1085 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ac7521d7917840d0b1e0805b3780f016.m4v 735911666036a39137b6939a626f45f2 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/600508edbf89ee33cdde6f05357898be.pdf bfdeb6fa6df206ef75d6ffa4b152bd2c PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans' History Project David Zylstra World War II 1 hour 44 minutes 40 seconds (00:00:09) Early Life -Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1924 -Has lived in Grand Rapids all his life -Attended West Side Christian High School -After graduating attended Calvin College (prior to service), Brooklyn College (during service), and the University of Michigan (after the service) -He had seven siblings -Father had a sheet metal shop in their backyard -House and shop were located at 1233 Muskegon Ave, Grand Rapids -Got through the Great Depression without much trouble -Father had come to the United States in 1890 at the age of four -Started working in a furniture factory in Grand Rapids when he was twelve (00:02:12) Start of the War -Before Pearl Harbor knew that Congress was split about direct intervention in the war -Knew that the United States was giving supplies to the British and Soviets -On December 7, 1941 the public opinion of the war changed dramatically -Everyone came together with a common purpose -Knew about the fighting happening in Europe -Saw that Hitler was rapidly conquering countries in Europe -Wondered if Germany would try to invade America -Fear that the Nazis were going to take over the world -Remembers coming out church on December 7 and his cousin running up to him -Told David that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor -Went back home and listened to the news on the radio -Knew when he was fifteen (1939/1940) the U.S. would probably get involved -And he'd have to fight in the coming war -War bonds were being advertised -Father bought some -Some people started Victory Gardens -Rationing went into effect -Meat, gasoline, sugar, coffee, and chocolate -There was some black market activity in Grand Rapids -Knew a man that had slaughterhouse and he was probably involved in smuggling (00:08:19) Getting Drafted -Graduated from high school in 1942 and went to Calvin College -All of the young men at Calvin knew that they would eventually be drafted -Had a deferment because he was a student �-It was a strange feeling being deferred -Considered enlisting -Remembers recruiting stations with lines of young men out the door -Had a brother enlist in the Army Air Force -Decided to just wait to get drafted -Got drafted in August 1943 -Reported to Fort Custer, Michigan for processing (00:10:36) Basic Training & Army Specialized Training Program -Sent to the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia -Knew some men at Fort Benning that had gone to Calvin College with him -Got approved for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) before basic training -Received 17 weeks of basic training -The ASTP sent soldiers to college for engineering, medical, and linguistics training -He was assigned to the ASTP engineering program at Brooklyn College -Took a troop train from Fort Custer to Fort Benning -Took a couple days to go from Michigan to Georgia -People always waved at them as they went south -Civilians gave overwhelming support to the troops -The sergeants were tough and expected obedience from recruits -It was good training -Had to do 15 mile marches in one day with only one canteen full of water -Not allowed to stop for water -Good discipline -If you resisted, you were punished with extra Kitchen Patrol (KP) duty -Learned to never volunteer -Asked by a sergeant if any of the recruits drove a Buick -He and a few other men raised their hands -Brought around to the back of a building where there were wheelbarrows -Each one had "BUICK" written on the side -He had some difficulty with adjusting to the Army -Some men would go out on Saturday nights, drink, then come back and hassle the other recruits -He and the other recruits got sick of it, so they took action -Removed the light fuses and put their footlockers in the middle of the floor -After that the drunks never bothered them again -All men in his section were going to ASTP after basic training -Sent to Brooklyn College in January 1944 -Stayed at Brooklyn College one term then the program was shut down -Had regular engineering courses with professors -After the program was cancelled he became an infantry replacement -Assigned to the 75th Infantry Division when they were on maneuvers -Had weekends off while at Brooklyn College -Explored New York City -Had mathematics and physics classes (00:23:27) Assignment to the 75th Infantry Division �-Joined M Company, 291st Infantry Regiment, of the 75th Infantry Division -M Company was a heavy weapons company -Had water cooled machine guns and heavy mortars -Attached to line companies that were on the attack -His duty was as a gunner -Didn't know where they were headed after maneuvers on the border of Texas and Louisiana -Had rain for three weeks -Split into red and blue teams -Red team was the "enemy" -Got a shipment of bad ham and everyone in M Company got food poisoning -The maneuvers took place in swampland -Had to watch for ticks and snakes -Slept outside in tents -Maneuvers lasted ten weeks -He got there the second week of maneuvers -Received heavy weapons training -Had to learn how to shoot the machine guns and mortars -Had to crawl under barbed wire for 100 yards while a machine gun fired over him -One man got wounded by friendly fire during maneuvers -Sent to Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky for further training -Some of the men in his unit were welcoming and friendly and he respected them -Other men were abrasive and hostile toward the replacements -Stayed at Camp Breckenridge for two, or three, months (00:31:04) Deployment to the European Theatre -Got to go home for a week -He was engaged at the time -Planned on meeting his fiancee in Chicago while stationed in Kentucky -Got delayed due to a visiting general -Finally got to Chicago at 5AM -Went to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and sailed out on the USAT Edmund B. Alexander -Sailed with twenty one other ships in a convoy -Took ten, or eleven days to reach Europe -Ran into bad weather and a lot of the men got seasick -Had a destroyer escort following them -U-Boats tried to attack the convoy, but were driven away by the destroyer (00:35:37) Arrival in the United Kingdom -Arrived at Swansea, Wales -Received extra training -Got to the United Kingdom on November 2, 1944 -Went on patrols and went into town on the weekends -Went on five, to ten, mile marches -Got to meet and talk with some English civilians (00:37:28) Arrival in France -Received new weapons and got the larger weapons to go overseas -Knew then that they were going to mainland Europe and into combat �-Boarded a British ship and sailed across the English Channel to Le Havre, France -Division landed in France on December 13, 1944 -Harbor was clogged with sunken ships so they had to take a landing craft to shore -It rained nonstop for three days when they arrived -Saw French civilians in the countryside -Learned quickly that the French would urinate on the side of the road -Got to go into Paris -Learned that the French had places called pissoirs (00:39:25) Advance into Belgium & Battle of the Bulge -Moved across France on 40 & 8 box cars -Train only moved 20 to 25 miles per hour -Destination was Belgium -Stopped along the way -French were always friendly and gracious of the American presence -Gave the civilians candy and cigarettes -Heard artillery being fired the closer they got to Belgium -When they arrived in Belgium they arrived next to 155mm howitzer positions -Remembers when they fired it was like lightning striking right next to them -Knew they were going to go into combat -Went to Manhay, Belgium to relieve the 106th Infantry Division -Furthest point of the German advance -106th had suffered heavy losses and numerous men had been captured -Ordered to hold Manhay at all costs -Got heavily shelled the first night there -Germans were only 1000 to 1500 feet away from Manhay -Shelling lasted for an hour -Ground was frozen so they could only dig down six inches -Germans used shells that exploded at tree level producing more shrapnel -The front line near Manhay was incredibly thin -Stayed there for a few days -Moved to a spa town in Belgium (probably Spa itself) -Stayed in a Belgian man's home -Very hospitable and told them he had fought in the Belgian Underground -Had to move from town to town liberating each one from German rule (00:48:35) Fighting in the Ruhr Pocket & Advancing into Germany Pt. 1 -Liberated the suburbs of Essen and Dortmund in Germany -Met stiffer resistance once they got into Germany -Even German children were throwing rocks at them -German soldiers dressed in American uniforms infiltrated their ranks -Wreaked havoc on the supply lines by misdirecting traffic -Didn't move at night unless they absolutely had to -Sent out patrols to capture German soldiers -His job was to carry a radio and go with the forward observer to direct mortar fire -This placed him directly on the frontline and in immediate danger -Moved on to attack a suburb of Dortmund with L Company �-Germans were lying in wait in the rail yard and ambushed them with machine guns -He stayed calm during the attack then ran for cover while still taking fire -Even with the presence of American tanks the Germans held their position -Lost two tanks to well placed hand grenades -Advanced to attack a hill near the suburb -Germans fired indiscriminately killing American troops and civilians -Had to go house to house to neutralize snipers -In the cellar of one house found a group of 30 elderly German civilians in hiding -Germans would deal as much damage as they could then retreat -Went up against the German Tiger tanks -Tiger tanks had thicker armor and more powerful guns than American tanks -Captured an aluminum factory along with several thousand workers -Captured the town of Orsoy on the Rhine River (00:59:15) Interactions with Civilians and Prisoners of War -German civilians tended to retreat before American forces arrived -They would politely evacuate any German civilians that had stayed behind -Had German prisoners of war working in places like Camp Brooklyn and Camp New York -Camps used to send GIs home, confine German POWs, and process freed Allied POWs (01:01:20) End of the War in Europe Pt. 1 -In Westphalia, Germany when Germany surrendered -Had to wait for the Russians to reach the Elbe River before they advanced further -Had to deal with hundreds, if not thousands of displaced persons (DPs) after the war -Many of them were trying to get home to their respective countries -Fed a lot of them -Eventually had to stop DPs from traveling because they clogged the highways -Helped an elderly Polish man and two younger Poles get ready to go home -Had to travel from western Germany to Poland with a horse and wagon -Gave them supplies and a sign that said, "Poland, or Bust!" -At the aluminum factory in Dortmund there were thousands of Polish slave laborers -Found an old mansion and surrounded it -Without firing a shot sixteen German soldiers came out and surrendered -Oldest of the group was sixty years old -Still has a Mauser pistol from that encounter -Found a beautiful Prussian uniform in the mansion -Near the end of the war when they captured the mansion -Thinks that the German soldiers were glad to be taken prisoner (01:09:41) Medic Friend -Had a friend in the Army that was a medic -Remembers one night they were writing letters together �-Medic was called to help a wounded soldier -Didn't receive a bronze star because he already had one from a previous act -In France there were wounded American soldiers, trapped in a town -Put Red Cross arm bands on German POWs -Sent them into the town to retrieve the American soldiers (01:11:35) Christmas 1944 -Spent Christmas 1944 in Belgium -One soldier played a pipe organ and they sang Christmas carols with a Belgian family -On Christmas Eve he watched 22 planes get shot down and only three parachutes emerged -Watched dogfights take place between American planes and German planes (01:13:38) Chaplain -Remembers gathering in a barn before an attack -Chaplain addressed the men, told them with blunt honesty not all of them would survive -Turned out to be right, because the next day there were fewer men (01:14:34) Back Injury -En route to Trois-Ponts, Belgium in a convoy -His vehicle hit a crater in the road sending him and a few other men flying -A 200 pound soldier landed on top of him -Thought that he broke his back -Got a ride to a nearby town where a division was staying -Next day got a ride to a field hospital, then from there to a hospital in Paris -Placed in a bed next to a recently freed American prisoner of war with tuberculosis -David still tests positive for TB 70 years later -Man died the next day -After his hospital stay in Paris he was sent to Etampes, France for rehabilitation (01:17:39) Fighting in the Netherlands -After recovering from his injury he rejoined the 75th in Neer, Netherlands -Could see German soldiers across the Maas River -Saw a German soldier going into a house and fired three mortars at the house -After that the soldier did not emerge -Spent most of February 1945 in the Netherlands (01:19:10) Fighting in the Ruhr Pocket & Advancing into Germany Pt. 2 -Pushed into the Ruhr Pocket in March 1945 -Germans were so desperate they were using horses to pull 88mm artillery guns -If a horse was killed, German civilians would go out and scavenge the meat (01:20:01) Seeing Prime Minister Churchill and General Montgomery -In the Netherlands when he saw Prime Minister Churchill and General Montgomery -Had linked up with British forces -Heard sirens and saw motorcycles coming down the road �-Saw Churchill in his car, with a cigar, giving the V for Victory sign (01:21:17) End of the War in Europe Pt. 2 & Occupation Duties -In a town in Westphalia, Germany when the war ended -German soldiers were happy that the war was over -German troops were replacing their uniforms with civilian clothing to escape getting captured -Contracted hepatitis after the war was over -Had a fever of 102ºF and got sent back to a hospital in Paris to recover -Spent three weeks there -Had to stay in Europe for nine more months after the war to get enough points -Stationed in the Information & Education Office at Camp New York in France -Working with an Army established university network in England and France -Specifically with the Biarritz American University in Biarritz, France -A man tried to recruit him to help sell a damaged jeep to some Frenchmen -David turned it down -A jeep was stolen every day in Paris -French wanted the jeeps after the war, and eventually they were legally sold -Knew that there was a huge black market for cigarettes in France -There was very open prostitution in Paris -A woman set up a pup tent and charged only 300 Francs per customer (about $4) -Trying to provide a living for her daughter -Got 15 college credits at the American University in Biarritz, France -Beautiful town on the Spanish border -Gave local children candy and oranges -Gave civilians any spare food -Stayed there for six months -He played the trombone in the university band -Had a university newspaper (01:33:10) End of Service & Coming Home -In Camp New York when he received word that he could go home -Shipped his Mauser home to avoid it getting stolen -Got discharged on March 10, 1946 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana -Given $300 by the Army and hitchhiked back to Grand Rapids, Michigan -Took a ship back to the United States from France -Took five days to get back to the U.S. and didn't run into any storms -Wanted to kiss the ground when he got home, but there were too many GIs (01:36:40) Life after the War -Prepared to get married upon coming home -Had been dating for three years -Got married on June 1946 -Enrolled in the University of Michigan -Attended the extension school in Grand Rapids -Went to the Ann Arbor, Michigan campus for one year -Got a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration �-During the war became friends with a man from Grand Rapids named Robert Dice -Robert Dice was captured by Germans in Colmar -Ran into each other at the University of Michigan and became friends -David got a job at American Seating Company in Grand Rapids -Robert got a job with the Hartford Insurance Company as an adjuster -After a year and a half got David a job at Hartford as an adjuster (01:42:17) Reflections on Service -Matured a lot during his time in the Army -Realized how prevalent racism still was among the Southern soldiers -Appalled by how the Southerners considered the black soldiers to be subhuman -Shocking coming from a Northern, egalitarian atmosphere -Learned a lot about life -It was a wonderful experience -Believes that there are better ways to learn about life than through war � 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_ZylstraD1785V Title A name given to the resource Zylstra, David B (Interview outline and video), 2015 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2015-06-24 Description An account of the resource David Zylstra was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1924. In August 1943 he received his draft notice. He was processed at Fort Custer, Michigan and accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program. He received basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia and then went to Brooklyn College, New York for the ASTP engineering course. When the ASTP was cancelled he was sent to join the 75th Infantry Division on their maneuvres in Texas and Louisiana in spring 1944. He was assigned to M Company of the 291st Infantry Regiment and received heavy weapons training. The division left the United States in fall 1944 and arrived at Swansea, Wales on November 2, 1944. In December 1944 the 75th went to France and arrived at Le Havre on December 13, 1944. David saw action in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge, in the Netherlands, and in the Ruhr Pocket during the advance into Germany in spring 1945. At the end of the war he was in Westphalia, Germany and Camp New York, France helping with the processing of GIs, German prisoners of war, and the Information and Education Office for the American Universities in England and France. He also attended the American University in Biarritz, France. He returned to the United States after nine months of occupation duty and got discharged on March 10, 1946 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Zylstra, David B. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Type The nature or genre of the resource 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> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/x-m4v application/pdf https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ab5cea4db83415fdcd961535ac6e1afe.mp4 01769639623911d2e67ec72d5d6b5f5b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/16c7cad0c24018c5b71f978db646c617.pdf 66d0cea74e64f3be9db237b93830019e PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veteran History Project George T. Zysk (00:44:57) Background • Born in Grand Haven Michigan • June 20 1916 • Joined the Red Arrow Division 1934 (2:10)Battle of the Coral Sea • Sunk the Japanese Navy • Started at Midway-Japanese sunk Yorktown aircraft carrier (4:00)Enlisted in the National Guard • Camp Grayling • George made orderly • (5:00) Tried out for the Soldier of the Year award • 1939 was in the CCC’s-built Camp Germfask 96000 acres?-last camp torn down at the end of the war-Conscientious Objectors • George was a carpenter at Camp Germfask *George was alerted about the attack on Pearl Harbor when he was on the West Coast. Possible attacks on the Coast was expected *Colonel Chennault-George talks about him-Flying Tigers (9:30) Company F • Went to Louisiana Texas before Pearl Harbor • George was training recruits Owens Stanley Mountains • (12:00) Buda Missions • George was a Staff Sergeant • Worked with the whole 2nd Army • (14:00) 2 Marines-shot while sleeping • Asked if he wanted R&R-he said he wasn’t tired and now we are winning • Malaria • George had stokes in 89 and 90-catscan in Muskegon-cured Malaria (17:00)Battle of the Coral Sea • George watched them sink the Japanese army �• • • Says they were getting hit hard by the Axis Came back on a Liberty ship-can’t remember name Mad he was kept with the engineers till the end-right before they left for the States (20:20)Battle of Tacloban [Philippines] • Oxygen tanks on board-blew up by Kamikaze fighter • Lost 89 guys• Convoy heading to Tacloban • (24:00)MacArthur-‘I have returned’-little respect for him • Bataan Death March-left Skinny Wainwright behind • Truman wouldn’t let MacArthur get them over the Yalu River [Korean War] (27:30) Back in the States • Quit Legion because they closed bar down at 12:30 instead of 2:30 • George is very appreciative of the men that came home and the home he came home to • (30:40)Family put him out-spent $9000 on a home • Married 55 years-divorced • (33:00)Old Burn Manufacturing Company (AP Auto Parts) worked for (34:00) After The Service • George is not bitter about things • He feels he had a great impact on life today • (35:50) George sings ‘God Bless America’ • George sings ‘National Anthem’ • George sings ‘You made me love you’ � 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 ZyskG Title A name given to the resource Zysk, George (Interview outline and video), 2007 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Zysk, George Description An account of the resource George Zysk served in the 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd (Red Arrow) Infantry Division on New Guinea and in the Philippines during WW II fighter. In the Philippines, he was on board a ship that was hit by a kamikaze. He speaks critically of Gen. MacArthur but highly of the men he served with. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) Video recordings United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2007-06-29 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives