect anything like that. We get there and they are not prepared to receive us, they just were putting everything together, their food, their cafeteria, the lodging, we didn’t have any mattresses for about a week. That means that we had the springs and double-decker beds, but no mattresses on them, but they greeted us nicely and the first thing they informed us he said, “This program that you have here now is scheduled for you to finish four years of college in eighteen months. 29:46 Outside of Sunday morning, we were going to school until eleven o’clock at night right around the clock and I don’t know how many classes. The math, I was able to memorize it and that got me through. I think there were two hundred or four hundred, I forget on that, but half of them washed out at the end of sixty days. Ninety days another group washed out and it wasn’t too long after that that they decided to close the program and I washed out about that time in chemistry. 30:15 Even though I had taken the course three times, the exam three times, the professor said, “Just keep with it and you’ll be able to do it”. Well, I had gone through algebra, calculus, integral calculus, geometry, this was besides the history and everything else we were taking, the physics and so on. 30:36 I said, “No, I think this is as much as I can go on this thing”. They had just taken, about a month before, the entire group had been taken to a hospital and they were all unconscious, they rushed us in ambulances and cars—food poisoning or something. Also, I lost a lot of weight—some of the best bunch of people I ever met, were part of that group—a lot of talent. 31:00 We had one fellow by the name of Jimmy Webb and on his duffle bad he had his initials JEW, which was when we were fighting Hitler and they were persecuting the Jews so, I remember him from that. The thing was—we had a professor of physics, we called him “Rapid Rudy” and he liked nothing more than to really show you how 13 �much he knew, at least that’s the impression he gave us. Keep in mind, I am talking about twenty year olds, but he would start at the upper corner of the blackboard and start writing formulas right across and it seemed like the blackboard was twenty or thirty feet wide, and from that he would then turn around and say, “Alright get the answer”, now, we did not use computers, we used logarithm tables, we used slide rules and Jimmy Webb was a very quiet individual and he would come up with the answer in less than five minutes. 32:03 We would time the guy and we were all looking at our logarithm tables and the slide rule and so on and he had the answer. It turns out that his family were army people, his father had been in artillery, his grandfather had been in artillery and they worked with math all the time and I think he must have had the logarithm tables memorized or something, but that was one of the individuals that I met there that were very nice. 32:28 When they closed that program I ended up going to Jeffersonburg, Missouri, one of the worst places I have ever been in, but before that, the group that ended there was one of the last groups that washed out before I did. When they closed the program, they ended up in California under special training. They ended up in two invasions in the Pacific and I would say all of them were killed, just about all of them because there was a reunion called at Bradley after the war and I was unable to go, but I think four showed up, and they said they would not hold another one. 33:06 One was this person who came in and had half of his face blown off and he had artificial work that had been done and they said it was just too much on that. That was the group out of Bradley. From there I went to Jefferson Barracks, again I’m a private now, the next thing I know I’m on KP, kitchen police, which means that you work in the kitchen, but you get up, I think they wake you up at 3:00 AM in the morning and you start going to the kitchen and peeling potatoes and getting everything done. Then you have breakfast late, but then you go back to bed. 33:45 You will have to get up again to clean up 14 �everything about 10:00. Well, I did that for about a week or so and coming back to the barracks one day, there’s a notice on there that they need firemen and anything is better than what I’m doing so, I went and told them I would take the job and they didn’t ask you if you had gone to school to learn that so, I took it and I was in charge of three two story barracks and the dental clinic. It didn’t take long, I’m rushing around, I had never used a coal furnace at all and I didn’t know how it burned or kept. So anyway, I’m putting coal into it and the dental clinic is about a block away, so I go to the dental clinic and you have people sleeping in the three barracks, but nothing in the dental clinic so, I figure I don’t have to come back to the dental clinic so, I will just load this thing up, which I did. It was a separate building adjacent, tied into the clinic, but it was the furnace, big doors and I just loaded it up and I remember it had a whistle on top, an emergency whistle, and I just leaded it up and I started running back and forth from one barracks to another and even carrying hot coals because they were going out on me. 35:07 finally my turn ended and another guy came in and he started, he knew what to do. I went to my barracks and went to sleep and they came and woke me up and this buck sergeant said, “You’re to report to headquarters”, and I go over there and this major, he said, “You were in charge last night of the—as the fireman?” I said, “Yes” and he said, “Would you go look at the dental clinic and come back and report to me what happened?” Fine, I go out there and there are a lot of fire engines around there and I go in and there’s steam coming out of the toilets and where the furnace was, the windows had collapsed, they had just melted off, the whistle that was on top of the thing was on the floor, the whole furnace, there was no structure to the furnace, it was all melted down on the floor and where the whistle had been, you see a hole had been blown through the concrete roof. 36:10 They were asking me, “What did you do?” I said, “I put coal into the thing”, and they said, “How much coal did you put in?” and the guy s were there, the 15 �doctors and dentists and they said, “You got to come and look at this”, everything that was open had steam coming out of it, the toilets, everything was steam coming out of it. 36:32 “Did you put coal into the furnace or just into the building?” No, the furnace was a big box and it had doors and you could open them up and put in the coal, and the shovels were about this wide so, I just loaded it up with coal and when I left it, it wasn’t on fire, it wasn’t burning, but it was—the coals were underneath—I guess it was that pretty soon everything got going on it and what was left was about this high on the floor, everything had melted. 36:56 So, I go back to the major and he said, “I saw it, now tell me how did you do it?” I explained to him and he said, “Have you ever used coal before?” I said, “No”, and he said, “Why did you volunteer for the job?” I said, “To get out of KP”, and he said, “Where were you rated?” and I said, “San Antonio”, and he said, “What did you use?” I said, “Natural Gas, we would open up—light up the match and that’s it”, and he said, “Ah, you better go pack, you’re leaving right away”. 37:27 So, he sent me to North Carolina and I was there for a while and I was drilling when they asked me to do that again. Then I went to Miles Standish, Camp Miles Standish outside of Boston. That was another experience, it was—they had a lot of big boulders where I arrived there, two story barracks and this must have been the latter part of April or early part of May, it’s part of my service record, but there were paratroopers and some of these paratroopers, they had just a strip of hair going down the middle of their head like that, but they would get up at the second story barracks level and you had stairs coming down and a little platform, and they would jump from there and they would just roll, hit the ground, roll and get up again and do it again. They were having a good time and I was very tempted to ask them to let me do that, just out of curiosity to see how they were doing it, but that’s one group that I saw there. 38:34 The other, we had a Blimp that almost came down on top of us there. There was a 16 �lot of fog and I remember it pulled up very quickly. It just got away and I think it almost came down on top of some of the buildings there, but from there they took us to Boston and this is all happening very rapidly, it fact my entire time in the service was very busy and we went to Boston, it was at night or late evening, anyway it was dark and they got us onto this ship and they said that it was the ship that the king and queen of England used for their vacation, we never saw those quarters, I don’t know what they were like, but we started going down and down until we got down to the metal, iron, and then they gave us some hammocks. They were all hanging on a post and you would take it and hang it to the other post m but these hammocks were made for people, I think, who were four feet tall and as we were going out the next day, I didn’t hear them move or anything, but we could hear the water right below us. 39:54 So, we were down pretty close to the outside of the ship I guess. The hammocks didn’t work at all, I felt like my legs were being bent backwards so, I didn’t use that. Then of course, we had water on the floor and it was moving around on that. Finally when we went out we were going, we could tell from the sun, we were going –the sun was on out left so, we were going East, ya, we were going East, coming out, it was on this side of us. 40:30 We were in a convoy and as far as we could see, it was just ships on that, a lot of them. “When was it? May of 1944, was that it?” Yes, I arrived in Liverpool on May 15th of 1944. “A couple of things before we get there. First of all, were you assigned to a unit at this point or were you simply going over as an individual replacement?” I think—as a private you were not told too much on that—we were just a group of soldiers that were there, I don’t know if we were replacements or— 17 �“You were not with a particular company with its own officers, noncoms and regular group?” No, not at that time. “Then when you were crossing the ocean, you were with a convoy etc. What was the weather like?” It was not as smooth as I would have liked to have seen, but it was not as bad as coming back. That is another—and I’ll get into it. What we did see for example, was most of the convoy, the number ships were to our right, we had some to the left, but we could see the end of it, maybe four or five rows of ships. Then we had about four deaths on that and they took the soldiers and they put a piece of metal between their legs, I don’t know what it was on that, and they put them on a piece of wood on the side of the ship, there was an American flag, and they tipped that board and the body just slid down into the ocean. 42:06 There were four that died. “What did they die from?” I don’t know, as a private, like I say, you don’t get to see too much, you just go there, but what also was of interest was when we had a drill as were to go when you were out—if you were out on top—I don’t think you could get everybody that was on that ship, or any of these ships, on the top deck. All of a sudden we started hearing what sounded like wailing dogs, the destroyers, that sound that they make, and the next thing we knew their was an explosion and it was quite a bit of distance from us, but it was submarines. 42:52 they blew quite a few of the ships , all of a sudden you would hear some explosion and you saw the smoke on that, and these destroyers going in and out and dropping their depth charges. This one time, I’m on the deck because it was my turn to get up there, and we had the Rabbi, we had a minister, we had a priest, they had told us if you wanted to go the confession or council or anything and I remember all of a sudden 18 �somebody yelled, “A submarine”, and these ships were actually not that close together, but all of a sudden here’s a periscope, right to our right on that and I thought, “My gosh, it’s going to crash into us”, but you could see the periscope, you couldn’t miss it at all so, then they started yelling for us to get to the—“Catholics over here”—and I’m catholic so, the others called the Jewish people and everyone—so, were there and this priest tells me something I had never heard and I wished I’d known about it—he said, “You’re getting general absolution”, which means you don’t have to confess your sins or say anything, all your sins are forgiven type of thing. 44:12 I’m thinking, “Why didn’t they tell us before we get to confession and sweat blood sometimes because you took somebody’s pencil or something”, but that was another experience I had. The submarine went down, it disappeared, but the destroyers came right in and dropped depth bombs and followed through and all that. We arrived in Liverpool, England on May 15th of 1944. If you can keep in mind the date, and keep in mind that on June 6th, less than thirty days, at dawn, I’m in Normandy at Omaha Beach. When we landed again, we went to, I think, Uxbridge, England and went into this barracks, they assigned us to it—again, we nothing about the invasion, we knew nothing that was going on and there were trucks and tanks all over the place if you looked around the streets and I thought it was just the war. 45:12 A lot of buildings were destroyed, you could tell that, but as we get to Uxbridge they take us to this barracks, it was a very small room and they had a double cot in there and they said, “Well, you better go here”, they were all English soldiers and they said, “Come over here and get your biscuits”, and I thought we were going to eat. Ignorance is so nice until you find reality, but we go in and they give us two cushions and they were canvas, and that was your mattress. You put them in these beds that were made of scrap wood that was what they could afford to do it. Then they gave us some coal in a bag, it wasn’t coal because the size of the stove was about—almost the size of a 19 �large corn flakes box , it wasn’t very big and this material they gave us looked like slag and we never could get it started and I think it was a nice gesture to make us feel good. We never got that started, but from there I was called in to work at headquarters again and I went in and I started doing some typing and here I saw a message come through from the 392nd Signal company, the company—and of course I could see the records and everything else was there and they had just come across Africa and had gone into Sicily, Italy and now they were brought into England. I couldn’t get, even in my wildest imagination, that I was that close to the invasion or why they were there, but it was a communications company and there again, I had gone from the infantry at Sam Houston, to Dodd Field, the air force, to Kelly Field, the Air force, then the air corps., and now I’m getting into the signal corps. 47:06 Then I was with the JAG while I was in school. I thought for a second, “Well they have to be experienced, they have to have training” so, I asked the sergeant, the first sergeant, “Can I join this outfit?” and he said, “What do you know about them?” and I said, “Nothing, I just started working here this morning” , and he said, “How long have you been in England?” And I said, “I just arrived yesterday”, and he said, “Ok, let me check on it”. It was very disarming and the next thing I know, he comes over and he called me and he said, “Come with me”, and I went in and he was a one star general in there and he said, “I need to ask you some questions”, “What do you know about that outfit and why do you want to join it?” “Where are you from?” Everything you could imagine and finally I said, “Look, all I’m doing here is typing”, and he said, “I hope you’re not competing with everyone else that’s here getting the job done” and fortunately the sergeant spoke up and said, “He’s one of the fastest typers we’ve had”, and the general said, “Ok, you can wait outside”. Well, I went back and started working and pretty soon here comes the first sergeant and he said, “Pack your bags, you’re leaving for the 392nd”, and I didn’t ask any questions so, I got my duffle bag and I 20 �went on a train to London and there I had to transfer to, I can’t remember, but I ended up in the Windsor Castle area. 48:36 While I was there in London, I saw a fellow selling some stuff and it looked like Tacos and anything of food, because we’re not getting enough food and the food that was given to us on the ship coming across was lamb, boiled and that was not exactly what I was used to coming out of Texas where you have a lot of meat you know. So, I bought these Tacos and I don’t know what I paid him for it, and I took one bite into it, I don’t know what was in it, but it was very dry, almost like sawdust and I didn’t say anything, I wrapped it up and put it in my duffle bag, but that would give you an indication as to the conditions in England at that time, they were in very dire straights from all this bombing they had gone through. 49:18 So, they took me to the 392nd and the person I was sent to was Chuck Lyons from Lansing, he was the teletype chief and he interviewed me and he said, “Ok, you can report and get your paper work done and so on”, and the next day I’m reporting to him. Chuck Lyons, he is in a building where—what’s the name of the Princess? She married a Prince—she’s been with Weight Watchers advertising now-- 50:01 “Sarah Ferguson”. Yes, Sarah Ferguson, where she’s been living—this was a castle, but we just went in the side door and that room is where they had the teletypes, and by the way, at this point we were living in perimital tents and there were cots all around and we’re in there, and the next morning was— that evening I went and checked on there and I talked to some of the guys and they said, “You are going to report to Chuck in the morning”, and the next morning I woke up and there’s barb wire around each one of all these tents—again, part of the war and I didn’t think much about it— So, the next morning this fellow says, “I’m your escort”, and it was an English Commando on that and he had boots that had iron, like a horse shoe, on the heel and he was in his full uniform 21 �so, he escorted us to this house, this castle where they were, and Chuck said, “Ok, come over and let me test you out” so, he sat me at this teletype and told me to take a little while and get familiar with it. 51:26 He said, “have you ever used a teletype?” I said, “No”, and he said, “It’s the same as a typewriter” so, I practiced for about twenty minutes or so and then he said, “Why don’t you go ahead and start typing this” so, I started typing and it jammed and I didn’t think I was nervous so, I tried it again and it jammed again and then he came over and he said, “Well, leave that one alone, come over here”, and he put me on another teletype and I started typing on that on and that one jammed and he comes over to me and he said, “Ok, what’s your typing speed? What’s the highest you ever hit?” I said, “A hundred and seventeen words a minute” and he was from Lansing and we never met afterwards and he said, “Let me tell you what’s happened. The first one you used was the American Teletype and that can only type seventy-two words a minute. The one you’re using now is English and that can only go to seventy-seven, you have no problem, your with me in my outfit”. 52:25 This was the 392nd Signal Company Aviation. So, with that we started getting ready. We were escorted back and forth for the short time that I was there. This commando, at one point he said, “----------Espanol, Do you speak Spanish?” I said, “Ya”, and he said, “I’ve been studying some”, and I am wondering if he has family from Spain or something, and he said, “I’m looking forward to getting to Spain or Latin America after the war” so, we hit it off pretty well. So, at one point we exchanged a gift. I don’t know what I gave him, it was food or something and he gave me a book of his training, which I still have and it is quite an unusual book, but he had two pages with a piece of paper in there and he said, “Now, you remember these two items, One of them is, if you ever capture a person and you don’t want to stay around, here’s what you do—just find a sapling and put one leg around it and the other one underneath and have him sit down and he cannot get out of that”. 53:36 “The 22 �other is, if you are ever captured and you want to escape and it’s a matter of life and death, you get a stick and make a point on it, you can use your teeth, make a point on it and you drive it through their neck and up into their palate”. This all happened in a very short time, but he gave me this book which has a number of things to help you. We’re talking about staying alive at that time. The thinking and mentality and so on. 54:05 From there, about two days later, I woke up with a tremendous problem breathing and they had intentionally thrown tear gas into our area, testing us and of course with a drilling I had done, we all had our gas masks with us, and at one point I smelled it and I just put it on and blew out and tightened the straps and these other guys that were there from the 392nd that had come across Africa, they were choking, they were running into the barbed wire and the barbed wire is the kind that they had for cutting. 54:47 “Razor wire”. Ya, and they were grabbing it trying to get out and they were—out of a sound sleep, you’re being gassed and not knowing what’s going on—the next day I started talking with them and I said, “You guys didn’t put your gas masks on”, they were angry and they said, “We don’t know how to do that”, and I said, “What do you mean you don’t know? Your coming out of Africa, Sicily, Italy and you couldn’t put your gas mask on?” And I asked them, “Did you get any training?” and they said, “Well, we’re from New Jersey Bell, Ma Bell, and our training was to put on spikes, climb a telephone pole and they took us out to a point in New Jersey and sent us out to Egypt, Cairo”. You would hear them talk Cairo, and all these places they had been, but they knew nothing about gas masks and then I knew—I thought, “Oh, my gosh, what did I get myself into?” 55:38 If they couldn’t use a gas mask, what’s going to happen when it’s time to shoot a gun or something? Well, it didn’t take us long to find out. On the evening of—by the way we’re a mobile outfit, and we had a teletype cryptographer’s radio, telephone, everything in 23 �communications, there were over thirteen hundred people as part of this battalion and many of them had come in as a group, they had been together for so long that the Lieutenant Colonel, which is the highest rank you could have in the battalion, I think he was a 2nd Lieutenant when they got into Egypt, and they were technicians—just out of the ordinary, they were just—they could build, they could do a lot of things with wiring and communications and radio and everything else. 56:37 so, when we started getting ready I see they had like a pick-up truck and a small box, almost the size of a camper that you see there that they loaded on the box and that was the mobile office. That would carry some of the guys that had Morse code, the Teletype, photographers, we had airplanes, we had Jeeps, we had motorcycles couriers, it was a pretty complete outfit. 57:06 So, the evening of June 5th, that afternoon they told us we’re ready to go and that means you just grab your equipment—we had a gas mask, we had ammunition, we had carbines, we had our food, and we had a raincoat. I don’t know who let the contract to make that thing, but we wore that more than anything else, it was just big heavy rubber. We get to Southampton and we’re being loaded, this is late afternoon of the 5th and getting dark. There I remember this one fellow, he had drumsticks and while we were waiting for quite a while for the ships and everything else, the trucks, there were many ships for our outfit, I don’t know how many there were. We didn’t get to see what some people write about a half a mile away—I cannot tell you that, I can tell you what I saw right next to me. 58:16 This fellow, he had drumsticks and he would sit there while we’re waiting and use his helmet and he would play with the drumsticks. I guess he was a professional. He had a phonograph about this size and there were some small records that he could play on that, but these small phonographs were the ones that were dropped behind the lines with messages for the maquis, for the underground. I learned that later, but there was one song they would play, “I’m going to move way out on the 24 �edges of town cause I don’t want anybody always foolin around—I wanna buy a refrigerator cause I don’t want the ice man comin’ around—I don’t want anybody foolin’ around”, and he would play that over and over—you can see that I can still remember it, and so then we started getting on the ship. We got on the ship and started moving out, but we couldn’t see anything because it was dark and then as we started getting out and could see more of a contrast than light because this is very early in the morning—as far as you could see—ships—there’s no end to them just like someone was actually painting them out there. 59:33 then all of a sudden we heard the planes coming over with the white stripes on them, markings. “Taking paratroopers over, yes”. Well, this is what I found out later, we had some people from out outfit that landed there with the paratroopers or before. They were the ones who guided— “The pathfinders”. Pathfinders, they come into play later too, how these guys joined us. So, we’re moving on the thing and the next thing that we know is we stop and they start dropping netting over the side. Now, I had gone through all this training of climbing on that at Kelly Field and everyplace, but then those nets were held by two posts, telephone poles, and you go one side and down the other and I remember that there was a fellow by the name of Pelletier in our outfit and he was from Boston, quite a heavy guy and older than we were, maybe twenty nine or thirty, but quite heavy and he didn’t want to go over the side because he was afraid so, they put him on the side for awhile and then they asked us to go over. :54 Next we’re getting on these barges where the front drops— “LCVP’s, the little landing craft?” 25 �Ya, landing craft so, they put one of our trucks in there and they put a jeep in there and then they want us to start getting in, getting over the side of the net. Just about then there was this terrible explosion to my right and I think it was a battleship of some size that started firing because we’re quite a distance away, I didn’t realize we were that far away from the beach. They start firing and I remember turning around and saying, “What the heck’s wrong with ya?” They were firing so close, like they would listen—it was just a reaction now of this. 1:44 “At this point did you know, any of you, what you were supposed to be doing and why you were there? Had they told you anything yet?” That is why I refer to this whole operation as “snafu”, July 4th, 2008. This is about as close as I can tell you about what happened on that—no, we did not know. We did not know of example, the biggest thing that happened right there is, as they dropped this net and we started going over, was that it was too short. “Oh… that is not good”. It was too short by say eight feet short. “So, you had to jump off the net down into the boat?” The thing was, every training we had we went up and down a net that was fixed. This net for example, the ship was rocking and it would go out and then slam into the ship, and your loaded down with so much gear. 2:43 They started going down and some of the guys would get at the end and there are more coming down and more coming down and loading and that was a real slaughter of guys right there. Some were floating between the ship and being crushed and I could see again, heads bobbing around there and all kinds of pieces of people. I started going down and I remember this one guy who was next to me—I don’t know who was running those things, the Navy or Coast Guard—I don’t know who they were—sailors, let’s put it that way. 26 �3:19 Anyway, I’m telling this one guys, jump, jump, and I was watching and this guy finally jumped, but he ended up straddling the landing barge, it had a little divider type of thing and he ended up straddling that and that was the end of him, he had to be put back on the ship. They tied him with a big heavy rope and got him over the side and fortunately got him down. When the fellow tells me to jump, jump and he starts yelling and he says jump, jump, and all this time I’m waiting for the ships to come together and the net to be in the right spot and I turned around and let him have about ten different swear words in a row and he was surprised when he heard me swearing that much, but I finally managed to jump, but I was on the inside. 4:17 We started moving out and we were getting shells and we were getting shrapnel very quickly because the Germans were within firing—we couldn’t see the land yet clearly. “Was it still dark?” Yes, it was dark, it was still—you could see the flashes and hear the firing. The firing, once it started, I don’t think it stopped day and night. Just like when you go down town to the 4th of July and you hear the fireworks start, except it didn’t stop. 4:55 There were ships and planes going over and all kinds of fighting going on, but as we started moving out, I remember thinking, “Why didn’t somebody think of hanging mattresses or something on the sides of this thing”, because it would ricochet, if someone was firing the shrapnel—you could hear it. “Bounce around inside the landing craft?” Guys would get hurt. I did not get hurt in any of the things like that, but as we got close to the beaches, the Colonel was in the jeep with the first sergeant, with a British liaison, which again goes back to—not a very tall fellow, and he was strictly “hot dog”, he would not wear a helmet. He had a beret on and he had a pistol that hung to his side and tied down to his leg, very much of a cowboy and the muzzle of the gun in the holster was down just to his knee and this is what was 27 �happening there. 6:00 All of our equipment by the way, had been prepared to run under water for quite a distance. I’m trying to think of the material they used, it was like Vaseline. “ An oil or grease kind of stuff, yes”. Then they had the exhaust pipe and an extension on that and all the wires had cosmoline, all the wires had this material because, you don’t see it today, but the rain we had yesterday. Most of the cars would not have been running at that time because the wires—the water would get right into the wires and stop any electricity from running properly. 6:44 As we get closer to the beach head here’s this Jeep in front, then the one truck—communications, I don’t know what it was, but I’m guessing it was a teletype, but we had more than one piece of equipment like that on other landing barges from other ships that were also taking off, but we didn’t know who to follow or anything. 7:11 There were no directions at all and I don’t think anybody knew— there’s land, get on it, and this is about the way the thinking was. Most of the thinking, just generalizing, was “We’re going over there, we’re going to kill Hitler, and we’re going to come back”, and that is about the general thinking. Well, as we started moving out then we started getting closer to the beach head and I found out later it was Omaha Beach on that, it’s part of my record, but as we started getting in there were a lot of tripod obstacles with bombs on them and I think a lot of them were being set off by the Germans firing. 7:57 We couldn’t see the Germans—could not see the enemy at all, not at Omaha Beach. They were shooting from fortification that they had—I’m trying to think of the name. “Pillboxes and bunkers”. Pillboxes, but they were just shooting out of those openings they had in them and they were just raking the beachhead, plus all these mines. We started getting close, I mentioned to you before that John Wayne was not there, none of the movie stars were there and I know they have done a 28 �good job on it and it was necessary, but we didn’t know where to go. 8:37 I remember as the Jeep goes off, there was a plank with holes in it and they use those for making emergency landing fields, which they built right there on top afterwards to land some planes, but as our landing barge starts going on that thing, the front drops on there and the next thing as they start to drive off it just goes like this and the Jeep goes underwater. 9:14 The only thing that was on top was the exhaust and the beret of this English guy was spinning on top and even then with everything that’s going on, the fighting, what you are seeing, humans all over the place, insides, everything is all over, I remember things like that. I think it was partly to lighten up a little bit because there was nobody there to hold your hand or anything. 9:46 “At the point where you’re landing, were there infantry already on the beach?” The ones that were there, ya there was some infantry, but a lot of them were against the wall— we couldn’t go anywhere. “Do you have a sense of how far it was from the water line to the sea wall?” Well, from the edge of the water to the sea wall, not over 100 feet. “So it was pretty close?” Then when we started coming in to try to find a place and we’re coming through for example where there are a lot of bodies just floating all over the place, like they were asleep, a lot of them together, they were just floating and pieces of people and so on. 10:30 then as we started getting—I do not know to this day how I ended up on the beach because the next thing I know this Jeep is on there and the truck drove off and the next thing I know is this tremendous explosion, not one, but several and I’m in the sand. Now whether I jumped over the edge of that thing or ended up thrown on the sand and as I’m getting ready to move I hear this guy in Spanish, I don’t know who it was or anything, but it’s just like saying today “Cool manner” and 29 �they use an expression today “awesome” this was at that time and in Spanish, I don’t know who it was, but I heard it right next to me on the sand and the next thing I heard him next to me and I turn around and he’s got a hole in his helmet. 11:29 I heard the thump of the metal, but it was close. I don’t know who he was, but he spoke Spanish and that’s how he ended up. It was about this time again we were just getting strafed, the machine guns are coming, and we were strafed by some German planes. There was one incident, I had another one later. The next thing is— our logo was painted on our duffle bag and all of our equipment—the orange ace of spades, and I remember at some point I looked up to my right and there’s a Jeep abandoned, it’s got nobody in it and it’s got the orange ace of spades on it so, I yelled, “Hey, one of our equipment”, and I don’t know who I’m yelling at, but these other two guys, I don’t know if they are from my outfit or not, I said, “Lets take it and get out of here”, it was like we were the only ones there—this tremendous fighting going on at this time, you tanks that were supposed to be on the beach sinking before they even get to the beach. 12:33 You’re seeing ships that are coming on shore with almost like a stairs on the side where the infantry would get off on those and they would get in as far as they could and the next thing was this tremendous explosion and the side has been blown off and there are all kinds of supplies being thrown all over the place, cigarettes, food, now we’re on the move on that . 12:59 I didn’t look at it that way, here’s this Jeep and the other guy, I don’t know who drove it, but we jumped into it and started going to the right. There were no maps, nothing to tell us what to do or where to go. 13:17 “ So, you’re just driving along the beach looking for a way up?” Ya, but it didn’t take us long to drive along the beach, we just found a spot that—I don’t know if I yelled or who yelled, “There, there’s an opening”, and we put that four wheel drive Jeep up 30 �there and climbed to the top. We went to Carentan—these little towns, I remember the names— Carentan, Ste Mère Eglise--we did not know where we were going. “This is on D-Day, during the day and you’ve got a Jeep—“ At dawn— “In the morning and the battle was still going on everywhere?” Oh, yes that battle was going on. “So, you just hop in a Jeep and take off across Normandy?” Ya. 14:01 “OK”. It was not across Normandy—it was to get the heck out of the beachhead. Interviewer: “But do you get as far as Ste Mère Eglise in a single day? How far did you-?” Ya, I had to reconstruct it myself a couple of times. So we came to Ste Mère Eglise and I remember we got there and that parachute was still hanging from the church steeple, but I do not remember if there was a body on it. Interviewer: “He actually survived and they took him down”. I was not there for that, but there were paratroopers on the ground there and we’re all in uniform and we were ready to shoot anybody that was not one of us—at least that was our thinking, and we did. So, we kept on driving and we get to Cherbourg. We did receive a message the short time that I was out—a story of one of the Kennedy’s who had—he was going to bomb Cherbourg because there were submarine pens there and I guess they had loaded this plane—it was a bomb and just full of explosives, the oldest son of the Kennedy’s— “Yes, Joseph”. 31 �He flew alone and I guess it exploded in the air and he was killed. So, I had that story in my mind about Cherbourg, what it was or whether it was supposed to be there, and as we started getting close we saw a little town, as far as I can recall where we were, I didn’t travel around. 15:40 One area we got to, there was a lot of fighting going on and we saw the, what do you call them, guards, houses for the German guards and you walk in and this is where you start going into where the submarine pens were and I got to see it, but the Germans, they were burned and you could smell it, they were still there, the bodies were there—flame throwers. 16:03 “The American didn’t get into Cherbourg until a couple weeks after D-day. So whereever—“ These were Special Forces. “But still…”. These were the ones that we met there and they were the ones who talked to us and said, “Who are you with? Where did you come from?” We said, “Over there and pointed to the beach head”. And he said, “Well, do not use the clicker, the Germans know about it, so don’t use it. Tell the officers to put some mud on their helmets”. They had the rank painted, one bar for Lieutenant or First Lieutenant. “Just tell them to put mud over it because the Germans are picking them off”. I took mine and the other two I had thrown away, but they had given to us a clicker, if we came to an area where we couldn’t see who it was—one click to identify ourselves and you were supposed to answer with two clicks, but the Germans had picked that up so, I threw mine away. 17:19 On the way back we saw the submarine pens, which was a unbelievable place, like an underground city, the thing and the submarines were there on that. 17:32 I think there were one or two and I think they were caught by surprise or whatever, but then trying to get back, one street where we came in and went out, we had left the Jeep and 32 �started walking and then this fellow said, “I think you want to see what’s over there”, and I said, “We can see it from here”. We had to cross a little street and there was shooting coming out and hitting on the cobblestone there and I said, “What do you want us to see?” “A statue”, and there was a statue of somebody—I would like to go back, I have never been back—it could have been Napoleon on horseback or something like that. It had a little fence around it. Just as we’re getting ready—there’s a darn thump and a large bullet hit the horse of the statue and put a hole in it, but anyway we just run across the street and there’s a little book store there and I—we didn’t want to touch anything because we knew there was a lot of what do you call it—bombs? 18:39 “Booby-traps”. Ya, booby-traps. We were very conscious of that, there were booby-traps and all kinds of stuff. If you pick-up a bar of soap, as you are using it, if you wore it down, it would explode on you. So, I walked in and there’s a book on the floor and it has a stamp of the Nazi’s on it and I said, “I don’t think there’s anything on this” so, I just took and tore out the pages and put them in my pocket, which I have kept. We then started back again, back across the street and got back in the Jeep and drove back. 19:13 We drove as far as where we could see where the beach head was and we left the Jeep and we started walking. By now, most of the Germans have been pushed back from the beachhead and then you start to figure out how long did it take? Was it fifty miles? I’m trying to reconstruct that myself, but as we came back these pill boxes were connected by trenches that you walk through and at one point this fellow, we were still together, the three of us, and the one fellow is ahead of me and we start going and there’s a pillbox and we see a pillbox and the entrance to it and a turn there—it’s a trench, and as we started getting closer, we heard something and we all stopped and the guy ahead of me said, “What is it?” So, the next thing we heard from them was one click coming to us and we didn’t have anything to 33 �answer with and I told him to ask him where the Yankees play and he did. He said, “Where do the Yankees play?” The answer came back and it was something way off and we just looked at each other and the grenades just went right in, each one threw one and there were two German soldiers in there and by time we got there, they were dead. 20:49 Again, what was going on and continued almost all the entire eighteen months I was in—it was a sniper—you were meeting people that were not on our side. From there we started walking and then we started seeing some of our people and I said, “Where do we join? Where are we at?” So, now we are going from where we landed to the left and we had to go up—climb up and that, and we start climbing we see that they have put some ribbon, a white ribbon, and we have to stay within the white ribbon and it goes up and then it stakes and it turns and it goes up again, and they told me not to get out of that ribbon. The mines are all over the place. We started walking and we had to make a turn and this fellow is no farther away than that wall over there and as he makes a turn there is a terrific explosion and he stops back of that ribbon and his foot is gone. 21:46 He stepped on a mine. We joined our outfit and they had us in an area that was a big area where the hedgerows were around it and this was hedgerow country, and there were irrigation ditches almost made for fighting and people could use those right away. We were in there, and we were with our own outfit and I remember some tanks started coming through and it may have been Patton’s. “Patton wasn’t there yet”. They were tanks and I remember we were yelling at them as they were coming through “Go back, it’s over, you’re too late”, but again we were twenty-two year old guys looking for something different than what we had to face. 22:31 The next day or so we started to move out and as we’re going, I’m in the first vehicle next to the first sergeant, Chuck Lyons, and as we’re moving very slowly, all of a sudden this guy starts yelling at us and there again maybe twenty or 34 �thirty feet away at the most, and it was the guys who had landed there, the Pathfinders, and they were very happy to see us and they had been inside this house that was all bombed out and the door was hanging on the side and these guys come out and they say, “were happy we found you”, and they start coming over. 23:15 the last guy that was coming our, for some reason he closed the door, he pulls it and there’s this tremendous explosion and again, a bomb was there or something happened and he was slightly injured. We kept on moving and we get to Laval, I think it’s Laval, France, no, not Laval yet, from there they moved us to Grandcamp-les Bains, it’s on the channel, I would say, we landed here at the beachhead and it’s to the right quite a distance. “West of there, between Ohaha Beach and Utah Beach”. 23:50 There we started communications. Now, we had people who were—because of the size of the battalion, we had people who were from England, we had small groups that went with—we were the communications for SHAEF, for the Ninth Air Force and the ground forces under the soldier’s soldier, what’s his name? “Bradley”. Bradley, and when some of the soldiers would come across something that was stopping the, some of the ground troops, then are people who were with them, would contact us and say, “We run across this”. 24:25 We had the war room right next to us as close as this cabinet is there and give them the tape and they would decide what kind of ordnance to use. We would send it back and if—usually for example, a lot of your—we call them the dot, dot guys—Morse code— because that was more portable, that went out and pretty soon there comes a plane, a P-47 as a rule, flying tanks and they would get rid of that problem. 25:19 This is what our role was. When we were getting ready to move out from—when they got us together there at that 35 �hedgerow country, we were instructed right there—they said, “You are to take any top secret, any secret, and confidential or restricted—no messages except red line from red line, we don’t care who it’s coming from because we have to keep the lines open for the war that is going on”. 25:50 We saw a number of messages coming through from Generals, from a number of people pretty high up. They were interfering and we wouldn’t even answer it and you could hear them talking about it. I landed there as a Private and we had that much authority—get that and get rid of it. We started moving when we were at Grandcamp-les-Bains, when they put us there; I really wanted to set aside some points. I saw for example that they brought in for the Teletype. The brought in a cable--there were some people in white suits and they connected our cable from our Teletype to England. 26:40 “They ran communication cables through the channel”. That was the safest. Everything else that we used was by air and could be intercepted. I was just fascinated by seeing that. We had an incident there that—we were working four hours and resting four hours right around the clock so, you were pretty well beat and I remember at one time we got a weapons carrier, it’s a small truck with seats on there, and they would take two of us or four of us in and then pick-up the other guys and bring them back, but in order to get to this Grandcamp-les-Bains, they had very narrow alley and that was guarded to the hilt on that and I remember these two Lieutenants and we called them—what was the name of the soap box that had twins on it? Anyway, we called them that name because they always carried comic books. 27:43 I couldn’t understand a person with that rank being attracted to comic books during was time. They always had them folded into their hip pocket. One of them was a guard that accompanied us, an officer, to get to this at night where we worked. As we were coming to this alley, and he had a word, a code word, a password, but on either side you had, I guess they were 36 �MP’s, and they would not hesitate at all because you had other people try to get through. Their equipment had been dragged right out of there and had been shot up pretty badly. 28:26 I don’t know if they were soldiers or not, but we get through, we get in there, they picked us up at night and the first thing he does it he takes this out and he’s looking at this and he tries to read and I said, “Oh my gosh what’s the matter with these people?” Anyway, we get there and he cannot remember the word and all of us start swearing at this guy and all we could hear out there were the bolts moving already—the MP’s. 28:59 He finally remembered so, we got through and I don’t know who hit the guy afterward, but he was an enlisted man and nobody said a word. Those were very close calls that sometimes we refer to as friendly fire, that’s the way these things had come about. I remember, while there, we sent the message for the----- breakthrough because we couldn’t get off the beachhead. We ere getting eighty eights, I think they called them, it was a very good gun that the Germans had, they put it on a tank or artillery or whatever, and they were reaching us. 29:32 I remember one time while we were there a message comes through and I tore the thing off and gave it to Chuck and said, “What the heck’s happening?” They sent the message that the Germans were using gas. That they had experience, whoever the guy was so, I gave it to Chuck and within a couple of minutes here comes another message from the Germans saying, “No, it’s a mistake, a mistake” so, those things happened at that moment right then and there. We did not retaliate, we gave it to the war room right there and then the message went out that we were going to retaliate, but they didn’t. Another time I was called, I had just gone to bed and was sleeping there and in our tents and we have a trench for us to get in because the—at night no one was supposed to get in there, no planes or ours or anything and they had tracers and that thing would go almost like fingers and bring anything down that was there, friend or foe. 30:45 Next to us, about a block away, there were fifty-five gallon drums 37 �stored as high as you could see them and it wouldn’t take—you do a thirty, thirty and blow up the whole place, but it was under camouflage, but this one night I remember that I was just getting ready to go to bed and this searchlight started coming on and firing, firing is going on all the time, but all of a sudden these tracers start coming in from far off where we would be— Omaha Beach is over here and it’s coming from the North to South and we heard the plane and I saw the plane zoom up and try to make a maneuver to get out. 31:31 I started yelling, That’s one of our, that’s one of ours, a P-38” and the guy said, “No, that’s a German”, and I said, “No, a German is more square”, that’s the way we talked, and all this time this plane started blinking it’s light and trying to get out of there—somehow it got in there by mistake. It didn’t take long and all these tracers just came through and he came down. The next morning as we were going to work, the plane was there and pieces of what was left of it and the pilot and again, they were not supposed to get in there. 32:01 They had a number of balloons. “Barrage balloons?” Yes, they were on the ships that were coming in for the landing and we had them there also, but there was another incident that shouldn’t happen, but we got this one message of a General Roosevelt who was killed—that was on the“Well, General Roosevelt didn’t—he died of—there was a General Roosevelt who was with the 4th division, he died of natural causes, but he was out of the army. There was another General who was hit by American bombers.” He was hit by friendly fire. Coming through the----breakthrough, I had just gone to bed and they came over and said, “Chuck wants ya, he needs ya” and I said, “To heck with him”. I’m just— we’re working four hours and resting four hours right around the clock I mean you just have time to get a bite to eat and we didn’t take our shoes off for over a month. 33:03 You were busy on 38 �that so, started swearing and told them I needed to get something to eat and to get somebody else and he said, “No, he wants you”. Well, pretty soon here comes an MP and he said, “Get up, you’re needed”, and I said, “Ok”. I go in and Chuck said, “Pancho, we have to send this message, there are two messages eight feet long and I need you on this one”. We had to send it out quick and there were a lot of numbers and coded and so on, but we could read it, we knew what it was. So, he took one and I took the other one and we started sending it out. 33: 49 This was the entire battle plan for the St. Lo breakthrough. It started out, and we saw this, where they would drop—the very first planes that came out, I think they were P-38’s, they dropped a flare of a color over there and another one over here, it was in a square. The next thing is—you started getting planes coming over and they didn’t stop. You had the English, you had B-17’s, B-24’s, all kinds of bombers coming through and they were just getting over the area and they started dropping the bombs in that square. 34:25 We got the message very quickly, “friendly fire”, and— “General McNair was the General that got killed. He was a very high ranking--” No, I’m talking one of the Roosevelt’s--wait a minute, wait a minute. “There was only one Roosevelt in the area and he wasn’t there by then, but there was a very famous General, high ranking General, named McNair, who was the head of the infantry. He was there inspecting things behind the lines and he got killed.” No, this— “There were some others, but not a Roosevelt, at least then.” I’ll double check on that thing. It was relayed to the Presidency and I’m thinking it was part of the Theodore Roosevelt family on that, but I’ll check it for you to be correct, but that’s what I can recall. 35:09 Then we started getting the bombs were dropped and then a lot of smoke 39 �started going up, a lot of black smoke and you could feel the trembling and you could see in the distance from the beachhead to St. Lo, you could feel it. This great big cloud started going up and then it started to rain. And then there was--the soldiers were being brought back, the prisoners, they were coming back and they had blood from their nose, from their ears from concussions. They were really in bad shape and they had really gotten a beating and they were just piled in the trucks, the prisoners. 35:56 When we got to the point of moving out of there, we really couldn’t believe they were finally getting on the beachhead. They were moving in and moving in, but they were not making the progress that we had hoped—being blocked there. With the opening of the St. Lo breakthrough, we moved out of there and we stopped at Laval, Laval, France, look at the map where it is. There was joined by Patton, by Bradley, Montgomery, I forget some of the other people who were there, Eisenhower was not there, but I remember that Chuck, we set up the mobile outfit and Chuck comes over and he taps me on the shoulder and said, “Send this message out” so, if you were sending out a message, whoever you are sending it to, you want to get their attention so they get the message, you hit the letter “K” repeatedly— that means I got high priority. 37:00 So, when this happened, I started—he told me this was for the—not the 3rd Army—anyway what happened was, I looked down and saw shinny boots and they were riding boots and we were not in a place where anyone has shinny anything there and I thought, “Oh my, I wonder who it is?” I wasn’t looking up at him and as I turned around he gave me haute to call on that. So, I kept hitting the “K” and then I put it on the Teletype. I said, “General Patton here, I have a message for you”. And he comes back and he was right in back of me and you could read what’s going on and when he comes back he said, “No shit”. 37:54 So, I hit the “K” again I tell them again, “Message here from General Patton”, and he comes back with the same thing, “No shit”. I looked around and you could see hi ivory 40 �pistols and he was dressed like he was going to be in a parade, but he always was immaculate for his role as head of the army, 3rd Army, right? 38:27 “Right”. So, he said it and his words were so soft, that’s what I remember, very much in control. He knew what he was doing, he was strong, very strong like the person was practiced speaking and sucking in his stomach and all this stuff, just soft he said, “Let me try it” so, I stepped out and I didn’t know he could type, really, he starts typing and I don’t know what he said and I wish I should have kept it, but what came back was, “Yes sir”. 39:00 I knew he could swear like no one so, that was—I had that Teletype copy for a long time, but it had “yes sir”, that’s the way it came back. He knew who it was then. Then from there we had—when we moved in there before it was a joining of this group, with different people in command and so on, we had camouflage, we were under a lot of trees, and just as were coming in there, we’re just starting to park, and we had the trucks, I think four by four’s or something like that, with canvas covers and were a little larger, but where the driver is, it was open and they had a ring, they had fifty calibers mounted on those things so, coming in we park in there and the next thing you heard was just a very soft ffffftttt and somebody yelled, “I’m hit”. It was a sniper. 40:08 We’re like in a forest. “And this is in an area far away from where there was supposed to be a front line, too. You should be some ways away from where there should have been Germans.” We were not expecting them—we had moved in, we had a lot of troops there, we had all the U.S. soldiers, we had taken the area, we had come through the St. Lo breakthrough, we’re stopping now and we’re not expecting anything like that. The moment we heard that—somebody yelled, “I’m hit”, it was a sniper and these guys on their trucks with those fifty calibers and anybody 41 �else—I think I had a Thompson with me and we just started shooting into the trees. We had more damage from the big branches that we were knocking down than the bullets. This guy was hit, I think in the shoulder. I think they were trying to kill him or mistook him for somebody else, but that was another incident where it was constant all through Europe, the sniper fire. 41:08 “At this point I’m going to give us a break, it’s almost twelve o’clock and were not done.” I’m surprised I’m around—on the landing—so many thousands and not many got out. “Now we’ve gotten you to the point where you’ve made it to Laval France. It’s August of 1944 at this point, they’ve broken out of Normandy, you’ve had your sniper incident, what do you do from there?” 44:50 We started moving towards Paris. I’m still in the Teletype work and when we start getting close to Paris the sniper fire was very strong, even within the city. We didn’t get too close to the city; in fact we didn’t even get to the city. We got to Versailles and I didn’t know too much about it, I had not read enough history, I wish I had become familiar with it before I was there. I know there were a lot of mirrors on that. We slept in the stables, which were pretty fancy. Then we went too, because of sniper fire and the fighting, there was fighting going on. Keep in mind that there were a lot of French supporting the Germans and they were losing their positions too. 45:54 “And Versailles actually was a place where the Germans had done a lot of business and there were probably quite a few right around there.” Before leaving the beachhead another incident I wanted to share with you, but anyway we get to Versailles—we went south from there and around Paris and we got to Chantilly on that, but then at some point we did—I’ll get back to that—I don’t want to forget this other incident that 42 �happened on the beachhead when we were at this town, Laval, and at one break, it was late afternoon or early evening, and I’m eating something, I think before I start my turn, and I hear this fellow over here speaking Spanish 46:56 and I couldn’t understand him too well, a civilian, and there were a lot of civilians dead all over the place too, they were hit pretty badly. I turned to him and asked him, “Do you speak Spanish?” He said yes, you do too? I would say he was possibly five feet tall, maybe not even that and I said, “Where are you from?” He said, “Spain, I’m trying to get back to Spain”, and he said, “I was a jockey for Goring, for his stables, but I’m anxious to get away and I’m trying to get back to Spain, but we haven’t eaten, do you have anything?” I gave him some of my rations. 47:38 Well then he said, “Will you be here tomorrow with a little more food so then I can leave for Spain?” I said, “Sure”, and the next day he is there, but he has about six other people and I didn’t have that much food, but I gave him what I had, but four of the other people were girls and they had bandanas tied on their head and I knew what had happened because we were also very much in touch with the maquis, with our communications, they were bringing prisoners in for interrogation and we were talking with them, we traded chocolate for epaulets, and the Germans are like that, but sitting there I knew the reason they had on bandanas was because their hair had been cut by the French underground because they had German boyfriends—they were good looking girls on that, but anyway again, keep in mind the age, twenty some years old, I told this fellow in Spanish, “I do not understand why these girls or anyone would be friendly with the Germans”, and this one girl spoke up in Spanish and she said, “I’ll say it in English, I just want to tell you that my heart is French, everything else about me is international”. 49:06 That was another big lesson to learn, but they were surviving on that. Going to Laval, going around Paris and Chantilly, we had been using a communication system called “type 10”, developed by the British, it was a dish, but you could 43 �only send a signal from on e high point to another high point so, one of the things we did, we to the Eiffel Tower. By then I’m asked to work at headquarters instead of Teletype, again the typing, I made a lot of records so, the next thing I started seeing where we got a group that is attached to us, to be sure they kept the Eiffel Tower intact and so they did. 50:03 Then we had a person living in a very small box at the Eiffel Tower at the very top of the thing, and we had one of these discs like a satellite that you see today on towers, and it was called “type 10”, that’s the way we referred to it, but it was a British invention and it was highly protected and I don’t think you could get close to the Eiffel Tower maybe for a half a mile. 50:36 Sill the statuary [?], all the guards were there and you couldn’t get through. They had the river pretty well protected with guards and everything, but then I was in headquarters and I did go to pay the guy in the Eiffel Tower, and it was an excuse for me to get up there. I thought I was going to go up there in an elevator—well, at that time—no elevators, you could go up to the second level or something, but the elevator ran with water and this is wintertime, but what they did, they had a ballast that they filled with water and this thing pulled the elevator up. 51:14 It was wintertime, but I had the gear, fleece lined jacket and so on so, I went up there with the fellow that’s up there and he said, “Do you want to see this new equipment how it works?” Now we are crowded together in this little room and this whole darn tower moved, I guess part of the structure, the engineering of it, and I said, “Sure”, and he said, “Do you want to talk to headquarters?” I said, “Ya”, well this was about as far fetched from what we had started with, when we saw guys in a truck along the beachhead yet, throwing wire out to give us communication that could not be intercepted, and these were telephones and I think you could yell and I think they could hear you better, but the wire was on the side of the road and here comes a truck and they just chop it up—they put more. 52:06 He said, “Do you want to talk to Chantilly?” I said, “Sure” so, he said, “Watch this 44 �screen”, well pretty soon it was all like snow and then he started turning some knobs and pretty soon a line went right across that screen and a voice just as clear as today’s telephones. I told him—I think I’m a sergeant by then, and I said, “Sergeant Vega reporting and I’m delivering the payroll, I want to make it official”, all these orders that had to be cut for me to get there. I told this fellow, “Look, we have to make a record of this, I’ll bring a rope next time and a camera. I want a picture, I want to see the Trocadero and all the statues and so on—proof that we were here so, the next time I go with a rope and in order to do that we wrap the rope, we walk the rope around the base of the flagpole and I’m on one side like this, and he’s on the other side and I start pulling him up so he can come over with a camera—twenty year olds, that’s how I have that picture [part of Mr. Vega’s file at this site], I took one of him too. 53:21 I never went back up, one time was enough. To get there you had a lot of military police with dogs and they would not let that dog at you, it was a dog that would grab your arm because these were communications that were very important on that. Then I went back to Chantilly, we started getting some of the guys from the ground forces with problems, we had one fellow we called “Ak Ak”, there was a machine gun that was developed for the paratroopers that was just a wire on it, what do they call it? 54:08 “A grease gun?” Ya, a grease gun, but we would call him, we had a name for him—the problem he had was stammering, and he would talk to you, ak,ak ak, and we called him Ak Ak. “Burp guns were—“ Burp guns, yes—so, there was another fellow that—he would walk around the yard, I mean the area there and he would go like this in the air (pointing up with his index finger) and we knew they were sick, that there was something wrong with him, and one fellow said, “do you know 45 �why he is doing that?” I said, “No” and he said, “If I tell you, you wouldn’t believe me, why don’t we go ask him?” So, I went up to this guy and I said, “what are you doing going like this?” And he said, “I’m goosing butterflies”, and you could see some of the guys had been really hit by some of the fighting that was going on. 55:03 From there I went into a—in Chantilly we captured a—when we moved in, it was already vacant, where we lived there, we had a chalet, a big place, and had communications of the Germans, they had it for developing photography, and I had been an amateur photographer with this friend of mine in San Antonio and we had the camera and I would develop the film and so on, but we would stretch it out on that. Well, the Germans had left these containers that you would take and put the film in there all rolled with a solution in there and you develop it without any lights going down or anything like that so, I sent that back to this friend of mine, but that was a place, we lived there, we had a small barracks, small houses, we then were there when we suddenly started getting—this is not where out teletype equipment was, it was just the living quarters. 56:13 Across the street from them, we had the generators and the antennas and everything else , but then we had the teletype equipment elsewhere for safety purposes. We had five soldiers that joined us there, they were constantly under guard, a special guard unit, and what they would do was listen all day long to intercept code, intercept messages, and they were intercepting message to Africa, to Germany, to all over, and break it down. Their record, because then I was in personnel, their records of education were just unbelievable, they were young guys, but they had been to MIT, to Harvard, to two universities in England, FBI, Scotland Yard, and these were guys that were so—they’d get lost in a crowd until you hear them talk. 57:12 They had such a depth of knowledge of a number of things and this is what they were doing. Well, they would come to work, they had a special place for them, and they would put on these earphones, but all this time, going back to where we 46 �lived, there is Chantilly, surrounded by barbed wire day and night, twenty-four seven guard on that for food and everything else. 57:35 That’s one big change that came about. Across the street we had an area with the generators, we were all self-contained, we carried our own generators and everything, and we had guards on that. We were so short handed by then because the war was spreading, guys were running messages on motorcycles and Jeeps and airplanes, we had some small planes and those guys could land them just about anywhere. They looked like grasshoppers on that. When we started to move from one place to another, remember that we had them jumping, as I’m recalling this, on this one convoy they were moving, and they had twenty or thirty trucks that were moving and motorcycles up ahead of us, and these motorcycle guys had special helmets and the motorcycles had like protecting shields for their legs. 58:42 what they would be practicing all the time, was to running almost full speed, throw the motorcycle on it’s side and just skid with it, and I remember we were on this convoy and this guy was ahead of us and he was swinging from side to side on a gravel road and the next thing was a big cloud of dust—he hit a mine, but nothing happened to him, I think the saddle bags he had, which were leather, were just pieces in the air and everything else. We threw the motorcycle to the side, there was nobody wasted any time repairing those things, but I remember that this plane came over and flew over twice and he had a message to hand deliver to the Colonel, but first he dropped a tube on a ribbon and then we stopped and pretty soon here comes this plane and the field where he landed had something growing on it, I don’t know if it was alfalfa, but it has something growing on it, some grass and it had to be at least three feet high, and he comes and lands on that and he is throwing it like he’s a lawn mower. 59:46 He gets close to us, he gets out and hands us this message that is sealed in an envelope to the Colonel, whatever it was— information—he goes back, gets in the plane , turns that thing around and gets up and gets out of 47 �the field. I don’t think anyone checked to see if it was a proper landing field, but this is what you were seeing. Were into Chantilly and we get a message that we need to get some guys, our people, our mobile outfit and equipment, to get them out of Ardennes. Now I had been to Reims once before, I don’t remember the reason for it, but I had been there once, I have a record of it. 48 � 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 VegaF1 Title A name given to the resource Vega, Francisco M. (Interview transcript, video, and papers, 1 of 3), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Vega, Francisco M. Description An account of the resource Francisco Vega was born in San Antonio, Texas. He tried to enlist in the military immediately after Pearl Harbor, but was initially rejected because of his Mexican ancestry. He eventually did enlist in the Army Air Corps, and began a long process in which he used his talents and persuasive skills to find increasingly interesting assignments, eventually training as a teletype operator with a signals unit that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and was eventually part of Eisenhower's headquarters. 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.) Video recordings United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans 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 2008-03-07 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/14ef37546db8ad385ef31d3c9c9d6281.mp4 6370ca2f2efe348619b1c8318a54ef9f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/051cf740657724ba8d0b25dc6f3e5726.pdf 6b9c72fb107ea72f3e67e4eb6de585b3 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran History Project Francisco Vega Part 2 (46:44) Interviewer: “We had gotten in your story up to the period of the Battle of the Bulge and we want to talk about that. You mentioned to me of an incident that took place when you were first in Normandy.” Yes, I was very much impressed and sometimes I think, how can I be that impressed with all the activity that was going on, the firing, the shooting, the people dying, you could see them just dropping wounded and others asking you for help, but I was very much impressed by some of the things that we did as young guys. One of the things that stayed with me—we were getting into a lot of mines and all of a sudden I saw this tank coming about and it’s got chains in front and they are flailing and just exploding mines and everybody is running in back of the tank to get through the hedgerow country and those are the things that have stayed with me, that whoever came about doing those things. Another thing I remember—it did not take too long to realize that whatever our work was, when we landed we had weapons in our hands and it was almost the rule that if somebody is facing you, they shouldn’t be, they should be going the other way so, you were very careful in a way, but I remember our carbines, they had a cartridge clip that you stuck on the bottom and once it was fired you were supposed to get another one and it didn’t take us long and we got two cartridges and used tape and tied them together. 1:53 When one cartridge was used up, you just turned it over and put it back in there, and a number of things like that. We had a—shortly after we got into Chantilly the word got around that we were going to have “Brooklyn chicken” and here we had been getting rations, C rations and K rations and all of that was like cardboard, but 1 �what is was, our cook had taken Spam and deep fat fried it and powdered eggs and we just thought it was a good big banquet, but nobody was telling any of these things, things we were putting together on equipment and things like that. 2:43 I do not know how this was done, one of the reasons we wanted to get to the Eiffel Tower is we understood the Germans had crystallized a number of communication cables and then we had two guys working on this, all Bell Telephone people, that repaired it and made it usable again so, naturally you had to be impressed. These guys were very unassuming, they were tinkerers, but they would get things done and constantly I heard they say, “All I want is to get back and get my little green truck”, I guess they would use a green truck when they would go and do repairs in homes etc., but I just thought I would mention that to you. 3:22 We started then at Chantilly we started getting some word that there was some activity behind the German lines and we would get this again because we were working right with the war room, which was Eisenhower’s right hand and he has to be informed. This is the reason I make the ----------before the breakthrough in the Ardennes, the Battle of the Bulge and the next thing I hear was, “ we have to get our guy out of there”, he’s in the Ardennes, and I heard them talking, I heard the adjutant, we’re all in the same room as Sergeant Major and I was in charge of administration stuff and I heard them talking and saying they needed to find someone and I said, “what is he going to do?” And they said he needed to drive the mechanics jeep, there were two trucks and we didn’t know what we were going to find out there , but we had to get that guy out. 4:22 They said to bring out the equipment or destroy it so, I said I would drive it, but then the Colonel was coming down the stairs and said, “what’s this I hear you’re volunteering for what?” And I said, “I want to drive the jeep, Colonel”, and he said, “we only have you and one helper now in administration”, and he would see me type at times and I would get that stuff out quick because I didn’t have to hunt and peck because I had 2 �worked with numbers so long so he said, “I don’t think so sergeant”, and I said, “I am insisting you let me go”, and he said, “why do you want to go?” 5:03 I said, “you and your guys have come across Africa and you’ve got all this experience and you’re going to deny me this one chance?” I did go and I drove the jeep and it was loaded down and I was the only one in the jeep and there were tool boxes in there that they thought they might need. I had hand grenades on me, I had a Thompson submachine gun mounted on the side, I had a carbine in there, I forgot what else as far as weapons that were there, but I, we started driving and it was getting dark, we were driving at night, and the only thing we had for lights, I was following the second truck, all they had for light was a little square of light that you could see—there were no big lights or anything. 6:00 We’re moving on that—when we would get to a corner to turn and it was at night and what happens is the jeep has a short wheel base and anytime you hit gravel you lose traction and start spinning and that happened to me twice. The guy in front could see that I was not behind him, my headlights were little tiny slits in the cover of the headlights and they came back and wanted to know what was the matter, did I know how to drive the thing. There was fighting going on around us so, we get to Reims and we are going to Ardennes where the fighting was going on and I remember as we get to the river, it is a very high bridge and it had been bombed so they are not using it. 7:19 They said they were going to cross it and as we get close to the river the engineers had put together what looked like a children’s--Interviewer: “Tinker toy bridge?” Well, like rubber boats. Like what you would have in the back yard for a child and they had joined them and on top of that they had planking. This thing is across this river and I would say this river was about twice as wide as the Grand River downtown. We had to cross this thing with branches coming down, if I were the Germans I would be a mile up the river and put a big tree in 3 �there or something, this was going through my mind. First the trucks went and got through and I’m following, but I could just feel this thing moving, but we got through on that and we started going through some villages. 8:20 We get to one village, this is daytime, we slept in Reims, I remember I slept under the jeep with air force wool stuff on and we get to this town and there’s a—it’s pretty bombed out, the streets are pretty bad so we are going very slow, but the German people are very close to us with their houses and stuff and I was expecting a grenade anytime on that thing because they could just flip it from a window or something, but as we get close to the center part of town, they had a little plaza and you couldn’t go straight and you would go around the side and here’s this fellow standing in the middle of this little plaza with a tuxedo and a top hat on. 9:15 I thought it was the mayor saying hello or something and we didn’t stop and we kept on going and we came to another location where there were a lot of displaced persons and prisoners of war and I thought it was some kind of a concentration camp because they had them in a group, but along the street there was a ditch and the people I saw were well fed, they were fat and big and they were guards and the people were there with there arms crossed on there stomachs and what they did is they cut the stomachs of the prisoners to give them a slow death and these guys were sitting there with their intestines in their hands just dying. 10:17 The guards of the camps were doing that. Interviewer: “That’s got to be stuff that’s happening later on in the war, not the Battle of the Bulge phase.” We’re going to the Battle of the Bulge. Interviewer: “In the battle of the bulge you’re still in Belgium and France, not where the camps were.” 4 �This I can—I mentioned to you that we’re in Germany—we’re in some country that is not France when we crossed the Rhine. Interviewer: “It sounds like you’re crossing the Rhine, but I t sounds to me like you got some parts of the going into Germany story mixed up with the Battle of the Bulge story because in the bulge story, you were still in an area that was friendly to you and in the camps story the camps were all in Germany. 10:54 We got to Montigny [Malmédy?] and I saw guys that had been shot there, it was snow. The worst thing we started seeing was many of these soldiers were frozen. This is past where the prisoners were, there was no snow there that I can recall, but it was cold. As we started moving, we saw the GI’s, they had trench rolls, but they were frozen on them. We saw some of the wounded and as we started getting through we found our man and he was not where any of the troops were or anything like that, and he comes out and he is very happy to see us. I don’t know who had the map or compass or anything out and as we started getting through we finally found our man he was not where any of the troops were or anything like that. We got there and he comes out very happy to see us. I don’t know who had the map or the compass or anything out—before this happened, this one night before we got to where he is, I kept wondering that is these guys are spread out again and they don’t come back where do I go? I have no road map, nothing. 12:01 That’s the way things were going so, when we got to—it was dark and I don’t know just what location, but there was firing going on and I got myself away from the truck and the next thing, I heard somebody yell and it was English help or something and I slowed down and it was dark and I couldn’t see anything except I could tell there was somebody out there maybe 100 feet away from the road and by then the guys started coming back, one of them came back walking and again he said, “you’ve got to keep up with us”, and there was fighting going on 5 �all around there and I said, “I know”, and he said, “why did you stop?” I said, “Because somebody needs help”, and we had to stop because this guys yelling out there. 12:59 And he said, “you’re hearing things”, so it took a little while and we went out there and here’s a truck, Red Ball Express loaded. A small truck with five gallon cans on it and the gasoline is spilling all over the place and we’re getting fired at and I don’t know where it’s coming from or anything and we got him out, this guy is caught, but the guys got him out and put him in the jeep and dropped him off where some American soldiers were and we asked them if they had a field hospital or a medic or something. I don’t know what happened to him. That was one incident and we kept on going and we got to where this fellow with a truck with a piece of equipment was and he said, “let’s get out of here, let’s get out, let’s get out”, There’s a lot of shooting going on now and I said, “we cannot take the equipment.” 13:57 We had long silver tubes like pipe, it was an explosive, Magnesium, I think it was Magnesium and so he had all the Magnesium set up, we got some more and put it on everything we could. 14:20 When we left England, they made us get rid of everything, any correspondence, anything that could identify you and it was the same thing at that moment, we didn’t want the Germans to capture it or whatever happened. Any Identification—fingerprints or whatever they would use. Everything melted, those magnesium bombs—just white stuff and got back and got back to Chantilly, but there was an experience there—we ran into quite a few American soldiers—I don’t think that—I did not get into Bastogne, I did not see that. As far as the incident for example, the gasoline for Patton, we were getting messages even before that Patton was going to stop at a certain point and Patton wasn’t answering. 15:07 He was out there and not answering us so then we sent a message out saying “no more gasoline” and that’s the way we stopped him to the best of my recollection because there were messages going out, but I don’t know if he was going to Berlin or Bastogne, 6 �but he ended up in Bastogne and we saw some of that for him to get there and coordinate this thing—this is not an expressway or highway with maps and there were a number of places we got to, especially on the way back, where leaving we burned the stuff and the people were just screaming at us, they were angry because things had come through and they had gone over their equipment, they had carts and animals. 15:56 Interviewer: “You had refugees trying to get out of the way and our equipment is going back and forth with Americans retreating and advancing and it was pretty confusing.” There was another town where we were and I found out later was the Netherlands, on the strip, I don’t know where, I have it written down somewhere on that, but that was our experience in Ardennes. We got back and it didn’t take long before we started to back up right away. We had a ceremony there; I think it was before I went to Ardennes, where they presented, I think, fifty bronze stars to this outfit and decorations for the colonel, but these were all guys that were in Africa together. 16:42 I remember the incident there, another thing that’s unusual—we had one fella who came in from Africa and they had all been together, I think he was from New Jersey and he didn’t give a darn about anything and he now became a sergeant major and I think he had about forty promotions from pfc and back and they would promote him and he doesn’t care, but he was the one, when we got to Chantilly, he took one of the little buildings that we had and set it up as a barber shop and you would walk in there and he had all kinds of bottle that he put water in and colored it like you would always see in a barber shop. 17:26 It was nice to see that you could get a haircut, but we would get a haircut over in Chantilly from the French and what they would do was they would just pull your shirt back and blow the hair, but with this fella, he would give you the feeling that it was a little bit better and more like what you would get at home. He was one of the persons who received the bronze star and it was wintertime and they had us all in 7 �formation in the street and in two rows. I forget who the officer was that came to present the bronze stars and he would pin them on them. Well I’m in the second row and the sergeant tells the colonel that he, I don’t know what his name was, doesn’t want to come out and he tells the sergeant to get him out here. Now here is a guy with a long history like I mentioned and the colonel said to get him and bring him out here and he comes back and stands there and I think it is the general who is presenting the stars and he’s giving a talk and he’s pinning them on and so this guy comes out and he stands right next to me and all he is wearing are shoes. 18:40 Nothing else and it’s so cold all his hair is just standing out and I thought, “oh no, what’s going to happen here and the colonel saw it and he didn’t say a word and the general comes along and finishes that row and stands back and of course he stands right there and he has the medal to give him and he looks and I’m standing right next to him, I ‘m not getting a medal, and nobody says a word, but the word has gotten around that this guy is naked so, the colonel puts it on the guys shoulder and says,” you’ve earned it”, and he moves on. 19:23 You run into these incidents that are so far removed from what you see on the reporting on TV there. Things are going on there a lot of things like that took place. 19:34 I came back and I was transferred, I prepared all the reports, and I think you have to have seventy five or seventy four points to come back and I think my army discharge shows I missed it by two points and I had done all that work for thirteen hundred people over there and the colonel comes over and talks to me and he said, “I feel badly you know that”. And I said, “Yes, I know that”. Interviewer: “So basically the rest of the company was getting to go home, but you were staying.” Yes, I had to go to another company, long lines, I can’t think of their name right now or the number and they were in Bagustadt [Ingolstadt?]. 8 �Interviewer “In Germany, yes.” These long lines were going to be moving also very quickly and he said, “I can’t thank you enough”, and I said “fine” .for getting all the records, everything was—and suddenly we found out where we had been, we didn’t know the name of Omaha Beach, we knew the names of all the other battles because they had to be put in the records and they had to be done individually so, this is what I did. 20:43 Then he said, “you’ll be going home soon, your going to long lines and they are moving also”, and I said, “ok, thank you”, I had also gone on a furlough To Nice, from there they gave us a chance for a week so, we went on that and came back again. It was quite an experience, I think it took us—but Kissingen—we had gone past Chantilly, past Kissingen, we were in Germany, I went to the Black Forest. Another incident on that—we had been on the rations and I know that when we went to the black forest there were beautiful streams there and somebody saw there were trout in there and it wasn’t long before the grenades went in and they got the trout and we had fresh fish on that. 21:37 I had an incident there when were getting to Lechstadt and I started getting there with an early group and that and I started getting a toothache and I end up with a toothache—wisdom teeth and it was really bad so, I had to do something and I said not to send me back that it would go away, but they said it wouldn’t and that there was a dentist there and they told me to go see him. I went in to the dentist and the first thing he saw me he started talking and he said, “my name is Sullivan and I’m Jewish and he was nervous and he put me in his chair and his chair is run by a fellow who speaks Spanish, but I think he was Pilipino and the chair looked like a sewing machine that turned the drill. 22:43 He said, “take the chair, but I don’t have any anesthetic, it’s coming in from somewhere”, and I said, “I can’t wait Dr. it is really bad”, and he said, “you have two of them, not just one”, and I said, “I want you to take them out”, and he said, “without anesthetic”? I said, “do whatever you have to 9 �do and take them out”, so he said, “let me get some volunteers”. He goes out and they strap me in this chair like you see, my arms and everything and these guys are holding my head and he said, “ok now, I’m going to have to cut around the gum” he explained to them, these guys that are holding me and he cut around the gum and it’s just like hearing things break, like pencils cracking and he said to the guy, “let me have an elevator”, and it’s like a long screw driver and he puts it under the tooth and snaps it out. 23:43 Then he does the same thing with the other one and then it hit me, just like somebody hit me in my head, on the front of my head, just like a blow. So then he said, “OK, now were going to do something to stop the bleeding”, it was a powder—what did they call it? It is used when you get cut—anyway he put the powder in to stop the bleeding, but he said, “you are going to go to bed and don’t walk because you can hemorrhage and really bleed”, and they gave me more powder and they stopped bleeding. I went to the place where I was staying that we had taken over, I guess it was a spa deal so, I went in and they knew what had happened and they were all talking about it and they said, “you’re crazy to have done that”, and I said, “It was that I can’t do anything, it was just getting worse” so, they took me up to this room where I was staying, we had just gotten there, I put my duffle bag in there and I get in bed and they put this great big pillow, it was like a big pillow that is made of feathers on there. 25:10 Interviewer: “A featherbed”. I had never seen one of those and they put me on that and then he comes over and says, “The colonel heard about it and he sent you something for you to drink”, and it was whiskey, which the officers had—we didn’t have it. I took a glass and I wanted to knock myself out and I woke up at some point and I started to bleed and I put some more of that powder on it, I can’t think of the name, but I was just fascinated how that powder just stopped the bleeding. That was over 10 �with and we started getting the people back and from that I went to Nice and they took us to Frankfort, or some large city, where there were planes and we got into a C-47 and the fella said, “don’t use the first two seats on this side and what had happened was shrapnel had come in and you had metal. The seats were like trays that you have in a cafeteria, but they’re all just stamped in there, the seat were stamped with no cushion or anything so, we sat on that and the sergeant with the plane, an enlisted man, said to me and the guy on the other side, the right side, “I want you to watch and if you see a bolt shaking like it’s going to come loose, let me know and we’ll stop the plane. It was what you call it, a covered engine”? 26:37 Interviewer: “Yeah”. So we take off and of course you get this whistling coming in through the holes in the seats and the pilot says, “I’m going to fly low enough so you can see over Switzerland, the Alps and Lake Geneva. I didn’t care where I was because I was concerned about the darn plane and the bolt. We went to Marseilles and we landed and this bolt pops out and I told the crew chief and he said he would take care of it and I said, “were in Marseilles now”, and he said, “your getting off, we just have to wait until a plane lands”, well, another plane came in, a B-17, and it came in and never stopped, it went right into the water. 27:30 They were having problems with shot up planes, but I don’t think the guys drown or anything. We got off the plane and they took us to Nice from there. We got good food and rest, they took us back and I finished preparing the papers for the outfit to leave and I went to Bonnstadt and there again they had displaced persons and many of them had broken bones and they had not been set and I don’t know if it was from beatings or what, but their legs were bent between the knee and the ankle, they were just completely bent. Their arms—they had been really mistreated and others had been hit and had their teeth knocked out, but this was all on my getting ready to leave. From there they took us to 11 �a train, forty and eight, box cars, and I forget how many of us were in there and again, it didn’t take us long to get a fire going and something that I ended up using later on at Willow Run. At the University of Michigan when I was living at Willow Run, we took a can of sand and somebody had some gasoline and we poured the gasoline on the sand and light that because there were no seats. It was a cattle car. 29:02 We left there and got to La Havre and left on a brand new ship, the Wilson Victory, it was one of those that was made in a week or so and it was brand new, it did not have a ballast on it. We ran into a—it was very good because it was all clean and as we went down, we had some kind of dividers for the hammocks which were for sleeping and we had our duffle bags, but we started leaving on that and we started getting some food. They wouldn’t give us any milk, I wanted some, but they didn’t give us milk. It was a brand new ship so, we started out and this first thing you know we ran into one whale of a storm. I mean the front of that ship was going out of the water and slamming down, the propeller was whirling in the wind and it just went from bad to worse. 30:06 I don’t know what happened to the ships that may have been with us, but at one time a big beam got loose on the fore and it chopped a number of the posts with the hammocks and that’s another incidence where somebody yelled, “get the duffle bags” and we all got our duffle bags and just went after that beam and covered it and got on top of it just like it were a human being. That is another incident I can remember on that trip, there were no delays, no submarines or anything. Interviewer: “Do you remember when it was that you were sailing out? Was it after the war was over now?” No, I was discharged December 15th of 1944, no 1945. Interviewer: “The war was over then.” It was just over because it was just ending at that time, the “Battle of the Bulge” just took place. 12 �Interviewer: “The bulge is December of 1944 into 1945 and Germany surrenders in May of 1945.” I was discharged in December of 1945 so, that took place before this. All the time I was there, I was in a combat zone so were the other guys. There were snipers, land mines and we could not talk to the population, and in fact we were prohibited from doing it. 31:30 We learned four words in German very early that they taught us, even before we got to the beach head— rausmitten(get out of here), tun(halt), and I forget what the other two were, but those four words were what we would use. We would not do anything with the German people because we didn’t know if they were friend or foe, even in civilian clothes. 31:56 So the moment it ended I was on my way back. I was discharged in December, whatever time it took to get from Bonnstadt to La Havre and coming across. Interviewer: “Well your discharge has your services coming in the middle of 1945.” My discharge came in December of 1945 at Fort Sam Houston. Interviewer: “Yes, but that’s still seven months after the war is over basically, but you got far enough to be in Germany which means you’re there in 1945 when the Germans are surrendering and all of that. You’re saying while you were there, you didn’t really have contact with the Germans.” I didn’t have anything to do with the surrender, I had no details on that and by then we were— our outfit was ready to get back, some of the fellows did go to the pacific, they signed up for that, I didn’t consider that, I had met this girl in Peoria, which I married in 1946. 32:52 I had my own business before I went in the service and I wanted to get back to work. I had people working for me before I came out of high school, but that wasn’t unusual in our family, we were 13 �working and studying, but I wanted to get back to do something else. I wanted more studies, I had been to Oklahoma A&M, Bradley, LSU etc., and I was fascinated and we always had encyclopedias at the house too, but no sooner than it was over I thought I was fortunate to get through all this stuff and I saw a number of guys that were hit. We had a fellow by the name of Garcia, I can’t remember his first name, but he drove a, he was a courier in a jeep and he was not very tall, but he would go from Chantilly to a number of towns along the boarder where the army was and their messages, they didn’t want to send anyway but by currier so, he would get into his jeep and he would scoot down and he had some metal stuff that he had put on the jeep on the side and he would drive that way. 33:55 Well, he ended up with a broken back. I remember they brought him back and he was hit by something on the jeep and was knocked off the highway and got a broken back so, they brought him back to, we were in Chantilly then, and they returned him to the states. Just a number of incidents like that and I’ve been keeping track of some of these things as I remember them, but it is unusual because some of these people who have written and to be honest with you, they have taken somebody else’s word without proof on that, they just want to sell some books and we have to address a recent situation, he wrote the WWII—it was on television—The War— Interviewer: “Ken Burns.” Ken Burns, and he had done this before and because of the communications we have now with the computer it is instant across the country you know, but he had written book where he did not recognize any countries that spoke Spanish. Jazz, some of the greatest jazz musicians, Latin America even today, that’s well known, and you have many of the black jazz musician and Latinos, he didn’t recognize them. He wrote about baseball and sports and he didn’t recognize any of the Hispanic players. Reggie Jackson, his middle name is Martinez, and today how many 14 �do we have in each one of the leagues and they have been around for a long time. When he wrote about the war, he didn’t recognize the Latinos and many won the Medal of Honor and by ethnic breakdown it’s the largest group. 35:41 That is one of the reasons when I saw what you were doing and not that I was going to mention it-- it is not recorded. Now you are doing it. Interviewer: “Yeah, there is a group at the University of Texas that have conducted a lot of these. They aren’t run by historians and there are some issues with the quality of what they are doing, but they at least have made a fairly substantial collection. That was available to Burns at the time, but he just didn’t know about it or think about it and that was pretty embarrassing when that happened because there was no good reason for it.” 36:17 In addition, he is doing it with tax money and I work for myself and you pay taxes, you want to see that money go to doing some good for us and not to eliminate people who have made a contribution fighting for this country, which is the highest thing that you can do. When people don’t want to go to war somebody has to and there comes a time I think when we have a Bush right now and anybody that wants to run for president better have a tremendous confidence in them, any political office, to want the job because you’re going to get people who you don’t do anything right. I remember when at Pearl Harbor they came over and attacked us and all we were asked in most of these cases we don’t stay there as the colonials did years ago. All we have asked is a small piece of ground to bury our dead in the National Cemeteries and they are there. The same thing for example when we had the towers bombed in New York, they came over for whatever reason, but within hours there wasn’t a plane in the sky. The president sent out—and he was not in Washington you know— 15 �Interviewer: “He was down in Florida.” Within hours every plane was on the ground so, this took a lot of support and a lot of determination to do it just like Truman coming to drop the atomic bomb. 37:41 If we stop to think what was going on in the South Pacific, all the people who were dying there and again because of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Somebody makes the decisions and they’re tough so, I have to say we have had some pretty darn good people as head of our government and when they are there they become what the demand are of the time and at that point. Like we talk about ken Burns, now he has additional funding to write some more, but he’s getting now caught because the people are writing to the sponsors. This is our system of government—free enterprise—fine you make money and you spend it on something, but you want your return on that. 38:26 Interviewer: “Let’s try turn it back here to your own story. Back at the time you spent in the army, how do you think that affected you as a person?” Oh my gosh, it’s—you’ve been recording for an hour and a half or two hours and it will take me about three hours to give you examples of the change. Interviewer: “Well then, give me one good one.” When I said I worked for myself, before I came out of high school I had two cars. I went to a private school, OK? I had no credit cards, but if I didn’t have $200.00 in my pocket to me it was almost like a mortal sin. In other words it gave me the freedom of buying things and I had people working for me, but I wasn’t the only one in my family. All six of us, boys and girls all have had their own business, but then to get exposed to the nation that was using by force to train to fight to the point of dropping the atomic bomb that is a tremendous dedication of a group of people, I don’t care who they are—short, tall, catholic, protestant, but it came and we joined together on that and we had the people who brought us together. When you take Roosevelt for 16 �one, Patton, Arnold who flew the first bombing mission in B25’s and taking off from a carrier to bomb Tokyo to let them know we’re hear and we’ll get back with you. All of these things are people who are unbelievable and you go through any of our city blocks and I would say you have twenty houses in a block or fifteen every on e of these people is possibly a different religion and somehow we get along. You go to countries where the religion is the same—even dictators where they have the same government, they can’t get along. So, what is it that we have here? Well, if you read the constitution it tells you a little bit about it. I take my hat, for example when you take the change; it is almost a change that I would say that I have gone through when Roosevelt died. 40:40 I was in Chantilly and I was on the Teletype and the message comes through in code. We have cryptographers right next to us and the guy comes over before he gives it to the war room and says, “look what came in, the president died”, for Roosevelt to die— he had brought this country out of a depression –during the depression, I worked for ten cents a week for two weeks. We were in very, very bad shape and all of a sudden Roosevelt died and he is the one that took us out of the Pearl Harbor and we’re winning the war—my first thought was that we lost the war, but we didn’t know of any other president—it was Roosevelt and the Democrats, we heard of Hoover—well he made a mistake and it was bad, but we didn’t hear— now who is going to follow up? 42:37 My gosh we saw a picture of the guy Truman and he’s coming out of Texas and he’s got a Stetson hat on and there was no big smile, no charm, Roosevelt was like Kennedy, they didn’t have to talk, they projected themselves and all of a sudden you see this guy who had not finished college, who had been in bankruptcy, Truman, and we had a war going on, this is not over and look at what he lived up to—the GI Bill, he did away with the racism and discrimination in the armed forces, he brought them together so, these are the changes that I see, but almost—I’m not even a part of it, it’s just too big on that and it’s still 17 �going on. I think one thing we should publicize is, any of these people who are thinking of invading us, Iraq or for a time it was Russia and let them know that just that part of the constitution that we had before the Supreme Court that we’re entitled to a gun so, they should think if they are going to invade America, every time they walk on our blocks, these people have guns in their houses, they don’t have to put an army together and they have done this since the colonial times. 42:58 Interviewer: “I remember Humphrey Bogart pointing that out in a movie during the Second World War. The Germans should be careful about going to—it was Casablanca— certain parts of New York you didn’t want to go. Well you have told a remarkable story here and I would just like to thank you for coming in and doing this. I’m still active in the community and the same with my children, I have three daughters and one is Margaret Vega, she is with Kendall, she’s a professor of art and our oldest, Sue, is a housewife and her son is graduating from the University of Hawaii, he got a scholarship there and our youngest one Liz, she use to be an anchor here at channel 8 so, I’m familiar with some of the work that you do, but she here and went to New York to get a station on it’s feet. She was constantly being offered private secretary jobs and she took one with Turner Television and I remember when she mentioned that I asked her what she was going to do and she said they wanted her to train some of their people when they appear on television before congress and the public etc. They wanted her to get more training so, she was sent to—she had a masters already out of Michigan State University, but she had worked at Aquinas and Michigan State and also in Rochester at the university there, so schooling was very big part. They sent her to Denver for some schooling there in finance and they sent her to England, Turner did, for economics and she starts going across the country, she’s married and has two children, her husband runs like our 18 �VanAndel Arena here, in Rochester New York, good tax payers. They started sending her across the country doing film and training people—Garner and some of the movie people making commercials, she’s in charge of that and the first thing you know she wants to make a change and is going to the west coast and I ask her where she is going to go from what she has now and she said she was going to Xerox because they were in trouble. They had offered her quite a job and she was leaving for Mexico in two weeks. They have a big mess down there and she had a whole staff to put together to straighten it out. Being able to communicate is great. She lives in Rochester and they closed the whole operation in Mexico and in the last year she has developed a system using the Xerox equipment they make and that she was recognized for by all the other companies—IBM and all of them, they gave her a big reception in Boston and from there she was given a big reception at the white house for this equipment. She just got back from England about a month ago putting the equipment in operation and right now she is in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore for the same thing. So that when I mention to you that I have been involved in a number of things, this is the younger generation and you have the hope of doing anything you want to do and if anybody tells you that you can’t do it say good by to them. 46:34 there are a lot of opportunities all the time. Interviewer: “I think that makes a good concluding point here. Thank you for coming on.” Thanks for the invitation and thanks for the work you’re doing. 46:44 19 � 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 VegaF2 Title A name given to the resource Vega, Francisco M. (Interview transcript, video, and papers, 2 of 3), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Vega, Francisco M. Description An account of the resource Francisco Vega was born in San Antonio, Texas. He tried to enlist in the military immediately after Pearl Harbor, but was initially rejected because of his Mexican ancestry. He eventually did enlist in the Army Air Corps, and began a long process in which he used his talents and persuasive skills to find increasingly interesting assignments, eventually training as a teletype operator with a signals unit that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and was eventually part of Eisenhower's headquarters. 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.) Video recordings United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans 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 2008-03-07 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/3a76bbf8f01cd69750e4f551218db552.mp4 8cfe3faaf5f3207836651040044e8d1f https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6234fb26fb171ce5d15028f2baa6fd67.pdf 1704484d88e51b385cd157030f44cce8 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Francisco Vega Part 3 (36:14) Interviewer: “We are talking again with Francisco Vega. We are going to pick up with the end of WWII and go on from there. Mr. Vega, in the first interview we had basically covered your early life and your military career pretty much up to the end of the Second World War. You had further experiences after that, both in Europe at the end of WWII and then in the period of the Korean conflict, and so we would like to pick up the story basically, where were you when the war in Europe ended? Were you in France at that point still?” No, I was in Germany, we had been in France at Chantilly, and we had just moved to Kissingen in Germany and on the way there of course, we saw quite a bit of the country of France and Belgium and different things that had taken place such as the bombardment of the cities. The thing about Kissingen—I ended up going to the Ardennes. I volunteered to get one of our people out of there, we had special equipment and it was type ten equipment, which today we call satellites and it has to be from high point to high point. We were a mobile outfit. 1:30 Interviewer: “You talked about doing that in our first interview. That was during the war still during the Ardennes offensive because we had to get that out of there ahead of the Germans. From there just let me take it to the end of the war. That’s when we found out changes were being made. I was busy putting together the records. Our battalion had over 1300 people and we had myself and one other person. That’s all to take care of all the personnel records for the company, Headquarters Company, so we were very busy. Other than that, we thought it was, but 1 �we had not seen the end of the war itself and some of the people volunteered to go to the Pacific so, there were more records to get ready. Then I found out that you need a certain number of points—I had all these records of people who had been in Africa, who had been across northern Africa, and then into the landings in Europe. 2:30 We had been in five campaigns, all this coming together as the records are being put together. We realized—I think at one point someone said, “Do you realize how long we have been in a combat zone?” They said, “Eighteen months from the time we landed in Normandy until after the Ardennes and now we were getting ready to leave”. So, I found out I do not have—I miss returning with my outfit by two points. Interviewer: “Because your unit had already been in existence and you joined it as a replacement so, those guys had been in Africa etc., and they had more points than you and they could all be discharged, but you’re still there.” Right, and even with the five campaigns I was in, I still was missing a couple of points. I remember the colonel came over and he said, “I’ll arrange it so you go from here to Neustadt, it’s a long lines company, communications lines, and you won’t be there long. I feel badly that you’re not returning with us, but just get ready to leave.” That was it, I went to Neustadt and joined this outfit and while I was there I was able to see a great number of DP’s, displaced persons, many had broken limbs that had mended crooked and had not been set or anything. 3:51 I was there not more than two weeks and then I was asked to get ready to leave. They took us to the railroad station and there were “forty and eight” boxcars open and I joined with another bunch of guys and we started on the train back to Le Havre. So, you can see—from Germany all the way to the port of Le Havre. Remember, we had no seats and we had no toilets, we had nothing— 2 �Interviewer: “What was the weather like?” Very cold at that time. What we did, and of course there were a number of things, the people, the American soldier was so resourceful and we picked up five gallon cans of gasoline and other guys picked up containers and put sand in them and we would put the gasoline into the sand and light it, we were very careful because it was just an open flame, but that’s the way we came all the way to the port. 4:49 We get to the port and the different groups, they call them Chesterfield Camp and they have different names. Interviewer: “Yes they had a whole bunch of different camps and they were all named after different cigarette brands for some reason.” And from there they took us to the ship and we came on the Wilson Victory, now these were the new victory ships and this one was brand new, it had just come from the states and I don’t believe it had been used for anything yet. 5:20 Not a load of anything so, they put us on that and we left Le Havre, we left France. With that, we had a very, very rough trip. This ship would go down and I’m not a navy person, but it would go way up and come down and the motor would be whirling up in the air grinding away. We had on the area we were in, there was a beam that come loose and it just came right across the floor and we had a post with hammocks on the entire floor and it just cut them like they were butter and again using resourcefulness, we immediately grabbed our duffle bags are we went after that beam and threw ourselves and all our stuff on top to stop it. 6:12 We made it through and like I say, the storm was a very bad one, but we got through and landed at Camp Kilmer New Jersey, that’s the next place I can recall. I started making phone calls and one of the things that I was concerned about in Europe, a great deal, was I wanted to get back and marry this girl I had met and I was more afraid of not accomplishing that part of my life than I was of getting killed there, but this is the person I 3 �married in 1946 and we are still married. I finally went from there to the railroad station and when we got to Camp Kilmer, at the dock, I remember stepping out and possibly ten feet high there were boxes of small milk bottles in cartons and we hadn’t had any milk and we started drinking it and it got many of us sick. From there we went again to the railroad station and they took us down to—well, I went down to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio and things started— events were getting into place and I remember getting into the railroad station in San Antonio and there was one fellow that came by and said, “well, I’m playing golf over the week end, are you going to be caddying?” It was a very quick reaction, but his lip was cut and they had to take him and get him some stitches, but again I did not fell racism or anything, but it just felt that this was not something that I wanted and I reacted to it. 7:58 Again, these were the changes that had come about, none of us had to put up with anything, we had volunteered many of us, and from there I remember calling home and my dad asked if I was ready to leave and he would pick me up, but I said I would take the bus and I’ll get home just fine. I will have a couple of days and they were processing us and we were at Dodd Field, part of Fort Sam Houston, and I remember we were in this four car garage, open, and I heard the sound of a plane and this young soldier processing us yelled, “the plane is strafing” or something like that and we hit the floor and then they started laughing, but anyway, we picked him up and put him in the shower, clothes and all. That was an experience of the changes that were coming about and we were still reacting on that. 9:08 From there, I remember that one of the persons that was there—he kept looking at me for a while, he was a big first sergeant, the kind you would like to see in a movie, he had a big pot belly, he had medals on and everything else, and he said, “Hi” to me, he said, “You made it”, and I said, “Yes”, and he had a purple heart on and I said, “I wasn’t dumb enough to get one of those”. We were joking and I said, “What the heck did you do?” I only have my staff sergeant 4 �chevrons on, I had received a promotion to sergeant major, but he said, “I didn’t keep my butt down” and I said, “You were hit there? Are you joking?” We were just joking talking about that. 10:05 Then I said, “You know, I remember you for another reason , you were the guy that had me pack those one pound bags of saltpeter”, and he said, “oh, we do that all the time”. That was just another incident from there. I left there in the morning, I was discharged and I took my discharge and went to the bus and went home and I arrived home and of course the family was waiting, I had called them, and I remember my mother was crying and I thought—she’s crying, she’s happy, but she kept on crying for a while and I said, “mother, I’m going to be here now”. When I was talking with the first sergeant, he asked me what I was going to do and he said, “are you staying in the reserve?” I said, “you know I have been wanting to get a commission, maybe I should do that”, so I signed up for the reserve—that was the beginning of it. 10:57 The final deal. I get home and we sit down and we talked an my mother said, “I do have something for you”, and this by the way—I’m a little bit ahead of the story because this is after I’d been in Grand Rapids. When I was there I met with the family, I made a trip to Mexico, my aunt Simona, a grandmother, an uncle, aunts and cousins were there and my aunt said, “You know I made a promise while you were in the service, that if you come back we will keep this promise”, in Spanish it is called amunda, like an order that you agree to do something. 11:42 We went to the church, to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the promise she had made was that if I came back alive that she and I would walk from, on our knees, from the door of the church to the altar, which we kept on that, we did that. Again these are just part of the cultural side and I respected their wishes and I was very happy that’s what got me back. I returned to San Antonio and had a job right away with the Veterans Administration Communications Division because of my typing and this is in January or February of 1946. My wife and I, the girl I was going to 5 �marry, we agree to get married in May of 1946. 12:35 We were married, we returned to San Antonio—we were married in St. Louis, Missouri, and one of the fellows that landed with me in Normandy, he was our best man. We returned to San Antonio and we left for Grand Rapids— we found a school out there, the University of Michigan, for what reason I still don’t know, I liked the name and I had been to three other schools before in the army, universities, so when we could not get into the U of M because every state university was giving preferences to their state veterans. My wife had met Jean Adrianse, a Grand Rapids family here, while she was in Chicago, my wife was working for the Social Security Administration and living at the YWCA and this is where Jean also lived so, she mentioned Aquinas that was just getting started so, we came up and it was September of 1946. When I left the Veterans Administration I believe from the time I worked for them, in a few months I received about four promotions, paid promotions, because what I was doing was typing records and of course my typing speed was there. 13:57 Interviewer: “You were fast and you had a lot of experience with records by this time too.” And with numbers, that I was something I had done before I went in the service. I had about two years working as a billing clerk and that was just all numbers. We came up here in September of 1946 and in 1948 I went to the University of Michigan School of Business Administration and while I was there I met George Heartwell, the father of our present mayor, and he was just out of the navy and I was just out of the army and we lived next to each other at Willow Run Village in Ypsilanti. 14:39 We returned to San Antonio in January of 1951 and my wife was working at the Grand Rapids Press at the time, in the old building across from the veterans park, and there was an ad in the paper and I called my wife and she asked me why I wanted to apply for a job if we were leaving for San Antonio? I said, “we are”, and she said, “Were leaving in January?” I said, “yes, and this was October. During that last year, 1950, we were living on Norwood St. and 6 �I saw a job opening at the Eastown theater, they had a sign out there and I went in and talked to the owner at that time, Allen Johnson, and he said, “do you want that job”? And I said, “Yes”, and he was surprised, and he said, “No, that’s a woman’s job”, and I said, “Do you pay for this”? He said, “Yes”, and I said, “I’ll take it, I live right around the corner here”, so I took that and it was a big joke for a while because people were not used to that, but it was a good experience and I ended up managing the Wealthy Theater, the Four Star, the Family and the Eastown and that was a chain owned by Allen Johnson and the film was supplied by a Detroit organization. 16:03 In October of that year, that’s when I called my wife and said, “There’s a box ad in the paper and I would like to know who it is”, and she asked again if we were leaving for San Antonio and I told her yes. She told me the job was with Resurrection Cemetery, the Catholic Diocese, they were down on lower Monroe where those new buildings are now and I went over there and they said, “Look, there’s a fellow, Harry, he’s from Kansas City, he was up here to get Resurrection Cemetery started, it being the second Catholic Cemetery in the nation with no upright monuments. 16:50 I knew nothing about the cemetery business, but he talked to me, Harry Graff, and he said it was commission and here is what you do. You take this book; these pages and you study them. I said, “I have a couple of questions”, and he said, “Don’t worry about the questions, the people will have all the answers for you”, and he had come from Kansas City. The thing was, he didn’t know much about the business himself, but I believed him, he was in charge. 17:18 From October to January, I started calling and just telling people who I was and explained the facility of Resurrection Cemetery and could I have an appointment. Well, once I was there I would tell them that I was only going to be there a short time and did they have any questions well, I will finish in about fifteen minutes, but I lucked out all the way through because people did not want to talk about this, that they were going to die and be put here—that fact that 7 �they knew how long I was going to be there encouraged them to listen a little bit. 17:53 We left in January by then, the first week in January of 1951, I set a national sales record, I was told it was a national sales record, I sold seventeen contracts in one week. Yes, I made some money, we had a brand new 1951 Buick Special, custom made furniture and so, we left for San Antonio. When I was leaving I got a phone call from Mr. James Harrington who was helping the Catholic Church develop Resurrection Cemetery and the other one was in Kansas City Missouri, and he wanted to know why I was leaving and what was it that I didn’t like. I said, “No”, and he said, “Have you ever made this kind of money before that you are making?” I said, “not with a piece of paper and a pen”, and he said, “Well, you’re going back to San Antonio now?” I said, “yes”, I’m stopping in Peoria to see my in-laws”, and he said, “Could you stop by Kansas City?” I said, “sure”, and we stopped by there on the way down, he took us to the country club, we had wild game, it was just a beautiful place and he kept asking me “do you know what you’re going to do when you get to San Antonio?” I said “no”, and he said, “Why did you leave this when you were making this money?” I said, “I have made more money than this, I had my own business before I came out of high school, but never with just a pen and a contract”. He said, “If there is anything that you need, please give me a call, I enjoyed talking with you”, I went to his home—I was just there a couple of days and so, we left on that basis and as we were leaving he said, “There is one thing you can do for me, will you please check on these demographics for Corpus Christi, the church has called and they also want one of these cemeteries”. And I said, “Fine, I will be happy to do it”. I get back to San Antonio and this—I’m back to my early comment that I was ahead of my changes in life, and when I arrived in San Antonio my mother is crying, my dad is there, everybody is happy, but at the same time mother finally said, “I have something for you”, and I said, “What is it?” It was this envelope and I said, “ I do not know what it is, why 8 �are you crying?” He said, “If you look at the address, it’s the army”. 20:20 It was thick and I opened it up. I’m being recalled from the Air Force Reserve to be in the Korean War. I thought “oh my gosh”, I was just planning my life, starting a family etc., and I think I had to report the next day. We got there on a weekend and on Monday I’m at Brooks Field. When I walked in there I said, “Look, possibly could I get an extension?” They said, “no, walk over here”, and they swore me in and they said, “we are going to save time, we are going to issue you your clothing”, so, I came home with my duffle bag again. 21:06 In the meantime, I said, “I’ll get the work for Mr. Harrington”, and I did get to the library to look up the diocese and population etc. I called him back and gave him the information and he said, “Well, have you made up your mind what you’re going to do?” I said, “Yes Mr. Harrington”, and he said, “So quickly?” I said, “Oh yeah”, and he said, “What are you going to do?” I said, “I’m going back in the army”, and there was just silence. 21:33 He had never been able to go into the army because he had a problem with his feet and he said, “Would you repeat that?” I said, “I’m going back in the army, I’ve been called back”. He said, “Do you want to go back?” And I said, “No, not really”, and he said, “Francisco, with the record that you have, and what you did in the military, why are you being called back?” I said, “Mr. Harrington, I don’t know, but I have my clothing and everything and I am supposed to get back there”. He would speak like Missouri—slow, with talk measured, and he said, “What are you doing tomorrow?” I said, “Well, I think I have three days to put things together”. And he said, “Would you meet me at the airport?” He said, “I’ll let you know what time, what flight I’m arriving” so, he flew in. 22:23 He go into Brooks Field and it was either a full colonel or a one star general we ended up talking to and Mr. Harrington starts talking to him. He said, “I’m Bud Harrington from Kansas city, Missouri”, I can almost hear him talking this way, and he said, “I understand that Mr. Vega is being called back to Korea”, 9 �and this fellow was straight backed and he said, “That is correct” and Harrington said, “Well, I’m here to ask if you can give him an extension”, and he said, “No, we cannot do that”, and Harrington said, “Well, how about some time so he can straighten out his personal affairs?” “Sir, we cannot do that”, and Mr. Harrington said, “May I use your phone?” He picks up the phone and I’m trying to keep from smiling and laughing only because of what then followed. He called and said, “This is Bud Harrington”, and I think he said, “Is Harry there?” And then he started talking and he said, “Oh fine, fine”. The Muhlbach Hotel was part of Harrington’s family and a well-known name for a brewery and wealth etc. Well, pretty soon this officer who was in charge, he got the drift of what might be the person at the end of the line and it took me a little while longer, but then this officer, he kept telling Mr. Harrington, “It’s fine, It’s fine”, he didn’t want any part of it and then Mr. Harrington said something and he said, “Do you want to talk to him?” 24:14 This really got this officer quite concerned and Mr. Harrington said, “No, we’ve got it taken care of,” and that was the end of it. To this day, all I know is whoever was at the end of the line was important to the moment there. When I got the extension of thirty days, I did some more work for Mr. Harrington and he told them—“This is what this man has made and he is still working for me, he just got these demographics” so, he was telling the truth so, I get the extension—I still had only a certain number of days and all the furniture we had bought, by the way, had still not arrived in San Antonio and we found out the truck had gone into a ditch and it was all ruined. It had been in the water for some time. We went from there, the last week-end— I had to report on Monday, and I told my wife—“Look, I just want some time by myself, I’m going fishing” so, I went to the outskirts of the San Antonio River or one of the rivers and I remember I had a fly rod which I had not used in years and I didn’t even have bait on it, I just have a knot on it to get it out there and while I’m sitting out there this fellow comes along the 10 �river and it’s not populated and he’s in work clothes and he stops and he walks a little bit closer to me, he was about a half a block away when I saw him, and he finally gets close enough and he said, “Sir”, and I didn’t say anything because I had my own self pity or anger that I let myself get into situations like that. 26:00 Finally he said, “You got a cigarette?” I didn’t want to talk to anybody and I said, “Yes”, I was smoking at the time and I gave him a cigarette and he moves away and he asked for a match so, I gave him a match and I said, “Look, would you mind leaving me alone? I don’t want to be rude, but I’m out here going over something that I have to go over in my own mind”. 26:24 He lit the cigarette and smoked and as he was leaving he said, “When you get there tomorrow, you ask for this person”, and I let out a stream of profanity and I said, “Leave me alone you bum, just mind your own business”. Anyway, he left and when I go there to report the next morning the first sergeant said, “Please go into the office with the officer there”, and I walked in and this fellow from the river was sitting there. 27:02 Now, how this came about—I have had experience with even less explanation at Omaha Beach and I got through a lot of stuff, but here’s another one that came—he said, “This is for you—the orders— you do not have to report, you were called up by mistake”. I said, “How many people are you calling up by mistake?” He said, “If I were you I would get out of here” so, I walked out and I stayed I stayed there just long enough for that term to end and I didn’t sign up again, but I did want to get the commission and that’s why I stayed in there and that was the end of my time in the service. 27:54 Interviewer: “Who do you think was the person on the other end of that telephone Mr. Harrington was calling?” I think it was Harry Truman, they knew each other and Harry Truman had offices and a suite at the Muhlbach Hotel, so this is why—I never asked Mr. Harrington because later on I went back 11 �to work with him, but it was such an unusual thing, I wouldn’t ask. I respected the guy and that’s whom I thought he was calling and that’s whom the officers thought he was calling and it took me a little while to catch on. 28:39 Very unusual things, very unusual things that I experienced, like this fellow coming along the river and how did he know—I must have said something to him for him to tell me. He said, “ When you go in there, you ask for this person”, and I didn’t ask for anyone, I just went in because I didn’t believe him, that there was anyone that could help me anyway. 29:03 Interviewer “Kind of a strange business so, once you had that sorted out, did you go to work for Mr. Harrington then? Was that the upshot of that since you didn’t have to stay in the army?” No, I gave Mr. Harrington the information and my sister and I started talking about doing something in business and she said, “Let me show you something”, she had been making these sandals, they were flat and made of toweling cloth—what do they call it? Interviewer: “Terry cloth?” Yes, terry cloth, they were made from that and you just slipped into them. She had the machine there at the house and she was doing that and I said, “How long have you been doing this?” and she said, “Anytime I want to, I just do some work on this, but I want to tell you something I believe we can do, do you remember the Rizik brothers?” We grew up with them and they were Syrian or Lebanese, I don’t recall, they were Middle Eastern people, and I said, “Sure, Mike and Theresa”, we had been in elementary school, and she said, “I think we can get some work from them”, and I said, “How much work?” 30:17 She said, “Why don’t you go talk to them?” So, I went down town to the Juvenile Manufacturing Co. and they owned the building that took up the entire block and was about four or five stories high. Inside it was all embroidery and equipment 12 �for the manufacturing of clothing etc. I walked in with Mike and he asked how my mother was and the family and I told him they were fine. I said, “My sister is doing some machine embroidery and I thought I might be able to get some work from you for her, for us and he said, “What do you have? What kind of work?” So, I took out some samples and he said, “You can do this here?” And I said, “Yes”. He said, “Were sending all this stuff out to Dallas because we cannot get somebody here that can do this”. And it was just simply—well, it could be a number of things-- the samples I took were just a little piece of cloth with the face of a cat—one line drawn, almost like a cartoon deal and it could be done in a matter of seconds with a chain stitch like the machine that is putting a name on something. 31:28 So, he said, “I can give you quite a bit of business with us”, and I said, “Ok, please put it in writing”. Fine, he put it in writing and I go back home and I said, “I’ve got a letter here that will give us about as much work as we can handle”, and I asked my sister what we will need and she said, “Well, we better get two more machines or get one more machine”, and we took a room that was adjacent to the garage and started working on that. 32:00 I go back to Mike and he said, “I have an order, I’ll have it delivered for you”, and he sends out the beginning of a hundred forty thousand dozen. I think we finished forty thousand at $1.00 a dozen. Then my sister started training other people that had graduated with her from a technical school in San Antonio, Texas and we started getting a lot, we were just given flat pieces and it just developed into—we were doing anything that was printed we could put into embroidering. I had people that had a new breed of cattle that was developed and they wanted for shows. We would take a piece of felt, blue or white and embroider the photograph on there and of course there was very good money in that. These people treated these cattle like children, it was their pride and joy and the breeding and everything that went with it. 33:04 We got into working with furniture manufacturers, for the 13 �inside of caskets, we got into volume. By then we had three shifts working and Mr. Harrington called me and he said, “Could you break away and come up for a week-end?” I said, “Sure”, and my wife stayed in Peoria and by then we had our first child and I went to Kansas City and Mr. Harrington said, “Look, I’m in Albany and Troy and I’m not getting results, I have to have Grand Rapids—I have Kansas City”. Mr. Harrington had owned banks and automobile distributorships, Kaiser, Frazier, and he was a businessperson. He said, “Would you be interested in checking out to seeing if you can tell these guys how you made your sales?” I said, “Mr. Harrington, I just asked the people if I could explain the services we have.” So, I started there in Kansas City and the first thing I had to do—when I went into the first meeting there was a fellow who puts his feet up on the table and he has a small knife and he is cleaning his fingernails the first thing I did was ask him to wait until after the meeting if he wanted to talk to me. I said, “You have been fired”. So, the rest of them got the drift too. 34:29 They started listening and we started getting sales. Mr. Harrington said, “How would you like to handle the sales contracts?” I said, “Mr. Harrington, I’ve got an infant company there in embroidery, let me talk to my sister”. My sister and I talked and she said, “If you want to stay it will be fine”, and I said, “Ok, why don’t you take my share of the company for $1.00”. We had all kinds of equipment and machines, we had power-cutting tools—we had many things going. Interviewer: “That was all in San Antonio right?” That was in San Antonio. Interviewer: “Why were you up in Peoria at this point?” At this point I had come back to Peoria to be with my wife. She was also in agreement and so I just went back to Kansas City and whatever I had in San Antonio stayed there for quite a while, but I started then hiring and training the people for Albany connected to Detroit cemeteries and 14 �Grand Rapids. Then there was a change; Harry Graff wanted to return to Kansas city and Mr. Harrington asked me if I had any suggestion about who we put in there and I said, “Mr. Harrington, how about me?” 35:43 He said, “Why do you want to go there?” It was a big operation and I said, “I like the fishing and I like the hunting, I don’t like the cloudy days, but I think my wife will like it, she was born in Idaho and raised in Peoria, Illinois and like the changes in climate.” 36:03 Interviewer: “The seasons.” We came back to Grand Rapids again, George Heartwell had just moved to Grand Rapids from Detroit and he was heading Citizens Mortgage, he was a graduate attorney, but he went into the mortgage business and again we were like lost brothers. We had enjoyed many fishing trips, many hunting trips, the family came along and it’s been a very nice experience here and that about brings me up to working with you in the great job that you are doing. 36:40 Interviewer: “Well thank you very much for coming in and finishing the story for us.” Thank you very much again. 15 ��L.' ~onorable 11liscbarge . . I· . . f?hteJ ~ ~ ~ ' FRANCTSCO Oompany 'A" ~ v~GA 1700th 18 199 154 J ~.~~ ~ starrl S1gna l Service I • Serge~nt , '. Barta Hon(A1nl) ~~~}!f- ~~ae~~[7~~~~., - !?7;{a_~~ ~ <a~~ I /fd ' Army of tqe Jtniteil llJta,es I --- I '- ..... .,.,J " ae~' " n4 a ~_/~, ~~ [$a##[7~ . ~ ad ~ I 7' .._~ .__':::-:'] ." ; . -.J :' II . ) I I I �kh t. LAST NAME. 'IIIIT HU'E • MIDDLI HONORABLE I INITUL a. DISCHARGE AIIU SEILIAL '..J I"~ HO. I. OUOI / •. A'M O•• UVICI COMPONINT I 18 199 154 to O •• "'NIZATION Sig C A!JS II, I 7. OATI0' UPUATlaN •. S/S~t PUCI 0' .IPAUTIONSeparat i'.:m Center 1709~h Signal Ser,,;ice Dn (AVfjJ) 9 Dec 45 Fort Sam Houston Texas •. PUMANINTAaONI•• 'ONMULING pUIPa.u 3,21G 'il 'l'ravi is st I'II'H II. PUCI a, "ITN j Texas San Antonio 7 Bexar ibounty 28 Feb 22 ta. Ie SOUGHT San Antonio Tex~s U. COLO' nil coLa. HUN HIIOH7 WIIGHT /17.110.DIPeND. SEle 9 Drown Brown 610" 121 Las. 0 ) 10. ADDIIESS '"011 WHICH IN'LOUIEN' DATE 0' I'.' WILL , II. CIYILIAN aa , DATe 0' I'·' II DATI0' INLISTMINT 22 Cct 4211 .NDUCTION U. II. OCCUPATION Typist II TAR Y HISTORY DU C IO"'C"'tl"'.4A2C"YI o' •••• 'cc .II. '''0 /1'. 110. 1-37.32 MIL or PLACE 2 2 IItTI' INTO SIAYICI I st~ Rctg San Antonio Tex3.s I I 10. MILlTAIrOCCUPATIONAL SPICIALTY ANDNO. Adrnlnistrntlvc Gpecidist .I a, "THU ANDCAMPA'IINt Ho rmandy Central 31. 1'!athern .:Ie. WOUNDS l"rance R"CEIVED Good 1 Service IN ACTION Arden,' nes American Condut't StripJ I TYPHOID I TITANU' I.MUNIZATION SeRYIC.. IMONTHS GO 33 ••.• 'C.) I 45 IDATS 1 G 17 a •. P.,O•• UYICI I '1II0,.tHS I 1 31. 1 II o;;/3gt il I... vi No ne 1 , ~\I"I", . .'0; , r 'A' .... II,,' .,. n.VICI 'CHOOUATTENDID - General Basic " .l.-.. II ' ',.wI 0 _1';;..f _ (Th,s ~pa". 10' C\ ••• •••• ,~I .•I.I. '?' n ,,,. _. r-s-._ • ~. J' ••. A I. . I ••. INSURANCE I V'.u ?~./ 0 A T A NOTICE / J ~ a G-;.••••.• IDUCATID. (Yeora) ,. /, ••••• 'Z , •••••• I, e;tt U••••• "=j (j -1._' I I! •• .• DATIa, "U'VAL 15 May 44 2 Dec 45 I PAY ... 5 AND ItITUIN US w~ < J ';..s' 11'.1 - .•.. ,.:___ , U. s. EAT.IE ,'fI&JDilry • t.e. , .•,. h •• !h·~ .~.·t"".l·l~ I\dmini.r.mioa 10 I". aad (or the fll~u" ~a", "I ..• .t~, '''(\' "1 i'··a".·II!"P I-tndlt aadu rit~ In of rhe 5rrvlCrmr1l' Rn:t '11, a U'""',;l1I' DUTINATION 44 24 Uov 45 I n OUTSIDC CONTINeNTAL 2 },fa'r ae. HleNUTeMADINILD Ii IlltVICI DATIa, DIPUTUU 6 Jul 45 IDATS 7 I·,edal With Victory Ribbon I OTHI'rjPh~I~) I rOaEIG •• SlltYICI IYIEARS J-:AJ[1~ Campaign Award compl.'rn 01 above it.ml or .ntry 01 oth., lI.ms ,p.cIII.d in W. D. DI,.cliv.s) ..•:I: Laoel Dutton I Issued • ASR Score (2 Sep 1945) - 76 I I, 1,1 SI. 0•. PtISO" SIGHATUIIE IIING IIPA-IIIATEO • II: IT. ~fl/7~i! WD 1 AGiO .0aM 53.5' November 1944 ThJS 101m ~u~r.sede. all pleV;OU.f I ~ P•.••~~.?az j(.rlj. \jr.IFT~.l}j""'CPJlIS.~s (rr.z~~d ed'IIon2 arganizalion •• lgna'ure) 1 t nn I'er-s Ofrtcer 01 WD AGO F"orm.S3 and SS lor .nli.,.d person. .nh,l.d 'A an lIano,abl. Di.eha,q.. whIch will not b. u.••d aIr., ,eceipt 01 ,hI. r.vII/on. -_._~ \ I DATil 19Jan44 27!~eb45 TOTALUN"N 0' .ERYICI 17. CONTINENTAL Rhineland 'I'hen'ter I Caml?a~gn Medal Hed:),l I Ueri torioua Unit 3 Ov~rscas Service Dars :: LATEST 18Aor441 rlAa. I ILIU••• U••"u"•••••UTl (I.•.. lnlanl'y.aviatlonandma'hman.hlpbadg Sharpshooter Carl1ine 17 Feb 44 II Hone •• ALLPOI 'I' .• AND CITATION' stars ... !jl)? II, Europe DeCORATIONI Bronze I 1.'1' !: o �/ . R~.§lBl.Q.IiJ2 I I HEADQUARTERS I 1709TH SIGNAL SERVICE BATTALION (AVN) I APO 696, U S Army ~28 I August 1945. I SPECIALORDERS) I NUMBER •••••• 73) I • I I . . '1. 1ST LT ROBERT T. CARTON,0580604, AC. Co "en. l709th 816 Serv Bn (A~), 1s .placed on TDY. for a period of one. (1) day, eft o/a 4 Sep :+945, wP Hq. USFET and Wiesbaden M1litary. Germany. tor dy in conn~ation w!5Ignal Activities •. Upon compl ot TOI, he wlll ret to pror~~ orgn and ata. TDNby 1vlT. i- . . 2. Tec 4 samuel S. Mekler, 32498716. Hq Det. 1709th S1g Serv an (Avn), is~laced on TDY, for a period of five (5) days. eff o/a 5 Sep 19~5~ WP Complegne. Franae. for dy In connectlon wjSlgna1 Supply Act~vlties. Upon compl or TDY. ~e will rat. to proper orgn and sta. tDN by Mr. I 3. i I Co "A", 1709tl Tea '6 Paul J. ~ eller 1 12 440 g Serv an (Avn Sig Serv Bn ~vn. a trt n gr. t qDe. and is atct;ld to. 00 ."A It , l709th 81g Serv ~n (Avn) for rat only. EDCMR: 4 Sep 1945.J No travel involved.: . " I I 4. S6t franoisco / V I ' M. .' I " Vega, 18199154. Hq Det, 1709th Sig Serv Sn (Avn) It is ~PPOinte~ .an Pars Sst Major. for the 1709th Sig Serv Bn (Avn), vice, S/66t;·tHarley Q. lohaerrer Jr, 36181755. transferred. I 5. 'I'm, tol I' . . Care dire -, ! EDCMR: 4 S'ep 1945. ' • m ASGMT"- ~ HELD. I 1ST LT (82Q) ROBERT T. CARTON00 ·0", 1709th (0224) AO~. Sig Serv Bn (Am) 1ST LT (92Q) JOSEPH;BREOHER I 01643574 (0220) Si8 C Co "A", 1709th Sig Serv Bn (Avn) 0580604 . r~ I Serv ~~ (~~7~)tt~: EDCMR: 4 Sep 1945- No tra.vel i i ,I ~o:;S~o3~fi~31~~9t64~tg No travel involved. I I· Hq, ASGD, involved.. wp 00 MSW, 1709th 51S Serv Bn (.Avn) . . Co "Bit, 1709tb 5il$ 5erv Bn (Am) . ' ~:r~B;~ tI~~?5 e 1 I 7. 50 much of par 5. SO 72. this oSf perta1ntng to transfer of EMfr Co "B". l709th 5le Serv En \Avn) to Hq Det, l709th Sig Serv (Avn), 1s amended 1)0 include: "No t~ve1 involved". . Sn I t I §I , i I -1- I 1~.;.1~ ! �J IN r/Ii ~ r./ !.tf+ V~SIDN C v ll-TLG:.- ~ cj !NVAS"fO C. tI I«S fLlt-lS-)...I r.) 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Welght ••••••• 'fl'l.....;.;.:~ ......Ib.. ;,. •••••••••..•tone··)..~ti· •• Color hair ••.Iil.""'.~~or eye••••P.~.9.~Ple"lon .•••~ •••••••• Scart or dl.dnliul.hinll mark •••••••••••••••••••.••..•••••••••••••••••••••.••• ......................... . _ ~~.~ : ~:~.:~ . ~ .r" . --_._---- ....•• f � 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 VegaF3 Title A name given to the resource Vega, Francisco M. (Interview transcript, video, and papers, 3 of 3), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Vega, Francisco M. Description An account of the resource Francisco Vega was born in San Antonio, Texas. He tried to enlist in the military immediately after Pearl Harbor, but was initially rejected because of his Mexican ancestry. He eventually did enlist in the Army Air Corps, and began a long process in which he used his talents and persuasive skills to find increasingly interesting assignments, eventually training as a teletype operator with a signals unit that landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and was eventually part of Eisenhower's headquarters. 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.) Video recordings United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans 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 2008-03-07 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/2b7bd488b441f8e32b720fa1c52a63ea.mp4 ba7f79b40553f1514f903db7b47f9124 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8123d0ea9da7f708700902295500123f.pdf d036dc4aac8352ff13a55cfcbcbef650 PDF Text Text Velez-Cruz, Miguel Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Interview Name of War: Vietnam War Interviewee’s Name: Miguel Velez-Cruz Length of Interview: (56:21) Interviewed by: Harry Vo Transcribed by: Lyndsay Curatolo Interviewer: “Hi. This is Harry Vo interviewing for the Veterans History Project. Here we have a veteran in the recording studio with us. Please introduce us with your name, your unit, your position in the Army, and what wars have you served in?” My name is Miguel Angel Velez-Cruz. I served in the United States Army. When I left the Army my rank was Specialist 5 E-5–– basically Sergeant. I was trained as a medical records clerk, at the beginning. When I served–– the only war that I ever served was in Vietnam. I was there from June ‘68 to June ‘69, and I had two different jobs; as a medical records clerk in a missile battalion, but then in a service battalion I worked in grave registration–– which was considered a service battalion in quartermasters for the first logistical command. Basically, after I left Vietnam I finished my military career in Germany. (1:26) Interviewer: “Please tell us about yourself. What are important things that we might like to know?” I was born in Puerto Rico in 1949. I was raised and developed in the 1950s and 1960s, and that was the worst part of the Cold War mentality and Puerto Ricans, as U.S. citizens–– Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States–– they gave us citizenship in order to be capable of drafting us to the Army for whatever wars. My grandparents were drafted for World War I, my biological father and his brothers were drafted for World War II, and my stepfather and his brother served in the Korean War because it was all based on age and the different generations in my family. I was surrounded by a family where men joined the service or didn’t object to being drafted to the service because Puerto Rico was a very, very poor place to be in those days. It was basically a third-world country within the jurisdiction of the United States. It was very poor, so joining the Army and getting a check every month instead of cutting sugar cane was a way out of extreme poverty. That was the experience in my family. (3:08). By the time I was 16/17 the war in Vietnam was already getting hot. In 1966/1967 I was already feeling the allure of the adventure of getting out of my hometown–– a small little town on a small island–– and I just wanted to leave and see the world, and I look at the Army as one way of doing it. Also, while I was in high �school–– you know, you’re starting to shape your political views and things–– I was exposed to the anti-communist propaganda of the 1960s. They told us all the time that the Russians are coming, the Chinese are eating babies, and communism is the worst thing in the world–– which I’ve always agreed that it’s a horrible political system, but it created a mentality in me that anything that the government was asking me to do in order to fight communism, it was okay because it was like a new “crusade,” you know, we were going to save the world. You never questioned what was happening and you never questioned if the government was telling you the truth or not because that was very important. It was unforgivable. Your country was always right, and that made me not [want] to wait. Instead of being drafted, I joined. I volunteered. (5:05). In December I talked to my mother–– I was an only child, something happened–– and I wanted to fly helicopters. That was the coolest thing in the 1960s, helicopters in combat. They were the latest and greatest machine. I didn’t know that they were very slow, very prone to dropping from the sky, very easy to shut down, but they didn’t show you that on the ads on TV to join the Army. They show those beautiful things moving at high speed and dropping soldiers and everybody wins the war. I wanted to be a helicopter pilot and I joined with the idea that I was going to go to helicopter school in Fort Rucker, Alabama, but my mother had other ideas. For whatever reasons my family had some political connections in Puerto Rico with the Commissioner in Washington. We don’t have a Congressman, we have something called a Commissioner. He doesn’t vote but he has about the same privileges that any other house member has, and he was a friend of my family’s. They managed, through him, to keep me away from something called combat arms. Combat arms in the Army are infantry, tanks–– anything that is shooting–– artillery. Anything that is shooting with something. So, they kept me away from that and being a helicopter pilot was considered dangerous and being an only child and all those reasons, my mother managed to keep me away from the helicopter pilot school. Suddenly I was sent to a clerk school and I asked, “Why? I had a contract. I was supposed to go to helicopter pilot school.” They say, “No, the class has already started. You’re going to go later.” Because in the Army you never got an answer for anything. You were told what to do and you did it and that’s it. So, I started my military training in what they call basic training–– what all soldiers do just in case because every soldier there has to be a rifleman, you have to know how to use a rifle–– and that’s what they do in basic training. That was done first in Fort Jackson and then in Fort Gordon, Georgia. Fort Jackson is in South Carolina. From there I went to Advanced Individual Training and they sent me to this clerk school and they made me a medical records clerk in Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. (8:10). Places that I’ve never been in my life because I only lived in New York City with my parents–– my stepfather and my mother–– for about three or four years when I was a child, between five and nine years old. That was my exposure to English, but they went back to Puerto Rico and the rest of my life I lived on the island with everything in Spanish. After Fort Leonard Wood, I received orders to go to Vietnam and I asked, “When am I going [to helicopter school]?” “Oh. Probably when the next class of helicopter school starts. They’ll pluck you out of Vietnam and send you to Fort Rucker.” “Okay.” So I went to Vietnam and the very first unit I went there [with] was a missile air defense unit. Something �called HAWK missiles. These systems were designed to shoot down aircraft in case North Vietnamese or Russian or Chinese aircraft would come down south–– which never ever happened in their ten years of involvement in Vietnam. There was never an aircraft coming from the North to the South. We sent thousands of aircraft from the South to the North. Our unit was there for a few years, but by the time–– I was there about six-months to eight-months in this unit, which was the first unit that I was headquartered in because it’s considered air defense artillery, the missiles [and] the rockets. Headquarter battery [and] I think it was 6th Battalion, 71st artillery and air defense. They decided to send that unit to Germany because there was no use for it in Vietnam, but anybody who was six-months or less in the country was going to stay in Vietnam. So what are [they] going to do with Mickey Velez? (10:30). I was the battalion aid station medical records clerk and I was learning things about what they do in aid stations, but suddenly they sent me to a place called the 38th Base Post Office because I was a clerk, I was not a shooter. That is the place where–– it was a huge room under a wooden building where they had 500,000 cards printed by computers, IBM computers. Before you guys–– you never heard of these because you were not even born when they already changed–– computers were programmed using cards. You would type code on a card, the computer would read the card, maybe like a zip drive, and you have to imagine it’s like a piece of paper with a bunch of holes, it would read that information. Every single soldier, airman, and sailor in the Vietnam area had a card like that. We controlled, that way, the movement of their mail. Packages sent from home, letters, and whatever. That unit was there for the exclusive reason of every time that somebody was wounded, got sick, or died in combat the parent unit–– the infantry unit or whatever, wherever–– would produce a piece of paper and that piece of paper would become another printed card. And I would receive one of those cards–– I would receive packages everyday–– [when] there were thousands of people getting sick or wounded in Vietnam every single day. (12:46). We were all divided by last names and I would take one, look in my files for the card of the individual that said, “Keep on sending the mail wherever he is,” and substitute it with one that said, “Search.” Search means we’re looking for you, but in reality that something happened to you. Sometimes it said, “Search KIA.” That was the very first time in my life that I heard that acronym because not even in training [did] we [hear] of that acronym. It means “Killed in action” and those we already knew that they were dead, so we started a process of holding their mail and all their packages, and making sure that it wasn’t any stuff–– because all of that stuff was going home–– but [seeing] if there were any pornographic magazines that he might get, photos that his wife was not supposed to see, we took them out. There was a unit that just cleansed all their belongings to make sure there were no drugs, nothing going back home that would make the family feel uncomfortable because that person instantly became a hero, and we had to protect [their] image. So that’s what was done there. (14:18). I spent about five months in that unit and the Captain of the unit called me and he said, “Velez-Cruz we need you for a special mission.” I was still going to be with the 38th BPO, but I was going to go TDY, which means temporary duty. You still belong to your unit, but they are lending you to a unit that needs your hands. “You’re going to go TDY to this unit.” It deals with casualties and making casualty �reports and dealing with casualties, so I thought it was going to be like a hospital but I didn’t know anything about grave registration–– which was the service unit. They’re called service units which also belong to the First Logistical Command that took care of all services in Vietnam for the guys in the field. Grave registration was, in reality, commanded by a quartermaster battalion. Quartermasters are the people who move things in the Army–– boxes of bullets, boxes of food, boxes of clothing, and boxes of people. When people die in the service, they are not patients anymore and they’re treated like a commodity, like a “thing.” And they’re moved around, I think, with respect. We were always very concerned about those–– we call them men, but they were all boys. I was 18, I wanted to be called a man not a boy, but now that I'm 71 I see them as children because they were 18/19 mostly. They moved them around as “things.” (16:52). We used forklifts because sometimes we had to put 10, 20, 50 in an aircraft because it was wholesale slaughter. In Vietnam there were weeks or months where there was a lot of activity happening, a lot of combat, or a lot of attacks or a lot of issues [of] why people would die. I knew people who committed suicide. I knew people who were so terrified of going to the field–– draftees–– that, for some crazy reason, they would harm themselves and sometimes they would die. Which is illogical because you’re afraid of going to the field because you’re afraid of being hurt, but then you hurt yourself with a rifle or a grenade and you end up dead. We received all kinds of people, even civilians, nurses, doctors, people who died in accidents. There were traffic accidents. People who were shot down in helicopters, you know, so we had to process all kinds of individuals that were exposed to harm. The first week that I was there, it was scary. I have seen bodies before, in Puerto Rico. Funerals would happen in the house if somebody died–– one of my uncles or grandpa, whatever–– the viewing, because we were Catholics, would happen in the house where that person lived. It usually was an older person–– we usually live with [our] son or daughter–– so it would happen in the house that they lived in. When my grandmother died, she was viewed in her living room. So, I was used to seeing dead bodies because they took me to–– in the Hispanic Catholic tradition they don’t keep you away from funerals–– they want you to see [and] be exposed to that probably because it’s a part of life. I had seen bodies, but never had I seen somebody exposed to what I call a “traumatic event.” (19:16). Like a traumatic amputation, when something is blown up away from you–– an arm, a leg, a head–– and we had to deal with that. When I saw the first nasty ones, I was apprehensive, you know. I’m doing my job but after a couple of weeks your brain becomes like–– you have some kind of processing system that allows you to get used to it. Somehow you protect yourself–– not going crazy–– of seeing such horror, and I kept doing my job. I was not an embalmer, you know, but I did have to help because the people who actually did work on the bodies were overwhelmed. We worked seven days a week, they just had enough crews to give us a break. Actually, they sent me there so people could take a break–– especially with the paperwork because we got to make sure we sent the body to the right place. We had to identify them properly and what I did is I made sure when we took all the clothes off, everything. Socks, shoes, everything. In the Army they teach you your belt, your pants, your shirt, your boots, every piece of uniform–– your hats–– every piece of uniform they give you, you write your name, rank, and serial number. We would look at these �things because the dog tags, sometimes they were there and sometimes they were not. A lot of guys threw them away in the field because they were afraid of the noise they make, they jingle, and if you want to be quiet at night and you’re moving in the middle of an operation, they would throw away their dog tags or put them in a pocket and then if something happens the dog tags are lost. (21:18). But, the medic in the unit would tie a–– usually in a hand or in a thumb–– a tag explaining that this is so-and-so, but I have to confirm that this is so-and-so so I start all the paperwork that’s required to file as a casualty report. The morticians sometimes would take fingerprints–– most of the time they did, unless it was very clear [like] they had their wallet with them and I saw the ID card and it was very easy. We would say, “Yeah. He’s him.” and it was clear. No facial injuries and the guy was not badly decomposed. But most of the time we got people that didn’t look nice. Their faces were contorted or wounded or a bullet hit them in the face and it makes a mess of it–– your bone structure gets all messed up. If it’s an explosive it’s even worse, so we did fingerprinting and I saw things that were crazy. ( There was a helicopter pilot that was burned, so we couldn't see anything and the skin was coming off of his hands. So one of the guys–– the morticians–– took the skin of the fingers off and put it in his own hand so he could take the fingerprints. Imagine that. You see that and you say, “That’s horrible,” but when you start seeing things like that everyday, you start saying, “Well, that’s it. That’s how it is” That was my experience in Vietnam until June ‘69. I spent like five months there, every single day, seeing dead people and helping shift them home. (23:32). They sent me back to the United States because I still had over a year left in the Army, and went back home for my life. When you left Vietnam they would give you a 30-day leave. I decided to get married to my girlfriend. We got married and when I went back to Texas–– for some reason they sent me back to that 71st artillery unit, the air defense unit–– in Fort Bliss, probably because it was in my record. When I arrived they told me, “You’re leaving for Germany.” So, they sent me to Germany with my wife and I ended my military career living in Stuttgart as a paymaster paying the troops because I was a clerk. I was not an airborne ranger or anything like that. And immediately I left the army with the GI Bill and I joined the University of Puerto Rico [where] I wanted to study medicine. My family was poor, I couldn’t go to med school but I managed to get a degree in Biochemistry with two majors. I was a pretty good student, did pretty well, and right after college I got a job in the pharmaceutical industry. First in a company that was making devices and then with Johnson and Johnson. I worked 27 years for them. That was my major job, working for the same company making all kinds of drugs. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter, different divisions, and I did all kinds of jobs. Even in engineering–– I’m not an engineer but they made me an engineer. [But] I had a very good career, a very busy career, and a joyful career. They gave me all the toys that I wanted every time there was a new project. So, my memory of the war during those days was basically if someone asked, “Are you a Vietnam vet?” I would say, “Yes. Sure.” “What did you do?” “I was a clerk.” But, I never talked to anybody about my experience in Vietnam. (26:05). There were very good memories of Vietnam because remember, they would give us a break–– once in a while–– and I would go to Saigon–– I was in Saigon–– [but] I would go around downtown. I remember I used to go to the same place always– �– they had a nice zoo on the outskirts of Saigon. My favorite place to go–– because I did it as much as I could–– there is an area at the outskirts of Saigon, like suburbia we call it today, which is called Cho Lon, which was the Chinese neighborhood of all the Chinese refugees that came from the nationalist groups in China. They went first to North Vietnam and then when North Vietnam was taken by the communists, they moved to Saigon. So, Cho Lon was the Chinese neighborhood and they had the very best restaurants. I was always looking at the girls, of course, like any other 18/19-year-old boy would do. I was trying to keep myself for my–– and I have to confess–– I was always trying to keep myself for my girlfriend. I was terrified of getting sick or anything like that. I worked in a medical unit so I knew what venereal diseases were, but I always found Vietnamese girls so delicate and so beautiful–– very thin. The–– I forgot the name of the dresses that they use–– (27:47). Interviewer: “Áo dài.” Exactly. Áo dài. I found that so elegant and so beautiful because the Vietnamese–– men and females–– they’re very thin. They’re usually very thin and elongated people, even their faces are. I found them attractive and I found their culture interesting because I was interested in them. [Like] “What am I doing here?” So, I needed to learn about them and I found Saigon a very beautiful, quasi-French town. Great bars and good music. That’s when I first got introduced to rock because I came from Puerto Rico and in 1968 it was not a big thing on the island. The music that we heard there was different. So those were the positive memories I had of Vietnam. Those were the ones that I talked about most. (28:56). I never mentioned to my wife or my family–– and I had five children–– I never ever mentioned to them my experience–– the nasty part of the war; the things that I saw and the things that I had to do. I lived my life, forgot about it until I retired when I was 60-years-old. I had a heart attack because of other conditions. I was exposed to a lot of junk–– like almost everybody was in Vietnam, agent orange and all that stuff. One of the components is dioxin, which is a horrible poison. They think it affected my heart because when I was in my 30s I started having problems with my heart. I retired when I got my heart attack. My wife said, “No. You worked enough.” I had done pretty well in the industry and by 62 I could have taken my pension as the fullest so why stay longer? Katherine, my wife, said, “You should retire” and she’s younger than me so [said] “I’ll work until I can retire.” We already had part of the kids in college–– the first three–– and everything was okay. Now I find–– with nothing else to do–– because I didn’t want to do work, I didn’t want to consult with friends who came to my house. I have the money I need, I wasn’t ambitious in that sense. I started trying to do some arts and crafts. Took up painting, took up writing, making little airplanes and little canons and things from kits. I became involved in the artsy part of my brain that I had never developed because I was a techie. Especially with painting–– I really got hooked onto that–– and drawing because I could never even draw a circle, so I took night classes for drawing and then for oil painting, and I’ve been doing that for the last seven/eight years. (31:27). But, when I was about 65 I started having these memories of the war–– nightmares. They first started as dreams �and then as nightmares. The typical nightmare was in my room, I’m sitting–– I have a little sitting area in our master bedroom–– and somebody comes through the door of my bedroom and it’s five, six, seven, eight kids. Some of them have uniforms–– torn uniforms–– some of them have hospital gowns, just how I received them in the mortuary and they start talking to me. I cannot remember a single name, but I remember the faces. I remember the faces like it was yesterday–– and I still remember the faces, and they’re talking to me, “Hey Mickey,” because everybody calls me Mickey–– my friends. In the Army also everybody knew that I was Mickey because that’s the nickname that my mother gave me. “Hey Mickey, why don’t you come with us? Come with us.” I interpreted that as–– I knew because those were the guys that were dead, that I processed–– I knew that they were on the other side of the fence, and I thought they were calling me to be with them. I started getting scared saying, “Am I going to do something to myself to go with those guys?” Because they [were] inviting me to go and play ball with them, you know, “Let’s play ball. Let’s do something together.” It got really, really scary and I couldn’t sleep because I was terrified of closing my eyes because if I went to sleep, they would come. (33:30). So I was becoming depressed and horrendously tired all of the time and I couldn’t do anything so I went to my doctor and he told me, “I think you might have PTSD.” I said, “But how come? It's been 50 years since the war.” They said, “Well we’re discovering that your brain keeps that stuff hidden because you’re busy, while you’re living a life and it protects you like that. Now that you’re retired, your brain is not as busy as it used to be, those file cabinets start opening and you start remembering things.” As a grandfather, the value I have for life and for harm to young men is very different than I had when I was there. We were all airborne chairs, you know, they used to call us “chairborne rangers,” but we all wanted to be looked at as men. Rough, tough guys even though we were all boys. But, that’s not how I saw myself then. That’s how I see them now. When I see those bodies, I see boys. I don’t see men, I see children and it got really, really bad. So, this physician recommended that I start doing psychotherapy and a psychiatrist. My private psychologist sent me to the VA and they diagnosed me at the VA again [and] confirmed that I have suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome–– I think it’s called. I’ve been in treatment for the last four or five years at the VA Hospital here in Philadelphia in their program for PTSD. I’ve been told that is forever. You cannot cure a memory. The horrors that I saw of dismembered bodies, beautiful people destroyed–– Vietnamese and Americans–– you cannot forget something like that. That’s why it’s called a trauma. (36:00). What I do is, every two-to-three weeks I talk to a psychologist and I keep an eye on myself using different techniques that they showed me on how to deal with that–– how to accept it, how to embrace it. Embrace those memories as a part of my service. There are, you know, some things that I don’t want to remember, but will always be there. There are some things of the service–– of the Army– – that I loved. I loved the camaraderie. I would have–– if it wasn’t because I went to college and I studied science–– I would have stayed in the Army because to me it was a nice career. It was a good thing to do, it was something noble. It was like being a priest or being a teacher. Being a soldier was something noble that was in my brain, because you did something that nobody else wanted to do–– but somebody had to do it. But, thank God I didn’t stay because I would have �gone again to Vietnam and who knows what would have happened. I might’ve ended up in that stupid helicopter school and might end up being dead because you don’t know what life keeps for you. After that I had a decent life and the only negative things about that is the memories of those five months. (37:50). Interviewer: “I guess the next question would be, what does war mean to you now?” Well, like I told you, as my brain was being formed as a teenager–– during the Cold War–– this anti-communist propaganda was pouring in high school, on TV, all of the time. So, I became a believer. I was brought up as a believer in this anti-communism doctrine that we had in the 1960s–– 50s and 60s. I always believed that every word that every word that came from my government was the truth. My government would never, ever lie–– especially a President or a Congressman. These were our leaders, these were decent people that we elected to take care of us. After the Vietnam War–- after the Fall of Saigon in ‘75–– a lot of books started coming out. I started reading about the origins of the conflict in Southeast Asia, including the French Indochina Wars. Street Without Joy, A Bright Shining Light, all the novels that came out. In the history book, The Pentagon Papers, that came out–– even though it was still going on in the latter part in the 1970s. Information started coming out that our government knew that we could never, ever win that conflict. (39:45). The objectives that the United States government had tried to achieve in Vietnam were unachievable, and they knew that early. Some people say by 1965, most of the people that died–– Americans–– that died in Vietnam died in 1968, 69, and the 70s–– tens of thousands. Even though Richard Nixon knew–– and Lyndon Johnson actually decided not to even run for President because he knew that he had made a mistake–– they kept sending people there, and they kept blowing the place up. It’s not only the people that we lost, you can’t imagine killing in such a short period of time over–– they think it’s between one and three million people who died in Southeast Asia because of our intervention there–– because we bombed the place to hell. Somebody would shoot a round and we would call in artillery and blow up a whole mountain–– because we had that power. Not only North Vietnamese and Viet Cong combatants were killed, but a lot of civilians died. By the end of the decade of the 1970s, I had lost all confidence in my government. I never thought that the government would ever be truthful again. I don’t believe that anything that comes from Washington is the truth. I lost faith. I do not lose faith in my country, because I don’t think that Washington is my country. I am one of those believers of “we the people” and you are “we the people.” I am one of those “we the people.” I still believe in my country, but I don’t trust any leader of any country of any part of the world because I think they lie. (42:06). Politicians have a tendency to believe more in themselves than in their own people, and they can send young boys to do lots of harm in places–– not because the United States is in danger–– but because their next political election might be in danger. They can send young boys to get hurt, and hurt themselves [but] because we are so powerful we hurt other people more than we get hurt ourselves–– by the thousands, by an exponential factor. So �that’s my wound–– the loss of that innocence. The loss of that belief in the people in Washington. I just–– I lost a lot. (43:02). Interviewer: “Is this something that you would go back in time and tell your 19-year-old self?” In 2000 there was the Gulf War. My oldest son, Michael–– he is Miguel Angel also–– he was of age and they were talking, “Oh my god, we’re going to have to put 500,000 people in the Middle East” for the first Gulf War. I [thought] they might start drafting because we don’t have enough people in the Army for that–– because they took every National Guard unit, they took every Reserve unit. I thought if they start drafting I’m going to send my boy to Spain. I have relatives and friends in Spain because my ancestry is Spanish, and I told my wife he will get on a plane, and I don’t care how much money I have to pay lawyers, but he’s not going to any military service for what I thought–– because now I [had] started digging into what politicians are doing that we now have to go to the Gulf War for: to protect oil interests. I question every single military action that the U.S. government gets involved with. I always question it now and that’s one of the lessons of that experience. (44:30). Interviewer: “Would you say that this part you had in the war, do you let it define you or do you move on from that?” It never goes away, so it does define you. Every experience that you have–– I’m talking now as a 72-year-old guy–– every experience that you have in life will define you. War or no war. Peace or no. It doesn’t matter. Every experience you have in life will define you. That made a big imprint because it was very traumatic, so it left a very big imprint in life. For example, I always wanted to work in the healthcare industry. I always wanted to–– I always wanted to be a physician. I couldn’t because you needed a lot of money to go to medical school, I come from a poor family, so the next best thing when I got an opportunity I stayed, and always enjoyed, working in the healthcare industry in medical devices. I was working in the development of kidney coils for dialysis, IV sets, and stuff like that. Then, in drugs that were helping people. So, that defined me. (45:53). When I saw so many people hurt I said, “I would like to do something better than hurt people or make money.” Even though I’m pretty smart, I could’ve been a banker or a salesman in a corporate system and probably made millions, I said, “I’ll make enough to raise a family.” And I did pretty well, but I wanted to always be in a place where I could help. I love the Army because of the sacrifice those boys make. Those men make a sacrifice for all of us and I love them and I always hope for the best for them because they do things to protect us. They’re there for us to be protected–– every country needs an army, unfortunately, in this modern world. I keep an eye on what the government uses their resources [for], because sometimes they might be used for–– it’s needed to get them involved–– but sometimes it’s just �for political bull, and I’m very concerned on how that precious resource is used. That could be a lesson learned from my experience. (47:22). Interviewer: “In your journey, defining your PTSD with your own psychologist, are there any important pieces or particular pieces that you would like to share with us?” Sharing. I never, ever told anybody about the bad things that I saw. I should have started talking about that when I was younger. It doesn’t mean that it would have gone away–– or maybe the PTSD would have manifested in a different way, because I’m not an expert in that field, I don't know–– but when I spend time with other veterans that take the same therapies that I take at the VA hospital here, the sharing of the experience, the talking about it, saying what you want to say about how you feel about it. There’s a group here in the VA that uses a concept called the modern moral injury process. That moral injury process–– first–– it parts from the premise that war is bad. Most people believe that–– even though men have been doing it for thousands of years, tens of thousands of years, we’ve been deprecating each other, you know, killing/doing harm to each other to take the woman, to take the land–– they say that our brain is not designed to be exposed to that kind of stuff. We don’t like it, it’s not good for you, it’s not good for your mental health. (49:30). It wasn’t good 2,000 years ago when you read about hermetic tales of The Iliad, The Odyssey. You feel the same stories that modern soldiers with PTSD tell you come from those stories in the past–– and those are thousands of years old. It looks like soldiers were condemned to that horrible nightmare of watching or seeing or doing things to other human beings that are not good for you. They are not good for your mental health, and you will suffer for it. The latest data says that it’s not good. Any kind of trauma that you see of harm to be done from one human being to another, it’s not good for your mental health. You’re not designed for that. That is something that through the moral injury group I learned, and that I have the right to demand from my government–– when they’re going to send young men to combat for whatever interest; to protect our country [or] whatever interests they are–– I have the right to demand of all the United States citizens to be involved in that process. In other words, with the war in Afghanistan and Iraq nobody cares, nobody knows. Everybody says they remember, [but] everybody says, “There’s a bunch of soldiers in a place, doing some things.” But they aren’t really involved. It doesn’t touch them because we have a volunteer army now–– nobody joins, you know. Very few people join. Less than a fraction of one percent are the families in America that are involved–– that are paying the price for the protection of all our interests. That is not right, in my perspective, because we’re harming all those boys by exposing them to those horrors because when they come back. (52:05). I’m telling you–– they are not supposed to be seeing people blowing up, babies being blown up, little children dying sometimes of their own weapons because you don’t know, in the middle of a mess, all kinds of stuff happens. Then when you come up, you come up with that baggage and nobody cares. Through the moral injury process I learned that everybody should care. It is our responsibility–– it’s not that we have to do it because we’re supposed to be nice, no–– it is our responsibility to care where we send those �boys, what they’re doing–– because they’re doing it for us. They’re not doing it for themselves, they’re doing it for us. [So] it’s our responsibility of what they do. When they come back it’s our responsibility to make sure that they have all the tools to process all that mess that’s in their brain. That’s another lesson to learn. (53:10). Interviewer: “Do you have any concluding pieces of––” I am Puerto Rican with a Latin background, like you know that from Latin America. I’m a romantic at heart–– even though I’m a techie. So, once in a while when I want to say something to myself or to my wife or to my children, I say it in writing and sometimes I say it in verse. I wrote something, because I can never remember their names, I can only remember their faces. I wrote something for these kids that visit me at night: “Old nights of soft, pale armor, Why are you so still and quiet? Do you come to me for companionship? Do you want me to play on your game? Your game is past. Stay on your side of the field. I feel your countenance. The way you stand reminds me of my resolute pose. I am fearful. Go to your house of fire. I want to touch you, I want to clean your wounds. Will you forgive my fear? Please stay on your side of the field. Your face is familiar But all your faces were the same. Young, soft, pale, Like children with no sun. Please stay on your side, I won’t forget you.” Interviewer: “Thank you, Mickey. I want to thank you for participating in the Veterans History Project. It’s really important that we capture your story and we have it just somewhere for future reference.” I’m sorry I got a little emotional there at the end. Interviewer: “You’re good. No, it’s perfect.” �Because it–– they were kids and we were all kids. Interviewer: “It’s important Mickey. It’s important. It’s very important.” Thank you, sir. (56:21). � 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 Velez-CruzM2376V Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Velez-Cruz, Miguel A. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2021-06 Title A name given to the resource Velez-Cruz, Miguel (Interview transcript and video), 2021 Description An account of the resource Miguel “Mickey” Angel Velez-Cruz was born in Puerto Rico in 1949. Velez-Cruz was raised and developed during the Cold War periods of the 1950s and 1960s. Coming from a long line of United States veterans and the desire to get out of extreme poverty, Velez-Cruz volunteered to join the United States Army. Velez-Cruz began his career in basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina and eventually went to Fort Gordon in Georgia. Eventually, Mickey attended AIT and was made a medical records clerk in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. After a few months at that position, Velez-Cruz received orders for Vietnam and landed with a missile air defense unit. Quickly, that unit was ended and Velez-Cruz was sent to the 38th Base Post Office. After spending five months with the 38th BPO, Mickey received orders for temporary duty. This is when he was assigned to work in grave registration. He stayed with this position until June of ‘69 when he left Vietnam. After his discharge, Velez-Cruz was reassigned to go to Stuttgart, Germany where he worked as a paymaster. However, since he left the service with the GI Bill Velez-Cruz decided to go back to school. He attended the University of Puerto Rico where he received his degree in Biochemistry. From there, Velez-Cruz worked in medical devices and eventually landed a 27-year gig with Johnson and Johnson. Velez-Cruz wraps up his interview by discussing his experiences with PTSD and emphasizing the importance of military awareness for the United States. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Vo, Harry (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States—History, Military Veterans Video recordings Afghan War, 2001-2021—Personal narratives, American Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401. Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8a5eff1dd2aff2c37e6190c29a6d4285.jpg 73d0571d8d0536d5d7289a7e36f09d09 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 Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. 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 VeltmanHugh Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Veltman, Hugh Description An account of the resource Hugh Veltman, Spanish Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a5b2a2171a4d0527f56a7f5e38f2004b.mp4 216bcf791808b3451e1e740eb5e81460 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/82e7d22ebea4632b929d14e072980f94.pdf c5f1ffd0d48a739c8a19017cd77a706d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Oral history interview transcript Erwin Veneklase Born: February 24,1920 WWII Veteran United States Army, 1939 to 1943 2nd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd (Red Arrow) Division Transcribed: by Joan Raymer, May 29, 2007 Everyone Calls me Irv, so feel free to. Interviewer: “To begin, I want to know what your experience was in Grand Rapids before the war.” Before the war, I had a couple of jobs. I worked in the furniture factory and the idea of going into the service was pretty good because the money looked larger so going into the service would up the alley, so I went in. 1:50 Interviewer: “What would you say the atmosphere of Grand Rapids was before the war?” Before the war, Grand Rapids was a very knit community. You had sections of Grand Rapids that were Polish you were in one section. Lithuanians or Dutch it was pretty well segregated like that. Other than that, things were great. Interviewer: “So when the government called up troops what made you join?” I was in when they called us up. Why I joined? Just like any other young guys, I didn’t want to have my mother and dad tell me when to get in etc. I learned the hard way. I went into the service and I had some guy tell me when to get up and when to go to bed. 3:08 Interviewer: “What did your family think about your joining the military?” They didn’t have any feelings what so ever. I just went in and went down to Louisiana with the rest of them. It was just another experience, that’s all. Interviewer: “When you joined the 32nd, did you have any idea what the history of it was?” No, I had no idea. All I know is we met down there nights at Michigan Street at the old Armory and spend 2 hours down there and get paid for it. Interviewer: “What did you do in those 2 hours?” Oh, they would lecture or they would read books. Just kind of goof off for 2 hours really. Interviewer: “How did you feel when you found out there was a war happening or there was a war coming?” 1 �Do you want to rephrase that? 4:38 Interviewer: “How did you feel personally that there was a war and you are going to be called into service or going to fight?” See we were down in Louisiana when they hit the harbor, so we had already been in better than a year, so we were more or less expecting something. We were going in October and we were supposed to be released in October, but they didn’t and down there it was “over the hill in October”. Then they hit the harbor and after the harbor you expect anything and everything. They got us out to Frisco as best they could. 5:45 Interviewer: “So when Pearl Harbor was bombed, what were your first thoughts?” Go over there and kick the sh-- out of them. I mean go over there and do our job. Sorry, my language isn’t the best. Interviewer: “So explain please your daily routine in Australia, I mean in the boot camp in Louisiana.” Get up in the morning, make up your bunk, go through the line, get something to eat, go through the line again to get a jelly and peanut butter sandwich, get together and go out to the “boondocks”. There were a lot of swamps. 7:00 Interviewer: “What did you think about the peacetime maneuver, the fake army and the battle they had?” Well it’s just one of those things. Your following the lead that’s all, your part of the unit and you do what they tell you to do. Interviewer: “Do you feel that it helped you later on, that it helped you training?” Now that I’m older and think back, yes because first of all you got to know the guys you’re with and they become like family and secondly, you learn to take orders and follow orders. I guess that’s about it. 8:11 Interviewer: “Was that hard, learning how to take orders, or did that just come natural being in the military?” All I can tell you is, if you go into the service and they tell you to do something, you had better do it. Interviewer: “What was your first reaction when they told you that you were going to head to Ireland, which is where I believe your division was first heading, but they changed course and headed to the South Pacific?” Well, like I say, you wonder who is directing the show. “Lets get the show on the road and on the right track”. 9:00 You know this war is going on so why go through all the motions and then end up in Frisco to get out into the Pacific, but orders are orders and they aught to know what they are doing. Interviewer: “Did that upset your mindset at all? Your expecting to go into Europe and fight the Germans and it got changed.” No, it didn’t for me because I knew we were going over to do a job, but didn’t know where. After we got on the boat we realized we were going. 2 �Interviewer: “How was your first travel across the Pacific? I’m assuming it is your first time across the ocean. What was you experience like?” Going out of the harbor, was like riding an elevator and I was on the back deck and this was a luxury liner and it was just up and down. I don’t think there were too many guys that weren’t sick. It was a rough night, but hey, you get through it. Interviewer: “Did they pack you on there pretty good?” Well, they didn’t leave too many spots open, I’ll say that. Interviewer: “Did you have any particular experience with the King Neptune Ceremony going across the equator?” Not really. I can’t say I did, no. Interviewer: “What was you first impression of Australia? You came off the boat and what was the first thing that struck you?” They are very, very pleasant people and I always thought I would like to go back, but of course I never did. I never had the money to go back, but they are great people. 11:32 They had the highest respect for the U.S. In fact, at that time they were part of England and what they thought of England wasn’t to put in the books. Interviewer: “Did you feel like you were acting like a savior to the Australians?” No, they accepted us as part of them. They were very, very cordial. We couldn’t ask for better. The Australians had already sacrificed a lot, which we found out after being there. I was making more money in the service than a guy working in an ammo factory seven days a week. Back then, they had to pay such a large amount of money from their wages to England and of course since then it has changed. 12:46 They are on their own, but back then, that’s the way it was. Interviewer: “Did your relationship with the Australians change after you were in combat with them?” My relationship with the Australians, in combat, was nothing but the best. In fact, I probably learned more from the Australians about actual combat than the army ever taught me. I’ll never forget, we got into New Guinea and I was assigned to be behind the natives, the “Gooks”, the carriers and they gave me a Thompson and we had the big 50gallon drum and he said, “yank, why don’t you put a sign on your head?” He said, “It’s short burst and its rattle, rattle. It’s probably one of the first, the most important things I ever learned from them, the Australians. 14:13 They were tremendous fighters. Interviewer: “ Did you feel you had to work your way up to what they became? Did you look up to them as a roll model?” When I went on patrol under one of their leaders, yes. After we got up over the hump, up over the mountain, yes. It was very good. Their Sergeant was like our Captains and it was very, very, I mean he knew his job. If you ask, I will tell you later on and explain what I meant by that remark. After you lose a lot of guys, my job was changed so I was, from watching the natives carrying, after all your stuff runs out, plus the fact, the natives 3 �are only going to go so far, they’re not going into the real combat zone. 15:40 That’s when I was assigned to the headquarters and I had communications experience so Interviewer: “What was involved in being part of the Headquarter Company?” Making sure if we could possibly run lines to the forward lines of the lines company back so the battalion commander could have communications with the front lines. 16:25 It wasn’t always possible, but we did as much as we could. There again, I mean you guys are probably thinking about high frequency radios and that, we didn’t have them. While we were going up over the hump a plane come over and pushed it out the door and that was it. Do you have any idea how they found us? I’ll tell ya, we put a white panel on the ground and that’s what signaled where we were. Obviously it took the Japs about ten days until they realized the same signal. That was about the end of the natives. They got out of there. 17:30 Interviewer: “Now before you said that you learned a lot from the Australians. How did you feel about your overall training that the military gave you?” Like you said, you got a job to do and they tell you what to do and you do it. That’s about the way I can explain it. Obviously if you get into close combat, then it’s head to head. Sure you’re told to protect a certain portion, but it’s head to head. There again you got to remember that the Japanese were just like the people in Iraq right now, they sacrificed themselves. It was an honor for them to die for the country, so we had to be watching out for that. The Australians taught me that you don’t take prisoners because there is no place to keep them and if you did you’d have to feed them and we were getting hungry anyway. 19:02 That’s why these people right now are saying about the atrocities, well, they don’t know what war is like because you r whole feeling, I was brought up and raised Catholic and you don’t kill, but hey, when the first one whistles by your ear, the second one you don’t take a chance. 19:39 I mean this is the way it goes. In a split second, your whole instinct changes so you become a member of the group. The guys in the unit are like brothers. They fight for each other. Interviewer: “How important was that brotherhood?” Extremely important, because when one went down, you tried to get them back so they could be taken care of. The medics, they were with us, they were walking with us. The army is supposed to have the Red Cross, the Australian, you don’t do it, you don’t advertise what you are because you’re the first one their going to get. 21:12 Interviewer: “How did new recruits take to them? Did it take a while before you finally trusted them and before you considered them equals?” New recruits, you had to have enough members to be a combat unit, so when they draft, they took the draftees and put them in there. They had very little training really, so a lot of them, their experiences had to be the hard way. 22:03 Interviewer: “Now Mr. Veneklase, I want to go back a little bit and I want to understand what was your very first impression when you landed on Buna, landed on New Guinea?” 4 �It is the most useless feeling because you are on the landing craft and they drop that gate and you’re in water chest high, you have the gun over your head and your dead meat if somebody’s there because they have your chest and head to shoot at. 22:54 It was “get out of that water and take cover”. This is what happened. It’s an eerie feeling to be the target and not be able to shoot back. Interviewer: “Did you understand what your mission was when you landed or were you clueless as to what you were supposed to do?” If you study far enough, you find out the communications weren’t that great. Just like today, you got the problems in Washington and we had it the same way, the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was going to do. For us, we weren’t told what we were going to do or how or why. All we knew was to follow orders and the orders were to hit the trail and go up over the hump. 24:07 We were supposed to protect one side of Australia, so we had already been there and that’s what we did. Interviewer: “What was your most striking experience crossing the hump?” Striking experience, I guess being bombed and strafed. Like I said, the Japanese took that white sign and used it to their advantage and they did a pretty good job. Interviewer: “What was it like living day and night with an enemy so close and being bombed nightly?” They didn’t bomb during the night. They would bomb and strafe during the day. It was just take cover and hope and pray for the best. At night, well you don’t sleep. You rest, but you don’t sleep, because you’re always waiting to hear some noise or some movement because in the jungle there, when you take a position in the dark, you don’t move because one of your own guys could shoot you. 25:59 It’s just one of those things, you rest, but you don’t sleep, you don’t fight the mosquitoes and that. By that time you get so used to being bit by mosquitoes and things, so what. Sure you try to get comfortable, but it was impossible because you walk through the rivers and your boots are wet. You can’t take you boots off so about the only time they came off is when they rotted off. 26:46 There again, the supplies wasn’t there. Interviewer: “So what does it mean to sleep with one eye open?” Explain that if you can. Well, you get rest, but you can’t sleep. In other words your body rests, but you don’t get any sleep because of the fact that you know the enemy is out there and any movement is your just waiting to defend yourself. Interviewer: “What was the weather like?” Hot, rainy, we went through rain forests. You could almost set your watch by it. Rain, but there again you dry out. I remember that they dropped supplies to us because the guys going through, some of their pants were ripped etc. and the first drop they gave us was blue jeans. 28:39 Interviewer: “What did it feel like in the jungle? How did the jungle feel and smell?” 5 �After being down in Louisiana you got used to that kind of a smell. That kind of smell is a moldy type smell and I guess we got used to it in Louisiana. Interviewer: “What type of diseases and illness was there that you and everybody experienced in the South Pacific?” I can’t speak about everybody; I can only speak about myself. Malaria and dingy fever, jungle rot, now that I think about it, I must have laid about 5 days before being found. I picked up a worm that gives the natives big puffed bellies; well I picked up one of those worms. Nervousness, I still refuse to watch a war movie. 30:25 Taps still gives me chills. Interviewer: “You mentioned that you laid 5 days.” I had to and the reason I say that is because we cut the cable between Buna village and Buna Mission and Sergeant Botcher, who is trying to get his citizenship back, and by that time “stuttering Smith” was our battalion commander and if you would talk to him like you and I are talking now, he would stutter something fierce, but when he got mad, he didn’t stutter. You knew what he meant. I don’t know, I guess I can’t say too much. In my opinion, Botcher was the guy that did more for the 32nd division in New Guinea than any of the officers ever did because after that night he gave the orders and Botcher said “sir with your permission I’ll take my squad out on the beach. Were going to have a counter attack”, because he had gone through the war in Spain and this is where he got the experience. He was dead right. He wasn’t promoted from a Sergeant to a Captain I believe, but he deserved that plus. He was killed later on from what I understand. Interviewer: “What did it take to be a good leader in the situations you were in?” 33:14 To be a good leader? To have as much knowledge of the situation as possible and have a lot of “be dumb and go after em”. Like I said, before we captured Buna village and Buna Mission, I was sent on patrol with this Australian and I was one of the patrols and made a sharp right on the trail and he picked up a stick and threw it and they had machine guns right around the corner and had we tried to go around there we would have all been wiped out. I didn’t realize there was that much brass up there, Eicherberger came up there and he asked this Australian, “what’s the matter” and or course the Australian’s click there heels and throw the highball and he said “twin machine guns right around the bend sir”. Eicherberger said, “Get around there and wipe them out” and the Australian clicked his heels, threw another highball and said ‘yes sir, were right behind ya”. Eicherberger never said word one; he just turned and got out of there. 34:53 You asked me what I thought about the Australians, well, that’s what. Interviewer: “ What was your mind set of the Japanese before you went into combat?” They were just another person, but once you get into combat they’re an enemy and it’s either you or them and you make sure it’s them and not you. Like I said, they tied themselves in trees, snipers, in the jungle you try to move forward in a single line and they just picked out the guy they wanted and “bam” and they’d have him. Obviously they just gave their position away, so they just get hit and dangle like a tire from a tree. Just dangle. Sure they screamed and sure, if they had a squad they’d try to come forward with their hands up to try to surrender. You don’t take the enemy; I mean you can’t take 6 �a prisoner. This is what the Australians told me,” You let them go by and then you hit them in the back of the head with the but of a gun and then cut their throat, but be sure you cut it deep enough so they can’t scream”. 37:03 If it was today, they would say it’s atrocities. That’s part of combat, and never, never be taken a prisoner because the Japs were tremendous on torture before they killed you. They would try to get as much information as they could. Interviewer: “ Mr. Veneklase, what was your reaction when you saw the Japanese for the first time?” First time? The first Japanese I saw was, we landed at, it was at Townsby or something like that. We tried to stay away from Port Moresby because it was the base of the attack unit. 38:22 They tried to get us to skirt it on our way so we could support the Australians on their right hand side. The first Japanese I saw was there and they were, I’d rather not say what they were doing, but they had been down there and the Australians had them. 38:57 Interviewer: “What was your first experience with the Japanese in combat?” First experience, real experience is when Neal Tambor, who was from the north end, the two of us were supposed to be pulling up, making sure the natives didn’t run off with the supplies and to this day I can’t tell you how or why the natives could sense, they could sense a Japanese plane long before we could and when they started to run, you took cover. 39:58 Well, Neal and I were standing there and he dove one way and I dove the other and we found part of his foot. So it must have landed right between his legs. I took a little of the shrapnel and that was about the first real bad experience I had in combat. 40:25 To see somebody, just like you and I are sitting here talking and “pst “ he’s gone that’s all. He was from the north end and I was from the north end and we probably lived a mile apart, went to the same school. There’s a fine line between love and hate and about that time is when the line changes from love to hate. From then on it’s “get everyone of them people you can”. 41:29 Interviewer: “If you had to say, what was your greatest fear when you were out in the jungle?” “Was it the Japs themselves?” That and going upstairs to have the good lord pass judgment I guess. That was the biggest fear. You don’t think of, I guess, fear, you got a job to do and you find one and you hit em. You get em, that’s all. I remember we got closer to the village in Mission and they got set up a couple of cocoanut trees and dug a bunker behind it. Cocoanut trees, you could shoot a canon at them and I don’t think it would penetrate, anyway, this guy volunteered, we would give them all the fire we could and he was going to go up there an drop a couple of grenades, at least one grenade behind them and he did, we gave him all the fire power to keep their heads down. They just had enough room between the trees to shoot from. He went up, pulled the pin, threw it in the bunker and they picked it up and threw it back and it blew part of him away. He is laying there moaning and groaning and hollering for help. There is nothing you can do, if you stood up you would be dead meat. 43:46 That was another experience that I can recall very, very vividly. To this day I believe we had WWI ammunition because it was early and the fact that everything they had was going over to Europe. So all we were doing was a holding 7 �power really now that you think of it to keep the Japanese out of Australia. 44:24 If they ever got to Australia, God help us, I don’t think we would ever have stopped them, but that’s the way things go. Interviewer: “did your hatred for the enemy drive you?” Definitely. In fact, I would say that I was discharged from the hospital and got back to Grand Rapids, if I had run into a Jap in the street, I’d have cut his throat and I wouldn’t have even blinked an eye. 45:15 I would just cut his throat period. That’s how much you get to hate them. Sure, you mellow over time, but it takes time to mellow too. Some of the things you went through and saw, it’s absolutely hate. Interviewer: “How do you feel about the Japanese now that you’ve grown older?” How do I feel towards them? Their fine, their a human being and they should be treated as such. I have very strong thoughts about why we went over and kicked the “living hell out of them” and then turn around and buy all of their automobiles, but I’m not very happy about that, but that’s the way the country went so there is nothing I can do about it. 46:34 Interviewer: “You mentioned that you were Catholic. How much of a roll did your religion play?” Very, very, very much, in fact I had my knife and my rosary and that’s the two things I brought back with me. They didn’t want me to keep the knife I had, but it wasn’t listed as something the government had given me so they let me have it. Interviewer: “Did your view on your religious life change at all when you were in the heat of battle?” My view, I don’t know what you mean by my view of my religious life. Interviewer: “Let me re phrase that. Your personal religion, your catholic religion, did that change at all during battle?” If it did, it got greater because of the fact that you didn’t know if you were going to here today or tomorrow, so you trusted everything into the hands of the lord. There is no such thing as an atheist in combat. They can say what they want, but hey, when you get them down to the “nitty gritty “ they know somebody’s calling the shots so their ideas change. 48:50 Interviewer: “ Mr. Veneklase, I want to get back to Buna and the Kakoda Trail. What was the Kakoda Trail and can you describe what it was like?” It’s a dirt trail with stone that you could walk on. I mean it’s through the country, a way of getting from one point to another. It wasn’t direct; it went by the country’s side. Obviously you come through a valley, you walk through the river, and there were no bridges so you just hit from one to another and get through as fast as you can. It’s open water and a dead area if there is anybody there so you get through as fast as possible. 50:14 8 �Interviewer: “Supply factor was very crucial on the kakoda Trail. How did that affect you and moral and the army in general?” They couldn’t find us for three days to drop to us so and I don’t know why. They never told us, probably because the Japanese had come over and bombed Moresby, I don’t know. All I know is we went three days without supplies before they could drop to us. I’m sure that’s exactly the way that I picked up that worm, because we came through the village and it looked like a chicken, it’s head went off and raw chicken doesn’t taste that bad if your hungry, but I’m sure that’s the way I got that worm. In my own mind I’m sure of it. 51:42 Interviewer: “What were those 3 days like?” Have you ever gone without food for a day? Well, I would suggest that you try it sometime. You’ll appreciate a hamburger or a peanut butter sandwich. You’ll think you lived like a king. 52:20 Interviewer: “Did the experience you had during the great depression growing up, did that help you adjust to these circumstances?” It helped me because my father of course was very, very strict with us and at a meal he said, “It’s on your plate, you eat it”. He didn’t care if you liked it or not, if it was on your plate he didn’t care how long it took, but you ate it. My mother took hamburg, which was about all we could afford, and she could make a meal out of hamburg so many different ways and thank god that she could and I was in a big family. 53:21 Interviewer: “What was the food like in the army?” Better than nothing, but you get used to it. After all, the guys are cooks, but their not chefs so whatever they have, enjoy it. 54:00 Interviewer: “ I understand Mr. Veneklase that you were wounded in battle. Would you please describe that?” I got hit with shrapnel from that bomb that killed Neal or Bud Tambor. The medic pulled it out and put a patch on it and the following day, he was killed. When I got back to the hospital they said, I showed them the scar and they said that I would have to prove that it was from enemy fire. So how are you going to prove it when the two guys are dead? There is no way of proving it. At that point I said “well keep the damn medal”. 55:18 Interviewer: “Was that your ticket home?” No, no, the worm was, they couldn’t treat me overseas. They had to bring me back to the states and the treatment for it. They told me they got rid of it and a couple three years ago a doctor told me, “you still got it, they got it under control, but you still got it”, but I’m alive. That was the reason they had to bring me back. Back, stop to think, they didn’t have hospital ships back then. I came back on an old Dutch freighter. 56:17 They took me down to a hospital in Temple, Texas. Probably by this time it’s probably closed. Klosky General. 56:33 Interviewer: “Now did you, when you were away from your fellow comrades and being wounded, how does that feel?” 56:54 9 �I was conscious, but when they came over after they captured the Buna Village and Buna Mission, I must of got real close to one of them because I was out and when I came to the seaplane was there and they obviously wouldn’t have a seaplane in the bay there if the Japs were that close. 57:28 It had to be at least 5 days and when I came to, I was on the backboard and the guy said “how would you like a dry cigarette?” It was like a stick of gold. It was a guy from the Salvation Army. So you can figure out the time that was spent between the time they struck and the time that I came to I don’t know what happened. I don’t know how many, what happened or how long it took for sure. I only know is that they got me out of there. 58:07 Interviewer: “You mentioned, Mr. Veneklase, a cigarette. How much of a factor were cigarettes and even beer?” I never drank and I never smoked until I went in the service. My dad, like I say, was very strict and I played a lot of baseball so he was death on it. He asked, “Do you want to smoke or play ball?” I wouldn’t give up ball. You ask about his being strict, yes he, the kids in the neighborhood went to Berean Baptist Church and you got to remember this is back when you walked into a different church, it’s a no, no. Today it’s nothing, but I went up there and I got to go to their picnic and I came home with a brand new glove and a ball, a baseball, and I couldn’t wait to show my dad. Showed it to him. “Where did you get it”? Told him, he never said a word, just put his shoes on and said “come on were going back up to that requiem and give them back that ball and glove. That’s just like stealing it, it doesn’t belong to you”. That was probably one of the best lessons I ever learned. 00:29 Interviewer: “How was coming home after the war was over?” I was home long before the war was over. I got out in 1943 and the war ended in 1945. I was married in 1944. A lot of celebration and I had a wife and a son. We didn’t have a car; we didn’t have money for a car. :53 Wherever we went , we walked. There again, like I say, I could talk to you like a father, these kids today, your spoiled. Interviewer: “When was the first car you got?” 16. Interviewer: “Did your dad give it to you? You had to have some way of getting it”. No, I worked on a farm when I was younger. Generally speaking kids get cars today given to them. 1:37 Back then it was a luxury. 10 � 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 VeneklaseE Title A name given to the resource Veneklase, Erwin T. (Interview transcript and video), 2005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Veneklase, Erwin T. Description An account of the resource Erwin Veneklase served in the 2nd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd (Red Arrow) Division between 1939 and 1945. He enlisted in the National Guard in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and trained with his unit in Louisiana before beign shipped first to the East Coast and then back across country to Australia and New Guinea, where they were the first American troops to reinforce the Australians. His battalion crossed the Owen Stanley mountains on foot without adequate supplies or ligistical support, and then fought at Buna from Novl 1942 to Jan. 1943. He became seriously ill at the end of that campaign and was eventually shipped back to the U.S. His account is one of the interviews featured in the documentary Nightmare in New Guinea produced by Grand Valley State University. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Mingerink, Jon (Interviewer) Mingerink, Rick (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army 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 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 2005-11-04 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 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/73743e5c6b3615cae56cc1be218c70d2.jpg 6408ea8f8930d690ecffbeabdd535ef1 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/901de4d49ad54e63ffc0f9ea089e1d02.jpg 220aaff3211de171af714ed7f2f67e38 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 Insel-Bücherei Series Description An account of the resource The German publishing company Insel Verlag was founded in 1899 by Anton Kippenberg in Leipzig. In its early years the firm only printed expensive, beautifully-produced volumes, until demand led to the publication of the more modest Insel-Bücherei series in 1912. Relatively inexpensive but with the same careful sense of design and typography, these smaller-format books reprinted shorter works from a variety of German, European, and world authors. The series numbers considerably more than a thousand titles and is still being issued. The Digital Collection contains the scanned covers of 140 titles held by Grand Valley State University Libraries. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1904-1987 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books Collection 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 Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-05 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource ger Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-09-29 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. 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 DC-05_IB0609 Title A name given to the resource Venezianisches Credo Subject The topic of the resource Book covers Covers (Illustration) Graphic arts Publishers and publishing 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 Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1954 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-09-29 Description An account of the resource Cover of Venezianisches Credo, by Rudolf Hagelstange, published by Insel-Verlag, 1954. Insel-Bücherei Nr. 609 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Seidman Rare Books. Insel-Bücherei. Z315.I5 B83 no.609 Language A language of the resource de 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/29697cec96c65430c5d13300a638d0a4.jpg 6f0872ee4b29f24e7627938fee45b287 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 Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_X965 Title A name given to the resource Venom 112 British fighter Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Venom 112 British fighter, September 1, 1952. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education World War, 1939-1945 Slides Airplanes, Military--Recognition Great Britain Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1952-09-01 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/9b101143730210692264de41b37f2fd6.jpg e8c02dbef02dfd68776b39edd101f54e 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 Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_X1058 Title A name given to the resource Venom British fighter Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Venom British fighter, September 1, 1952. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education World War, 1939-1945 Slides Airplanes, Military--Recognition Great Britain Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1952-09-01 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/732cee010fd2f88cc627b7a701f3b807.jpg 557d3481d2d5ec3a0f6dd8188c5476d9 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 Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_X994 Title A name given to the resource Venom British RAF fighter Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Venom British RAF fighter, January 1, 1951. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education World War, 1939-1945 Slides Airplanes, Military--Recognition Great Britain Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1951-01-01 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/119540c7afe431f8c18e8ba87a190bea.jpg 533f864f92b6f0042fc682a44e1cd350 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 Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_X957 Title A name given to the resource Venom NF (night fighter aircraft) Mk 2 British RAF fighter Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Venom NF (night fighter aircraft) Mk 2 British RAF fighter, April 1, 1953. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education World War, 1939-1945 Slides Airplanes, Military--Recognition Great Britain Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1953-04-01 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/e6cebbd3fe2ff91ea9702750aa5a010a.jpg da1fba24e659de7c878642b09f5ccaa0 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 Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_X958 Title A name given to the resource Venom NF (night fighter aircraft) Mk 2 British RAF fighter Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource Venom NF (night fighter aircraft) Mk 2 British RAF fighter, April 1, 1953. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Military education World War, 1939-1945 Slides Airplanes, Military--Recognition Great Britain Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1953-04-01 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/62a13b849beb6625881e0d7a8787d6a0.jpg 7ad598728efe905355acdec029917cde 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 Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_MX812 Title A name given to the resource Ventura bomber and patrol aircraft Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource PV-1 Ventura bomber and patrol aircraft used by US and British. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Great Britain Military education World War, 1939-1945 Airplanes, Military--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) 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/a2ea17d00f8748aa0732aaa3443a02a0.jpg aa10c2e14521959c1acb7aa9aefdfea9 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 Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_MX813 Title A name given to the resource Ventura bomber and patrol aircraft Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource PV-1 Ventura bomber and patrol aircraft used by US and British. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Great Britain Military education World War, 1939-1945 Airplanes, Military--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) 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/3c9f93111c087a4c224601a642627eb8.jpg b92aad89f378647d825d889cfa5aa1eb 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 Naval Recognition Training Slides Subject The topic of the resource Slides Military education Airplanes, Military--Recognition Warships--Recognition World War, 1939-1945 Description An account of the resource Slides developed during World War II as a training tool, for top-side battle-station personnel on board ship and for all aircraft personnel, by the US Navy. In 1942 a Recognition School was established by the Navy at Ohio State University where the method of identification was developed. In 1943 the school was taken over by the US Navy. The importance of training in visual recognition of ships and aircraft became even more evident during World War II. Mistakes resulting in costly errors and loss of life led to an increased emphasis on recognition as a vital skill. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides (RHC-50)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1943-1953 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Source <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/477">Naval recognition slides, RHC-50</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-50_MX814 Title A name given to the resource Ventura bomber and patrol aircraft Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource United States. Navy Description An account of the resource PV-1 Ventura bomber and patrol aircraft used by US and British. Subject The topic of the resource United States. Navy Great Britain Military education World War, 1939-1945 Airplanes, Military--Recognition Slides Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Naval recognition slides (RHC-50) 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/1896532642a559d302b517c4fff8c4f6.jpg ba194486a36996c4a2323ac7c14887ee 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 Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. 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 Merrill_LS00221 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1930 Title A name given to the resource Venus of Lespugue Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide showing three views of the Venus of Lespugue figurine. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides Archaeology Sculptures Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 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/39e4f0189573c319a6395bac54baefa2.jpg f65134fc694a43bb1ca32e66487b5c95 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 Robert H. Merrill photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1909/1950 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-222 Description An account of the resource Photographs, negatives, and lantern slides digitized from the papers of engineer and archaeologist Robert H. Merrill. A Grand Rapids native, Merrill held an accomplished career as a civil engineer. He founded the company Spooner & Merrill, which held offices in Grand Rapids and Chicago. From 1919-1921, Merrill lived in China, working as Assistant Principal Engineer on a reconstruction of the Grand Canal - the oldest and longest canal system in the world. Merrill became fascinated by archaeology, and among other projects, he traveled to the Uxmal Pyramids in Yucatan, Mexico, with a research expedition from Tulane University. Merrill's photo collection includes images of his travels and projects, friends and family. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. 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 Merrill_LS00222 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource circa 1930 Title A name given to the resource Venus of Savignano Description An account of the resource Black and white lantern slide showing three views of the Venus of Savignano figurine. Subject The topic of the resource Lantern slides Archaeology Sculptures Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Robert H. Merrill papers (RHC-222) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Merrill, Robert H., 1881-1955 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/1caef9c60a19dc57df3103d8924f8d82.jpg 53d88a5876f9e513e543ce8943db5381 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 Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. 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 VerPlanJoel Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Ver Plan, Joel Description An account of the resource Joel Ver Plan Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c65ded67f9c0895d033d166620b19648.pdf add2a173a32c81ca01f645786f444339 PDF Text Text VERGENNES TOWNSHIP· MASTER PLAN 1989 I * MILLER ASSOCIATES-·- - - ·- - - �I • VERGENNES TOWNSHIP MASTER PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS For\P-1ard .•••••••.••..••.•.••.....•............•....•.••••. Introduction ................................... . .iV ••V Chapter I - Description of Vergennes Township ...•.••.••..•..•..•.•.......•.•. I-1 Regional Setting................................................... ..I-1 Natural Features ........................................................ I-1 Topography and Drainage ............................................... _.. I-2 Water Resources ..••••••..•.......•••..•..•••••• ................ I -2 Soils ................................................................... 1-2 Developmental Limitations of Soils •.•....•••••••••••••.•..........•••.•• I-5 Chapter II - Cormnunity Profile... . ••.••.•.•.•.••••••..••••.••....•.•.•. II-1 Existing Land Use Inventory ............................................ 11-1 Agricultural Lands ••••......•.•••••.••..•.••••.•••••.....•..•••.....••• II-1 Residential Land Use •••..•.••.•.••••••..•••••.••••••..•..•••....•..•••• II-3 Industrial Land Use •••.•••••••.....••.•••.•••••••.•••.••••••••.•••••••. II-4 Commercial Land Use .•.........•..•...•.....•....•••.....•..•••...•••.•• 11-4 Public/Semi-Public Land Use .•••••••••••.•••..••••••..•.•.•.•••.•..•.••• II-4 Population & Housing ••.••.•.••.•••••..•••••.•••••••••.•....•.••..•...•• II-7 Community Services and Facilities ..................................... II-12 Chapter III Planning Dimensions •.••..•.•.•••••••••••••.•.••.•.••..••••••• III-1 General Gro\v-th Policy........... . ................................... III-1 Goals & Policies •••••.•..••••••••••••••••.•••••••••.••.•••.....•.••• 111-2 Growth Trends ........ ................................................. I I I-5 Chapter IV - General Development Plan ...••.••••.....•...•••.•••..•.•.•...... IV-1 Residential Land Use Plan •••••••••••••.••••••••.••••.•.•..•••.•.•..•..• IV-1 Rural Conservation Plan •••••••••.••••...•.•.••••••••.•••....•.•••.•••.. IV-4 Commercial Land Use Pl an .••.•.....•.•. .IV-5 Industrial Land Use Plan ............................................... IV-7 Historical Preservation .•...••.•...•.•.. •••• I V-8 Natural Features Preservation Plan .••..•.••.•••..•.• . •. IV-10 Community Facilities Plan ..... . . ...•...... IV-13 Transportation Plan .•••.•.•..•. . .......... IV-16 Chapter V - Implementation ••••..•.•..•...•...•.•..•.•...•.•.•..•...•......... V-1 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Historical and Projected Traffic Counts ...••.......•..•........• A-1 Resident Questionai re - Summary ......•..•.•.......•..•.....••..• B-1 Correspondance ....•.....•••.•...•..•••••.••.•........••....••.•. C-1 �TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONT List of Maps t1ap t1ap t1ap t1ap t1ap t1ap t1ap t1ap t1ap Hap t1ap Hap 1 - Regional Location 2 - Genera 1 Soils 3 - Environmental Limitations 4 - Important Farmlands 5 - Street Function 6 - Genera 1 Service Areas 7 - Residential Land Use Plan 8 - Rura 1 Conservation Pl an 9 - Commerci a 1 Land Use Plan 10 - Industrial Land Use Plan 11 - Historic Preservation Plan A-1 - Traffic Count Locations List of Tables Table Table Table Table Table Table Table Table Table 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 :.. - Existing Land Use •••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••.•.•••••••••.••..•. II-2 Parcel Sizes-1988 •••.•••••••••.••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••..••••• II-5 Property Ownership-1988 •••••••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••.••••• II-6 Population 1960 to 1988 •••••••••••..••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••.. II-7 Age Group Comparison ••••••••••••••••.••••••••.••••••••••••.•..••.• 11-8 t1igration Characteristics By Age Group (1970 to 1980) ••••••••.•••• II-9 Housing Stock 1980-1988 •••••••••••••.••••••••••••.••••••••••.•••• II-10 Construction Activity 1980-1988 .••••••••••••••.••..•••••••••••••• II-11 Recreational Facility Needs .••••.••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••• 111-7 �VERGENNES TOWNSHIP t1ASTER PLAN 1989 -2000 FORWARD t1ichigan law enables the Vergennes Township Planning Commission to adopt and periodically update a basic plan for the development of the Township. The Plan must contain the Planning Commission's recommendations for the physical development of the Township. This Plan is therefore, designed to provide direction for future growth and development in accordance with Township goals and objectives. Future development is intended to be in accordance with these goals and plans. Although the Plan is enabled by f1ichigan law, it does not have the force of statutory law or ordinance. It is an official advisory policy statement for encouraging orderly and efficient use of the land for residences, business, industry, community facilities, parks and recreation areas, and for coordinating these uses with each other and with the development and use of streets, utilities and other public facilities and services. Once adopted, it is the Township's intent to implement the Plan's recommendations until such time that specific modifications or deviations are deemed appropriate and the Plan is amended as a result of the Township's on-going long range planning program. iv �INTRODUCTION Attractive and d~sirable communities are difficult to achieve and even harder to maintain. Conscientious and deliberate long range planning is required. It is this basic premise \'lhich has prompted the Vergennes Township Planning Commission to update its 1978 t1aster Pl an. Vergennes Township has many attributes and opportunities \·1hi ch wi 11 continue to make the community an attractive and desirable place to live. Howe •,er, due to continued growth, the Township is also faced with numerous problems. The responsibility of making various policies and decisions regarding grm'lth and development is therefore an important one. Future needs for such things as improved streets, parks and recreational areas, community facilities and eventually, public utilities must be recognized. This Plan attempts to set the groundwork for making future commitments relative to these needs. More central to this Plan are the decisions made regarding the various spatial relationships of the major land use types - agriculturial, residential, commercial, industrial, and public. These are important in providing a harmonious pattern of land use and in the economics of providing community services. The Planning Process The planning process can most basically be divided into four major phases, described below. 1. as Understanding the Contnunity - Basic Studies The purpose of this phase is to obtain knowledge of the existing situation, of changes that have occurred, trends that gave rise to the present situation and trends that are likely to persist. 2. Planning Dimensions With a clear understanding of existing conditions and trends, planning dimensions setting forth the basic parameters for development of the 11aster Plan are enunciated. 3. The General Development Plan Various elements of the Plan are formulated which are designed to guide the community towards its long range goals. 4. Plan Implementation and Maintenance This phase outlines the various controls and programs necessary to implement and maintain the Plan in recognition of the fact that the Plan is not an end in itself. V �The plan components or elements include a wide range of subject areas, all of which have a significant bearing on community growth and development. Included in this report are discussions and recommendations regarding the following individual plan components: - Demographics Land Use Community Facilities Utilities Transportation Parks and Recreation Each of the above elements was studied and the resultant assumptions and recommendations have been incorporated into the overall General Development Plan. vi �CHAPTER I DESCRIPTION OF VERGENNES TOWNSHIP Any plan for the future must in part be based on existing conditions and the influences that shaped the community. This chapter examines the natural influences that have shaped the community, including its location and natural features such as topography and soils. REGIONAL SETTING Vergennes Township is located in Eastern Kent County, just beyond the easterly fringe of the rapidly expanding Grand Rapids r1etropolitan Area. The Township is bounded on the north by Grattan Township; on the west by Ada Township; on the south by Lowell Township and the City of Lowell; and on the east by Ionia County's Keene Township. t1ajor access to the To\'mship is via Lincoln Lake Avenue which traverses the community from north to south and intersects with r1-21 just south of the Township in the City of Lowell. Interstate I-96 lies approximately four and one half miles further south. NATURAL FEATURES Based on a survey of community attitudes, residents of Vergennes consider the Township's natural features among its greatest assets. In the survey, 96 percent of residents responding indicated that the Township's "rural environment" was either important or very important as a reason for selecting the Township as their place of residence. In the survey the preservation of "rural areas" was cited by 98 percent of respondents as being important or very important to them. In Vergennes Township the "rural environment" is comprised of a variety of natural features in a relatively unspoiled setting. These include rolling hills, dense forest, winding rivers and streams, deep ravines and major expanses of farmland and orchards. These features, combined with relatively close proximity to a major metropolitan area, also make Vergennes increasingly attractive to many individuals and families seeking a high quality rural living environment. It is, however, ironic that the qualities considered most important for preservation are those which continue to attract new residents. As a result, each ne\', resident contributes to some extent the demise of these assets. Striking an appropriate balance which attempts to maintain the rural qualities enjoyed most by existing residents, while accommodating an influx of new residents seeking the same qualities is a major task of this plan and a challenge which will become increasingly difficult as growth pressures increase. Understanding the area's natural features and the implications that they have with respect to mans activities is therefore fundamental if the community is to institute appropriate policies of land use. 1-1 �TOPOGRAPHY AND DRAINAGE The topography of Vergennes Township is ~idely varied and comprised_o_f hil~s, ravines, floodplains and generally undulating lan?· T~e to~ographic relief provides visual interest and privacy and by itself is an important natural feature, and resource. It is the gently rolling nature of the northern sections of the Township that promotes the air drainage necessary to support the numerous orchards found in the Township. The most prominent collective feature of the Township is the natural drainage network. The Flat River Valley is primarily wooded and contained by bluffs that, in many areas, exceed 50 feet in height. In some cases these bluffs border directly on the banks of the river, while in other areas the bluffs and banks are separated by a wide floodplain. The tributaries of the Flat River and the Grand River which are located south of the Township have created numerous ravines characterized by steep slopes, and narrow valleys. Several of these contain numerous wetland depressions. As a system, these rivers and streams serve to accommodate storm water runoff, maintain safe flood conditions by retaining and absorbing large volumes of water during storm periods and to recharge surface water as well as sub-surface water tables. Disruption of this natural drainage network on even a minor scale can prove costly in terms of public health and safety and aesthetics. WATER RESOURCES In addition to the Flat River and numerous smaller streams there are several lakes, small ponds and wetlands located in the Township. The most significant includes the Flat River impoundment located in Sections 25 and 26. This impoundment is seeing increased residential development pressure because of the stunning views it offers for home sites and its largely untapped recreational opportunities. f1urray Lake, located in the extreme north, is now virtually ringed by residential development and, as a result, has experienced water quality problems such as severe eutrophication. It is heavily used by boaters. Bailey Lake, located in Section 19, is ringed by wetlands and has yet to see significant development or recreational pressure. Numerous smaller lakes and wetland areas are scattered throughout the Township. t1ost are associated with the major drainage courses. Each of these water resources, in addition to their value for drainage purposes, serve as important habitat for many forms of wildlife. SOILS The General Soils Map {t1ap 2) illustrates the major soil associations within Vergennes Township. An overview of these soil associations is useful in identifying the general suitability of soils for certain types of land use and provide further insight into the topography and drainage of the Township. It is important to note that in Vergennes Township, existing land use has been largely determined by the suitability of soils. In any rural community having as its goal the preservation of its rural qualities, attention to the natural suitabilities and limitations of the soil is paramount. !-2 �' ,. MASr ·-··-----~-----·---- --------~--- .' . --,.-.. •----·-----········ . :................;---·-···- -·-- ----...L-----ai------: .....~ .--='--• ' ' ' ''' ' :oc£ANA ': I - --- ...: -- --- -- --- ---,·-..... , I ' __ -...-,_ ~ /,/£COSTA '7 I • ' -· ----- ·------·- .' -- -- ·- · '' ' I ' 1----+----!--C,,oo)--➔----t----""'"'.I ------. - -- ------~1 -- --- __ ;,' _______ --------·f-------I I 1 : l I I • : I • I ------- --·----f---------,- -' REGIONAL LOCATION MAP VERGENNES TOWNSHIP MAP 1 �l L VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN GENERAL SOILS MAP T 7 N, R 9 W b trtm= I OAKVILLE - THETFORD - G_RAunv Assoc1Anou t;~~~3 PLAINFIELD V'i.v[rf;J SPINKS I - OSHTEMO - SPINKS ASSOCIATION - TEKEIHNK - OSHTEl10 ASSOCIATIOll I rtARLETTE - CAPAC - 11ETAl10RA AssocIATIOtl {::;:::;:::::::::::I !\ARLETTE - CHELSEA - BOYER ASSOC! ATI ON [: ::::: : !CHELSEA - PLAINFIELD - BOYER ASSOCIATION k\\~~~KIBBIE - DIXBO~O - THETFORD ASSOCIATIOtl HOUGHTON - COHOCTAH - CERESCO ASSOCIATION MAP 2 �1. OAKVILLE - THETFORD - GRANBY ASSOCIATION This association consists of a narrow, two mile long band, located in the south centrill portion of the Township. The topography in this area is level to gently rolling and poorly drained. Soils are dark in color, consisting of fine sands and loamy sands which are, in general, poorly suited for building development because of wetness and poor filtering capacity for septic tank absorption fields. Most of the area is presently wood or idle and only -a relatively small portion is considered well suited for cultivated crops. association comprises approximately 3 percent of the Township's land area. Because of Lincoln Lake Avenue and its location in proximity to the City of Lowell, considerable residential development and most of the To~1nship's commercial and industrial development has occurred in this area. Due to the soils general inability to naturally support intensive development, the provision of public sewer and water utilities should be considered a prerequisite to any additional major developments occurring in this area. The 2. PLAINFIELD - OSHTEl10 - SPHIKS ASSOCIATION This association is located throughout much of the eastern portion of the Township and generally encompasses the areas directly drained by the Flat River. Another similar area is found in the southcentral portion of the Township. The topography is flat to gently rolling and the areas are generally well drained. Along the drainage ways, ravines with slopes of over 18 percent are common. Soils consist of grayish brown sands, sand loams and loamy sands which are generally well suited for development. However, because of a poor filtering capacity in association with high water tables, ground water pollution from septic tank absorption fields is a hazard in the areas nearest to surface water features. Because of this area's location with respect to the Flat River and the City of Lowell and the apparent ability to naturally support a certain level of development, some areas within this association have witnessed considerable residential development. Host of the remaining portions are wooded or idle and are not considered well suited for agricultural purposes. It comprises roughly 25 percent of the Township's land area. 3. SPINKS - TEKENINK - OSHTEMO ASSOCIATION This association is found in the extreme northeast and southeast corners of the Township. The areas are level to gently rolling and consist of well drained sand loam and loamy sands. The soils are well suited for building purposes and septic tank absorption fields in most areas except along drainage courses where a high water table in association with rapid filtration could result in ground water pollution. I-3 �These soils are also fairly well to well suited for farming and are presently extensively used for that purpose. This association comprises approximately 7 percent of the Township. 4. t1ARLETTE - CHELSEA - BOYER ASSOCIATION Found in a wide band in the northcentral and central portions of the Township, as well as in the westcentral area, this association of soils varies fro~· mainly level to gently rolling topography. Soils range from poor to well drained surface loams and sands. Clays, loams and clay loams are found in the sub surface. This association supports significant amounts of agriculture including orchards and row crops. Soils are considered well suited for these purposes. Because of the existence of many poorly drained, lessor soil . types, many areas within the association are poorly suited for development. Such areas are generally found in association with low topography and drainage ways. The major upland soils are however, generally suited for building site development and have supported the majority of the Township's recent large lot single-family residential growth. It comprises approximately 25 percent of the Township. 5. t1ARLETTE - CAPAC - t1ETAt10RA ASSOCIATION This association extends from north to south in the western one-third to one-half of the Township and covers nearly 30 percent of the total land area. Topography is gently rolling to steep and the soils are generally well drained. Soils consist of loams and loamy sands underlined by gravelly sand clay loams, loamy fine sand or gravelly coarse sand. Throughout much of this association are soil conditions considered well suited for farming and the vast majority of the area is presently cultivated. In the northern portions of the Township characterized by this association, is a large expanse of poorly drained soil which is subject to ponding. For this reason, this area is generally not considered suitable for non-farm purposes. 6. CHELSEA - PL~INFIELD - BOYER ASSOCIATION This association makes up less than six percent of the Township and is found in four separate locations in the southeast and southwest. The topography is gently rolling to very steep, resulting in well drained to excessively well drained soils. Soils consist of loamy sands and sand underlined by gravelly sand and gravelly sandy clay loam. These areas are generally wooded or idle and are not considered quality farm soils due to droughtiness and erodability. less sloping sites are fairly well suited for site development if they are not associated with a high water table. Because of excessive permeability, ground water within 6 to 8 feet of the surface could be contaminated by septic tank effluents. I-4 �7. KIBBIE - DIXBORO - THETFORD ASSOCIATION This association comprises less than one percent of the Township's area and is found in• the Township's extreme northwest corner. The topography is only slightly undulating, resulting in poorly drained soils. These sandy and loamy soils are generally unsuited for development. The area is well suited for farming and most of the area is used for that purpose. 8. HOUGHTON~ COHOCTAH - CERESCO ASSOCIATION This association consists of poorly drained organic and mucky soils formed in alluvial (river) deposits. The topography is nearly level. Soils are not well suited for development due to wetness and potential flooding. The association is located in the southeast corner of the Township and represents less than two percent of the Tmmship's total land area. ttost of the area is presently being farmed with the remainder being left idle. Suitable uses include agriculture, recreation or open space. DEVELOPr1ENTAL LIMITATIONS OF SOILS In Vergennes Township public sewer and water facilities are, for the most part, unavailable and the prospects for their future provision on a large scale does not appear feasible. Therefore, one of the most significant constraints to development is the ability for soils to accommodate private septic tank systems. Due to poor percolation and wetness, and in the other extreme, the inability of permeable soils to adequately filter effluent before it reaches the ground water supply, many areas in Vergennes Township must be considered unsuitable for intensive development. As a result, the location and character of development must in large part, be determined by the ability of soils to accomodate private septic systems. r1ap 3, illustrates those areas of the Township which exhibit characteristics of soil and topography which are considered to have the most severe limitations for the development and proper operation of septic systems. Slopes in excess of 18 percent and soils with poor percolation properties, severe wetness, and poor filtration properties, in association with a permanent or seasonally high \'later table, have been mapped and shown as composite areas being unsuitable for intensive development (Map 3). I-5 �L VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN T 7 N, R 9 W - ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITATIONS AREAS WITH SLOPES IN EXCESS 18% OR SOIL CHARACTERISTICS CONSIDERED UNSUITABLE FOR SEPTIC SYSTEMS MAP 3 �CHAPTER II COMMUNITY PROFILE At the present time large expanses of Vergennes Township remain undeveloped or are used for agric111tural purposes. This being the case, the Tm·mship still has the opportunity to direct future development in a manner that will be both desirable and econo~ical to serve with p11blic services and facilities. However, in order to develop a realistic plan for future development, decision makers must have a clear picture of the community as it is nm..,. EXISTING LAND USE INVENTORY As previously noted, Vergennes Township is at the easterly li111its of the rapidly expanding Grand Rapids t1etropolitan Area. In addition, the City of Lowell is, in its own right, an economic and community focal point i,,1hich will continue to have significant implications on adjacent lands located within Vergennes. Av,areness of these implications ,rnd the types and pattern of existing 1and use is therefore a key factor in assessing the comr.,unity's character, in identifying problems and opportunities and in establishing future goals and objectives. The follo•,..,ing is an inventory of existing land uses in Vergennes Township. Altogether, approximately 9,000 acres area is in active agricultural use. or 40 percent of the Township's total The second most significant land use are forested lands \'lhich occupy roughly 6,500 acres or 28 percent of the Township. Open lands or land left in an uncommitted or idle state of grass or shrubs comprise about 4,100 acres or 18 percent of the Township. Approximately 2,158 acres of land is committed to a permanent non-farm use. The largest single use within this group are streets and highways which occupy approximately 700 acres, followed by recreational lands (685 acres) and residential lands (610 acres). Table 1 illustrates the complete breakdown. AGRICULTURAL LANDS Approximately 9,000 acres are presently devoted to agricultural use. Of this acreage 89 percent is devoted to field crops, and 4 percent to fruit orchards. The remainder is devoted to the confined feeding or pasturing of livestock. As can be seen from the existing Land Use t1ap (!tap 4 ) , only the southeast one quarter of the Township can be characterized as not being primarily devoted to agricultural use. It is in this general area that the majority of the Township's development has occurred. Approximately 35 percent of the Tov,nship's land area can be classified a prime farmland or land which, as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is "best suited to food, feed, fiber and oilseed crops, and has soil qualities, II-1 �Vergennes Township Existing Land Use TABLE 1 Acres Single Family Residential Agricultural - Total Cropland Orchards Confined Feeding Pasture Public/Semi-Public - Total Streets e, Highways Railroads t1unicipal Buildings Airport Churches Cemeteries Historical Recreation Industrial Commercial Forested Open (Grass & Shrubs) Lakes & Rivers Wetlands Total % 610 9,180 8,216 367 21 576 1,524 700 76 3.5 50.7 14.0 14.0 1.0 685.0 18.0 6.0 6,504 4,150 330 646 22,996 * Figures may not add up due to rounding Source: t1i chi gan Resource Information System, t1DNR, 1988 Kent County Property Desc. .~ 11appi ng, 1988 II-2 2.6 40.0 35.7 1.6 .1 2.5 6.6 3.0 .33 .01 0.2 0.06 0.06 3.0 0.08 0.02 28.3 18.0 1.5 2.8 100 * (09. 5) (4.0) (0.2) ( 6. 2) (45.9) (4.9) (0.2) (J.2) (0.9) (0.9) 0.06 (44.9) �:,,:·..:;,.• :/.,'... ·,, .."./'. -~::,:5. ~ )~ . I I ,, \I , , '• ~1=='1~·- --·--·--...,,-1===--1 t~~~{;:.: ' ----- ' ,~~·i.·~. ;r~ fJ r? I I I I 11 : I : ..!......~ AR£A I I I I L VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN T 7 N, R 9 W IMPORT ANT FARMLANDS E:.}~i~:~ P R I M E A G R I C U LT U R A L S O I L S ~ ENROLLED P.A. 116 LANDS MAP 4 �growing season anrl moisture supply to produce sustainecf, high-yielrl crops with minimal input of energy anrl economic resources and, 11hen cultivated, it results in the least rlamage to the environment. 11 In Vergennes Township the vast majority of the aci:eage classified as 11 prime 11 is presently being farmer. Hhile "prime 11 farr1lands are scattered throughout the Tol-'mship, the largest amounts are located in the western half of the community. There are 25 to 30 major farm operations t'lithin the Township and the majority of these operations have enrolled some or all of their acreage in the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program (PA116). Under this program, property owners agree to relinquish their non-farm development rights for periods in excess of ten years in exchange for tax credits. At the present ti~e there are over 6,000 acres of land in Vergennes Township enrolled in this program. It is estimated that nearly 50 percent of the Tmmship 's "prime farmland" is enrol led and protected from non-farm development under P.A.116. RESIDENTIAL LAND USE With the exception of only a few duplex and mobile home units, the housing stock in Vergennes is virtually all single-family in nature. It is estimated that there are now roughly 760 single-family homes, compared to 609 in 1980. The construction of 151 new homes since 1980 represents a nearly 25 percent increase. The largest and most intensive area of residential development is found in the southeastern portion of the Township near Lowell. The pattern of cfevelopment in this area is seen as a logical extension of development northward from Lowell. While much of this development occurred during the 1960's and 1970's, several newer plats have been constructed in more recent years. Platted lot sizes are in the 13,000 to 20,000 square feet range for older plats and 17,000 to 30,000 square feet for the newer plats. Another area of intensive development is found around t1urray Lake. Because of pollution problems, sanitary sewers have been provided to this area.. Hm'lever, because of the limitations of the system, expansions in support of additional new development is not foreseen. Lot sizes around the lake are generally in excess of 15,000 square feet. Many of these homesites are the result of the consolidation of smaller lots that were platted many years earlier. The third significant concentration of residential development is located in the Fallasburg area. This settlement has significant historical roots but has not seen considerable growth pressure in recent years. The smallest lot sizes in this area generally range bet1'leen one-half and three acres. A large number of homesites occur on scattered large lots throughout the Township. However, general concentrations of this type of development have occurred. Such concentrations are found adjacent to Ada Township in Sections 18 and 19, adjacent to Lowell Township in Section 32 and 33 and in the eastcentral areas near the Lincoln Lake Avenue/Fallasburg Park Drive intersection. This type of development is seen as the manifestation of suburban fringe pressure being felt within the Township. II-3 �The splitting of large contiguous parcels into 2 to 20 acre parcels for residential use is a significant aspect of this pressure. It is estimated that the~e are currently over 600 parcels within the size range of 2 to 20 acres. It 1s estimated that approximately one half of these are presently committed. This trend has had and will continue to have a significant effect on the overall character of the To\'mship as well as the land use policies necessary to address the problems that it can create. INDUSTRIAL LAND USE The few small industries located in Vergennes Tmmship collectively occupy less than 18 acres of land. Most are located near Lowell, west of Lincoln Lake Avenue in Section 35. These facilities consist of relatively sr.iall tool & die and fabrication shops, contractors yards, and warehousing and distribution. COMUERCIAL LAND USE The relatively fe\·1 cormnercial land uses are located along Lincoln Lake Avenue, within one mile of the City of Lowell. They collectively occupy approximately 6 acres of land. Several small offices are located in front of the industrial site adjacent to Lowell and feH heavy commercial uses are located near the intersection of Vergennes Street and Lincoln Lake Avenue. As of this tine, very 1 ittl e if any of this development can be termed strip development. HoHever, because of the Lincoln Lake corridor which extends northward fron LoHell, such a trend could develop if allowed to occur. The only bonafide conmercial development located else\'1here is the r.iarina on f1urray Lake. Several scattered home occupations are also carried out \'1ithin the Township. PUBLIC/SEt1I-PUBLIC LANO USE This category of land use encompasses public facilities such as roads, government buildings, airports, schools, cemeteries and semi-public facilities such as churches, utilities, and public or private recreation lands. Collectively, these uses occupy nearly 1,500 acres of land. Excluding the land areas devoted to streets and highways, recreation lands comprise the most significant category of public and semi-public lands. The largest area is the Lowell State Game Area. It contains over 800 acres of mature woodland and has extensive Flat River frontage. F~llasburg Park, a regional county park, is also located on the Flat River. It offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities and drav,s thousands of users each year from throughout the metropolitan area and region. It contains over 530 acres. The other major recreational use located in the Township is Arrowhead Golf Course. This public golf course encompasses 18 holes on 143 acres in Section 10. Collectively, these three major outdoor recreation assets offer residents and visitors alike relatively abundant outdoor oriented recreational opportunities. II-4 �Other significant public and SP.mi-public land uses include the Lm,ell City Airport and several church sites and cemeteries scattered throughout the community. A breakdown of the acreages devoted to the various pL1blic and serai-public uses is found in Table~- Vergennes Township Parcel Sizes 1988 TABLE 2 Parcel Size Number % of Total Parcels Less than 2 Acres 2 to 5.9 Acres 6 to 10. 9 Acres 11 to 15.9 Acres 16 to 20.9 Acres 21 Acres & Over Total Under Under Under Under 361 270 220 109 52 264 1,273 6 Acres 11 Acres 16 Acres 21 Acres 631 851 960 1,012 28.3 21. 2 17.3 8.5 4.0 20.7 -100 49.5 66.8 75.4 79.5 Est. Total Acres* 540 1,100 1,850 1,500 960 15,932 21,882** 1,640 3,490 4,990 5,950 % of Total Acres 2.5 5.0 8.4 6.8 4.4 72.8 100 7.5 15.9 22.8 27.2 * Est. Acres based on Estimated average lot size within each category. ** Total Acres excludes major Hater bodies and street R.O.W. and railroad properties. Source: Kent County Property Desc. and 11appi ng, 1988 �Vergennes Township Property Ownership 1988 TABLE 3 Acres PUBLIC Kent County Streets & Highways Park Land Historical Other State Of t1ichi gan State Game Area Railroad Other City Of Lowell Airport Proper Airport Environs Cemetery Other Vergennes Township Cemetery Town Hall Other 3,056.74 894.15 3.6 818 76 0.15 128.5 0.57 50. 72 37.95 4.95 34.85 10.24 241.8 143 350 18,867.2 22,658 0.04 3.53 1.5 4.15 734.8 Religious Organizations Church sites Cemetery Other Recreation Golf Course Utilities Consumers Pm'ler Total * 8.9 700 535 1.06 784 SEMI-PUBLIC PRIVATE 13.5 2,024 25.03 5.35 211.0 143 350 3.2 1.07 0.06 0.06 1.9 1.9 83.J 100 * Excludes lakes and rivers. Source: Kent County Property Desc. & rlappi ng, 1988 II-6 -----iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii_________ �POPULATION &HOUSING Population Growth Trends From 1940 to 1980 the population of Vergennes Township increased from 741 persons to 1,819. Current estimates of grov,th indicate the Tmmship's 1988 population to be approximately 2,160 persons. The most significant periods of population growth have been in the decades since 1960. Between 1960 and 1970 the population grev, by 48 percent. Between 1970 and 1980 the increase 'das 30 percent. For the 1980's the relative increase is expected to be approximately 20 percent. Each decade has resulted in a population increase of roughly 400 persons. Table 4 compares the current and historical populations of Vergennes Township with adjacent communities and Kent County. It shows that Vergennes Tovmship trails only Lowell Township in the current rate of growth being experienced in Eastern Kent County. In terms of numerical increases, Cascade, Ada and LoHell townships continue to see the largest gains. In perspective, it can be said that population growth in Vergennes ToHnship has remained relatively constant. Vergennes Township Population 1960 To 1988 TABLE 4 '.t Increase Vergennes Tv1p. Lowell Twp. Ada Twp. Cascade Twp. Lowell City Kent County Source: 1960 1970 1980 1988 1980-1988 945 1,567 2,887 3,333 2,545 363,187 1,400 2,160 4,479 5,243 3,068 411,044 1,319 3,972 6,472 10,120 3,707 444,506 2,160 4,742 7,616 11,920 4,125 488,498 18.7 19.4 17.6 17.8 11.3 9.8 1960, 1970 & 1980 US Census . . 1988 Vergennes Tmmship est. based on an assumption of 697 occupied housing units at 3.1 persons/househ~ld. . ~ Other estimates based on interpolation of 1986 est1ma . . es provided by US Bureau of Census. II-7 # Inc. 341 8'> ( <.. ' l, ll'I/ 1,80( 4F 43,99 ~ �Age Composition As in most areas of tile country, the population of Vergennes Township is grm,i:ig older. During the 1970's, the median age rose from 23.6 years to 28.9. Table 5, illustrates this point and shows that while the overall 1980 population was still comprised of a high percentage of adults in the family rearing years, t~e percentage of pre-school and school age children (Oto 19 years) declined considerably (4.8 percent) and the percentage of young adults and middle aged persons (20 to 59 years) rose considerably (8.7 percent). Although reliable current data estimates of the age mix are not available, it is assu □ed that given the high percentage of persons that were in the family forming years in 1980, the Township is nm-1 in the midst of a mini baby boom that will serve to te~per the increase in the median age through the next 10 to 20 years. Vergennes Township Age Group Comparison TABLE 5 1980 Age Group Persons Under 5 5 - 9 10 - 14 15 - 19 20 - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 59 60 - 64 65 - 74 75 - Over 143 172 186 187 119 133 186 256 171 73 49 84 55 7.8 9.4 10.2 1,819 11medi an Age Source: 1970 % 10.2 143 180 146 135 6.5 7.3 10.2 14.1 9.4 4.3 2.7 4.6 3.0 62 93 184 157 56 27 86 66 100 28.9 1970 & 1900 U.S. Census II-8 Persons % 9.6 12.8 10.4 9.6 3.8 4.4 6.6 13.1 11.2 4.0 1.9 6.1 4.7 53 1,400 100 23.6 �Migration Patterns General migration rates can be determined by taking the 1970 age groups and shifting them ten years. For example, a person in the 20-24 age group in 1970 would be in the 30-40 age group in 1980 if they stayed in Vergennes Tm·mshi p. The total for each age group shifted ten years can then be compared with the actual numbers for 1980. The differ2nce in these numbers generally represent either a net in-migration or net out-migration as illustrated in Table 6. The results pi npoi rit the 1980' s trend of young fami 1i es moving into the To1-mshi p by showing sharp increases in the number of children under 9 years of age as well as for adults in the family forming age bracket of between 30 and 44. As seen from Table 6, births and in-migration far outv,eighed population losses due to deaths and out-migration for a total population increase of 419 persons. It is estimated that in-migration accounteCT for 67 percent of this increase, or 282 residents. The recent attitude survey supports the conclusion that in-migration continues to be the single nost important influence in the growth of Vergennes Township. Of those responding to the survey, 57 percent of households reported to having moved within that last ten years and JO percent within the last tv,o years. Over 83 percent of those responding to the survey reported having 1i ved at an address outside of Vergennes Township prior to living at their present address. The responses indicate that in-migration from elsewhere in Kent County is very high and the percentage of the population having previous ''roots" in Vergennes Township is becoming less significant. Vergennes Township Migration Characteristics By Age Group . 1970 To 1980 TABLE 6 Age Group Under 5 5 - 9 10 15 20 25 30 35 45 55 65 75 - 14 19 24 29 34 44 54 64 74 & Over Total (1) (2) (3) (4) 1980 1970 Population Shifted 10 Years 143 172 186 187 119 133 186 256 171 127 84 55 134 180 146 135 53 155 184 157 83 152 1,819 1,379 Net Change + 143 (1) + 172 (1) + 52 (2) + 7 ( 2) - 27 (3) 2 ( 3) + 123 (2) + 101 (2) -- 13 ( 3) 30 (3) + 1 (2) 97 (3) + 419 (4) Net increases due to births &in-migration. Net increases due to in-migration. Net decrease due to deaths and out-migration. Based on average rates of 16.67 births and 8.18 deaths per 1000 people in Kent County during the period, the expected natural population increase for Vergennes was 136 persons. With a net increase of ~l? persons ft is therefore estimated the in-migration resulted in an add1t1onal 282 residents or 67 percent of the total increase in population. Source: 1970 & 1980 US Census �Housing As illustrated in Table 7, 1~80 sa11 a total of 500 housing units. Of these, 550 were occupied, 24 were vacant and 26 were considered seasonal. Based on building permit information it is estimated there are presently 760 housing units. This is an increase of 25 percent in 8 years. The vast majority of housing units are conventional si ngl e-fami ly homes. There are also a small number of rluplex units, mobile homes, and migratory farm labor units. Vergennes Township Housing Stock 1980 - 1988 TABLE 7 Total Occupied Vacant Seasonal Source: 1980 Est. 1988 Est. Increase 609 559 760 697 30 33 151 138 6 7 24 26 1980 - US Census 1988 - Total based on 1980 thru 1987 building permits. - Occupied units based on residential mailing addresses within Township. - Vacant and seasonal units based on 1980 percentages of unoccupied m,elling units. Fifty-one percent of all housing units have been constructed since 1970 and over two-thirds of the total have been built since 1960. Only 20 percent were constructed prior to 1940. Because of their age, the majority of homes in the Township are in good condition and are well maintained. The median value of housing in the Tm·mship is reflective of the relative age of the units. In 1980 the median value of homes was $44,500. This compares to a figure of $38,900 for Kent County as a v,hole. It is estimated that there is presently an average of 3.08 persons per household. This figure compares to 3.25 in 1980, 3.57 in 1970 and 3.65 persons II-10 - �per household in 1960. This trend for reduced family size is indicative of a national trend and in large part explains why the growth rate in housing units exceeds the rate of population gr01--1th. Table 8 shows the construction activity that has occurred in the Tm·mship in recent years. It i 11 ustrates that home construction far exceeds other types of construction in terms of quantity and the value of construction. Vergennes Township Construction Activity 1980 - 1988 TABLE 8 Type Of Construction Permits Issued Value Single Family Homes 151 $ 6,415,130 Res. Garages 53 Residential Additions 64 502,600 Commercial Bldgs. 3 53,600 Industrial Bldgs. 3 500,263 tJ/A Other Non Res. Bldgs. (farm, public etc.) 59 NIA Structures Other Than Bldgs. (pools etc.) 14 N/A 347 Figures not totally accurate due to incomplete information for and 1985. Source: $13,561,863 the years 1984 Vergennes Tmmship Bldg. Permit information, Wf1RPC & Bldg. Inspector. II-11 �Income The income of households in the Township is relatively high as compared to many communities within Kent County. In 1980 the median household incor:ie for the Township \'1as $22,435. For Kent County as a \/hole this figure was $18,554. In 1980 less than one percent of households had income belo'r't the poverty level. Based on the re.$ponses to the Resident Property Ovrner Survey, it is estimated that the combined average income of households is presently well over $25,000 since 70 percent of the respondents (203) reported household incomes of over that amount. Occupation &Place of Employment The results of the resident survey also indicate that approximately 70 percent of households have at least two wage earners. Roughly 49 percent of the principal wage earners are employed in '\.,hite collar" occupations and 35 percent in "blue co 11 ar" occupations. Approximately 16 percent a re retired. Because of the lack of local employment opportunities, Vergennes Tmmship can be considered a bedroom comr.iunity in that the majority of its residents \\IOrk outside of the Tovmship. In 1980 the average travel time to work for individuals who did not work at home vrns over 20 minutes. Sixty-two percent had to travel between 15 and 50 minutes to reach their place of employment and only 38 percent could reach their jobs within 15 minutes. Based on the 1980 U.S. Census, approximately 20 percent of employed persons work l'lithi n the City of Grand Rapids, and approximately 3 percent \'IOrk outside of Kent County. While more <ietailed information is not available, it can be expected that, based on recent metropolitan area employment patterns and reported travel times, the majority of employed persons work in the southeast portion of the Grand Rapids i1etropolitan Area 1-1hich includes Kentwood, Cascade and Ada Townships. Education Levels The general citizenry of the Township in 1980 was fairly 1-.,ell educated with over 60 percent of persons over 25 years of age having completed at least 4 years of high school, 30 percent having attended college and 15 percent having completed 4 or more years of college. COMMUNITY SERVICES AND FACILITIES A certain paradox often exists as residents who move into a rural area to escape the congestion and problems of "city life" increase in number and then begin to seek the services and conveniences often taken for granted in urban areas. As a result, Vergennes Township is likely to see increased demands of its new residents for a variety of public services and facilities. II-12 ► �While the resident survey indicates that the large ~ajority of residents are presently satisfied with the basic services being providerj, it is expected that as development continues to occur, dissatisfaction in the areas of police and fire protection, emergency services, roarl conditions and other basic services is lik~l~ _to increas~. The followi~~ is a brief discussion of the existing fac1l1ties and services presently provided to Vergennes Township residents. Township Offices Administrative functions of the Tm·mship are conducted in the Tovmsh -i p Hall ,,,hi ch is a 1eased faci 1ity 1ocated at the intersection of Bai 1ey Ori ve and Parnell Avenue. The offices occupy the first floor of a t\'rn story 1·rnod frar.ie structure that was once a local grange hall. The second floor provides approximately 1,000 square feet of meeting room. Indications are that the structure is relatively sound and capable of adequately handling expected administrative space needs for the foreseeable future. However, space for expanded administrative functions, pub 1 i c meetings and community gatherings are severely limited. As a result, as the need for services expands there is likely to be a need for the 1ong range consideration of a new multi -purpose Community building/Township administration facility. Libraries Vergennes To1·mshi p does not have its own 1 i brary. The nearest 1i brary is 1ocated in the City of Lowell and it is in need of expansion. There are presently no plans to provide a library facility in the Tmmship. Coordination and assistance to the Lowell Library would appear to be the most feasible approach to improving library services to Vergennes residents. Schools Vergennes Township is uithin the Lm'lell Public School District. · All school facilities, with the exception of one elementary school in Alto, are presently located in the City of L01·1el1. There are presently no plans for the location of school facilities within the Township. Police and Fire Protection The Township does not have its mm police or fire departments and must rely on the Kent County Sheriffs Department and the Lowell Fire Department for these emergency services. Parks and Recreation As previously noted, Fall as burg County Park nnd the Lowell State Game Area are located in Vergennes Towns~ip. Fallasburg Park offers a variety of opportunities which include picnicking, hiking, playground equipment and ball fields. In addition, the park offers public access to the Flat River for canoeing and fishing. The State Game Area is used primarily for hunting and fishing. Other facilities such as tennis courts, ball fields, picnic areas and playground equipment are located at two public parks v-lithin the City of L~well. A~ditional playground and athletic facilities are provided at the various public school facilities in Lowell. II-13 �Lowell City Airport This facility ovmcd by the City of Lm.,iell is located on approximately 50 acres just north of the City. It is presently seeing limited use. The City of LmJell is however, in the process of assessing its future utility and the need and feasi bi 1 i ty for improving and expanding its faci 1iti es . Historical Features Eighty-six percent of the households responding to the resident survey listed the preservation of historic buildings as being important or very important. Of particular historical significance to the Tovmship, is the Fallasburg area.. It consists of a settlement with several existing structures uhich predate the Civil vJar. The 11 Fallasburg Covered Bridge" is listed on the National Register of Historical Sites. In addition, the Fallasburg tlill site/Fallasburg School/ Fallasburg Pioneer Village area on Covered Bridge Road is listed on the State Register of Historic Sites. The local Historical Society presently operates the school building as a museum. This organization is very active in promoting the preservation and enhancement of this area and has purchased at least one other structure for preservation purposes. Their goal is to i~prove the area as a tourist attraction and they have approached the Tol'mship for support. Public Utilities Only the homes located adjacent to t1urray Lake are presently provided with public sewer and the system used is not designed to allow expansion into other areas. Public water is not provided any~·, here in the Township. As a result the vast majority of residents must rely on private Hells and septic systems. The City of LO\tell operates systems for both public utilities; however, because of economic considerations the Township has not chosen to be included in future services area agreements necessary to allm·1 expansion of these systems into adjacent Township areas. Transportation Facilities Because of its nature as an agricultural and rural bedroom community, Vergennes is dependent upon roacl links \•lith Lov,ell and the Grand Rnpids t1etropolitan Area. Convenient, safe and efficient access both internally Hithin the Township and to other commuter destinations is therefore very important. The Township's natural features pose a significant impediment to convenient traffic movement. Hilly terrain, wetlands, ravines and, of course, the Flat River have dictated the locations of several roads and, in some cases, have resulted in the disruption of roads that would otherwise have been constructed in a complete grid pattern. Nonetheless, the Township is generally well served by its system of roadways and they operate at high levels of service. Map 5 illustrates the TO\rnship road network and cl ass ifi es the various roads by function. II-14 ► �I 't I ,..J r-1 ---------- ( 1 "\ I . J :, .'---. L" . :::. i -\ -~, ' -, . ~ .... ••"'--.&----....a---1W1JJ:.•-----fi=,___11-__ __·.·::.,.- - ~ - - ~ { ~ ·,:- -{-\~.~-..-.J----,.:.:."~"'~"----1 l(r, I . ,o. ·.. A• • ~ '\" ~, STIU(T -- --~ ( ~"{_ __ - ____ IUN T. L VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN STREET FUNCTION T 7 N, R 9 W MAJOR RURAL ARTERIAL MINOR RURAL ARTERIAL ... ·-·-·-• PAVED RURAL COLLECTOR GRAVEL RURAL COLLECTOR MAP 5 �The major and r.iinor arterials illust.ratecf are classified by the Kent County Road Commission as County prir.iary roads. The Road Commission has total responsibility in maintaining and making improvements to these roads. The . rural collectors are classifi~d as local ro~ds by the County and the responsibility for making any improvenents to these streets is shared bet,1een the County and the Towns~ip. In such cases the Township is required to provide 55 percent of the necessary funding for maintenance anc1 improvements and the Road Commission 45 percent. The Road Commission's equipment and personnel are relied upon to carry out these task-s . As growth in the rural areas continues, ments is likely to arise. the need to make costly road improve- At the present time there are over 30 miles of unpaved streets in the Township. These types of roads are not designed to efficiently handle traffic 1olumes that exceed 50 to 75 cars per day. Based on traffic counts provided by the Kent County Road Commission, there are presently up to 8 miles of gravel road with volumes that exceed the desirable maximum. They include all or portions of the following roads: Foreman Avenue, Cumberland Avenue, Bennett Road, 11cPherson Street, Fero Avenue, Biggs Avenue and portions of 3 mile road. On several of these roadways, daily volumes are approaching 200 vehicles per day. 1 As in most rural communities that are experiencing growth pressures, demands to improve these roads will increase. As a result, the ability of the Township to program and finance such improvements is expected to be a major issue of the future. Based on the resident survey, over 80 percent of the respondents taken as a whole were satisfied with road conditions. However, in the central and southwest areas which are not well served by paved roads, the percentage of respondents being unsatisfied with road conditions approached nearly 40 percent. Those streets that are paved have been maintained in good to excellent condition. While traffic volumes on almost all of these streets have increased, it is expected that the levels of service on most road segments will remain well within the design limitations. Where problems do arise, relatively minor improvements such as left turn lanes, and deceleration lanes at major intersections can be expected to adequately address deficiencies (see appendix). II-15 �CHAPTER III PLANNING Dlt1DJSIONS Planning dimensions are guidelines which become the basic frame~ork for the development of the Comprehensive Plan. For plans to be meaningful and valuable in guiding future growth and development, they must first represent the needs and aspirations of the community's citizenry and, second, they must be realistic and within the community's financial capability. This is assured by the use of planning dimensions which set forth both the qualitative and quantitative requirements of the community for the planning period. Planning dimensions include a General Gro\'1th Policy, Goals, Population Projections and an estimate of Future Land Needs. In preparing these planning dimensions, the Vergennes Township Planning Commission has relied on several types of information. The Commission has undertaken a number of basic studies which, together, provide a factual background relating to the past and present development of the Township. These studies also are of value in determining the physical limits and opportunities of future development. In addition, as mentioned in the previous chapter, the Planning Commission has conducted a resident property owner survey in the attempt to gain insights into the thoughts and feelings of residents on a wicfe range of development related issues. The survey \'/aS mailed to every resident property O\'tner in the Township and the response rate was over 45 percent. The results of the survey are very useful and they have been used extensively in formulating the following planning goals and policies contained in this chapter. A summary of the survey is found in the appendix. GENERAL GROWTH POLICY It is recognized that in some ways Vergennes Township has become inextricably linked to Lowell and the Grand Rapids f1etropolitan Area. f1any interrelationships exist which include land use, recreation, shopping and employment centers. Past and future development of the Township has been and will continue to be greatly influenced by these various relationships. The Township, therefore, realizes that it cannot plan for its future development in complete isolation of the needs and growth trends of the balance of the metropolitan area. Within this general framework, hm·,ever, the Township also realizes that it is a separate community and is obligated to plan for its future in accordance with the needs and desires of its residents. The following brief statements form the overall growth policy and are based on recognition of both the Township's areawide responsibilities as well as responsibilities to the residents and land0\'lners within the Township. * While the Township recognizes the need to accommodate future growth and development, it is not the desire or goal of the Township to encourage development for the sake of development alone. III-1 �* All development should consider the natural capabilities of the land to support the d~velopment and the available services and facilities necessary to assure the continual protection of the public health, safety andwelfare of all To~nship residents. * Vergennes Tmmshi p is blessed v-1i th bountiful natura 1 resources and amenities which combine to give it a desirable and sought after rural character. The Township recognizes that the loss of such attributes, such as prime fa~mlands, is an irreversible loss to not only local residents but the region, state and nation as a whole and to future generations. It is therefore the intent of Vergennes Township to promote the preservation of farmland by directing groV✓th and land uses considered incompatible with agricultural practices to those areas of the Township considered to have a higher suitability for such uses. I I GOALS & POLICIES Planning goals and policies are statements that express the community's long range desires and needs. They are intended to provide overall direction for planning activity. In the preparation of the Comprehensive Plan, existing goals and policies were reviewed as well as the effectiveness of existing zoning regulations in achieving those goals. The desired goals for Vergennes Township include the following and form the basis for the establishment of more specific land use and development related policies. General * To preserve the general rural character and qualities of the Tovmship * To preserve the agricultural economic base of the Township and to promote the preservation of farmland, especially prime farmland for agricultural uses. * To establish a pattern of land uses which will promote the highest degree of health, safety, and general welfare for all segments of the community. * To establish a pattern of land future development into areas and where the future extension and cost effectively provided, * To e~sure that waterfront development densities are not over capacitated in ways that \•lill jeopardize the public health, safety, and general welfare of all people ..•• and that waterfronts be preserved where possible as scenic and natural resources. * To promote, develop and maintain a transportation network which for the safe and convenient movenent of people and goods. * To promote a wide range of safe and rlecent housing in the Township. use \'lhich directs the highest intensity of where existing urban densities are prevalent of public utilities can be most efficiently if required. III-2 provides �* To discourage sprawl development especially in areas where residential development is not considered the highest and best use of the land. * To protect the natµral environment in order to reduce inefficient consunption of land resources, and to preserve the existence of such resources for the enjoyment of Vergennes people no111 and in the future. * To maintain and enforce restrictions necessary to insure proper maintenance of property values. * To assess the environmental impact of all development based on the physical characteristics of the area. * To accommodate appropriate commercial and industrial land uses in order to better serve the shopping and enployment needs of the community and to promote a more diverse tax base. * To maintain the natural beauty of the area by preventing over development and by preserving existing v1oodland areas to the fullest extent possible. Further, while the economic benefits of mineral resources within the Township must be recognized, it is equally important that these areas be properly contoured and readied for a desirable ultimate use once the minerals have been extracted. * To provide an adequate level of public services and facilities to protect the public health, safety and \telfare. * To acquire public facility sites in advance of actual need to assure that sites will be available when the need for additional facilities arise, and to minimize public expenditures. * To promote the preservation of historical resources located within the Township in the attempt to safeguard the Township's heritage, stabilize and improve local property values, strengthen the local econony, foster civic beauty and broaden the educational base of citizens. Land Use Policies In addition to the above general goals, a number of specific land use policies have been enumerated 11hich are intended to be official statements on land use planning. Several relate specifically to the major functional conponents of the corrrnunity. 1. It is the policy to accommodate limited commercial development in a planned fashion in logical areas best suited to serve the residents of the nearby area. It is specifically not the goal of the Tmmship to encourage regionally oriented shopping facilities which would over burden the transportation network and create other public service burdens. III-3 �II I 2. It is the policy of the Tmmship to discourage cor:nnercial strip development along the streets within the Township. 3. It is the policy of the Tovmship to provide separation betv,een commercial uses and single-family residential uses by encouraging transitional uses such as offices and/or higher density residential uses. 4. It is the policy of Vergennes Tovmship to accommodate additional industrial development only in those areas in which the provision of appropriate utilities and highyay access can be made available and vhere potential conflicts with other uses can be avoided or minimized. 5. It is the policy of Vergennes Tmmship to ensure that future residential development consider the natural limitations imposed by existing topography and soils and that filling, grading and erosion are minimized. 6. It is the policy of Vergennes T01-mshi p to ensure the capacity and function of existing arterials and collector streets and to minimize the conflicts between their functions, by regulating 1and uses, bui 1ding setbacks and driveway openings and, vthere appropriate, by encouraging the development of front or rear access service drives. 7. It is the · policy of Vergennes Township to promote enrollment into the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act (Michigan Public Act 116). O. It is the policy of Vergennes Township to discourage large ment on prime agricultural land. 9. It is the policy of Vergennes Township to discourage grov1th and development sc,1le develop- in environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, areas of steep slopes, floodplains, and prime agricultural soils. I is the policy of Vergennes Township to ensure that new housing types preserve the character of the land and ~ei ghborhood \~here they are located. 10. It 11. It is the policy of Vergennes Township to support the spirit and philosophy of the Natural Rivers Act of 1970 (t1ichigan Public Act 231). 12. It is the policy of Vergennes Township to promote the preservation structures in the Fallasburg area which are of historical significance. 13. It is the policy of Vergennes Tm·mship to periodically review its land development related ordinances such as zoning, subdivision and building regulations in order to ensure fulfillment of the land use plan and its goals. III-4 of �Service Area Policies The proposed Rural Conservation Area includes about 30% of the total land area of Vergennes Township. Proposed land uses in this area primarily include farming, forestry and single family homes on large estate type sites (3 to 10 acres). Families building homes in this area most desire the privacy and seclusion of large, scenic sites in a natural and more rural setting. Because of the low overall density of development, feH urbar types of services are required and this is consistent with the desire to preserve the rural character of the area. These lands are shown on the Generalized Service Area f1ap as being within the "Rural Service Area". The Plan also recognizes that it is important to provide an area for urban types of land uses such as commercial, industrial and higher density residential. These lands are designated as being v1ithin the "Urban Service Area," \lhich includes about six square miles in the southeast portion of the Tmms!lip and generally adjacent to the City of Lowell. This area will require a full range of urban services such as a public water system, sanitary sei·1er system, storm drainage improvements, major street improvements and police and fire protection. Very few of these services are presently available and, as a result, only limited development can occur at the present time. For these services to be provided in an orderly and economic manner, arrangements must be made for their provision before development occurs. If, for example, the Township contracts with the City of Lowell for water and sel'1er services, those contracts should be in place so that the necessary extensions can be made at the time development occurs. In the meantime, the Township should discourage the premature development of large projects within the Urban Service Area which would utilize private wells or sanitary se\·1er facilities. The use of private systems 1•1ould result in a duplication of services at the time public facilities are constructed and would greatly reduce the potenti a1 number of customers and thereby increase the indi vi dual customer costs. This effect could delay or even prohibit the construction of the necessary public i nfrastructurE'. III-5 �GROWTH TRENDS Population and Housing Determination of reasonable future population growth is important in a planning program since expected population growth provides a general basis for determining future 1and needs as \'te 11 as future community service and facility needs. Population projections for Vergennes Township have been made 1ising three methods which have resulted in a reasonable forecast of growth. II The first method involves relying on recent d1•1elling unit construction to gag~ future growth. In 1980 the census of population reported 609 housing units in the Township. From 1980 to 1988, 151 new units were constructed for a total of 760 units. This Has an increase of nearly 25 percent. The vacancy rate in 1980 was 4 percent. Projecting this recent trend of 3.1 percent residential growth per year with a current estimated figure of 3.0~ persons per unit and a vacancy rate of 4 percent, the estimated population by the year 2000 is approximately 3080 persons. Under this method there would be a total of 1,040 housing units. The second method involves using the same figures except that, rather than making the projections using yearly percentage increases, it is assumed that a straight line increase of 19 new homes per year will be built. Under this method it is estimated that the population in the year 2000 will be approximately 2,920 persons. This projection would result in a total of 989 housing units. The third methorl is based on the population growth trend from 1970 to 1980. During these years, the change from 1,400 persons in 1970 to 1,819 persons in 1980 equated to a 29.9 percent increase. Assuming that this overall trend has continued and will continue over the next 10 years, the population for the year 2000 will be 2,906 persons, anrl 981 housing units. Based on these alternative methods, it is reasonable to project Vergennes Township's population for the year 2000 to be bet1•1een 2,900 and 3,100 persons. For planning purposes, the population projection for the year 2000 is estimated as an average of the three methods, or 2,968 persons, and 1,002 housing units. Land Needs Residential It is presently estimated that there are 760 housing units, occupying 610 acres of land. This equates to an average of 0.3 acres of land for each housing unit. However, it is also recognized that many homesites are on parcel sizes of 1 to 20 acres, and that the Township presently has minimum lot size requirements that range from 17,000 square feet to 3 acres. Assuming that the expected new grouth of 240 units will be fairly evenly mixed with roughly 50 percent of the growth occurring on an average parc~ls size of one acre and 50 percent occurring on an average parcel size of 5 acres, it can be estimated that on the average each new housing unit will consume 3 acres of land, for a total of 720 acres. III-6 �I 't I ,,.I I j r-f ---------, ~--- . 0 .... ;1) \~ \ . 'f' \ ~~ i ~~ - ~; 'V • ... ..,. ;1:'.,1 .....-.. ~~ •t---- .....,... . \ I I \. I I 1: I • r I ,·- . I ( () t-11•• ' I I \ o• . narc, ,.- \ ( . I.. VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN T 7 N, R 9 W GENERAL SERVICE AREAS c::J C!J RURAL SERVICE AREA URBAN SERVICE AREA MAP 6 �~~1ever, based ?n past trends, it could b~ expected that roughly 30 percent of l..,1e ne1·1 gro1,,1th 1,1111 occur on parcels of less than 2 acres and 70 percent on parcel sizes th~t range between 3 and 20 acres. If ve assu~e an average of one acre for , the first category and 5 acres for the second over 900 acres of land 1'lill be needed to satisfy the nev, residential grm,,th. ' In both instances the amount of land consumed is excessive when compared to the 160 acres that would be required if all new units were constructed on more reasonable. suburban densities of 1.5 units per acre. Nonetheless, it is impor- ~ant to note,,that there are ~n estimated 300 ex~sting pa,rcels of. lanrl that are 1n }he 2 to ... o acre range wh1ch are not nm-1 occupied by d\·1ell1ng units .., . • To avoid the inefficient and unnecessary consu~ption of adrlitional ran~~ development must therefore be encouraged to locate in those areas already com-:,. mitted to residential use, and discouraged from locating in areas better suited ·• to agricultural activity in accordance vlith the previously stated goals ,a~d :~ ... · • pof'f ci es. __ • , ,.. • • ,, • , .,.. ,• . ff • .. -1 i,,J ·.,; Commercial ~ .~. r f ,' t ,; Based on a commercial land use inventory contained in the City of Lm,ell 's comprehensive plan, there are presently about 75 acres of developed commercial land within the City. Developed commercial land in neighboring L0\·1ell To\lmship and Vergennes total approximately 35 acres. With populations on the rise in all three communities as well as the other nearby communities of Boston and Keene Townships, it can be expected that demands for additional commercial development in the area 1-1ill also increase. Since the City of Lowell is presently the market area's center, it is also expected that additional demands will be focused 1ttithin and irrnnediately adjacent to the City. The growth characteristics of the Lowell market area are such that by the year 2000, it is estimated that the market area population will be nearly 30,000 people. Based on past trends, the retail and service demands of this population would translate into 5 to 6 acres of commercial development for each 1000 persons, or 150 to 180 acres of total land. By comparing these figures 1·lith the ~xisting amount of commercial development located in the area (110 acres), it is estimated that there 1·/ill be an additional demand for between 40 and 70 acres of commercial development. Review of land use plans of the City of Lowell and Lowell Township reveals that the total amount of vacant, commercial land that is planned and zoned in these cor.mlunities totals approximately 35 acres. - This tota 1 represents an ability to accommodate bet\'leen 50 and 90% of the tota 1 market area's future demand through the year 2000. Subtracting this amount from the projected future demand of 40 to 70 acres leaves a deficit of between 5 and 35 acres. This deficit represents a demand for land that could potentially be felt in Vergennes Tmmship. III-7 �Industrial Recreational Adequate recreational opportunities are general health and well being of persons in that recreation and leisure facilities therefore an important aspect of long range sibility of the community. recognized as being essential to the almost every age group. Assurances are made available in a community is planning and an important respon- Utilizing recreation standards adopted by the State of !·1ichigan, facilities required to adequately serve the community, irrespective of those provided by Kent County parks and facilities located in the City of Lowell, have been identified. Table 9 represents these findings. Table 9 Recreational Facility Needs Facility Local park land (acres) Ball fields Outdoor basketball courts Bicycle trails (miles) Picnic areas (tables) Playgrounds Outdoor tennis courts X-country ski trails (miles) Horseback riding trails (miles) Snowmobile trails t1.R.O.S. Standard 10/1000 1/3000 1/5000 1/40,00(l 1/200 1/3000 1/4000 1/10,000 1/20,000 1/3000 111-8 persons persons persons persons persons persons persons persons persons persons Facilities required: 2000 projected Population of 29n8 ~() 1 0 0 15 1 0 0 0 ,. �/\s a r.,~~ns. of att~r.ipti ng t~ focus in on the types of recreational opportuni ti PS that 1:x1 st, ng res, dents enJoy t1nd to further identify recreation needs, thr 2.ttitude survey of residents asked several pntinent questions. A sumriary of the results pf this survey is as follows: Types of recreation participated in on a frequent basis: Type ~ of respondents 36 28 Picnicking Softball Hiking and x-country skiing Lawn games Off-road vehicles Other /1,4. 30 11 46 Types of additional facilities that members developed in or closer to the Township: Type of household would like to see % of respondents 28 Ballfields Playgrounds Swimming areas Hiking and ski trails Off-roarl vehicle trails Horseback riding trails 32 47 4P 9 1 The results indicate that of the 319 households responding to the survey, 298 or 93% would like to see some sort of additional recreational facility developed in or near the Township. The highest demands are for swimming beaches and hiking trails, followed by ballfields and playgrounds. Analysis of the results of the survey by sub-area indicate that a Iii gher percentage of respondents residing in the southern portion of the Township desire the development of additional facilities such as ballfields and playgrounds than the responses taken for the Township as a whole. This would indicate a need for facilities more in line with the findings indicated by the application of the f1ichigan Recreation Opportunity Standards in the more densely populated areas of the Township. Overall, 50% of responcients felt that the prov1s1on of additional public recreational facilities is important. Nonethel~ss, 85~ of the respondents are satisfied with current facilities, 11'1ich at this time are provided entirely by Kent County, the City of Lowell, public s,:hools and private organizations. 111-9 �Communit_y faci1 iti es As has been previously discussed, grm,th in the To1trnship 's population can be expected to result in increased public services in the area of administrative services and police anrl fire protection. At the present time the Township does not own land that would be suitable for the eventual construction of neu Township offices or fire protection facilities. If such facilities are to be developed in the future, a centrally located site comprising 3 to 5 acres woulrl adequatPly serve . both types of facilities. School facilities I II l l At the present time the Lowell School District is in the process of a strategic planning program that will identify classroom and land space requirements through the P.arly 1990's. One option under consideration that would be intenrled to satisfy a need for up to 20 new classrooMs, is the purchase of additional lanrl for the development of a ne\'I school facility. Such a facility would require between 15 and 20 acres of land. llo decisions have been made as to the location of such a facility, if such an option :-,ere to be pursued. I 11-10 - - -- - - - �CHAPTER IV GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN RESIDENTIAL LAND USE PLAN Vergennes Township is presently witnessing and has witnessed in the past a healthy rate · of residential growth. Based on studies of the local and metropolitan area, there is no reason to believe that future growth will be diminished. As Vergennes continues to grow, the greater portion of the developed land will be taken up by residential uses. In itself, this fact is an important planning consideration. However, the primary concern must be the realization that the living environment is the real heart of the community; and, therefore, a major basis upon which to formulate major land use decisions. The Residential Land Use Plan is a set of guidelines which, if implemented, is capable of producing safe, convenient, and pleasant neighborhoods for the mutual benefit of all Township residents. The Plan is based on the following objectives and influence factors. Objectives 1. To offer a broad range of choice among the living areas; 2. To utilize natural features to create attractive residential areas; 3. To allow the development of a broad range of housing types to accor.imodate varying lifestyles. 4. To assure traffic safety and privacy of residential areas through the design of streets that discourage through traffic. 5. To locate residential areas in such relation to other land use types and community facilities as will best contribute to the overall desirability of the community. 6. To stabilize property values by protecting residential areas from the encroachment of incompatible land use types. 7. Assure public health and safety by permitting the more intensive residential growth patterns in only those areas which can be adequately served by the future extension of public utilities. 8. Provide a variety of lot sizes and shapes to meet the varying desires of all persons in the community. IV-1 �Influence Factors In every community there are various factors that influence and, 1n some instances, dictate how land can be developed. In Vergennes Township, these most importantly include the following: Public Utility Systems. Because provision of public utilities such as sewer and water ,snot foreseen ,n the immediate future, one of the largest limitations to development will be the lack of public utility systems. As a result, soil characteristics are extremely important when considering residential development. Soils must be capable of supporting urban structures, and in areas where public utilities are not available, they must be conducive to the safe and efficient operation of private septic systems. High density residential uses should not be allowed until public utilities are available. Relief. r1uch of the land area in Vergennes is ma.de up of steep hills and deep river valleys which provide many extremely attractive homesites. Because of these factors, however, the density of development in much of the Township will be very 1ow. Vergennes Township is blessed with large quantities of Important Farmlands. These areas valuable farmland that contributes greatly to the local economy. should be protected from encroachment by residential and other types of development. Low Density Residential The Low Density Residential Planning Area is applied to several areas of the Township that have soils generally amenable to single family residential development at densities of approximately one unit per acre, without the provision of public utilities. Most of these areas have experienced some development pressure, as witnessed by the large number of parcels of less than 10 acres that have been created. The primary intent of this area is to promote development that is virtually exclusively residential in nature while still preserving the area's rural and unique environmental qualities. It is also intended to serve as a transitional area between rural densities of development and the higher urban concentration nearer the City of Lowell. The recommended minimum lot size is one acre. Implementation Measures The following mechanisms are intended for use in achieving the objectives of the Low Density Residential District. 1. Maintain the restrictive zoning regulations Residential District. 2. r1uch of the land area included in this planning area is presently included in the existing Low Density Residential Zoning District. However, additional land areas are proposed for ultimate inclusion. It is recommended that necessary rezonings be done incrementally based on the demand for home sites of the size permitted in the district. IV-2 of the "R-1" Low Density �3. The Low Density Residential Planning Area also includes some areas that are presently zoned for medium density residential development. It is recom~ended that the zoning map be amended early on in the planning period to incot-porate these areas ,..,ithin the Low Density Residential District. Medium Density Single-Family Residential T~e med!um dens!ty residential development areas are intended to promote additional s1ngle-fam1ly homes on platted lots of less than one acre in size. Soils in these areas are generally capable of supporting the higher densities, but the need for the eventual extension of public sewer and water should be taken into account. As a result, only those areas south of the Flat River in Section 26 and north of the City of Lowell in Sections 35 and 36 are included. These areas are presently zoned R-2. A maximum density of 3 units per acre is recommended in this Planning District. Implementation l~asures It is recommended that the zoning map and text be amended to create an exclusive medium density single-family residential district. Provisions similar to the existing R-2 p~ovisions should be maintained but uses such as mobile home parks, two-family dwellings, and other uses now viewed as incompatible with the existing conventional single-family residential development, excluded. Medium Density Special Residential Similar in intent to the medium density designation outlined in the previous land use plan and the current R-2 zoning district provisions, these areas are envisioned to accommodate the logical extensions of residential growth northward from the City of Lowell. Through mechanisms already contained in the zoning ordinance or planned unit development provisions, a wide variety of housing types could be permitted including single-family homes, mobile home parks, duplexes, multi-family apartments and condominiums and senior citizen housing. The areas designated are inclusive of soils that, for the most part, appear capable of supporting two to three units per acre with septic tanks. However, as a means to assure long-range public health, only those areas that appear to be the most cost effective to serve with future public utilities extended northward from Lowell have been designated for ultimate inclusion. The maximum density of 6 dwelling units per acre is recommended for developments in this area. t//11~• -Jiu-) Implementation Measures rJe/ift" tiJ 1. Amend the zoning map "'line11emeR-tal+y,-ttpon ;t;he a·,a-tta-bM I t:r, as outlined on the Land Use Plan to reduce the amount of area included in the existing R2, Medium Density Residential District. 2. Develop and implement Planned Unit Development Zoning Provisions that would allow flexibility in the design of higher density developments and mixed uses. 3. Developments that would exceed a density of three units per acre should be delayed until such time that the public sewers are extended and made available. IV-3 ~ �RURAL CONSERVATION PLAN. \-Jithout a doubt the greatest concerns expressed by Township residents iri the attitude survey relate to the preservation of the Township's rural character and its important farmlands. As a means of promoting the protection of these qualities, the plan proposes the designation of a Rural Conservation District encompassing over 80% of the Township's land area. Within this planning area, extensive development would be discouraged and rural land uses such as farming would be promoted. The Rural Conservation Planning Area provides invaluable benefits in terms of natural drainage, aesthetics and natural wildlife habitat. Several areas are typified by steep slopes, wetlands and/or soils ill suited for intensive development. The western and northeastern portions of the area is by in large actively farmed and contains the majority of soil classified a "prime" for agricultural purposes. r1any of these farms are presently enrolled in the P.A. 116 "Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program". The primary objectives of this planning area are twofold: 1. To promote farming activity as the priority land use in the areas ·Township best suited for such use and; of the 2. To promote the existence of forestry operations and the conservation of rural qualities such as woodlots, wetlands and meadows while at the same time providing low density country living opportunities in those areas having soils capable of supporting private septic systems. Implementation t1easures Recommended mechanisms and guidelines for use in achieving the objectives of the Rural Conservation Planning Area include: 1. Maintenance of zoning regulations such as the existing rural-agricultural zoning requirements relative to permitted and special uses as well as the minimum lot area requirement of three acres for single family homes. 2. Encourage the enrollment of farmlands in the Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program and the dedication of conservation easements to land ... trusts . 3. • ~ \,-1 ~..,,. ; implement~t,onp .,~--~~~~-e~!~_<!..~~I~t~~ ·--~OIJ.1:gjned in Preservation 1an. IV-4 the Natural Features �\ _,__ ' 1 ,.., r- f ·--------_____,~ii--"'-°'"'"-......-,4..---~.......,,_!,:--=-::....~.....;" } / "' r VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN • T 7 N, R 9 W RESIDENTIAL LAND USE PLAN (::.;_:_;,:,_._;_:_:~:.:.:. ,);.,_; ;_:.] LO W D E N S IT Y S IN G LE FAM IL Y f:;:;:1:1:l:l:1:l:1:l:1:j M e o I u M o e N s I T v - s I N G L e FA M I L v MEDIUM DENSITY-SPECIAL RESIDENTIA MAP 7 �VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN T 7 N, R 9 W RURAL CONSERVATION PLAN (:f\:j::::i@;::r:= i ] R U RA L C O N S E R VAT I O N A R E A IBij FLAT RIVER MANAGEMENT AREA •MAP 8 �COMMERCIAL LAND USE PLAN Typically, . commercial establishments seek out major streets with high traffic volumes to maximize their visibility and encourage drive-in trade. However when a major street begins to develop commercially, traffic congestion too ofte~ occurs and conflicts result between through traffic and vehicles entering and exiting driveways. This plan recog.nizes that the demands for commercial development in Vergennes Township are likely to increase within the planning period as more and more residents move into the area. These demands are most likely to be greatest along Lincoln Lake Avenue, near the City of Lowell where traffic volumes are greatest and where commercial establishments can take advantage of a more concentrated consumer market. It will be important to direct this type of development in a manner which avoids the generally undesirable effects that commercial strip development could bring along Lincoln Lake Avenue. Therefore, retail and office types of commercial development should be directed toward the triangular area lying north of Lowell, between Lincoln Lake Avenue and Flat River Drive. This area encompasses approximately 45 acres and would potentially offer retail establishment access from both streets, thus minimizing traffic conflicts. In addition, this area is nearest to existing sewer and water utilities within the Lowell area. Therefore, from an engineering standpoint, this appears to have the highest potential for being served by public utilities. Heavier commercial uses such as lumber yards, implement dealers, automotive repair shops etc. would be directed to the area near the intersection of Lincoln Lake Avenue and Vergennes Street. The objectives of the Commercial Land Use Plan are to: - Accommodate limited yet appealing shopping facilities that provide a sufficient amount of goods and services to meet the daily needs of a growing township population, while not duplicating the services provided by establishments located in Lowell. - Promote physical clustering of commercial establishments rather than strip development thereby providing for joint use of parking facilities, more convenient shopping, pleasant pedestrian spaces and minimized extension of utilities. - Discourage over-concentration of similar businesses to prevent vacancies and market saturation. - Blend the commercial areas with surrounding uses to minimize land use traffic and environmental conflicts. - Provide adequate parking to create an inviting shopping environment convenient for all to use. IV-5 �- Provide for conflict. efficient accessibility to retail uses to minimize traffic Implementation f1easures: Unless careful site planning and access controls are instituted, conflicts bet1-.,een uses can occur, opportunities for integrated uses 1ost and the capacity of streets can be greatly reduced. It is therefore recommended that the rezoning of lands designated by the Land Use Plan for commercial purposes be done incrementally to help assure that development is not done prematurely or haphazardly, with disregard for the lack of utilities . and the uses that are in existence or could develop on adjoining sites. Implementation of the Commercial Land Use Plan should therefore involve the following recommendations: 1. Development of flexible planned unit development zoning provisions that would allow the review and approval of proposals incorporating integrated mixed uses, joint access and alternative access characteristics. 2. Institution of zoning standards and a site plan review process which promote desirable objectives and the careful scrutinization of such site plan features as: - Water, Sewer and Drainage: Until public or collective -systems for these utilities are provided, it is recommended that major developments not be permitted unless careful consideration is given to the ability of individual methods to handle expected water usage, waste water generation and runoff. - Driveway Location and Spacing: Driveways should be located as far from street intersections as possible to avoid left turn conflicts and businesses should be encouraged to _share driveways whenever possible. Driveways should be at least 200 feet apart to reduce conflicts and provide gaps in traffic for safer ingress and egress. It is recommended that commercial parcels have a minimum of 300 feet of street frontage to promote adequate driveway spacing. · - Landscaping: Commercial development should provide landscaping along the street edge to enhance aesthetics and screen the parking areas. Specific landscaping requirements should be incorporated into the Zoning Ordinance to ensure adequate and uniform landscape treatment among all businesses. - Alternate Access: A secondary means of ingress and/or egress should be provided if possible. Such alternate access could take the form of access to an intersecting street for corner parcels, access across adjacent parking lots, access to another street to the rear of the property, a frontage road or service drive paralleling the major street, or a similar alternative. - Signs: The number, size and location of signs should be controlled and kept to a reasonable minimu~ to avoid motorist confusion and insure individual business identity. IV-6 ....... �\ t \ I l ~ \ ► J .r• . .... r" y ' ·--.. (_ . . :, J L \ t ,. -( .. I I J '-w~ ( - .. ...:- .... ,J. = .. ; ' - •, 7 > ,... d l ----• '!''ll '- . < \. ~ . : .,.r - _...-·•-, ...__ r;•,...::...~ =-=4=\-!l~-~ ~ t T (} ) c' """ . ' ~-' L VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN T 7 N, R 9 W COMMERCIAL LAND USE PLAN %:::iIIf::::::~ii:LI::: R E T A I L A N D O F F I C E A R'E A I HEAVY COMMERCIAL AREA MAP 9 �6. Encourage the landscaping of industrial sites through site plan review. 7. Discou irage the development of "heavy" industries which, because of their scale or type of operation, could have severe environmental implications, or overburden public services. 8. Incorporate access control mechanisms similar to those recommended for the commercial ~reas into zoning provisions relative to the industrial zone. HISTORICAL PRESERVATION The Land Use Plan designates many of the properties in the Fallasburg area as a "Historical Preservation Planning District". Within this district are several historical structures included on State and Federal Registers of important historical sites. Through tent of certed develop the designation of the Historical Preservation District, it is the inthis plan to promote and lay the ground work for possible future conefforts designed to preserve and restore existing structures as well as new structures in accordance with the heritage of the area. The objectives of the district are as follows: - To preserve and promote the heritage of the Township by increasing public awareness of the area most reflective of the Township's cultural, social, economic and architectural history. - To promote the stabilization and improvement of property values within the district. - To strengthen the local economy. - To promote the use of historic sites for the education and pleasure of residents within the community and state. Implementation measures In order to fully achieve the objectives of the district, there are many financial physical and political factors that must be addressed in detail. In addition ' several alternative approaches and levels of public involvement must be considered. These efforts are well beyond the scope of this General Development Plan. It is therefore reconnnended that subsequent to the.adoption of this plan, the Township should undertake a program for the preparation of a detailed Historic Preservation Plan for the Fallasburg area. Such a program should incorporate the following: 1. Create a Historical Commission pursuant to the provisions of Public Act 169 of 1970. 2. Prepare a detailed Historical Preservation Plan under which detailed studies and recommendations can be made relative to the following: IV-8 •· �- Pedestrian Access: Where appropriate, sidewalks or paths should be provided to link businesses with each other and residential areas. INDUSTRIAL LAND USE PLAN The "Industrial'' planning area as depicted on the Land Use Plan is intended to provide and reserve adequate land for future industrial development. In so doing it is recognized that industrial development wi 11 be important to the economy and tax base of the community. The areas designated are located to provide easy access and to minimize potential conflicts with residential uses. They would also form a buffer between the airport and nearby residential uses. Intensive industrial development within the areas shown would require the provision of public sewer and water. Another important influence on the Industrial Plan is that much of the land around the airport is owned by the City of Lm·1ell. As a result, a great deal of cooperation with the City would be required if that portion of the Township is to be made available for eventual industrial use. The objectives of the Industrial Land Use Plan are as follow: - To encourage industries to locate in an industrial park setting. - To p'.omote diversification of the local tax base. - To provide additional nearby entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for Township residents. Implementation Measures The following recommendations are intended for dustrial Land Use Plan: use in implementing the In- 1. Explore with the City of Lowell the feasibility of creating an industrial park on city owned property adjacent to the airport. 2. Incrementally expand the availability of industrially zoned properties within the planning area based on needs over the planning period, keeping in mind that development without public utilities should be carefully monitored. 3. Improve site plan review standards relative to industrial uses to ensure building and site design quality and that those industries being proposed without public sewer and water facilities will not jeopardize environmental quality. 4. Encourage the creation of industrial subdivisions rather than piecemeal development to help ensure development and collective use of necessary access roads, drainage and other improvements. 5. Incorporate provisions in the zoning ordinance that would discourage extensive outdoor storage and activity areas that would detract from the character of the Township. IV-7 �/, I \ I \ l ~ \ r J I _r _.... .. , I < WI\. I \\ ~ y r"" (_. ' .. .: "'- ·\i :: .\ (_ .. --·:r . .____ \I 1.._IJ,!-lT >1 \.) ~ . :r,. ~~ '<'~i I \ ..-:,, /~ ~ .---- • ~ fv; I I I ·i:. t --✓ I I \. l •• • I t =~ ~ ~~t• ) } . 91tttt:T '- ~ ~ I t•t t ' L VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN T 7 N, R 9 W INDUSTRIAL LAND USE PLAN INDUSTRIAL AREA MAP10 �- The determination of the actual physical extent of the Historical trict and the lands and structures to be included. - The identification of a central architectural theme, promoted in the District. if any, Disto be - The identification of any additional properties that should be publicly acquired • . - The formulation of architectural and land use controls necessary to stabilize and improve property values in the District. - The identification of the role and extent to which the Township, by Ordinance should become actively involved in promoting the recommendation for the District. - The targeting and securing of finances capable of carrying out the plan for the district. - The potential extent to which the area could be actively promoted as a tourist attraction. - The desirability and feasibility of limited commercial uses, such as craft and gift shops and home occupations within the District being utilized to help capture the tourist potential and create revenues for carrying out District improvements. 3. The incorporation of the Historic Preservation Plan into the General Development Plan. 4. The implementation of necessary ordinances and controls mechanisms recommended by the plan. IV-9 and other �NATURAL FEATURES PRESERVATION PLAN As previously discussed, the preservation of the rural character of the Tmmship is a high priority among residents. One important aspect of the community's rural character are the natural features found in the Township. These include hills, woodlands, water resources and soils. The importance of these features however, go well beyond natural beauty. Taken collectively, these features form an interrelated, high quality and well-balanced environment that should be protected from potentially disruptive development practices and land uses. The following objectives and quidelines should be applied throughout the Township and, coupled with recommended land uses and densities outlined in the previous sections, are intended to provide a balance between the desire to accommodate continued development and to protect the natural environment. Objectives: - To preserve woodlands, quality hillsides, wetlands and wildlife habitat and water - To promote proper site planning and design of developments so as to preserve natural vegetation, steep slopes and prevent erosion, excess runoff and siltation - To discourage development in flood prone or flood hazard areas Implementation r1easures: 1. t1aintain and enforce the Flat River Overlay Zoning District and its provisions to restrict development along the banks of this designated "natural river". 2. Through site plan review, program: subdivision regulations and a public education - Encourage the construction of roads that follow contours rather than running against them. - Encourage minimum grading and cut fill activities on steep slopes. - Encourage the concealment of buildings located on prominent hillsides. - Discourage the filling of wetlands. - Evaluate soil suitability for the proposed use. Discourage the over improvement of building sites in rural areas that would replace natural vegetation with large manicured lawns, and other forms of urban landscaping. IV-10 �( \ \ I ~ l \ _r ..-,, ., r J•2•u \ \. :..,, ... < r°" l. -- ( --- ~-- . '\ i ~ .I L .~ ,. .- ·J ' .' I I ·\· .. '-, .• : )l \) ~ . i flAIIC - ¾., - ' I I( ( "'-"" 1 · " 9'1111U f ~"l.~---!_\ ,, \ I I "' ..... ' ( '- ~ DWtV I T• t ( f L VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN T 7 N, R 9 W HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN -HISTORIC PRESERVATION AREA MAP 11 �r - Encourage the use of natural drainageways vs. ground drains. 3. channelization or under- t Cooperate with the Kent County Road Commission to ensure strict enforcement of the Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Act. If necessary, adopt and enforce a local ordinance. 4. Inform residents and farmers of the problems of over fertilization of lawns and fields near water bodies and drainage ways. 5. Inform residents of measures that should be taken for proper septic tank and drain field maintenance and operation. 6. Inform residents with livestock and other domesticated animals of the hazards of locating feeding areas and animal runs where nutrients from animal waste can readily enter surface waters in the form of runoff. 7. Support State and County laws and administrative programs which help to protect natural resources. The following list of State and County approvals is directed toward the major environmental protection needs of the areas. Feature of Concern Agency or Approval Requirement Wetlands State wetlands permits are required for alteration of any wetland contiguous to lakes, streams, and other water bodies, and for wetlands which are five acres or more in size. Proper septic system location and installation for surface water and groundwater quality protection Permit required from the Kent County Health Department. Erosion control during construction An earth change which is within 100 feet of a lake or stream or is one or more acres in size requires a permit from the Kent County Road Cormnission. This agency presently administers the provisions of the Michigan Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Act w1th1n Vergennes Township. Adequate drainage facilities minimize flooding The Kent County Drain Commissioner reviews all subdivision plats to assure adequate drainage facilities. Proposals for developments with stor11Mater outlets to county drains, as well as mobile home park proposals, are also subject to approval by the Drain Commissioner's office. On-site retention of storrmtater is often required. IV-11 �Feature of Concern (Cont.) Agency or Approval Requirements (Cont.) Roadside drainage The Kent County Road Commission reviews all subdivisions for conformance v1ith Road Commission standards. For large lot developments, surface drainage to roadside ditches is a11 owed. If the development is not a subdivision, but results in a drainage discharge to a roadside ditch, approval from the County Road Commission is required. Runoff must be restricted and retained on-site to assure an agricultural rate of runoff. Spill prevention plans at industrial sites The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reviews and approves Pollution Incident Prevention Plans submitted by businesses. Businesses are required to submit such a plan if they store or use critical materials on the "Critical f1ateri a1s Register," sa 1t, or 1arge quantities of fuel. Wastewater treatment systems with discharges of more than 10,000 gallons/day of sanitary sewage The Michigan Department of Natural Resources issues groundwater discharge permits when discharges of more than 10,000 gallons/day of sanitary sewage (or other discharges) are proposed. The provisions apply to large-scale septic systems, and other types of wastewater facilities. Proposed discharges must meet requirements of the Part 22 Rules of the Water Resources Commission Act. Wastewater treatment systems which discharge into lakes and streams require a Federal tJPDES permit nlational Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit), which is issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. 8. Developers should be encouraged to contact state and county agencies at the earliest possible point in the site plan preparation process, and to incorporate state and county agency requirements for resource protection into site plans, presented to the Township. IV-12 �COMMUNITY FACILITIES PLAN Recreation , Analys~s of ~ocal recreational opportunities within the Township shows that Township res, dents presently must rely on, and at times compete with others for the use of facilities located at Fallasburg County Park and with the City of Lowell. · While these facilities are adequate for their intended use, it must also be recognized that as the area population increases, Ver~ennes Township must become increasingly responsible for providing additional opportunities for i~s residents. This conclusion is justified by the results of the resident att,.tude survey which shows significant desire among residents for additional facilities. It is therefore this plan's recommendation that the To~mship begin an ongoing program intended to satisfy basic recreational needs of residents. The recommended objectives of this effort are as follows: - To identify and acquire approximately 30 to 40 acres of land capable of supporting the outdoor recreational facilities needed to satisfy the identified basic needs of . all age groups within the Township beyond the year 2000. - To work closely with the Kent County Parks and Recreation Department in an effort to identify potential areas in which local needs can be addressed by existing or expanded County facilities until such time that Township facilities can be made available to augment the County facilities. - To pursue a wide variety of potential funding sources that can be used for the acquisition, development and maintenance of local park land and facilities. Implementation r1easures: While it does not appear that the needs identified in the preceding chapter are critical at the present time, it is important that planning and decision making for the ultimate provision of additional recreational facilities begin at an · early stage. This is especially important in terms of land acquisition, where early acquisition can greatly reduce overall costs and better assure the ability to acquire land in the most desirable location. It is therefore recommended that the Tounshi p take the following measures in establishing a parks and recreation program, in fulfillment of the above objectives. 1. Appoint a "Park Commission" under the provisions of P.A. 271 of 1921, or an ad hoc citizen's committee to: - Identify potential future park sites. - Prepare a Parks and Recreation plan capable of qualifying the Township for the receipt of Land and Water Conservation Funds {LWCF) and rtichigan Natural Resources Trust Fund {f1NRTF) grants from the Nichigan Department of Natural Resources. IV-13 �-Identify and pursue potential funding sources such as private and other local, state and federal programs. foundations - Work with the Kent County Parks and Recreation Department and LoHell School District to ensure a coordinated approach to providing facilities with organized recreational activities. - Monitor citizen needs and concerns. - f1ake necessary recommendations to the Township Board with respect to ongoing parks and recreation needs in the areas of administrative, budgeting and operation and maintenance. Administrative Offices, Library and Fire Protection As has been previously discussed, the Township. Administration Offices are located on leased property with very little room for expansion, fire protection is contracted through the City of Lowell and the nearest library in Lowell is in need of expansion. While existing conditions in these three critical areas of public service appear satisfactory, it must be recognized that continued growth will almost certainly bring increased needs and public demands for improvements in all three areas. It is therefore important that the Township periodically assess its position with respect to these facilities and services as well as available options for improvement. One of these options is, of course, the acquisition of land and the ultimate crinstruction of one or more of these three facilities. If during the remainder of the ten year planning period, it becomes apparent that land acquisition for one or more of these facilities is necessary to ultimately address long range needs, it is recommended that the following siting factors be taken into consideration. 1. Fire stations should be located near but not directly on the intersection of two major streets. This will enhance accessibility to all areas of the Township, but reduce the number of potentially hazardous conflicts directly on the intersection. 2. The Flat River forms a barrier that will have a direct influence on site selection for a fire station. 3. Economies of scale and the applicability of fire station locational criteria to other types of community facilities tend to indicate that a single site capable of ultimately supporting the collective needs of a fire station, township hall, library and community park should be considered. Such a site would allow the Township greater decision making flexibility and the opportunity to minimize overall acquisition and development cost. Such a site would also allow most administrative, operation and maintenance functions to be carried out in a more cost effective, centralized fashion. IV-14 �School Facilities It is recommended that the Township work closely with the Lowell School District in the district's efforts to assure that the necessary educational facilities are provided. Such cooperation will be necessary since the district is presently exploring options that could lead to a decision to acquire a new school site within the district. Should sites in Vergennes Township be considered, it will be important that the Township have adequate lead time to consider possible land use and development related implications. IY-15 �TRANSPORTATION PLAN The street system forms the framevrnrk for grm•1th and deve 1opment of the community. By providing a means for internal and external circulation, it serves the community by helping shape the intensity of land use. Thus, this costly and long-lasting element becomes one of the most dynamic forces of the community. Street classification The street system serving Vergennes Township can be classified as follows: t1ajor Arterials This class of street serves major movements of traffic within or through the area. t1ainly designed to move traffic, the secondary function is to provide land service. Minor Rural Arterials This class of street serves primarily local or shorter distance traffic and provides a limited degree of continuity. Their principal function is providing local land access in connection with major arterials. Paved Rural Collector Streets These streets serve the internal traffic movement within specific areas and connect those areas with the major and minor arterial system. Generally, they are not continuous for any great length. The collector street is intended to supply abutting property with the same degree of access as a local street, while at the same time serving local traffic movement. Traffic control devices may be installed to protect and facilitate movement of traffic; however, these devices would not be as elaborate as those on arterial streets. Unpaved Rural Collectors and Local Streets The sole function of these streets is to provide access to immediately adjacent property. They make up a major percentage of the streets in the community, but carry a small proportion of the vehicle-miles of travel. Objective The primary objective of the Transportation Plan of Vergennes Township is to provide a street network which will encourage the most logical development of the area while providing for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. IV-16 -- �Problems The major pPoblem with the street system is increased traffic volume on unpaved rural collectors. Other factors that will become increasingly significant as growth continues include the need for better traffic and access controls to reduce traffic conflicts, and the incomplete grid pattern of the street system. Reconmendations The following transportation related recommendations are intended to address existing problems and to avoid problems in the future: - Within zoning and subdivision regulations institute assess controls intended to reduce traffic conflicts along the major and minor arterials thereby preserving their volume and function. - Establish road improvement priorities. Through cooperation with the Kent County Road Commission, monitor traffic volumes and road conditions as part of a program to establish road improvement priorities. In this way, the Township can objectively allocate its limited resources to those areas already having the greatest need. - Consider the ability of existing roadway conditions to handle projected traffic volumes resulting from new development when reviewing site plans and rezoning requests. - Implement the Land Use Plan. This document contains specific land use recommendations which reflect the adequacy of the existing roadway system. Taken collectively, the implementation of the various land use proposals will minimize the need for long range road improvements. - It is recommended that zoning and subdivision controls officially recognize the hierarchy of the road network by taking into consideration the traffic volume, noise, speed and clear vision requirements of each roadway 7la~s. Such requirements should translate in larger minimum lot frontages and bu1ld1ng setbacks along major streets than those along local platted streets. IV-17 �CHAPTER V IMPLEMENTATION Updat!ng of the f1ast 7r Plan pr~vides a direction for future gro\'1th and development in accordance with Township goals and objectives. However accommodation of the anticipated population growth over the next ten years wiil require investment from both the public and private sectors. It is important that this investment be made wisely and that the results are consistent with Township goals. The recommendations in this Plan are advisory, and are intended to form an acceptable framework for decision making. While the Township Planning Commission does not have the total responsibility for plan implementation, it must assume a leadership role to assure the plan's success. Implementation components: of this Plan will require a combination of three basic 1. Acceptance and use of the Plan by the Planning Cormnission and Township Board as a decision making tool. 2. Commitment of resources in accordance with Plan proposals. 3. Community understanding and acceptance. The Master Plan cannot serve its intended purpose unless it is implemented as part of an overall action plan. The following action plan elements are listed as the primary means of plan implementation. A vital step toward implementing the Plan is official recognition of the Plan and its proposals by the Township Board, Planning Commission, and general citizenry. Plan implementation will require community understanding and support and thus, should be given wide exposure and continuing public and governmental review and evaluation. Zoning Controls By contrast to the general policies of a land use plan, a zoning ordinance and map are specific, and offer an important means of guiding land development. Subsequent to the adoption of this Plan, the Township Planning Commission and Township Board should review and make any necessary revisions to the zoning regulations to ensure that recommendations of the Plan are instituted. Flat River Natural River Plan and Zoning Controls Vergennes Township participated in the development of the Flat River N~tu~al River Plan. At its November 9, 1979 meeting, the Natural Resources Commission formally adopted this plan and designated the Flat River as a Country Scenic River under authority of Act 231 of the Public Acts of 1970. V-1 �The Township has al so developed and adopted zoning regulations for controlling development 1•1ithin 300 feet from the ordinary high water mark on each side of and paralleling the Flat River. The Flat River District is established as an overlay zoning district as a secondary district to the conventional zoning districts which are adjacent to the Flat River. The requirements of the Flat River District should be reviewed every five years and any necessary changes made to keep the ordinance current with changing patterns of land use development. Marine Safety Act The f1ari ne Safety Act (Act 303 of 1967, as amended) sets forth genera 1 regulations for the use of vessels in waters of the state. The Department of Natural resources may, via hearings and adoption of rules by local governments, further regulate the use of such waters by special regulation. The Planning Commission and Township Board should give consideration to the adoption of special rules to regulate the use of the backwaters of Burroughs Dam. Such rules might regulate such things as permissible hours of operation for speed boats, no-wake zones etc •• Under this act, the Township would hold a public hearing to determine if regulation is necessary. If deemed necessary, the Township would then request the t1ichigan Department of Natural Resources to undertake an investigative study of the site and hold a public hearing. Following this hearing, and with DNR approval, the Township could adopt rules by ordinance. Once adopted, the Township, County or State could enforce the rules, although they are generally enforced by the Watercraft Division of the Kent County Sheriffs Department. Subdivision Controls New subdivisions should be contained primarily within areas designated for low and medium density development by this Plan. It is recommended that the Township establish as a high priority the development and adoption of subdivision regulations that are tailored specifically to the needs of the Township. Subdivision regulations should include requirements, and performance standards. design criteria, development Building and Housing Codes Codes regulating the construction and maintenance of housing units are important to the preservation of an attractive community. The Township building codes should reflect the continuing advances in building technology and maintain high standards for building design and construction. V-2 �Community Facilities The_M~ster Pl~n is not i~tended !o provide the level of detailed planning and dec1s1on making that 1s required to locate and implement future community facilities. Instead, it is intended to provide general direction as to how these improvements should be made in an orderly and cost-effective manner, taking into consideration the projected long-range needs of the community. It is recommended that early on in the planning period, the Township should develop the necessary facilities plans to determine detailed needs and the timing of their development. Through these early decision making processes, all available options should be discussed and, if needed, land should be identified and, to reduce cost, acquired in advance of actual construction. Early decisions will also allow funds to be allocated over time and help to ensure that when actual development is needed, the resources will be available. The list of community facilities that have been identified as being in need of serious discussion and decision making within the planning period include; parks and recreation facilities, administrative offices, fire protection and library facilities. Historic Preservation The Plan makes specific recommendations relative to historic preservation in the Fallasburg area. It is recommended that these steps be carried out early in the planning process period. Economic Development The commercial and industrial components of the Plan make specific recommendations relative to land for commercial and industrial development near the City of Lowell. However, without the adequate provisions of public sewer and water facilities, extensive development will not be desirable and it is doubtful that these areas will experience a great deal of development activity. For this reason, it is recommended that the Township explore the many options available for the ultimate provision of public utilities in these areas. To provide necessary utilities within the 10 year planning period, it is recommended that discussions with the City of Lowell begin at an early stage. Potential areas of discussion should focus on the following: 1. Inclusion of areas immediately adjacent to Lowell in an ultimate sewer and water service area of Lowell utilities. 2. Development of sewer and water plans to determine those sewer and water capacity improvements necessary to serve portions of Vergennes. 3. Discussion of alternative financing for improvements and extensions including special assessments, additional millage and possi~ly the conditional transfer of property by contract between the two units of government. V-3 �Funding On-going planning and selective components of the Plan by necessity will require financial assistance if they are to be realized. Such funds may be generated locally through the general fund or special millages or may be made available from several state and federal sources. Among the state and federal sources are: - Community Development Block Grant Program - As an entitlement community, Kent County receives yearly allocations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A portion of these funds are allocated to the 33 local units of government in the County. Vergennes Township receives a share of these moneys which can be utilized for on-going planning projects and certain capital improvements if they will directly benefit low-income or minority groups in the Township. Examples of local projects that are typically funded wholly or in part through this program include: * Public facilities including libraries, firestations, cor.,munity centers, fire equipment, historical structures, etc. * Planning studies including rtaster Plans, Recreation Plans, Housing Studies, Drainage and Utility Plans, etc. - Land and Water Conservation Fund and Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Assistance under these programs is available for planning, acquiring and developing a wide range of outdoor recreation areas and facilities. The programs are administered by the ttichigan Department of Natural Resources and are financed by funds appropriated by the Federal Government and State legislature. Under the LWCF Program, grants of up to 50% of the cost of a project are available. Under the t1NRTF Program, 100% funding may be obtained. - Tax Financing Authorities - Townships such as Vergennes are enabled under state statue to raise funds through various tax authorities. These include the Downtown Development Authority (ODA). Through establishment of a ODA, tax increment financing can be used. This would allow the capturing of moneys generated from increased assessed values within the defined district. Captured funds can be devoted to specific public improvements such as utilities, parks and street improvements. Capital Improvements Program Capital Improvements Programming is the first step in a comprehensive management system designed to relate priorities and programs to community goals and objectives. It is a means of planning ahead for the funding and implementation of major construction and land acquisition activities. The typical CIP is 6 years in length and updated yearly. The first year in each CIP contains the capital improvement budget. The program generally includes a survey of the long-range needs of the entire governmental unit covering major planned projects along with their expected cost and priority. The Township Board then analyses the projects, financing options and the interrelationship between projects. Finally, a project schedule in developed. Priority projects are included in the V-4 �Capita 1 Improvement Program. Low priority projects may be retained in a Capita 1 Improvement Schedule which may cover as long as 20 years . • The CIP is useful to the Township, private utilities, citizens and investors since it allows coordination in activities and provides the general public with a view of future expectations. Continuing Planning In order to ensure continual implementation of the t1aster Plan, a continuing planning process should be maintained. The elements of such a process should provide for the following: 1. Monitoring: The maintenance of basic socioeconomic planning data on a current basis. 2. Re-evaluation: Periodic review, rea.ppraisal, and modification of the plan to make 1t fully reflective of changes in the community and the surrounding area. 3. Assistance: The provision of planning data and technical services to community policy-makers, developers, and lay citizens. The preparation of a Plan is only a corner-stone in a continuous process and not an end result. Public Information Public understanding and discussion of major policy questions and proposals is essential so that the Plan may receive maximum public acceptance. because the Planning Commission and the Plan are advisory in their approach to community development, education of the public regarding planning is required. This education must be based on a flow of information and dialogue on major issues. In order to increase public acceptance of the Plan and in turn, put into the planning process, several methods may be employed: gain public in- 1. To establish and maintain contact with the general public and with civic and service organizations in the Township. 2. To utilize the mass media to advance the Township's planning and development objectives. Plan Review It is important to remember that this Plan is not a static document. It should be continually utilized to guide the Township's growth. The Planning Commission should monitor changes in conditions or advances in planning technology and periodically review and update the Plan to take advantage of these factors. V-5 �It is recommended that five year updates be undertaken but that, as a minimum, they be timed to coincide with the release of decennial U.S. Census data. This will allow the utilization of highly detailed and up-to-date demographic information as accurate benchmarks in monitoring and projecting community growth and change. V-6 �APPENDIX A Historical and Projected Traffic Counts Table A-1 _presents the available historical traffic counts on street segments located within Vergennes Township. Location have been identified by the letters A through S and correspond to their locations found on 11ap A-1. For example: Location A on Table A-1 refers to location A on t1ap A-1, or the intersection of Vergennes Street and Lincoln Lake Ave. Where available, traffic counts are provided for each road\'lay segment north, south, east and \·lest of the intersection. Numbers refer to total two way traffic counts taken over 24-hour time periods. 11 11 11 11 Table A-2 presents traffic volume and level of service projections for selected street segments within the Township. The table presents two alternative projections: - The first projections are based on historical rates of increase extrapolated from available traffic counts during the 1980 s. Since the projections are based on relative increases that have occurred in the past, maintenance of the same rates of growth are not seen as being realistic. 1 - The second set of projections utilizes the standard rate of increase as utilized by the t1i chi gan Department of Transportation and assumes a normal rate of development and population growth. It can be expected that traffic increases for the selected road segments will more closely correspond to the projections derived from the standard rate. Projections based on the historical increases should therefore be considered worse case scenarios. �APPENDIX A • TABLE A-1 HISTORICAL TRAFFIC COUNTS Selected Locations (Two-way Counts) Location 1982 1987 A - North South East West 3,151 3,753 599 1,435 4,714 5,184 662 2,078 1981 1986 3,335 3,288 714 3,835 4,488 804 1982 1986 2,386 3,135 731 3,398 4,797 1,711 1981 1985 2,168 2,269 N/A 58 2,772 2,403 260 160 1981 1985 N/A 1,409 161 247 N/A 2,515 228 574 1981 1985 B - North South West C - North South East D - Uorth South East West E - North South East West F - IJorth South East West 286 403 86 110 445 401 94 115 t Incr./Decr. 50% 38 4 45 15 37 13 42 53 134 28 30 N/A 176 N/A 78 42 132 56 0 9 5 l �APPENIX A TABLE A-1 CONT. Location 1982 1986 G - North South East West 483 483 1,402 1,317 749 595 1,725 1,769 1980 1986 907 898 744 998 804 573 696 1,043 1981 1985 H - North South East West I - North South East West 444 670 338 264 1981 J - North South East West 423 520 74 19 1984 K - North 224 275 457 1982 M - North South West 55 23 23 34 -11% -36 - 6 5 28 12 33 19 1985 574 N/A 78 32 36 5 68 Recent Data Not Available 655 1981 L - North South East 567 749 451 314 % Incr./Decr. 370 440 385 1986 616 509 N/A 175 85 Recent Data Not Available �APPENDIX A • TABLE A-1 CONT. Location 1982 N - North South East West 613 677 136 103 1981 0 - North South East West 477 63 676 504 1982 P - North South East South East East West Source: 690 77 862 619 25 0 -21 45 22 27.5 23 Recent Data Not Available 1986 107 54 83 69 46 % Incr./Decr. -11 54 43 Recent Data Not Available 144 369 424 1980 S - North 20 1985 120 1980 R - South 733 844 132 81 % Incr./Decr. 188 400 214 1982 Q - North 1986 N/A Kent County Road Commission 1988 Historical Data Not Available 1598 I �( \ \ l ' J I I 0 I \ I •tU ( II ",..J r-i I ) ~ I '-, "\ L-, r r .. H[llf (_ I •...__ __ 11 r-.. I I "' IAtL[Y ~ r { --- \ \ MNN[TT tTtt([T '- ~ '\'" ( I - \ "'L __ - ----____ AREA L VERGENNES TOWNSHIP KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN T 7 N, R 9 W TRAFFIC COUNT LOCATIONS MAP A-1 �APPENDIX A TABLE A-2 Traffic Volume And Level of Service Projections For Selected Street Segments L.0.S. 1995 L.0.S. 2000 L.0.S. 5,580 5,470 IIAII IIAII 8,550 6,570 llcll 10,300 7,500 "Ell 5,740 4,552 "All 9,225 5,485 "C" 13,433 6,266 "E" 4,100 3,583 "All 5,895 4,093 "All 8,036 4,577 11B11 "A" 2,265 2,134 "All 3,488 2,503 IIAII 4,500 2,860 "B" 1988 Street Lincoln Lake Ave. South of Vergennes Hist. Rate Stand. Rate "A" "B" Lincoln Lake Ave. Between Bailey and Fallasburg Park Dr. Hist. Rate Stand. Rate IIAII IIAII IIAII Lincoln Lake Ave. North of Fallasburg Park Dr. Hist. Rate Stand. Rate IIAII IIAII Vergennes St. East of Lincoln Lake Hist. Rate Stand. Rate IIAII "All IIAII Notes: 1. A short qualitative description of each level of Service is as follows: Level of Service "All "Bu ucu "D" IIEII Traffic Flow Description Free Flow Stable Flow Within design operations Congested but acceptable for short periods Subject to operations breakdovm and severe congestion 2. All projections relate to 24 hr. two way volumes, assuming 5% truck traffic 3. Projections based on historical rates of increase are projected from 1986 & 1987 Kent County Road CoITlllission Traffic Counts. 4. The standard rate of increase is 2.7% per year, Department of Transportation. as used by the t1ichigan � 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 Wyckoff Planning and Zoning Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Planning & Zoning Center (Lansing, Mich.) (Organization) Wyckoff, Mark A. Description An account of the resource Municipal master plans and zoning ordinances from across the state of Michigan, spanning from the 1960s to the early 2020s. The bulk of the collection was compiled by urban planner Mark Wyckoff over the course of his career as the founder and principal planner of the Planning and Zoning Center in Lansing, Michigan. Some additions have been made to the collection by municipalities since it was transferred to Grand Valley State University. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Michigan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960/2023 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Comprehensive plan publications Master plan reports Zoning--Michigan Zoning--Maps Maps Land use--planning Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-240 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Language A language of the resource eng Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 Vergennes-Twp_Master-Plan_1989 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Miller Associates Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1989 Title A name given to the resource Vergennes Township Master Plan Description An account of the resource The Vergennes Township Master Plan was prepared by Miller Associates in 1989. Subject The topic of the resource Master plan reports Vergennes Township (Mich.) Kent County (Mich.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/870">Planning and Zoning Center Collection (RHC-240)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng 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/e03450285644ad3716a810b07c33f1b6.jpg 418b839341a4127feca61ebd19b7bb69 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 Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. 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 VerierAndrea Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Verier, Andrea Description An account of the resource Andrea Verier, Artistic Director for the Performing Arts Center Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College administrators Colleges and universities – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a0e21b46bfc46fc1777bb12c12268bf4.mp4 ab2a85c0fc26ed88a2adec684404ec96 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8809efaa112e8f002dd985ba6d3c5fcd.pdf 339897c07d5178ab03de1d1e449d443b PDF Text Text GVSU Veteran’s History Project Korean War Norman Vermerris Total Time: 27:54               (00:12) Birthday is February 22nd, 1931 (00:27) Worked in the Air Force; highest rank was a Staff Sergeant (00:43) Enlisted in Grand Rapids, Michigan with seven of his friends o They decided to join the Air Force (1:04) Korean War started in June of 1953 [1950] o Instead of being drafted into the Army, he and his friends wanted to join the Air Force o October or November when they enlisted o Physicals were in Lansing (1:44) January 7th, 1951 when they went into the service o Wet by train to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas (2:15) Most of the guys that were with him were from Michigan, but one was from Texas (2:27) After Basic Training, Mr. Vermerris was sent to Biloxi, Mississippi to go to Radio School o Afterwards, they had to choose between Airborne, Ground Radio, or be an instructor o He ended up in the Airborne, was pleased with this (3:07) Sent to an Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington o There was a C-124 Operation as well as a school for pilots and co-pilots o Flew over the Pacific and the Atlantic o They flew to most of the islands in the Pacific (5:10) They also flew over to the East Coast; made shuttles from Maine into Greenland, as well as Iceland (5:54) They helped move B-29 outfit from England to the United States o Strategic Air Force [Command] at the time; England also had cargo planes (6:52) They also flew to Alaska (7:00) Remembers flying from Greenland to the Washington Air Force Base – McCord (7:36) Also flew into Japan with cargo (7:47) Eventually in Tacoma they moved his outfit to Florida o After this was when he went overseas and was stationed in Japan o Flew from Japan to Korea o Was on a Troop Carrier; 6th Squadron Combat Cargo �               (9:40) Flew over food, ammunition, etc. (9:49) Originally was going to be a part of the combat crew for a year, but then a truce was signed in 1953 (10:18) Later, in the 315 group, there was a C-46 that was going to be flown back to the US o Mr. Vermerris was sent to Brady Air Force Base in the southern islands of Japan o Was going to put in extra tanks in the planes so they could go to the US o Eventually decided against this, so Mr. Vermerris couldn’t be rotated back to the US o Stayed until 1954 (12:15) Often flew from Pusan to places in Japan as well (13:03) Brady Air Force Base was on the coast of Japan, 7 feet above sea level (13:24) When he was still in a Japanese city, there was a Korea pilot who flew a plane into the base; deflected from North Korea; was given a large sum of money o He was also supposed to go to the United States o Airplane was flown to Okinawa o They later picked up the airplane o Eventually flew it to Dayton, Ohio (17:47) Once Mr. Vermerris was in Patterson Field, he hitchhiked home (20:18) While he was in school training, he also learned how to navigate (21:00) Mentioned that he used to meet one of the guys he signed up for the Air Force with o This friend was a photographer o Met most of the guys he signed up with in various places during the service (22:11) Was in the service from January of 1951 until December of 1954 (23:17) Remembers bringing POW’s from Korea into Japan (23:35) Mr. Vermerris worked mostly in supplies (23:44) He also went to Indochina and supplied the French with things o Also flew into the northern capitol of Vietnam (26:55) Remembers snow-steps in Greenland (27:37) Was in Japan when the [Korean] war officially ended � 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 VermerrisN0890V Title A name given to the resource Vermerris, Norman (Interview outline and video), 2010 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Vermerris, Norman Description An account of the resource Mr. Vermerris is from Michigan and was born on February 22nd, 1931. In 1951, he and some friends decided to join the Air Force instead of waiting to get drafted for Korea. He received his training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, and then to Biloxi, Mississippi to learn how to use a radio. He chose to be in the Airborne. His job in the service consisted of supplying troops in Japan, Korea, and he even traveled to Greenland and Iceland. He was in the Air Force for three years. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Otten, Tim (Interviewer) Wassenaar, Austin (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. 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 2010-02-17 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/4bbfa7691db9bbc7386f758093cddd81.jpg db298a70d7f65669502fadcacfb2e4bb https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d8ac3a891f838d30dd6e79ecb9383a26.jpg b107e599656d8058b242c8d15a9ec784 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 Civil War and Slavery Collection Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Slavery--United States African Americans United States--Politics and government--19th century Description An account of the resource A selection of correspondence, diaries, official documents, photographs related to the American Civil War and to the institution of slavery, collected by Harvey E. Lemmen. The collection includes a selection of documents from ten states related to the ownership of slaves and abolition, correspondence and documents of soldiers who fought in the war and from family members and officials, diaries and letters of individuals, and a collection of mailing envelopes decorated with patriotic imagery. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lemmen, Harvey E. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472">Civil War and Slavery Collection (RHC-45)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470">John Bennitt Diaries and Correspondence (RHC-43)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent Papers (RHC-44)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/478">Theodore Peticolas Diary (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War Patriotic Envelopes Collection (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/479">Whitely Read Diary (RHC-52)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1804-1897 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg; application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image; Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1804-1897 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 Vermont. Loyal to the Union Description An account of the resource Design shows female with state coat of arms and "Loyal to the Union. State of Vermont." Design in red and blue on a white envelope. For sale by Wm. Ridenburgh, 132 & 134 Nassau St., N.Y. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-49_PE088 Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Postal service--United States--History Covers (Philatety)--United States--History Patriotic envelopes Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War patriotic envelopes, (RHC-49)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg 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/39b336fa8a2b9722201d2693ae8f9a6a.jpg 2c6347d6c5ecf1722ffdf1ef7c984317 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3a2d0bbf6e630cd852f14632fecb70f8.jpg 23ff3abb90fa2162780585ffa2ac77d9 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 Civil War and Slavery Collection Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Slavery--United States African Americans United States--Politics and government--19th century Description An account of the resource A selection of correspondence, diaries, official documents, photographs related to the American Civil War and to the institution of slavery, collected by Harvey E. Lemmen. The collection includes a selection of documents from ten states related to the ownership of slaves and abolition, correspondence and documents of soldiers who fought in the war and from family members and officials, diaries and letters of individuals, and a collection of mailing envelopes decorated with patriotic imagery. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lemmen, Harvey E. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/472">Civil War and Slavery Collection (RHC-45)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/470">John Bennitt Diaries and Correspondence (RHC-43)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/471">Nathan Sargent Papers (RHC-44)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/478">Theodore Peticolas Diary (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War Patriotic Envelopes Collection (RHC-51)<br /></a><a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/479">Whitely Read Diary (RHC-52)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1804-1897 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg; application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Image; Text Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1804-1897 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 Vermont. The Loyal States, Union Description An account of the resource Design shows female with flag and state coat of arms and "Vermont, The Loyal States, Union." Design in blue on a white envelope. Designed and manufactured by Reagles & Co., 1 Chambers Street, N.Y. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-49_PE103 Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/?language=en">No Copyright - United States</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Subject The topic of the resource United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Postal service--United States--History Covers (Philatety)--United States--History Patriotic envelopes Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/476">Civil War patriotic envelopes, (RHC-49)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives